Customer Ratings & Reviews

Have been using Tablo for over 3 years and it works great. I was able to stop subscribing to services such as YoutubeTV and Hulu Live for cloud DVR as Tablo records all my regular programs that air over broadcast TV. Well worth the money.

I cut the cable a couple years ago. To fill the void I put a digital Antenna on my roof and subscribed to Sling. Sling lets me record most cable networks, but only my Fox and NBC local networks. So this was a big hole. Now I can record all local channels using an old 500 GB USB drive, that I had laying around. This will store about 200 hours of TV. I can watch local TV live, or my recordings on my TVs (with Roku), my computers, and my Phone. I’ve had the device for about a week now, and it works great. You will want to pay the optional 5 dollar monthly fee for the Guide, because it is really good at finding and cataloging all types of shows. The setup was easy, just make sure you get the latest software update

I had enough of cable TV price jumps for channels I don't watch. TiVo is a far superior system for over the air TV. But it is an investment. If you want complete convenience and the very best in customer service and are willing to drop some Benjamins go TiVo; I had it I loved it. Since TiVo was not in my budget nor interest level again I bought the Tablo Lite. I have a regular, not smart Samsung TV. I have Amazon Prime Fire TV. I have home wi-fi and blazing internet speed. I have an antenna on the roof. I have a boxful of spare hard drives of various sizes. I plugged in the Tablo /exactly/ following their directions and in about 15 minutes of fiddling I was watching and recording the approximately 40 local channels in my area. The Tablo website has plenty of advice on your particular configuration needs. I plan to hook the Tablo up via ethernet wire very soon and bypass wi-fi. But even hooking it up via wi-fi, although more complicated, was readily done. I did it entirely using my Samsung phone and the Amazon Fire TV remote. I frankly think I would rate this product a 4 star, but I used to be an over the air TiVo user and there is no comparison. Still, given Tablo's customer support, trial period, and return policy you cannot go wrong trying this out. And if you think it will give you a Buzz to tell the cable company to cancel, you don't know what buzz means.

This was the device that finally allowed my wife and me to “cut the cord” - drop the expensive cable TV service. After considering a competing but more expensive device for several months, we bought the the more reasonably-priced Tablo Dual Lite when it became available. Setup was easy. Picture quality on the HD channels is good. The free channel guide works well, but the enhanced subscription-based guide is reasonably priced at $50/year and is recommended. We experienced an initial glitch with a defective third-party external disk drive. It turns out that the USB 3.0 cable was defective and was ultimately replaced by the manufacturer of that drive. Even though this had nothing to do with Tablo, the Tablo support rep was helpful in sorting this out. I discovered later that defective USB cables are common. The Tablo app on the AppleTV device works reasonably well. Limitations are due more to the clunky Apple TV remote device than to the app itself. Yes, would recommend to others.

Overall, Tablo is great. However, the unit gets VERY warm, and although Tablo states that the unit does run warm and this is not a concern, everyone knows heat is not any electronic device's friend. So, I put a small electronics fan ($10) underneath the Tablo to keep it cool - I run the fan 24/7 - issue solved. But, the ongoing issue is connectivity - the Tablo disconnects pretty regularly and has to be rebooted. I have the Tablo on my local WiFi network, using Google WiFi mesh. Initial connectivity was fine, but the Tablo intermittently disconnects when NO OTHER DEVICES on my network suffer a disconnect. I suspect the Tablo WiFi still needs improvement. I will probably purchase another Google WiFi mesh pod and connect my Tablo unit via ethernet cable to avoid future disconnects. Having noted the issues, I would still recommend the Tablo because when it's working, it's terrific - and - I'd recommend a fan and connection via ethernet cable to avoid the issues I had.

I picked up one of the last units I could find in the Dallas area but was concerned by the older reviews. I also bought a Western Digital 2TB USB hard drive for $65. I loaded the app on my phone, plugged in all the parts and then launched the app. The setup was easy (I connected it via Ethernet instead of through wifi) and I allowed the firmware to update itself to 2.2.19. I did not encounter any problems at all and it works really well. I would just like parental controls to be added in a future update. My Samsung TVs support the Tablo app so I don't even need a streaming device like a Roku. I'm very pleased with the product.

I tried to make setup harder than it is. I kept thinking that I had to plug it into the TV and then do a channel search. Nope. The Tablo itself does the work. I was also going to buy another antenna, thinking the one I had (40 mi) wasn't good enough. Ha! I'm pulling in 9 channels, and all of them are good reception without having to adjust the antenna. In the past I pulled in 5 channels, and 2 of them were not good. I plugged in a 2 TB WD external drive and have all the room I'll ever need. 1 TB would be more than enough if you periodically cleared it up. I have 2 iPads and 3 TVs which all pull in Tablo easily. Some Cons: There is a difference in guides across Apple, Fire TV, and my TVs which takes getting used to. I had to delete the App from Apple TV and reinstall it to get it to work.

This product is easy to setup. It only takes a few minutes, and the directions are very straightforward. I think many of the complaints I've read here are from people who don't have strong reception over an antenna, and a fast, reliable internet connection. We have an outdoor antenna that picks up about 70 channels, and we have the Tablo hardwired to our modem with an ethernet cable. We haven't had any issues with connection or picture quality. Watching live and recorded TV on our phones and tablets away from home is also a big plus.

This is my first experience with Tablo. I've used Tivo in the past. This works better is all respects. I've only used the Cloud DVR to this point. But it brings in my channels better via Wifi. I can get PBS for the first time. And it uses my Roku app on all my TVs instead of just one. The cost of the guide is way less. And the upfront cost is considerably less as well. No difficulties so far whatsoever. We couldn't be more pleased. Also simple to hook up. And since it's not tied to a specific TV you can place your antennae wherever works best for you.

September 2017 I cut the cord and have never looked back! When I cut the cord, the vendor that provides my regular TV channels is a bit flaky. I started studying Antennas and such. I found Tablo and a 4 tuner and made a wish list. Well, Tablo is selling this awesome 2 Tuner a lot cheaper than the 4 Tuner. Today is May 25, 2018 and I picked it up and a 65 mile indoor antenna. Both were extremely easy to install. I was up and running in less than 30 minutes! I am truly impressed by the quality of over the air channels are. I have set up several recordings. Tablo is awesome. I highly recommend it. Now, I have a backup way to watch TV if the internet dies. My internet provider has a cap of 1TB of Data per month. We have not exceeded 900 GB for the last 9 months. Tablo does not use internet data, therefore I can watch even more TV and it won’t count against my internet data. I highly recommend buying this Tablo and all of their products! I am saving over $150 per month by cutting the coax cord. We are able to have more choices and our cell phones have unlimited data, so we can watch TV anywhere. What can I say, cheaper than before, more choices of viewing programs. Life is good .

didn't fit my needs. returned it. minuses -buffered too long on remote viewing -have to sync it at home on your local network for remote viewing. if the power goes out or you lose connection you have to go home to re sync. Great. if your in Japan. Fly back to re sync it? -proprietary coding format to external hd, cant play or transfer to pc. -runs hot -subscription isn't worth it if it cannot buffer properly or be re synced remotely pluses -inexpensive -got my money back conclusion This will be alright for most people. But if you need the extra out of it search elsewhere. As I am still searching. The media industry is now telling you how you can use or watch FREE over the air TV, Scary.

Dish TV offers 'local channels' as an option but does not include the sub-channels. I use Tablo so I can record any of the local channels plus their sub-channels off the air and without cost. Using diplex adapters, both Dish TV and OTA signals come in over a single cable. "TV Diplexers" were installed by Dish TV but can be purchased online for very little cost for easy DIY. Operation of Tablo with my Samsung remote is 'clunky' and I wish the guide cursor would remain where I left it, rather than always returning to the lowest channel number. Tablo is a much better alternative to "pay TV" for local channels.

I bought this to replace an aging DVR that was on its last legs. I have had it for a month. The receiver seems to work well, but I can't seem to find a portable hard drive to record the programs. I have tried 3 and so far, when I plug a hard drive in, it causes the DVR to disconnect from the network. One person suggested that the power supply is underpowered so whenever you add anything, it can't handle it. I put in a ticket online and never got a response. I called and the tech sent me a link to stuff I had already seen on the website. I am very frustrated that I cannot do save any programs as that is the point of owning this DVR. The support is also pretty weak.

Went to Best Buys today to get a Tablo Lite to replace my Tivo Roamio. I got the last one that the Northlake, GA Store had in stock. Took me about 20 minutes to set it up and am using it with My Roku Express. Works great, I get all the OTA chennels I got on my Tiivo, and instead of paying $15 a month got the Tivo guide, the Tablo guide is only $5 a month. Added plus is I can watch TV from the Tablo on any android device, on my Desktop PC as well as my big screen in the living room. Can't do that with the Tivo which only has one output.

Understand, this ONLY records shows that your digital antenna can pull in with a good signal. It works very well with good signals. It does need a $5 a month menu subscription to get 14 days of look ahead. It has worked well to record new series just set to record new episodes as they run. I paid $99 on sale.

So I have been paying for terrible DVR from At&T Uverse for years along with the crazy price of cable. I dropped At&t and put a RCA Antenna on my roof and now get a great picture for free and now I am really happy with this Tablo DVR. It is so easy to setup, and the thumbnail images of the shows are awesome. I also enjoy watching TV on my phone wherever I am. Don't hesitate to buy this product!

Initially was frustrating because I was having same issues as other reviews and support didn't mention it was known issues but after update mine is flawless. Records all as expected and can watch from any device in my house and remotely on my phone over cell network. 2TB HDD will never fill up.

Relatively easy setup. Works as advertised. Goodbye to my satellite service! I have paired the Tablo with a Roku Streaming Stick, an attic mounted OTA antenna and a 1TB hard drive.. Both OTA broadcasts and steaming sources are relatively easy to access and have good quality video. The interface provided by the Tablo app could use some polish. One particular peeve, after selecting a program to record, I must click through several menus to indicate that I want to record all episodes. One negative observation; I will occasionally lose my WiFi connection, and will have to access the Roku setup screen to reestablish the connection. I have been unable to determine if this is the fault of Tablo, Roku, my WiFi router or my ISP.

The Tablo device must be constantly connected to the Tablo company servers in order to function. Any time your internet connection is unavailable, TVs using the device get no reception at all. This is due at least in part to keeping the channel guide current. Rather than using the channels available to your antenna from broadcast towers, the Tablo device gets a list of channels based on your zip code from data stored on its company servers. Your Tablo channel guide is based on that information. To keep the channel guide current, the device must remain in constant communication with the Tablo company servers. Communication with the Tablo company servers also causes a lag in the signal received by each TV. If you like to have the same TV channel playing in multiple rooms while you walk around the house, you’re out of luck. Each TV broadcast is offset from the other by a few seconds. So, if you have the morning news playing in your home office and in the living room and have the volume on in each, the sound overlaps, and the story is ahead or behind on your TVs. The lag is longer if you have a USB drive attached for the DVR functionality. Support is only available 9:30 AM – 5:30 PM Eastern time, Mon – Fri, except Canadian holidays. Many people have day-jobs during that time. The workaround is to contact the Tablo user community. And, during the first 24 hours after you register, the number of messages you can send is limited to about 10 max. I found this experience dissatisfying. I quit cable about six years ago and have been using a rooftop antenna ever since. Years before that, I’d had cable installed by the cable company and all the outlets were placed right where I wanted them. Connect the antenna to the cable input and you’re all set. I moved a couple years ago and installed an antenna right away. But the cable layout in my current house isn’t good so I have cables strung all over. I should get my house rewired but saw the Tablo as a potential solution. I see now that it is not. We get bad flooding and hurricanes here in Houston and it’s important to get information from the TV. Sure, we use radios. But when you’re in the middle of a disaster that is in progress, it’s important to have pictures with the words. With my antenna I have reception when my neighbors do not. If your primary requirement is to get DVR functionality, then you might like Tablo. And for people who are accustomed to cable or dish, the requirement of constant communication with the Tablo company servers may not be a deal breaker. My primary requirement is to get rid of the wires inside my house. The Tablo isn’t for me so I’ll send it back.

Works dependably. Highly recommend the guide subscription which makes programming easy. I only have a few programs that I need to record so the dual tuner is enough for me. Great support.