Tablo - 4th Gen, 4-Tuner, 128GB Over-The-Air DVR & Streaming Player - White

Wasn't sure if the Tablo was even going to work well in my area. After further research I jumped on the 4 tuner model and paired it with the flat Insignia 60 mile antenna. First off, if you live a more rural location with hills nearby. You will likely need to go for the rooftop antenna. With most of my channels up to 50+ miles away in Pittsburgh, PA or towards Youngstown, OH. Use the fcc . gov -dtvmaps to find your network signals. It's very important to have a strong locked in signal for the Tablo to not error or have failed recordings that I saw frequently till I went with a $40 GE antenna mounted off my brick chimney. Once you establish a good connection to your areas over air network channels and all the free bonus channels of rerun tv. The Tablo has performed really well and far better and faster than my xfinity cable box dvr. And it does it for about the cost of 1 month of cable. Setup was not painless for me. I first tried my Pixel 8 pro and could not even load the app from google play. Eventually I side loaded app, but it didn't work well, no idea why. Eventually did get it to setup from my samung ultra tablet. From that point on you can setup the app on Google/Roku/Fire tv or similar dongle. It takes a tiny bit of setup and getting used to the menus. But after a couple days, even those not very tech savvy will get the hang of it. The first gripe some will have to overcome. No support for Samsung tvs running Samsung tizen smart app software, I think LG and it's WebOs are also left out. Good news if you run Google or Roku tvs and add on boxes. Firestick also seems supported, but didn't try. Did use Roku before switching to Chromecast 4k dongle that is by far superior method for watching/using Tablo. Stuff I have noticed that some said it did or didn't do. You can absolutely browse channels while watching a channel on Chromecast Tablo app. And it shows a nice picture icon for the show currently on each channel you have. You can pause any channel. And you can fast forward/rewind/pause any recording. Skipping commercials is a breeze and easy to see when the show is on again. You can also watch dvr recordings as they are recording, but you lose the visual fast forward view to see where the commercial/show start and end. So it is best to watch shows after they have been fully recorded. There is also a tab in settings to not record duplicates (good if you get multple of the same network). But i choose to leave this off, because of the distance of certain channels. Weather may make one of my ABC, CBS, NBC or FOX channels not as strong, and I would rather not miss a recording because one channel glitched. I let it record both signals and watch the best version. Some channels have better resolution and also 5.1 surround. With 4 tuners it better to have duplicates to erase, then miss a show altogether. Overall, $140 (plus antenna, roof top is best) for unlimited tv and DVR with free channel guide and the ability to add more recording space via usb is all aces in my book. There is kinda only one other option to cord cut and get a dvr without a lot of know how. This is easily the one I recommend. Long term use will tell me how reliable the device is. I say this, because the Tablo is still kinda new device and only recently started to offer the free 2 week guide. And it has crashed the app a few times and runs a lot hotter than I would like (I'm adding a aftermarket fan to the base). I also can't leave Tablo on all day for my pets, its crashed each time I tried. But to it's credit, it has always gone right back in to programing and it is easily as fast as any othe device to switch channels and boot up a dvr recording. But it looks and operates far better than xfinity. For those not enjoying it as much. Try with a recent Chromecast dongle. Best buy sells both standard and 4k versions. It can still crash, but it quickly gets right back in the game and dvr is very good.

I bought the Tablo so I can record shows/sports. It’s great for that. You have plenty of storage, but you can use a hard drive for even more storage. It even extends the recording if you're watching sports when the game goes to overtime. The tv guide has all the tv listings and channel logos. If you have a TCL or any other tv that has a boring tv guide with little info on what you’re watching, the Tablo does it better. You can see categories like news, movies, and sports. There are times where the Tablo is just loading for a while and nothing starts playing. You would have to close the Tablo app and relaunch, but not a big deal for me though. I would definitely recommend plugging it directly in to your router/modem to ensure a strong connection if you can. I’m overall happy with the Tablo. The ability to pause, rewind, and record wasn’t available to me before. Now I can do it.

Awesome way to distribute and record live TV in your home. Works well with a good OTA antenna i have mounted in my attic. Added a 5TB USB drive to it so will record lots more than I'll ever watch. Use a Roku device to stream it to individual TVs in the home. Very nice interface. I gave it '4' starts as it's clear the unit is still 'in development'. Have had a couple crashes; infrequent by they do happen. I expect these will get resolved over time. The interface is very 'snappy'; very little lag between remote pushes and the unit responding... very important in skipping over commercials. Overall, a bit win and allowed me to drop my Sat TV subscription (which was getting very overpriced). Note unit runs a bit warm; I have the unit on its side as it runs cooler that way as air flows over the base much better.

I had a Tivo OTA DVR for over 10 years and loved it. I used it solely to time-shift programs and to FF through commercials. It died and replacing it with another TiVo would require me to purchase a new subscription - my "lifetime" subscription was not transferable. Tablo offered a DVR that matches the same features as the TiVo and adds some new ones. And it does not require a subscription. I like that it connects to my local network instead of directly to the TV. It sits in the closet next to my router. The TiVo always had some reception glitches on weaker signals whereas the Tablo supplies consistently clear and clean video. The Tablo is controlled through your Smart TV remote and provides an experience similar to streaming services like Netflix and Hulu - very easy to get used to. It's nice not having to use a second remote. Initial setup is a no-brainer. I chose to add extra storage - just a matter of plugging in a USB-powered hard drive. Being able to record internet FAST channels is a bonus. I use the Tablo with a TCL/Roku TV.

Overall handy device for "cord cutters" seeking a convenient way to stream over the-air antenna TV channels + streaming services to multiple TVs or devices. Pros: quick set up; only 3 cords to plug-in (coax, Ethernet, and power); smart device app is compatible with Android, Apple, LG, and more; simple software update method; mini DVR options included; no extra fees or costs; pre loaded with 70+ streaming channels Cons: slightly higher price than necessary for a simple streaming box; maximum option of 4 tuners / 4 simultaneous connected devices; initial loading and usage of the app on smart TVs is a little slow each time