Great video - We've had our Tablo about 3 years now. It works great for us - but there are few watch-outs people need to know about: 1) It has 4 tuners, so it splits the signal four ways and that can really suck your signal strength; 2) It takes awhile for it to change channels - if you like to channel surf, this could be a problem; 3) setting the bandwidth too high can cause a lot of buffering and setting it too low affects the picture quality. We went with the lifetime subscription for ours, that one-time fee really paid off.
Just got mine today. Was lucky enough to buy a 1TB drive at Staples for $25 on clearance. Setup was extremely simple and I would rate it as a 10 on setup. After updating the firmware during the setup process, the system walked me through the other selections. Within 10 minutes of unboxing I was viewing TV! Entire process was 10/10. Thanks Tyler for the review and recommendation.
this is one of the best pieces of equipment of its type I have ever encountered. It puts TV in any room without an antenna, just a streaming device. In almost 2 years I have never had to re-set it, it just works!
Picked up a Tablo Light. Using DSL at 3.3 MBs and plunged in a one TB WD passport HD. My Roku ultra has an app on it so it streams to the 1080p non smart TV. It works beautiful. Ive had it about 5 weeks now and it records all my shows no issues at all. Thanks again Tyler the man.
I have had a tablo for 5 to 6 years now with zero issues. I can attest they are quick to fix any glitches in there apps. They also put in significant amount of time to testing there updates before they roll them out to ensure things are working properly. One side note on the new quad tuner unit you also have the option to use an internal hard drive for those who want a cleaner install.
I knew you would like Tablo and I totally agree. I have had my Tablo Quad for about 6-months. I added a 2TB internal drive and use it all the time. I live in Texas and used it while in Colorado all last week. I Love It!
I have had a Quad for 5 months. I just disconnected my satellite service and put an outside antenna on the satellite pole that held the dish. I am really enjoying the OTA content with an internal 2TB hard drive I installed in the Quad. I am getting all of the live and recorded content OTA I need. The quality of picture from live and recorded is outstanding. I have recommended this solution to several folks I know and they also were glad they went with the Tablo solution.
We have had a Tablo quad tuner for about 3 years now. It works very well! The only gripe I have about it is that if you lose internet connectivity the Tablo will not work. While we don't lose Internet very often, when we do lose it, that is the time when we would rely upon a device like the Tablo for entertainment. I have brought this to the attention of the Tablo company, but they as yet have not fixed this:-(
While I appreciate the response, no offense, but having to hook up an antenna directly to the TV sort of defeats the purpose of using a Tablo. Additionally, via the Tablo, we have multiple TVs able to wirelessly use a single antenna, so no, the tablo is not near them.
Thanks so much for this review. This confirmed my choice. I recently decided to go with this option for my DVR. I’m pleased to hear that it is less glitchy than Recast and Sling Air. Again thanks!
Skip the HDMI versions, the block you from access to player without a subscription. I feel ripped off! It said I could play back on two other devices but did not reveal I have to pay then $5 a month to playback on a second TV. I am pissed about this deception. It feel like they promised something but now want to extort me to get what I already paid for.
I have had Tablo for about 6 months and think it great. One thing you didn't mention is commercial skipping which works about 90% of the time, but I think it's not available on firestick. This is a great product and really makes cord cutting practical.
a couple of points. The Tablo turns the TV signal into a digital stream using their own codec I believe. Purists out there point out some of the flaws in the codec, but from this layman's perspective, its been fine. In my experience, the tuner on my Tablo is just plain better than the tuner on my AIrTV. I get more channels, and less pixelation. I'm right there with you on the glitchy and quirky behavior of the AirTV. I have no such issues with the Tablo. I've been very satisfied, and I run my Tablo at the 720HD (3MB) settings.
Im sure you know but you don't have to use a portable HD. There's a bay for the HD if you flip the unit over. It simply snaps in after you remove cover.
I bought the Recast TV box as there are no charges for the guide. It works well. Also the Pluto guide is included or any service like Philo with their guide. The Fire TV Recast has the free 14 day guide. I have the two model version that was $125 on sale. I am pleased with the Recast, as it has the 500GB HDD with room to add an outboard. So for me, the price was right and the 14 day free guide is great. My older 720p Toshiba TV is a good match. The weak signal pop up is no biggie as it means nothing and goes away. Before this I had no 14 day guide as my old TV set has only next program. I bought the Recast as there is no cost for the guide. The Tablo and Tivo, you have to spend the money to buy the box and then turn around and pay for the guide and DVR features. Too much money. Thanks for the review on Tablo. I already had the Fire Stick 4K, so adding the ReCast works well in my case at least.
I can say this that the Tablo Quad that the tuner inside of this thing is very good. I got WQED and even though it is 3 dots out of 5 it is working very well like it is an excellent signal strength channel.
I have the Quad. One additional note: The Tablo can be fitted with an internal hard drive or an external hard drive. This is an additional expense. Although the manufacture the unit does get warm, there is no need for a cooling fan. I chose a WD Element 1 TB external hard drive. No problems.
I have Tablo Quad with Roku Ultra on main TV. Very pleased with this combination. I installed an SSD inside. The Roku remote control has awkward mute button on the side. I prefer my TiVo Bolt remote on my other TV.
I have the duo recorder w/o subsription and I love it. Have a problem pausing recordings when casting to Chromecast via Android but other than that I love it!
That looks great, Tyler. I'm not so interested in recording as I would be to have tv throughout my house. The only thing that sticks in my mind is the sensitivity of these units. It would be nice to see a head to head comparison of these devices. My suggestion is to put a step attenuator in line with each unit, pick a channel and see how weak the signal can be. That would make a great video! Have a good Thanksgiving.
I returned the Tablo Quad a couple of months back. If the Tablo encountered a weak signal for one of the channels it was recording, the entire unit would reboot. This was an insanely poor design decision. One time I had 2 recordings on other channels working fine, but the signal on a 3rd channel would be weak a times.. Tablo unit completely reboots and thus interrupts all three recordings. Out of pure desperation I built a Linux PC running MythTV. While it was a challenge, it has been wonderful. Solid as a rock. :)
One good thing is the Lifetime subscription is for the account holder, not the device, as opposed to Tivo. If you upgrade this device in the future you don't need to buy another subscription. Also, if want an internal hard drive, make sure to purchase a thinner one. At first I tried to maximize with a 6 or 8 Terabyte drive but it wouldn't physically fit inside. I ended up getting a thinner 3 Terabyte drive which did fit and is still larger than most you'll get with a cable box or in a Tivo.
You failed to mention Tablo also supports the Apple TV, which is a superior experience amongst the other streaming boxes. I also recommend the lifetime subscription. Same cost as three years and well worth the investment. I cannot recommend this product enough.
While you showed an external HD connected via a USB cable, you CAN install certain HD's internally INSIDE the Tablo Quad. There is an internal 2.5" SCSI drive bay inside the device, IIRC you need to remove one screw and a plastic cover to access the drive bay. Only certain sized disk will fit, the issue is the height of the drive, only the smaller (7mm?) height drives will work. You can use an SSD or a HD, provided it is in the 2.5" SCSI form factor. I have the Tablo Quad, and I installed a Seagate HD inside of the unit. I noticed that I sometimes had issues scheduling a program for recording when using the Samsung smart TV App, or the FireStick app, but it always worked on the computer web app. I haven't tried using the Android phone app. We bought this when Direct TV was fighting with CBS to record shows on that network. Haven't used it much since then, but still glad to have it as we intend to cut the Direct TV cord when our contract with them is over. OTA seems to work better than Satellite, especially when it's raining, and direct-tv has the annoying 2 second lock up several times a day, usually right in the middle of what every you are watching.
For me it was TiVO OTA Bolt. I can also record 4 channels at once, and record up to 1TB (150 hours). I have an antenna (32 good channels) and ethernet to two VOX (mini-TiVOs). I have Netflix, Hulu, and Prime. The only TV channels that I don't get are ESPN and the NFL channel. The MAIN reason to keep TiVO was because my ISP was using TiVOs and I decided to keep peace in the house by keeping the same controllers and guides and "way it used to work" -- well, mostly. My $285 cable (plus Netflix), so $300 a month, was to drop land-line, drop TV channels, and keep 100 download internet, and pay for Netflix $15, Hulu (no commercials) $12, and Prime $10, so, $85 vs $285. Sort of apple to oranges because of no land-line, but I am still saving. Keep up the good work Tyler! Enjoy your videos and you did help me select an excellent antenna, and general knowledge of such.
I've been using Tablo for over a year. Very happy with it except initially, I got a 1 TB hard drive and my wife filled it up. Swapping out a larger for a smaller is not an easy, if you want to retain all previously recorded content. I was hoping the review would cover that aspect. My solution - buy another Tablo (you can have more than 1 on a network). I wish Tablo would provide some means to do this more easily or the ability to add multiple hard drives to one Tablo. There is a very technical solution, but most folks probably won't have the technical ability. My advise, don't scrimp on hard drive size in the first place.
Use TabloRipper, it can copy files off your Tablo Quad. There is also ota2go which is pretty cheap. Surveillance (for recording video) HD's are a good choice since they are designed to record simultaneous streams.
This is certainly a very attractive device. I do however still like that mediasonic homeworx device. But that only has its limitations. But definitely if you're into the whole DVR experience and streaming On multiple devices and TVs this is the way to go.
so to update on the amazon recast issue, I ended up getting a replacement for the one I purchased. I didn't have to send the old one back. I hooked up the new one and the same issue. they both went on EBay...lol. sold them, and bout a tablo tuner DVR and same issue as the amazon recast had. took it back and bought the hdhomerun DVR. worked great, however the guide sucked and was not user friendly. so black Friday comes around and viola TiVo is a $100 off. same price as the hdhomerun, so I exchange it for the TiVo. every thing is good now. The TiVo tuner is about the best I have seen so far. I get about 10 more channels with it with the clearstream 4max I am using.
I would have preferred to go with the Tablo for many of the reasons you state in the video. However, both it and the AirTV did not do nearly as good a job at tuning my local channels as the Recast (or my TVs for that matter). I rarely get the low signal error on the Recast, so I don't think my signal was too weak. I suspect the Recast just does a better job handling correctable errors or maybe multipathing.
I bought a TIVO Bolt OTA about a year ago. It was on sale $50 off and bought a lifetime subscription. Storage on this is 2TB. I would consider this Tablo if I needed a replacement or additional DVR
Good review. When you mention DVRs, could you please tell us what kind of file format it uses in the HD, so that we know whether we can use computer media player software to play it through the network? Thanks.
What do you think of this Tablo Quad as compared to the Channels DVR paired with HomerunHD Quad? I run the latter and really love it. But I value your opinion a lot! Thanks.
What do you know about regarding a DVR that doesn't stream over the internet but plugs directly into your television and is hooked up to the antenna? Unless maybe this also has that capability. I like the idea of a device that records OTA television for you to watch at your pleasure, but this may not exactly be what I had in mind.
I use a Channel Master DVR, the only way to watch that is through the HDMI output. Although the guide is free it has been going downhill on how reliable the listings are. It has the best ATSC 1.0 tuner I have ever used.
On a couple of occasions I've had trouble with the Guide (I paid the $149 for lifetime) showing wrong info for a couple of my local stations while the rest would be OK. In the Tablo phone & PC apps (but not in Roku) I can change my location to the Zip code for downtown of my central city. This caused the Guide to be correct for all local stations after rescan and update. I contacted Tablo, and they got the Guide corrected. (I live on the west side of Columbus, OH, and the Guide was confusing my location with Dayton, OH.)
I have one of the original 2 Tuner models. I believe it's discontinued now. I've considered the subscription. It gives features like a longer guide, only recording new episodes of a show and it will auto adjust the time if the time of the show changes, and commercial skip. I've never been sure if that's worth the subscription for me. It's a great product though even without the subscription.
Looks like I will have to stick with older Channel Master DVR with remote, as I don't have a smart phone (just an old flip phone for emergency use) nor a home wi-fi setup, and stringing Cat 5 cable through house is definitely frowned on by better half. Still great review of whats new on the horizon. Thanks!!
Loving my Quad, got the lifetime subscription with it. Now if I can find a good antenna. (Checking your videos for that) I had quite a few channels with just this indoor antenna. Then Fox started talking about the rescan date on January 17th. After that I couldn't get MeTv. Tried a few of the indoor antennas I got. Maybe one would get MeTv in, but only like 10 channels.
Wow, what timing! I was seriously looking at exactly this. The commercial skip function. Is of particular interest. Can you do this in the free version? I would probably get the lifetime guide for 150.ive also noticed buying this from Tablo can be cheaper than Amazon.
Thanks for reviewing the Tablo. I looked at them several months ago but ended up with the new Channel Master. Have you ever done a review on the Channel Master? I am on my third generation. (Generation 2 is my favorite), One question - you mention the ability is set resolution/picture quality and suggest your internet speed matters. What does this have to do with internet speed when you are using in the house? Isn't the antenna signal being broadcasted through the home WiFi (or wired) ? Thanks again - Really enjoy your videos.
Nice to be able to stream the OTA channels in multiple rooms without having to run a coaxial to every room. Would be great for a landlord that has a multi-unit building.
Thank you for bringing to light the issues and ongoing frustrations some of us are experiencing with Amazon Recast. Should we hold off on the lifetime subscription since Tablo will not work with ATSC 3?
That's a good point I never thought of. The issue is that it will be at least for five years until atsc 3.0 completely takes off on all stations so if you are paying $5 a month for the subscription you might as well get a lifetime subscription
I've asked Tablo about that. They are monitoring the situation and will respond when it actually becomes a thing. As Tyler reported recently, ATSC 3.0 is pretty much only in testing phase right now, and there isn't much available yet in the way of tuners.
The Tablo subscription, as I understand it, is tied to the customer and not to the device. A lifetime subscription applies to all devices that the customer would have during his/her lifetime.
Your lifetime subscription will transfer to a new Tablo whenever it's worthwhile to upgrade to ATSC 3.0. I'd say it's still going to be at least another few years before it's worth considering ATSC 3.0.
I am really ready to cut the cord. I have been watching your channel for several months and made some purchases on your recommendations. The Tablo quad may be the next purchase. My house has 2 cable connections in every room. I also have a "smart box" in the laundry room. I think that will give me more options. My wife is the gamer and TV watcher. I'm just more of a RUclipsr. She has about 100 movies on the cox DVR that she wants to keep. That could be some serious transferring ! I believe the 1T Tablo could easily accept her recordings. With what I have told you do you think I will be able to make the switch without serious complications? Thanks LOU
@@AntennaMan I believe Antenna Man is correct on this. No cable company DVR I know of has ever had the ability to digitally transfer to another recorder. I've been told the content providers (Studios) insisted upon this condition, lest they sue the cable companies out of business for copyright infringement. Depending on the movies, you may do just as well picking them up cheap on used DVDs.
By the time you add the external HD, you're at the price of a Tivo lifetime subscription(built-in HD). Tivo has been the industry standard for over a decade and worth a look. I have had 2 of them for over 7 years and love them.
I have watched a lot of your videos. I am almost convinced to cut the cord. This video has convinced me to do it. I was concerned about DVR recording multiple channels while still watching TV channel. Most of the time my channel is on CNN and OTA it is not available 'Cable News Network'. However, I can still get it on Kodi and internet but video and voice is not quite synced up and is annoying. Dec and got my Cogeco bill, Niagara Region, $104 Canadian. I'm retired and TV is on all day. Toronto is 48 miles north and CN Tower channels, Buffalo is 25 miles away in opposite direction. Is there an Omni directional 360 degree antenna I do not have to rotate? I could mount a mast to the chimney center on my roof. Cable prices keep creeping up every 6 months and is now pricing itself out of a retirement income.
I use 3 separate antennas in the same area, each with their own ATSC tuner and amplifier. It is possible to combine antennas on one dvr but you need the extra cost channel filters and combiners. (2 antennas getting the same channel cancel each other)
I have a Table and it is a great device if you use it with a Computer/Laptop or in my case Roku Streaming Stick+. I had been using the Quad Tablo with a Firestick and I was about to give up and look at the Amazon Recast. While the Firestick worked great for Netflix, Prime, etc... there was something just not right with the Firestick app for Tablo. It was a frustrating experience.
Thanks for another great review. One question... can you pause/rewind live TV you are NOT recording at the time or is the only way to pause/rewind is if you're recording the show? Thanks.
Yes, but only after you first start watching. For example if you watch something three minutes in you can rewind and such but you can't rewind when you first click on a channel.
yes, but only from when you first start watching. That is why each channel takes several seconds to start, it is buffering video. I usually pause when a commercial starts a walk off for a while then skip forward 3-4 minutes then start playing it again, maybe pause for some reason then come back, etc.
I've been looking at this product for awhile. I have a question. Did you experience recording issues from channels with mid range signals that occasionally pix elate. I've heard this breaks tablo recording. Thanks for all the information your provide
With occasional occurances it does OK but I have had ti give up and stop recording. The DVR+ from Channelmaster aborts which is why I eliminated it as an option.
This unit is like using Locast, but there is no cost. except the upfront cost of the unit. I think I will get this. it saves running separate antenna cables to other parts of my house. I want to see is It can work with Plex media server. Things are looking up! Big question : is this unit ATSC 3.0 compatible? Not interested in outside the house viewing!
Hi, Tyler. I just watched your tv tuner video. How would you rate the quality of the Tablo tuners? Also, I've used the SiliconDust HDHomerun device some, and I can see some nice improvements in the Tablo. Can you compare the two? I'd love to see you do a video on HDHomerun. Thanks!
I have limited funds to invest and review new equipment. They are based on voluntary contributions from my RUclips subscribers. If you would like to contribute to this funding request that I review the hdhomerun the link is below. paypal.me/pools/c/8cwRt7M0g4
I have Tablo, the TiVo Roamio OTA, and an HDHomeRun/Plex server setup, and I'd say the Tablo and TiVo are on par with each other in terms of tuner quality. The HDHomeRun tuners are what I seem to have signal quality problems with (happening with both the HDHomeRun Connect Quatro and the older HDHomeRun Extend). If you (or anyone else) might be considering the Tablo or TiVo, then the Tablo would be more of a similar experience to the HDHomeRun/Plex DVR setup. One major downside with the TiVo is that it can only be used with the one TV it is connected to (though the TiVo Mini can be purchased separately for each other TV in the home).
@@nighthawkvc25a Thanks!! I'd love to try a Tablo, but the 1 set issue would be a deal-breaker for me. I'm not unhappy with the HDhr and I'm pulling in stations from 60+ miles with one of those crappy antennas. That'll be my next upgrade.
Could do a new video on Tablo quad DVRs? I want to know how hook two to my network so I could have more tuners to record. And I'm hearing it's possible to hook up two or more of them at the same time. Is this true or false?
I used an indoor antenna with a preamp. When watching sometimes the signal would drop out and I would have to program the channels again. I returned it to the store. I guess a better indoor antenna or roof might work?
@@tonysavarese7234 Obviously I'm not at your situation, so I cannot say for sure. It is possible you're actually getting too much signal with the pre-amp. Conversely, the Tablo divides the signal for the multiple tuners (2 or 4), so it might be split up too much. I'm not in a position to say definitively one way or the other. On mine, I have an 80-mile Channel Master antenna with all the stations between 4 and 15 miles away. With an 80-foot cable run and no pre-amp, I get perfect reception on all 51 available channels, (except one which will clean up after FCC Repack when they will also be moving their transmitter onto an existing much closer tower already used by other stations). I thought I would have trouble with such a long cable run, but it works really well.
Great review. I actually have the HomeRun HD with Channels app. I really, really like it. If you get the chance to review that against the Tablo, I'd love to hear what you think. The past reviews I've seen about the Tablo is that there is a good 2-3 second lag before it shows a channel, but the HDHomeRun and Channels app doesn't. Perhaps contacting HDHomeRun (Silicon Dust) for a test unit and see how it goes.
I 'm just getting into cord cutting. When I install the Tablo Quad DVR, do I need to be near the Tablo to change channels with a dedicated Tablo remote, or can I change channels via the TV and TV remote control from any room in the house? Also, can several TV's access the Tablo at the same time? Thanks so much.
You change the channel on the TV or set top box (roku, firestick, ect) so you do not need to be near the Roku. Yes, the quad allows up to four TV sets accessing different channels at the same time.
Antenna Man, I’m late to the dance. Sorry. Question: With after Tablo subscription yuh can only see one day at at time, you say. Can you SET to record the ALL the future show episodes on that one day? (I.E, record 10News at 4pm each day)
Uh, same time only, and set it for the days at that time. each time slot needs separate programming so of Family Feud is on twice you need to program both. I record Colbert each night with one program. It has no NEW option without a subscription even though the schedule has that information they block that option.
Can this record OTA broadcasts losslessly, with no compression, including 5.1 channel audio? That is the only criteria for me. I put off buying the Silicon Dust Homerun Duo or Quatro Connect , which I believe was the only recent device that could do this, for a couple years, and now it seems that they are discontinued, with the Quatro no longer available on Amazon, only still the Duo, so I just purchased one. I want it as an alternative method to a really obsolete system that connects an antenna directly to my computer with one tuner, which I hook up and turn on and off manually, but the lossless quality is great and the app's editing system is pretty good.
Tablos have a more elegant UI, but HDHomerun are faster at tuning into a channel. HDHomeruns have greater compatibility with other devices beyond streaming boxes such has HTPC, Kodi, and other 3rd party applications. I have both systems, Tablo Dual-lite, HDHomerun Extend, and Duo. I haven't tried their newer tuners with the built-in hard drives but from my understanding, they are very similar to HDHomerun Duo with the addition of local storage that comes with it.
Depends on what your needs are. Do you want a simple stand-alone box? This is like a Tivo in ways. Where a HDHomerun needs other things to make it work, but is much more flexible. I use my HDHomerun with PLEX. Plex is running on my NAS. All of that us in my networking closet.
So i currently have COX cable. How do i get started. Can you explain in non-tech terms? The primary user is senior citizen to whom tv is his window on the world. Can cord cutting be made simple to install and simple to use .
Is a fire stick or roku required to use this or can it be connected directly to a TV? Will it work with Apple TV or a smart TV? I’m a little confused about why you need a streaming device?
You need some kind of streaming device in order to access this Tablo. Whether that be a fire stick Roku or Apple TV is up to you. This Tablo does NOT connect directly to a TV via HDMI. They do have one model that does. You can find it in my other videos
So if I'm correct, this device can do away with the signal loss created with longer runs to multiple tvs over coax... by having a single short run from the antenna(s) to tablo and then rebroadcasting the signal wirelessly throughout a home to something like the 25 dollar Roku Express 1080p units? Right? Not taking into account possible wifi limitations of course, but even those can be overcome with powerline adapters or wifi extenders.
So, the initial investment is steep-ish when compared to the reason to cut cable and go with an antenna in the first place, depending on the number of tvs. But you give yourself the best chance at an optimal setup. A fair trade off in my opinion.
@@russellborrego1689 Go with an ethernet cable instead of wifi to avoid interference. You can use a gigabit ethernet switch to feed multiple TVs. I believe the limit on ethernet is 260ft per run.
I'm not interested in using an antenna..but can I use this device sort of like an 'aggregator' of all my channels from a few streaming sources? Thanks much
To tell you the truth, this is the best device for home viewing and recording I have found. period. The Tablo can be set up at the best antenna's signal locations (in the past, we had multiple internal antennas for each individual TV, and I found the antenna in the Living Room got the most stations with the best quality), and just 'push' the to your router, and therefore to your TV via an app (such as Roku, Fire stick, or ever you own TV's apps, like Samsung, Vizio, etc) I have purchased the lifetime subscription, and it's well worth it. The subscription isn't per device. You pay for the subscription. I pay for one device for my subscription's account, then add/remove and re-add Tablo devices for that account. That makes it convenient for hardware upgrades (upgrading to Tablo Quad from Duo, or any future Tablo device) Bottom line is, if you don't mind laying the up front 'investment', this does everything for the cord-cutter. I looked a long time for this.
I'm looking for a device to use while boondocking in a camper van to watch OTA TV on my tablet or phone. This would mean no router or any other signal other than the TV antenna to bring in local programming. Is the Tableau suitable for this? I don't care about the TV guides I just want to watch the news at 6 p.m. or maybe a Sunday afternoon football game.
Yeah I don't want to be required to have an internet connection to use a DVR. I'm still using the ChannelMaster DVR+ which doesn't require internet, but has a 1000 recordings limit which seems very weird.
I don't understand the streaming settings at 3:37. Does the Tablo send the video stream via the Internet? I would think this would be on your local network and your Internet/data plan is not a factor.
You're right that Tablo doesn't use data to stream content on your home network. You can read more about Live TV and Recording quality settings, and why they're handy to have here: www.tablotv.com/blog/tablo-dvr-live-tv-recording-quality-settings/
I get that it's a DVR for over the air, but I've never explored this type of device. I'm not sure how much use I'll have for the DVR, though my wife would, but I'm curious about potential uses. Does this device allow you to connect to one single antenna, and then stream to four devices off of that single antenna without running cables? I hate to sound like a moron after watching the video and reading their website, but this could be a solution for me. We currently have four crappy indoor antennas that are pretty hit and miss because of their locations, but if I could use the best antenna for all TV's, it would be awesome. Is the four tv limit for simultaneous streaming, or is it just that only four devices can be dedicated to the one box? We have several TV's but wouldn't be streaming at the same time.
Now that they have the hdmi direct tv connect dual and quad versions, it would be good to see a video on screen quality and general use differences between hdmi and these older wifi versions. It would seem wifi would be better with multiple tvs and no subscription but there has to be a reason besides elimination of the ruko/apple tv etc.
Be great for landlords of multi unit homes. One antenna setup can stream to every apartment in the house. Save the tenants from having cable or satellite.
I have this antenna in the attic of my house. Love it and highly recommend it. I use it in conjunction with a drop amp signal amplifier as I live out a ways from town. I get every channel. Take the time (two people with cell phones) to adjust it in WHATEVER position you need to to achieve the maximum number of channels.
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Great video - We've had our Tablo about 3 years now. It works great for us - but there are few watch-outs people need to know about: 1) It has 4 tuners, so it splits the signal four ways and that can really suck your signal strength; 2) It takes awhile for it to change channels - if you like to channel surf, this could be a problem; 3) setting the bandwidth too high can cause a lot of buffering and setting it too low affects the picture quality. We went with the lifetime subscription for ours, that one-time fee really paid off.
Just got mine today. Was lucky enough to buy a 1TB drive at Staples for $25 on clearance. Setup was extremely simple and I would rate it as a 10 on setup. After updating the firmware during the setup process, the system walked me through the other selections. Within 10 minutes of unboxing I was viewing TV! Entire process was 10/10. Thanks Tyler for the review and recommendation.
this is one of the best pieces of equipment of its type I have ever encountered. It puts TV in any room without an antenna, just a streaming device. In almost 2 years I have never had to re-set it, it just works!
Picked up a Tablo Light. Using DSL at 3.3 MBs and plunged in a one TB WD passport HD. My Roku ultra has an app on it so it streams to the 1080p non smart TV. It works beautiful. Ive had it about 5 weeks now and it records all my shows no issues at all. Thanks again Tyler the man.
I have had a tablo for 5 to 6 years now with zero issues. I can attest they are quick to fix any glitches in there apps. They also put in significant amount of time to testing there updates before they roll them out to ensure things are working properly. One side note on the new quad tuner unit you also have the option to use an internal hard drive for those who want a cleaner install.
Just installed it a few days ago and so far so good. Very happy with the purchase. Installed a 2 TB hard drive in it.
Thanks for reviewing this product. I know you're on a limited budget and lots of subscribers have requested this review. 👍
This Tablo Quad is freaking amazing. Even though its only OTA it finds shows and movies I can record that I would have never known about.
I knew you would like Tablo and I totally agree. I have had my Tablo Quad for about 6-months. I added a 2TB internal drive and use it all the time. I live in Texas and used it while in Colorado all last week. I Love It!
You forgot to mention the “automatic commercial skip” feature on recorded programs. Works seamlessly on my quad.
Does that apply to live TV, or just recordings?
As long as you pay for it. I have found it inconsistent and turn it off.
@@Sharon-zj2gp yeah, you can skip commercials on live tv. You can also time travel backwards and forwards.
I have had a Quad for 5 months. I just disconnected my satellite service and put an outside antenna on the satellite pole that held the dish. I am really enjoying the OTA content with an internal 2TB hard drive I installed in the Quad. I am getting all of the live and recorded content OTA I need. The quality of picture from live and recorded is outstanding. I have recommended this solution to several folks I know and they also were glad they went with the Tablo solution.
Thanks for taking the time to comment about your good experience with Tablo
We have had a Tablo quad tuner for about 3 years now. It works very well! The only gripe I have about it is that if you lose internet connectivity the Tablo will not work. While we don't lose Internet very often, when we do lose it, that is the time when we would rely upon a device like the Tablo for entertainment. I have brought this to the attention of the Tablo company, but they as yet have not fixed this:-(
While I appreciate the response, no offense, but having to hook up an antenna directly to the TV sort of defeats the purpose of using a Tablo. Additionally, via the Tablo, we have multiple TVs able to wirelessly use a single antenna, so no, the tablo is not near them.
Thanks so much for this review. This confirmed my choice. I recently decided to go with this option for my DVR. I’m pleased to hear that it is less glitchy than Recast and Sling Air. Again thanks!
Skip the HDMI versions, the block you from access to player without a subscription. I feel ripped off! It said I could play back on two other devices but did not reveal I have to pay then $5 a month to playback on a second TV. I am pissed about this deception. It feel like they promised something but now want to extort me to get what I already paid for.
I have had Tablo for about 6 months and think it great. One thing you didn't mention is commercial skipping which works about 90% of the time, but I think it's not available on firestick. This is a great product and really makes cord cutting practical.
Hi Fred - Automatic Commercial Skip is available on Fire TV. You just need to use the app marked Tablo PREVIEW, not the original app.
@@Tablotv thanks, I have a fire stick in my guest room, and don't use it myself, but I will change the app loaded on it.
I've had my tablo 2-tuner since 2013 (bought a lifetime premium subscription in 2014) as a whole house antenna, it's still running like a champ
Thanks for such a thorough review. It was unclear to me whether Tablo would meet my OTA DVR needs. I will definitely get one of these.
a couple of points. The Tablo turns the TV signal into a digital stream using their own codec I believe. Purists out there point out some of the flaws in the codec, but from this layman's perspective, its been fine. In my experience, the tuner on my Tablo is just plain better than the tuner on my AIrTV. I get more channels, and less pixelation. I'm right there with you on the glitchy and quirky behavior of the AirTV. I have no such issues with the Tablo. I've been very satisfied, and I run my Tablo at the 720HD (3MB) settings.
Just use the higher rates then recommended, 8 Mb is about the same as a quality streaming service.
Im sure you know but you don't have to use a portable HD. There's a bay for the HD if you flip the unit over. It simply snaps in after you remove cover.
Another great video! I just bought a Tablo, and cannot wait to set it up. I'm using it to replace a Slingbox which is no longer being supported.
I bought the Recast TV box as there are no charges for the guide. It works well. Also the Pluto guide is included or any service like Philo with their guide. The Fire TV Recast has the free 14 day guide. I have the two model version that was $125 on sale. I am pleased with the Recast, as it has the 500GB HDD with room to add an outboard. So for me, the price was right and the 14 day free guide is great. My older 720p Toshiba TV is a good match. The weak signal pop up is no biggie as it means nothing and goes away. Before this I had no 14 day guide as my old TV set has only next program. I bought the Recast as there is no cost for the guide. The Tablo and Tivo, you have to spend the money to buy the box and then turn around and pay for the guide and DVR features. Too much money. Thanks for the review on Tablo. I already had the Fire Stick 4K, so adding the ReCast works well in my case at least.
You convinced me to buy a Tablo Quad. Be here in a couple days. 👍
Do not get the HDMI version. They disabled too much.
The Tablo paid lifetime subscription carries over for life not just the one Tablo
Yes that's what I love about Tablo
I can say this that the Tablo Quad that the tuner inside of this thing is very good. I got WQED and even though it is 3 dots out of 5 it is working very well like it is an excellent signal strength channel.
I have the Quad. One additional note: The Tablo can be fitted with an internal hard drive or an external hard drive. This is an additional expense. Although the manufacture the unit does get warm, there is no need for a cooling fan. I chose a WD Element 1 TB external hard drive. No problems.
I have Tablo Quad with Roku Ultra on main TV. Very pleased with this combination. I installed an SSD inside. The Roku remote control has awkward mute button on the side. I prefer my TiVo Bolt remote on my other TV.
I have the duo recorder w/o subsription and I love it. Have a problem pausing recordings when casting to Chromecast via Android but other than that I love it!
That looks great, Tyler. I'm not so interested in recording as I would be to have tv throughout my house.
The only thing that sticks in my mind is the sensitivity of these units. It would be nice to see a head to head comparison of these devices. My suggestion is to put a step attenuator in line with each unit, pick a channel and see how weak the signal can be. That would make a great video! Have a good Thanksgiving.
Thanks for the review. I'll study up on it.
I returned the Tablo Quad a couple of months back. If the Tablo encountered a weak signal for one of the channels it was recording, the entire unit would reboot. This was an insanely poor design decision. One time I had 2 recordings on other channels working fine, but the signal on a 3rd channel would be weak a times.. Tablo unit completely reboots and thus interrupts all three recordings.
Out of pure desperation I built a Linux PC running MythTV. While it was a challenge, it has been wonderful. Solid as a rock. :)
This no longer happen with any Tablo.
One good thing is the Lifetime subscription is for the account holder, not the device, as opposed to Tivo. If you upgrade this device in the future you don't need to buy another subscription. Also, if want an internal hard drive, make sure to purchase a thinner one. At first I tried to maximize with a 6 or 8 Terabyte drive but it wouldn't physically fit inside. I ended up getting a thinner 3 Terabyte drive which did fit and is still larger than most you'll get with a cable box or in a Tivo.
You failed to mention Tablo also supports the Apple TV, which is a superior experience amongst the other streaming boxes. I also recommend the lifetime subscription. Same cost as three years and well worth the investment. I cannot recommend this product enough.
While you showed an external HD connected via a USB cable, you CAN install certain HD's internally INSIDE the Tablo Quad. There is an internal 2.5" SCSI drive bay inside the device, IIRC you need to remove one screw and a plastic cover to access the drive bay. Only certain sized disk will fit, the issue is the height of the drive, only the smaller (7mm?) height drives will work. You can use an SSD or a HD, provided it is in the 2.5" SCSI form factor. I have the Tablo Quad, and I installed a Seagate HD inside of the unit.
I noticed that I sometimes had issues scheduling a program for recording when using the Samsung smart TV App, or the FireStick app, but it always worked on the computer web app. I haven't tried using the Android phone app.
We bought this when Direct TV was fighting with CBS to record shows on that network. Haven't used it much since then, but still glad to have it as we intend to cut the Direct TV cord when our contract with them is over. OTA seems to work better than Satellite, especially when it's raining, and direct-tv has the annoying 2 second lock up several times a day, usually right in the middle of what every you are watching.
For me it was TiVO OTA Bolt. I can also record 4 channels at once, and record up to 1TB (150 hours). I have an antenna (32 good channels) and ethernet to two VOX (mini-TiVOs). I have Netflix, Hulu, and Prime. The only TV channels that I don't get are ESPN and the NFL channel. The MAIN reason to keep TiVO was because my ISP was using TiVOs and I decided to keep peace in the house by keeping the same controllers and guides and "way it used to work" -- well, mostly. My $285 cable (plus Netflix), so $300 a month, was to drop land-line, drop TV channels, and keep 100 download internet, and pay for Netflix $15, Hulu (no commercials) $12, and Prime $10, so, $85 vs $285. Sort of apple to oranges because of no land-line, but I am still saving. Keep up the good work Tyler! Enjoy your videos and you did help me select an excellent antenna, and general knowledge of such.
I've been using Tablo for over a year. Very happy with it except initially, I got a 1 TB hard drive and my wife filled it up. Swapping out a larger for a smaller is not an easy, if you want to retain all previously recorded content. I was hoping the review would cover that aspect. My solution - buy another Tablo (you can have more than 1 on a network). I wish Tablo would provide some means to do this more easily or the ability to add multiple hard drives to one Tablo. There is a very technical solution, but most folks probably won't have the technical ability. My advise, don't scrimp on hard drive size in the first place.
Use TabloRipper, it can copy files off your Tablo Quad. There is also ota2go which is pretty cheap. Surveillance (for recording video) HD's are a good choice since they are designed to record simultaneous streams.
This is certainly a very attractive device. I do however still like that mediasonic homeworx device. But that only has its limitations. But definitely if you're into the whole DVR experience and streaming On multiple devices and TVs this is the way to go.
Thats a good feature to have something to get in the future. Thanks for all the info keep it up...
thank you for the review. looks like I will be selling my recast soon.
I'm guessing they never fixed the annoying message that comes up?
no. Amazon I thought had a good product. thank you for the review you did.
so to update on the amazon recast issue, I ended up getting a replacement for the one I purchased. I didn't have to send the old one back. I hooked up the new one and the same issue. they both went on EBay...lol. sold them, and bout a tablo tuner DVR and same issue as the amazon recast had. took it back and bought the hdhomerun DVR. worked great, however the guide sucked and was not user friendly. so black Friday comes around and viola TiVo is a $100 off. same price as the hdhomerun, so I exchange it for the TiVo. every thing is good now. The TiVo tuner is about the best I have seen so far. I get about 10 more channels with it with the clearstream 4max I am using.
I would have preferred to go with the Tablo for many of the reasons you state in the video. However, both it and the AirTV did not do nearly as good a job at tuning my local channels as the Recast (or my TVs for that matter). I rarely get the low signal error on the Recast, so I don't think my signal was too weak. I suspect the Recast just does a better job handling correctable errors or maybe multipathing.
Awesome! I have been looking for a product like this.
Can I just connect the Tablo to my Smart TV or will it only work with a streaming device?
I bought a TIVO Bolt OTA about a year ago. It was on sale $50 off and bought a lifetime subscription. Storage on this is 2TB. I would consider this Tablo if I needed a replacement or additional DVR
The home computer interface in the best method for programming.
Good review. When you mention DVRs, could you please tell us what kind of file format it uses in the HD, so that we know whether we can use computer media player software to play it through the network? Thanks.
I love your videos. They very informative. Can you make a video for the best antenna at the moment.
What do you think of this Tablo Quad as compared to the Channels DVR paired with HomerunHD Quad? I run the latter and really love it. But I value your opinion a lot! Thanks.
What do you know about regarding a DVR that doesn't stream over the internet but plugs directly into your television and is hooked up to the antenna? Unless maybe this also has that capability. I like the idea of a device that records OTA television for you to watch at your pleasure, but this may not exactly be what I had in mind.
I use a Channel Master DVR, the only way to watch that is through the HDMI output. Although the guide is free it has been going downhill on how reliable the listings are. It has the best ATSC 1.0 tuner I have ever used.
Some smart TV's by LG and perhaps other brands have a built in DVR function - just hook up an external hard drive.
Very interesting didn’t know this thing existed.......
On a couple of occasions I've had trouble with the Guide (I paid the $149 for lifetime) showing wrong info for a couple of my local stations while the rest would be OK. In the Tablo phone & PC apps (but not in Roku) I can change my location to the Zip code for downtown of my central city. This caused the Guide to be correct for all local stations after rescan and update. I contacted Tablo, and they got the Guide corrected. (I live on the west side of Columbus, OH, and the Guide was confusing my location with Dayton, OH.)
Good info, thanks!
I have one of the original 2 Tuner models. I believe it's discontinued now. I've considered the subscription. It gives features like a longer guide, only recording new episodes of a show and it will auto adjust the time if the time of the show changes, and commercial skip. I've never been sure if that's worth the subscription for me. It's a great product though even without the subscription.
Looks like I will have to stick with older Channel Master DVR with remote, as I don't have a smart phone (just an old flip phone for emergency use) nor a home wi-fi setup, and stringing Cat 5 cable through house is definitely frowned on by better half. Still great review of whats new on the horizon. Thanks!!
I set my Tablo up via PC before I ever got the phone app. Works great.
Loving my Quad, got the lifetime subscription with it. Now if I can find a good antenna. (Checking your videos for that) I had quite a few channels with just this indoor antenna. Then Fox started talking about the rescan date on January 17th. After that I couldn't get MeTv. Tried a few of the indoor antennas I got. Maybe one would get MeTv in, but only like 10 channels.
My stations are most 22 miles so I need a medium directional like the DB4e. MeTV is solid.
Wow, what timing! I was seriously looking at exactly this. The commercial skip function. Is of particular interest. Can you do this in the free version?
I would probably get the lifetime guide for 150.ive also noticed buying this from Tablo can be cheaper than Amazon.
I don't believe you are able to skip in the free version so the lifetime subscription might be worth it for you.
NO, it cost $2 per month on top of the $5 per month.
Have you compared this device to the Silicon Dust HDhomerun? I'm interested to know what you think?? Thanks! Great information, by the way!!
Thanks for reviewing the Tablo. I looked at them several months ago but ended up with the new Channel Master. Have you ever done a review on the Channel Master? I am on my third generation. (Generation 2 is my favorite),
One question - you mention the ability is set resolution/picture quality and suggest your internet speed matters. What does this have to do with internet speed when you are using in the house? Isn't the antenna signal being broadcasted through the home WiFi (or wired) ?
Thanks again - Really enjoy your videos.
I have this question too.
Nice to be able to stream the OTA channels in multiple rooms without having to run a coaxial to every room. Would be great for a landlord that has a multi-unit building.
Thank you for bringing to light the issues and ongoing frustrations some of us are experiencing with Amazon Recast. Should we hold off on the lifetime subscription since Tablo will not work with ATSC 3?
That's a good point I never thought of. The issue is that it will be at least for five years until atsc 3.0 completely takes off on all stations so if you are paying $5 a month for the subscription you might as well get a lifetime subscription
I've asked Tablo about that. They are monitoring the situation and will respond when it actually becomes a thing. As Tyler reported recently, ATSC 3.0 is pretty much only in testing phase right now, and there isn't much available yet in the way of tuners.
The Tablo subscription, as I understand it, is tied to the customer and not to the device. A lifetime subscription applies to all devices that the customer would have during his/her lifetime.
Your lifetime subscription will transfer to a new Tablo whenever it's worthwhile to upgrade to ATSC 3.0. I'd say it's still going to be at least another few years before it's worth considering ATSC 3.0.
How good are the tuners compared to others? My recast is terrible compared to my TVs. Looking for better.
I am really ready to cut the cord. I have been watching your channel for several months and made some purchases on your recommendations. The Tablo quad may be the next purchase. My house has 2 cable connections in every room. I also have a "smart box" in the laundry room. I think that will give me more options. My wife is the gamer and TV watcher. I'm just more of a RUclipsr. She has about 100 movies on the cox DVR that she wants to keep. That could be some serious transferring ! I believe the 1T Tablo could easily accept her recordings. With what I have told you do you think I will be able to make the switch without serious complications?
Thanks LOU
Unfortunately I don't think you can transfer your recording from the Cox DVR to the Tablo.
@@AntennaMan I believe Antenna Man is correct on this. No cable company DVR I know of has ever had the ability to digitally transfer to another recorder. I've been told the content providers (Studios) insisted upon this condition, lest they sue the cable companies out of business for copyright infringement.
Depending on the movies, you may do just as well picking them up cheap on used DVDs.
Do a review for the Tivo DVR!
By the time you add the external HD, you're at the price of a Tivo lifetime subscription(built-in HD). Tivo has been the industry standard for over a decade and worth a look. I have had 2 of them for over 7 years and love them.
I have watched a lot of your videos. I am almost convinced to cut the cord. This video has convinced me to do it. I was concerned about DVR recording multiple channels while still watching TV channel. Most of the time my channel is on CNN and OTA it is not available 'Cable News Network'. However, I can still get it on Kodi and internet but video and voice is not quite synced up and is annoying. Dec and got my Cogeco bill, Niagara Region, $104 Canadian. I'm retired and TV is on all day. Toronto is 48 miles north and CN Tower channels, Buffalo is 25 miles away in opposite direction. Is there an Omni directional 360 degree antenna I do not have to rotate? I could mount a mast to the chimney center on my roof. Cable prices keep creeping up every 6 months and is now pricing itself out of a retirement income.
No answer to my question. Thanks for NOTHING!
I use 3 separate antennas in the same area, each with their own ATSC tuner and amplifier. It is possible to combine antennas on one dvr but you need the extra cost channel filters and combiners. (2 antennas getting the same channel cancel each other)
I have a Table and it is a great device if you use it with a Computer/Laptop or in my case Roku Streaming Stick+. I had been using the Quad Tablo with a Firestick and I was about to give up and look at the Amazon Recast. While the Firestick worked great for Netflix, Prime, etc... there was something just not right with the Firestick app for Tablo. It was a frustrating experience.
Thanks for another great review. One question... can you pause/rewind live TV you are NOT recording at the time or is the only way to pause/rewind is if you're recording the show? Thanks.
Yes, but only after you first start watching. For example if you watch something three minutes in you can rewind and such but you can't rewind when you first click on a channel.
@@AntennaMan So if I am NOT recording a show, I can tune to that channel on the Tablo, wait a minute or so, then pause?
@@gselby8107 yes
@@AntennaMan Thank you sir.
yes, but only from when you first start watching. That is why each channel takes several seconds to start, it is buffering video. I usually pause when a commercial starts a walk off for a while then skip forward 3-4 minutes then start playing it again, maybe pause for some reason then come back, etc.
I've been looking at this product for awhile. I have a question. Did you experience recording issues from channels with mid range signals that occasionally pix elate. I've heard this breaks tablo recording. Thanks for all the information your provide
With occasional occurances it does OK but I have had ti give up and stop recording. The DVR+ from Channelmaster aborts which is why I eliminated it as an option.
How good is the tuner? Did it receive all of the stations that your TV tuner received?
Yes the tuner was fine
Mine does
This unit is like using Locast, but there is no cost. except the upfront cost of the unit. I think I will get this. it saves running separate antenna cables to other parts of my house. I want to see is It can work with Plex media server. Things are looking up!
Big question : is this unit ATSC 3.0 compatible? Not interested in outside the house viewing!
No, there are no atsc 3.0 compatible tuners on the market besides the $2,000 model I mentioned in my previous video
It does not work with PLEX media server. PLEX offers their own solution.
Hi, Tyler. I just watched your tv tuner video. How would you rate the quality of the Tablo tuners? Also, I've used the SiliconDust HDHomerun device some, and I can see some nice improvements in the Tablo. Can you compare the two? I'd love to see you do a video on HDHomerun. Thanks!
I have limited funds to invest and review new equipment. They are based on voluntary contributions from my RUclips subscribers. If you would like to contribute to this funding request that I review the hdhomerun the link is below. paypal.me/pools/c/8cwRt7M0g4
I have Tablo, the TiVo Roamio OTA, and an HDHomeRun/Plex server setup, and I'd say the Tablo and TiVo are on par with each other in terms of tuner quality. The HDHomeRun tuners are what I seem to have signal quality problems with (happening with both the HDHomeRun Connect Quatro and the older HDHomeRun Extend). If you (or anyone else) might be considering the Tablo or TiVo, then the Tablo would be more of a similar experience to the HDHomeRun/Plex DVR setup. One major downside with the TiVo is that it can only be used with the one TV it is connected to (though the TiVo Mini can be purchased separately for each other TV in the home).
@@nighthawkvc25a Thanks!! I'd love to try a Tablo, but the 1 set issue would be a deal-breaker for me. I'm not unhappy with the HDhr and I'm pulling in stations from 60+ miles with one of those crappy antennas. That'll be my next upgrade.
Just to clarify. You can use this as a standalone device in connected directly to your TV and have a full guide?
No it doesn't have a connection to the TV. It connects to your homes wifi.
Could do a new video on Tablo quad DVRs? I want to know how hook two to my network so I could have more tuners to record. And I'm hearing it's possible to hook up two or more of them at the same time. Is this true or false?
Do you recommend any of the extended warranties available on Amazon, and do they cover voltage surge/power outage damage?
Thank you for another great video. Do you know if this allows you to extend recording time for live events?
Yes, it is one of the options in recording.
@@pgchase4578043026 Thank you.
Only if you have a subscription. He did not mention all the features that turn off without a subscription.
I used an indoor antenna with a preamp. When watching sometimes the signal would drop out and I would have to program the channels again. I returned it to the store. I guess a better indoor antenna or roof might work?
As Tyler has taught us, outdoor antenna is best if feasible.
@@pgchase4578043026 I am using a viewtv 25 mile antenna with preamp. I am on a hill with good reception. But no good with this device.
@@tonysavarese7234 Obviously I'm not at your situation, so I cannot say for sure. It is possible you're actually getting too much signal with the pre-amp. Conversely, the Tablo divides the signal for the multiple tuners (2 or 4), so it might be split up too much. I'm not in a position to say definitively one way or the other. On mine, I have an 80-mile Channel Master antenna with all the stations between 4 and 15 miles away. With an 80-foot cable run and no pre-amp, I get perfect reception on all 51 available channels, (except one which will clean up after FCC Repack when they will also be moving their transmitter onto an existing much closer tower already used by other stations). I thought I would have trouble with such a long cable run, but it works really well.
Great review. I actually have the HomeRun HD with Channels app. I really, really like it. If you get the chance to review that against the Tablo, I'd love to hear what you think. The past reviews I've seen about the Tablo is that there is a good 2-3 second lag before it shows a channel, but the HDHomeRun and Channels app doesn't. Perhaps contacting HDHomeRun (Silicon Dust) for a test unit and see how it goes.
Also note that Channels app let's you skip commercials. Not sure about Tablo.
If I also use philosophy or sling orange will it incorporate those stations in the guide?
I 'm just getting into cord cutting. When I install the Tablo Quad DVR, do I need to be near the Tablo to change channels with a dedicated Tablo remote, or can I change channels via the TV and TV remote control from any room in the house? Also, can several TV's access the Tablo at the same time? Thanks so much.
You change the channel on the TV or set top box (roku, firestick, ect) so you do not need to be near the Roku. Yes, the quad allows up to four TV sets accessing different channels at the same time.
Antenna Man, I’m late to the dance. Sorry. Question: With after Tablo subscription yuh can only see one day at at time, you say. Can you SET to record the ALL the future show episodes on that one day? (I.E, record 10News at 4pm each day)
Oops. Sorry Antenna Man. You DID say in this video and I asked the question too soon.
I am not 100% sure but I'd guess you can. Maybe contact Tablo directly and ask them.
Uh, same time only, and set it for the days at that time. each time slot needs separate programming so of Family Feud is on twice you need to program both. I record Colbert each night with one program. It has no NEW option without a subscription even though the schedule has that information they block that option.
Can this record OTA broadcasts losslessly, with no compression, including 5.1 channel audio? That is the only criteria for me. I put off buying the Silicon Dust Homerun Duo or Quatro Connect , which I believe was the only recent device that could do this, for a couple years, and now it seems that they are discontinued, with the Quatro no longer available on Amazon, only still the Duo, so I just purchased one. I want it as an alternative method to a really obsolete system that connects an antenna directly to my computer with one tuner, which I hook up and turn on and off manually, but the lossless quality is great and the app's editing system is pretty good.
How does it compare against the hdhomerun products
Tablos have a more elegant UI, but HDHomerun are faster at tuning into a channel. HDHomeruns have greater compatibility with other devices beyond streaming boxes such has HTPC, Kodi, and other 3rd party applications. I have both systems, Tablo Dual-lite, HDHomerun Extend, and Duo. I haven't tried their newer tuners with the built-in hard drives but from my understanding, they are very similar to HDHomerun Duo with the addition of local storage that comes with it.
Depends on what your needs are. Do you want a simple stand-alone box? This is like a Tivo in ways. Where a HDHomerun needs other things to make it work, but is much more flexible. I use my HDHomerun with PLEX. Plex is running on my NAS. All of that us in my networking closet.
So i currently have COX cable. How do i get started. Can you explain in non-tech terms? The primary user is senior citizen to whom tv is his window on the world. Can cord cutting be made simple to install and simple to use .
Visit the Tablo website for more information on the Tablo that was not covered in this review.
Is a fire stick or roku required to use this or can it be connected directly to a TV? Will it work with Apple TV or a smart TV? I’m a little confused about why you need a streaming device?
You need some kind of streaming device in order to access this Tablo. Whether that be a fire stick Roku or Apple TV is up to you. This Tablo does NOT connect directly to a TV via HDMI. They do have one model that does. You can find it in my other videos
So if I'm correct, this device can do away with the signal loss created with longer runs to multiple tvs over coax... by having a single short run from the antenna(s) to tablo and then rebroadcasting the signal wirelessly throughout a home to something like the 25 dollar Roku Express 1080p units? Right?
Not taking into account possible wifi limitations of course, but even those can be overcome with powerline adapters or wifi extenders.
You are correct
So, the initial investment is steep-ish when compared to the reason to cut cable and go with an antenna in the first place, depending on the number of tvs. But you give yourself the best chance at an optimal setup. A fair trade off in my opinion.
@@russellborrego1689 Go with an ethernet cable instead of wifi to avoid interference. You can use a gigabit ethernet switch to feed multiple TVs. I believe the limit on ethernet is 260ft per run.
I'm not interested in using an antenna..but can I use this device sort of like an 'aggregator' of all my channels from a few streaming sources? Thanks much
No it only works with antenna channels.
Tablo is offering refurbished units for sale. Would you recommend buying a refurb Tablo Quad, for $139.00, with a 12 month warranty?
Sure
@@AntennaMan Actually, it is $129.99!
Dated comment: Tablo is having a Black Friday sale on now Nov 19. Various refurbished units for $99 U.S.
Hey, Antenna Man, ever think about a MythTV review? (Linux-based DVR/PVR.) I've been using it since September. Feel free to ask questions.
To tell you the truth, this is the best device for home viewing and recording I have found. period.
The Tablo can be set up at the best antenna's signal locations (in the past, we had multiple internal antennas for each individual TV, and I found the antenna in the Living Room got the most stations with the best quality), and just 'push' the to your router, and therefore to your TV via an app (such as Roku, Fire stick, or ever you own TV's apps, like Samsung, Vizio, etc)
I have purchased the lifetime subscription, and it's well worth it. The subscription isn't per device. You pay for the subscription. I pay for one device for my subscription's account, then add/remove and re-add Tablo devices for that account. That makes it convenient for hardware upgrades (upgrading to Tablo Quad from Duo, or any future Tablo device)
Bottom line is, if you don't mind laying the up front 'investment', this does everything for the cord-cutter. I looked a long time for this.
How are the tuners in the unit? Poor, Fair, Good, Excellent?
I'd say good
I'm looking for a device to use while boondocking in a camper van to watch OTA TV on my tablet or phone. This would mean no router or any other signal other than the TV antenna to bring in local programming. Is the Tableau suitable for this? I don't care about the TV guides I just want to watch the news at 6 p.m. or maybe a Sunday afternoon football game.
Yeah I don't want to be required to have an internet connection to use a DVR. I'm still using the ChannelMaster DVR+ which doesn't require internet, but has a 1000 recordings limit which seems very weird.
Try this instead. It turns your phone into a TV tuner.
You would need a wifi router where the Tablo and phone could connect
amzn.to/2D0BAQM
So if you want to cut the cord from say COX CABLE - how and what do I need to make using it the same as using Cox Cable??
I don't understand the streaming settings at 3:37. Does the Tablo send the video stream via the Internet? I would think this would be on your local network and your Internet/data plan is not a factor.
You're right that Tablo doesn't use data to stream content on your home network. You can read more about Live TV and Recording quality settings, and why they're handy to have here: www.tablotv.com/blog/tablo-dvr-live-tv-recording-quality-settings/
I get that it's a DVR for over the air, but I've never explored this type of device. I'm not sure how much use I'll have for the DVR, though my wife would, but I'm curious about potential uses. Does this device allow you to connect to one single antenna, and then stream to four devices off of that single antenna without running cables? I hate to sound like a moron after watching the video and reading their website, but this could be a solution for me. We currently have four crappy indoor antennas that are pretty hit and miss because of their locations, but if I could use the best antenna for all TV's, it would be awesome. Is the four tv limit for simultaneous streaming, or is it just that only four devices can be dedicated to the one box? We have several TV's but wouldn't be streaming at the same time.
Yes you can use one antenna on four different TV sets with the tablo.
Have you tested the Chanel master
Tyler - can U record future shows not seen thru the (absent) 14 day guide by some date-time-channel convention?
Yes
Now that they have the hdmi direct tv connect dual and quad versions, it would be good to see a video on screen quality and general use differences between hdmi and these older wifi versions. It would seem wifi would be better with multiple tvs and no subscription but there has to be a reason besides elimination of the ruko/apple tv etc.
Check out my other videos. I have a review of Tablo's HDMI version
@@AntennaMan yes a watched the tablo dual hdmi but could not tell if the quality was better because of hdmi
So if I have a second home, would I be able to access live tv or the recorded programs from there?
You would recommend this over just getting an external tuner?
yes
Be great for landlords of multi unit homes. One antenna setup can stream to every apartment in the house. Save the tenants from having cable or satellite.
I look at the Clearstream 4max indoor/outdoor multidirectional.
What is your thought on it
I have this antenna in the attic of my house. Love it and highly recommend it. I use it in conjunction with a drop amp signal amplifier as I live out a ways from town. I get every channel. Take the time (two people with cell phones) to adjust it in WHATEVER position you need to to achieve the maximum number of channels.
Can you use a USB jump drive instead of a hard drive on the Tablo
You can but it won't work as well