Review: Tablo (4th Generation) Over-the-Air [OTA] DVR
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- Опубликовано: 19 июн 2024
- Today we review the Tablo DVR. You can find the Tablo DVR online here: us-store.tablotv.com/
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Развлечения
Tablo recently got rid of one of their most popular features - automatic commercial skip. There is one reason and one reason only that Tablo has dropped automatic commercial skip. Several months ago, Tablo was purchased by one of the largest OTA and basic cable channel broadcast TV companies in the world. A company [two technically] who derive their revenue and profits from TV commercials. IMO that should have been mentioned.
Indeed......that makes one wonder WHY it wasn't mentioned and the implications of bias or conflict of reporting/information.
That feature was taken away over a year ago, in August 2022. I believe they were sold to Scripps well after that, but they may have removed it, knowing a sale was impending later.
Unfortunately, I bought my Tablo in October last year, so that feature was not included. I did write a long email, begging to grandfather that feature for my box, but they never responded.
You guys had all the luck, I NEVER had that feature work right on 3 of the 7 local stations I watch. Don't know what the problem with is, but it'll cut out in the middle of a show like Price is right; to a commercial. I just resorted to turning of auto commercial skip.
@@frommatorav1 You believe incorrectly. Scripps bought Tablo in January 2022.
@@bobsmith8077 I thought I read Jan, 2023 was when Scripps purchased Tablo, but either way, no commercial skip available anymore. I got it on a recommendation from Antenna Man and never did a deep dive into the company.
I got one a few days ago. Like it very much. One small thing: as you're watching a channel live, you can see info (title, channel) for it as you're watching. Would be nice if it also displayed what's coming next on the same channel (so you wouldn't have to leave what you're watching and go to the guide).
I like what Tablo is doing with this unit. My brother-in-law has the previous model and he really likes it. It also seems to pick up channels his TvV's built in tuner won't! I will definately consider the Tablo as a replacement for mt old uotdate Channel Master DVR+. Thank you for your review.
This works great. I just set it up. So far love it.
One thing I also enjoy about your reviews and daily news are the technical and human glitches that occur. You could edit them out but you don't. You leave them in the broadcast! Love it!
Yes, that's what I love about Luke. He is keeping it real and being himself as much as possible. Makes you feel like you know him for real.😂😊
Thanks for the video. Now that two weeks of scheduling is included, I'll consider getting one. Too bad it's not future-proofed for ATSC 3.0.
WOW.I WAS LOOKING FOR SOME REVIEW ABOUT THIS.NOW.I MIGHT GETS THIS.
I think as they add more streaming services we are going to see pay channels. also I have the old school tablo with a lifetime subscription and never used the commercial skip. I just use the remote to fast fwd and I think you can do the same with the 4th gen. I am on a Roku and uploaded the app already and ordered mine today. I love the tablo.
I bought the tableau back in 2020 and I love it. This looks pretty neat. I like this new look.
Does it help with reception of local channels? I have one that is hard to get. It pixelates in and out.
Love the review content! And i like the opportunity to record streaming content (?). So now are we going to see how how choose between all the mesh network options? And what kind of sound system are you running in your basement - a stream bar? Amplified speakers? And old fashioned receiver and speakers setup?
Great information
Good video of new Tablo
Thanks for a great review of the Tablo TV interface on Roku. Currently, Tablo TV is only offering a two-tuner model. I think I need a four-tuner model which Tablo says is in the works. In the meantime, I am using RUclips TV for local channels and sports channels. My plan is to use Tablo TV for OTA channels and DVR, use Sling during the fall for (American) football, and alternate among streaming services base on my interest in their current content.
Love you man!
Great review! You can use your upstairs antenna on all your TV`s anywhere in the house via the app and internet, so you get better reception then down in the basement.
I am a real fan of the Tablo. Have used a legacy unit for 3 or more years --- flawlessly. I am considering this new model because of interface improvements (though the manufacturer says they are working on an update for older model). And I like the full two weeks of scheduling data for free. Currently I am using the free 24 or 48 hours (whichever it is). My Atlanta market has all the major OTA networks, so I am in great shape. I get about 60 channels total. Thanks Cord Cutters for the review - I am a fan of yours as well.
Hi I'm new to tablo tv and I really like it so far, your video taught me from 0 to everything I know now about it, thank you, my question is "How many TV's can I connect"?
You can connect as me TVs or devices in your home as you want. With a two tuner device. You can watch on two devices at once. With the four tuner version you can watch on up to four devices at once.
I now own a Tablo DVR and I have a an Antop big boy antenna and I get 52 channels on my tv and I get 118 Channels on my DVR
Very nice review. But I don’t have Internet connection in my home. I just have an antenna. Can I still get this device? or do I need to have Internet connection at home as well? Because I thought the purpose of using an antenna TV, is to “Cut the Cord”, but having Internet in your home is pretty much having a cord come to your home.
Can you use 2 or more in the same home to get more than 2 tuners?
On mine, 480i and 480p content---and even 720p content---show up in the upper-left hand corner of my screen, but display fine on the Tablo TV app on my phone. Only 1080 content displays correctly from the device through the Roku TabloTV app.
Some movies are listed in the wrong genres so look for more action movies in the comedy section etc. This device is amazing and easy to use otherwise!... Put most of your effort into a really good antenna installation ...even if you use a $30 outdoor antenna take some time to get it secure/solid with a good mount. Old satellite dish mounts/brackets/hardware are nice and sturdy for gable mounting etc. Ground your outdoor antenna btw.
can we use the dvr on shows thru an app like sling shows, or is it just for OTR and their stream stuff apps?
I am assuming no ATSC 3.0 or DRM, correct? You did not mention this on the review so that is why I made the assumption. I have the current Tablo with a very good WIFI system and I still have the disconnects, similar to what happened in the review. I use the Ethernet connection. I pick the best window in the house, I have a channel master antenna, the Tablo and a Ethernet connection all in the same spot. I get more than 30 channels, no ABC in the Philadelphia area. Overall not bad for free TV. Some day I may setup an outdoor antenna. Between Tablo and my own Plex server, I have lots of streaming content that does not require internet access.
One thing I’ve experienced having had this for a few weeks - when you watch something recorded, and it comes to the end of the recording it just freezes - it does not end and return to the previous screen. Kind of annoying.
It’s a bit shocking you don’t have a roof top antenna, being the OG of cord cutting and all. How did the tuner work? How well does the app work receiving broadcast signals on a phone or tablet over home wi-fi?
Is this unit only ATSC 1.0 ? It looks like you get other programming without an outside antenna using internet via WiFi or Ethernet. Is that correct?
Can you stream the over the air channels to your cell phone, Firestick, or any smart TV that is outside your home. For example your on the road or vacationing?
Will this lead to a review of a new mesh wifi unit? This feels like episodic television.
Still has issue with Roku. I have the new version and the issues continue 😢. Also many features from the older version that are no longer included. Add skip, preview other shows while watching current show, etc.
What is a good antenna to use with Tablo, don’t like the one that comes with it
can this be used on your firestick to watch apps using the tablo?
Can I use this recorder with an LG Tv. ?I have a roku stick plugged in and have an antenna and good wifi.
Can I hook up a tablo in the room where my router is and play it on tvs in different rooms?
Does it support 4K output to my 4K tv? My TV now does 4K tv from channels that broadcast in 4K or 1080p
How is the compression of the OTA does it record raw mpeg4 ?
My main question if I only get 25 channels with my standard antenna, will I get more channels with the tablo.
Can you speak about how hot the unit gets? I’m really paranoid about it catching on fire or catching something around it on fire.
Awesome review presentation. Does this device have any ad blocking or skipping abilities for its recordings like the original TiVo?
Nope. Since Tablo's parent company was acquired by Scripps (a broadcaster), there are aspects of the legacy Tablo device that will not be supported in the new one. Things like commercial skip and Digital Video Extraction aren't features that a broadcaster wants a consumer to have access to - so those are gone in the new device.
The only positive I can see is that the guide data no longer requires a subscription. To be honest, I think this is a bad sign. A company that tries to sell just a single-purchase hardware-only viewing product is likely to encounter funding issues without that recurring subscription dough rolling in. It will surprise me if Tablo grows (or even survives) over the long haul.
Maybe there is some revenue stream formed by the inclusion of the streaming services that have been incorporated into the Tablo interface? That might offset the lost revenue from dropping the subscription requirement.
Take care and God Bless.
The 4th generation Tablo works well enough and does not require an annual fee for guide service like the legacy Tablos. The Roku and android apps work, but I don’t find them as intuitive as apps for legacy devices. As a Tablo user for many years, the new one disappoints me in several ways. There is no Windows app, no remote access, no commercial skip, and no support for the user community to create 3rd party apps like Tablo Ripper. The new Tablo requires a separate Roku and android app from the old Tablo, which means my Roku now has 2 apps for Tablo. Setup failed several times because it refused to register under my existing Tablo account. Not until I created a 2nd account with another email address would the new Tablo register. The new Tablo is feature poor compared to the old Tablo. I had hoped in buying a new Tablo I’d feel good about retiring my old one. Instead, I’ll be keeping it until the annual subscription runs out in November. I hope by then they at least come up with a Windows app - I have no intention of giving up the ability to watch my Tablo in a small window while working on a spreadsheet, etc.
I don’t have a antenna does that mean I won’t get my regular channels thank you so much I appreciate all you’re hard work and explaining all the news around these technology. I am 65 so it’s hard for us thank you so much😊
If you don’t have cable, satellite or streaming, you cannot get local channels unless you have an over the antenna.
The thing about an antenna is it's a one-time purchase. I spent $100 on an antenna last year, bought the Tablo Quad DVR, and a 2TB laptop sized HDD, with a one year guide subscription.
The Tablo was $179 and no tax was charged. The HDD was about $70 and the guide subscription was $50. I haven't had to pay anything for local channels since. I do pay for some streaming apps but that is still far less than what I was paying for cable. I'm 54, btw. If setting up the antenna is too hard, pay someone to do it right, and you shouldn't have to ever do it again.
Are there any OTA DVR with built=in storage enough for 500GB or 1TB?
I was looking for something like this years ago for my local channels and wound up getting some cheap piece of junk that broke after three months and I still had to switch inputs. I don’t know why this device didn’t turn up in my searches
What different between old tablo Quad unit and new once.
Can I direct connect from DVR to TV with HDMI cable or Ethernet cable?
I don't understand how to hook it up. my tv does not have an antenna, I have internet. I have not had one. I am older and with no help. do I hook it up to my Wi-Fi internet tower thing? Do you have a video on how to hook it up to my internet box?
My only complaint is that it requires a smart phone to set it up, and no windows support for it at all.
It looks great, but I think I'll wait for the 4 tuner model tablo rather than this one which is a 2 tuner model, but I think 2 tuner may be enough for most people. Also, I believe this is only supports ATSC 1.0 which means when ATSC 3.0 roles out in a few years, this will be obsolete unless they can update the firmware to support ATSC 3.0. The choice for me comes down to just get this model knowing it will only good for a few years, or hope the hardware can support ATSC 3.0 in the future with a firmware update and wait for the 4 tuner model at a higher cost.
ATSC 1.0 will probably be around even longer than the 4 years it's guaranteed to.
I do agree that 2 tuners isn't enough. I have many instances where I'm recording 3 shows at once and 2 tuners just won't work for that.
I currently own the older Tablo Quad DVR. It has 4 tuners and I have a 2.5 Sata 2TB HDD inside it, so the footprint for it is tiny. It doesn't offer streaming channels and I did pay $50 for a year of upgraded guide use. On the other hand, I'm not subjugated to any ads, like the new one. I see enough ads on my Firestick, where I mainly use it.
If you or anyone else is interested in buying this new one, or an older one like mine, I definitely recommend using a hardline ethernet connection. It was initially on wifi, and when I changed to a wired connection, it worked much better when multiple devices connect to it at the same time.
Isn't all tech "obsolete" after 3 years anyway?
@@saveamerica423 a lot of tech is obsolete 3 years later but I try to get things that can last 5 years. To me, something that is obsolete the day you buy it, like only 2 tuners, I will avoid purchasing altogether.
I have an amplified antenna and get about 70 channels, how many channels will this give me and do I have to have Internet service, thanks
Is the tablo 4th gen compatible with next gen channels?
Is it free tv like peacock tv or is it like a streaming box
I was told that I will only be able to use the Tablo TV app on my Android Phone only on my home network. Not if I am at a friend's house or at a coffee shop using public Wi-Fi.
Is that true?
I want to be able to have access to all of my recordings from the Tablo TV and from the DVR. When I am not home.
And I also want to be able to watch TV from the Tablo TV device when I am not home from a friend's house or a coffee shop that has public Wi-Fi.
This could be a game changer if it works right. Could pair it with Philo or Sling.
That's what I did, Philo and Tablo and all my bases are covered
Was it mentioned in the review whether it supports ATSC 3.0 decryption? This seems to be very important.
It does not support ATSC 3.0
It's going to probably be 10 years before everyone gets the ATSC 3.0 sorted out
so how do you get this to show up on your TV? Can you use a new Sony android TV and install the tablo app on it? Do you scan for channels on the Tablo or the TV?
Yeah don’t you love how thorough these RUclipsrs are, but they never tell you what you really need to know
I'm researching this out and almost bought this Tablo today but will it only will let me DVR over the air content or does it allow me to record a show on say the Pluto or the Roku Channels, that's what I really want. If this doesn't do that are there any DVRs that allow me to record streaming channels?
No. You can't record those free streaming sites like Pluto, Plex, Freevee, Tubi, etc. If you have Wi-Fi connection though, you can simply watch those movies/TV shows on demand for free. There are like billion movies/TV shows with these free apps and they don't want people to record and pirate. It makes sense that they won't allow it.
My question is how strong is the tuner? Obviously where you put your antenna will make a difference but my old Tablo was a letdown because plugging the same antenna into the tablo it would only pickup less than 1/2 the channels I could get just plugging the antenna into the TV itself.
I’ve been using my Tablo 4th gen for several weeks. I’m in the suburbs of a major city. I get just as many if not more channels on the Tablo as on my tv using an indoor antenna.. I’m using the included antenna in a window that faces the transmitters. I’m not using the included coax because I needed to place the Tablo where I get good WiFi, and needed to run about 20 ft of coax to do that. The built in antenna amplifier definitely gets me some low power stations I wouldn’t get without it. YMMV.
@@gailla Ok, Thanks for sharing your experience and setup. I'm in the suburbs in between 2 small/moderate sized cities (Greenville/Spartanburg) in upstate SC (but is RAPIDLY growing due to being the corridor between Atlanta and Charlotte) so the transmitters are anywhere from 20 miles to 60 miles. I'm using a larger attic mounted antenna, so if this model of Tablo has at least close to as good of a tuner as the ones in my TVs I'd be happy. My old tablo's tuner was pathetic so that's why it makes me hesitant to invest in another, but I love the concept.
I live 20 miles from the tv towers. I have a small roof mounted antenna. Tablo found all of the local channels at full strength. Tablo also has an amplifier that can be turned on/off.
Mine won't work with TVs that have built in Roku. It works fine with TVs that have external Roku devices. Also works with some but not all versions of Kindle Fire. Concept is great but sadly there are too many instances when it doesn't work.
Big issue that with DVR. Can someone please confirm if this is true. I am told that if I set up a recording( i.e. football game for example) that starts at 1:00pm and it begins recording as expected, but i don't get back home until 1:30 for example, I cannot start watching the game from the beginning. I am told it has to finish recording before I can start playback from the beginning. That is like 1980 VCR technology.
Thanks in advance
dan
Tablo should update the older models to have the same functionality of the new models. And get the 3.0 standard working
I live in Houston, will the Live option show all channels from the Houston area?
Depends. If you have an indoor antenna it may only pick up the UHF stations (not ABC or PBS). You may need an outdoor antenna for those. Otherwise it picked up a lot of stations for me (NBC, FOX, CBS, Univision, Telemundo + the associated stations like Catchy, H&I in addition to MeTV and a buch of others).
maybe a stupin question but how does this unit provide video to my TV. I don't see an HDMI port.
Can you rewind back to a certain time or the beginning of a show in case you miss something while you had to go away a few minutes....like the bathroom...? ..lol
Does this unit support ATSC 3.0?
Does it include “Ad Skip” like the current Tablo?
Nope. Since Tablo's parent company was acquired by Scripps (a broadcaster), there are aspects of the legacy Tablo device that will not be supported in the new one. Things like commercial skip and Digital Video Extraction aren't features that a broadcaster wants a consumer to have access to - so those are gone in the new device.
The only positive I can see is that the guide data no longer requires a subscription. To be honest, I think this is a bad sign. A company that tries to sell just a single-purchase hardware-only viewing product is likely to encounter funding issues without that recurring subscription dough rolling in. It will surprise me if Tablo grows (or even survives) over the long haul.
Maybe there is some revenue stream formed by the inclusion of the streaming services that have been incorporated into the Tablo interface? That might offset the lost revenue from dropping the subscription requirement.
Take care and God Bless.
I have an antenna on the roof, Vizio Smart TV, currently using Channel Master. Ordered the 4th Gen Tablo. Followed the directions, using my phone I show 155 stations, BUT IT DOES NOT CONNECT TO MY TV! I ordered from Amazon a ( 6'ft cord (HDMI--USB), and attached it to the TABLO and the HDMI port! STILL does not connect to my TV! Any Suggestions? Thank you! Feb 18, 3:35CST
buy a Roku Ultra
Can you record into the Tablo DVR from Amazon Fire TV, Google TV, Peacock, Paramount Plus, or any other streaming service?
No this only records your antenna and the streaming channels included in this. It won't record Peacock for example.
What about subscriptions like Newsmaxplus?😊
Can you get CBS on it ?
If you have a Chromebook you can run the app on that instead of your phone
Will this use all my data? That is my problem.
How about the buffering
Under live TV channels can you remove any internet channels? Can you just make it about your antenna channels only ??
I haven’t wanted to, but the same check marks, that you can uncheck if you don’t want a channel in the guide appear besides OTA channels and streaming channels, so I presume you can.
@@gailla thanks
Why would it be a subscription to watch free channels even smart tvs pick up without antenna ?
I bought the new Tablo and it sucks. it kept kicking me back to my home screen (roku) about every 6 min. i tried other tv's on others internet...same problem. i did all the updates and read where others had the same problem. i contacted their tech support/customer support and their replies were just copied and pasted from other peoples suggestions that didnt work. i really wanted this to work and was excited when i bought it. but sadly i returned it so i didnt have to eat the $100. anyone else have a similar experience and have solutions?
Two things I don't like about my old quad. First, They don't record in the broadcast format. They transcode to another format for recording which does add noticeable quality loss on show that were in 720. CW shows were compression artifact pixilated on recording vs on the my old Sony Tv.
The other problem is the OS doesn't support moving files between the internal and external drives. Once you plug in, it stops using the internal to record regardless of how much space it has. IT will only play back from there and there is no moving the shows. And Can't move them over your LAN ether. The Linux based program VDR blows Tablo out of the water in what it can do with the videos.
I agree that the tuner in the Tablo is mediocre. I had a old converter box that got a couple more channels in. The recordings I have, seem almost as good as live. I haven't used the VDR linux program that you recommended before, so it probably is better. However, I can say that that the resolution and picture quality of recordings with my Tablo QUAD DVR are better than the quality from the cloud using Directv Stream, whether on their box, or using the app on Firestick.
I just use this box to watch network programming, later without commercials. When the Tablo is connected with ethernet, I can watch simultaneously on multiple devices without buffering. I don't save a lot on the HDD, after watching it. If I want to save long term in my library, I download it. I've heard there are programs to decode the tablo recordings, but I haven't tried it. I currently have about 50 programs recorded and there is still 1.7 TB out of the 2 TB drive available. I've owned it about 11 months.
I can watch my stuff on the Tablo, on any TV with a firestick or computer with monitor in my house. The app on my phone doesn't work because I record my programs in DD+, not stereo. Videos play without sound. They still haven't fixed their android app to be compatible with that, even though my phone is capable of playing the Dolby format. I did confirm, if I change the setting to stereo in the Tablo DVR settings, the phone app works.
I don't have a smart tv. How's the hook up to the tv, with an HDMI cord? UPDATE - no HDMI hookup... It uses an app. I upgraded my TV to a Google TV.
the Tablo connects wirelessly to a streaming device like a Roku or streaming/smart TV via wifi. Power and ethernet/broadband connect via cord/router to Tablo.
Tablo generation four does not work with Apple TV so for me it’s a non-starter. Hopefully my old quad will last and last and last!
How many TVs can you stream at once? Does it have the new 3.0 antenna receiver built-in??
No to atsc 3.0. It has two tv tuners so you can watch or record two different things OTA at once. As to streaming I haven’t tested how many different streams you can watch at once. I understand you can be using both tuners and still watch something different on a streaming channel.
@@gailla thanks I think I'm going to hold out for one when they put 3.0 atsc in it, even if it cost more. I think I would rather be future-proof.
Not sure if there is any limit to streams at once. The most I've used is 4. If it's connected with ethernet, it doesn't buffer for me.
This doesn't use ATSC 3.0, only ATSC 1.0.
Edit: I'm using an older Tablo Quad DVR, not the product being reviewed. The streams at once answer, is likely still correct but it could have changed. the other 3.0 question, is still no.
after watching antenna man's video and talking to him it could take up to 10 years for 3.0 to take over so I think everyone's good to buy these boxes still.
CAN YOU RECORD RUclips VIDEO..? AND FROM AMAZON FIRESTIC..?
Can we use this one unit to play on move than one TV ?????
Yes it works on any smart tv or streaming device.
Be nice if someone actually read the question and then answered it.
Does the Tablo support ATSC 3.0?
@@daveb3232that's why it isn't worth the effort.
The new generation dosen't let you to pull recorded show from a remote DVR like the version before. No sale for me.
My only gripe is no Apple TV app.
please note, this unit does not work with apple tv. nor iOS 17 on the older tablo s, guide crashes.
No HDMI out = no deal. I'll stick to my 4 tuner WMC HTPC until someone come out with something that can beat it.
Assuming I don't care about the channel guide, does this device require internet service? I have a wireless router but no internet service and was hoping to use this device instead of running coax to my Roku tv.
High speed internet needed, yes.
will it work on amazon firestick?
Yes
What antena do you need?
Will work with all antennas.
Start setting one up been A hour now blinking rapidly
I’d try unplugging it, wait a minute, plug back in and try again. Make sure your phone is on the same wifi as you want to connect your Tablo to. Also make sure your Tablo is in a location with good strong WiFi. It just doesn’t work well with a marginal WiFi signal.
No HDMI out & remote = a no go for many people who will choose other
A0le YV support COMING "SOON"
Does this record local tv
Yes and very well. Truly awesome! You can also rewind local TV that you are watching live... just like an old cable/sat box with a DVR.
Does this tablo pick atsc 3.0 channels?
No
@@CordCuttersNews ok thank you I was just wondering.
This DVR does not allow you to view content outside of your home. For me that was the go/no go for purchasing.
If you have a more modern router and are a little tech savvy you can setup a vpn so you can vpn back home into your local network and access whatever you want as if you were home.
Does it work if the house has no Internet?
No
This device needs internet to work.
I thought you didn't need Internet. Only wifi. I bought the new one and would like to connect it by wire directly to my new Roku tv.
I just bought one. 3 days later I called my cable provider and cancelled my TV service.
There is no app for the AppleTV
GOOD... Who wants/thinks they need to PAY for any subscription, apple, paramount+, disney, all the f'ing woke providers. Use your $$ to buy ammo, you WILL need it WAY MORE than some PPV subscription bullshit....
@@ainttakenanyshit homosezwhat?
Apple TV compatible?
not yet, they say its coming.
Sounds good if I trusted technology. HMMMM cheap TV?
No NextGen ASTC 3.0! A real shortcoming on what otherwise looks to be a good OTA DVR.
Fortuitous for me that I bought a Fire TV Recast that’s working great.
But, I’m constantly shopping a equally great ASTC 3.0 replacement. May the Force Be With You.
My experience: Channels don't populate pictures on recorder menu. Unit upgrades software every other day, irritating. App disappears randomly and requires a complete new install. Lots of irritating, time wasting glitches.