TiVo Discontinues DVR Hardware as It Shifts Focus to Software

TiVo has confirmed it stopped selling physical DVR set-top boxes on October 1, 2025, marking the end of a hardware era that changed how viewers record and watch live television. The company said it no longer manufactures hardware and that remaining inventory is depleted, though it will continue to provide customer support for existing devices.

The TiVo DVR, launched in 1999, popularized features like pausing, rewinding and recording live TV — capabilities that reshaped TV viewing habits and introduced the concept of on-demand control over broadcast schedules. While DVRs reduced the need to watch ads, streaming services have since brought ad-supported tiers back into prominence.

• Date: TiVo listings were removed and sales stopped as of October 1, 2025.
• Business shift: TiVo is now primarily a software company, focusing on TiVo OS.
• Support: Customer support and existing plans (including lifetime plans) will be maintained for current hardware owners.
• Market presence: TiVo OS has been active in Europe since 2022 and debuted on a Sharp smart TV in the U.S. this year.

Since 2022 TiVo has concentrated on TiVo OS in European markets and brought the smart TV platform to the U.S. via the “Sharp Smart TV Powered by TiVo,” a 55-inch QLED 4K HDR set. TiVo OS aggregates streaming services and provides its own catalog of free and paid content, aiming to compete with other smart TV ecosystems.

For further reading, see the original coverage: Engadget: TiVo has discontinued its DVR boxes and TiVo’s official site: tivo.com.

Discussion: What do you think this means for the future of TV hardware vs. software — will the TiVo brand thrive as an OS, or is this the end of an era?