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Official Tablo thread

148K views 1K replies 157 participants last post by  smess 
#1 ·
Any one interested in being an early adopter?

http://www.tablotv.com/


Here is a video





"Tablo™ Makes it Easy for Consumers to Enjoy Free HDTV: Now Seeking Supporters and Early Adopters Through Indiegogo


OTTAWA, CANADA —November 8, 2013— Nuvyyo, a pioneer in revolutionizing the home media experience, today previewed a new product that offers cord-cutters a better way to access free Over-The-Air (OTA) high-definition TV content. The new product, called Tablo is the first solution designed to combine the functionality of a DVR with the convenience and mobility of a tablet-based app to browse, record and stream broadcast TV content to any device, anytime, anywhere. Additionally, Nuvyyo has launched an Indiegogo campaign for Tablo to engage TV-lovers and early technology adopters as supporters and beta testers prior to the product’s retail availability in early 2014."
 
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#941 · (Edited)
Spoke too soon. Still getting buffering about every minute or two. The buffering lasts almost as long as normal playback. Have it set on 720 (3mbps), and get at least 15 Mbps over WiFi in the room with Tablo. Going to try plugging it into main router today to see if that helps, if not it's going back. Airtv on sale, may try that.

Edit:. After moving router and switch around and rebooting everything, I have 40mbps in Tablo area. Hard wired it, and buffers every 30 seconds with Roku2, no buffering at all with Ultra. Definitely a Roku issue, time for a new one! (Actually it's a Roku1 not 2)
 
#943 ·
Got an interesting question been thinking about putting this in my home as the only thing we watch on local channels is football and sports. Was wondering how the live tv and pause play rewind work on these? And also was wondering if you can watch a game when traveling or is blocked out somehow? I live in Denver and travel quite a bit, would I be able to pickup the game live say in Phoenix or is there some kind of restriction put on this by Tablo?
 
#944 ·
No BO restrictions when you travel. The one caveat is you do need decent bandwidth up to enable usage.

The Tablo works as a streaming server that connects through an app that is loaded on your Roku/Phone/AndroidTV, there is NO HDMI connection, meaning you can locate it anywhere in the house as long as you can get an antenna connected to it.

Pause/Play/Rewind is based on thumbnails that are automatically created as the recording is made.

I've had mine for 2+ years and do not hesitate to recommend to anyone, my most common use is football/hockey and soccer.
 
#946 ·
DVR+ to TABLO

My beloved DVR+ gave up the goat this week. I got my new TABLO yesterday, it is connected to a new Sony Bravia tv with the best remote control I have every used. Setup was completed using the remote control, a cell phone or tablet was not needed. The remote controls all Tablo functions including Sony DVD. After years of 3 or 4 remotes I'm down to ONE remote and a new great DVR.
 
#947 ·
My beloved DVR+ gave up the goat this week. I got my new TABLO yesterday, it is connected to a new Sony Bravia tv with the best remote control I have every used. Setup was completed using the remote control, a cell phone or tablet was not needed. The remote controls all Tablo functions including Sony DVD. After years of 3 or 4 remotes I'm down to ONE remote and a new great DVR.
The Tablo TV DVR is an excellent OTA option. Coax to the antenna, hardwire to an AC router, and AC streamers put broadcast television on your TVs for a couple hundred bucks and minimal effort.

I am a HUGE fan of the single remote solution. I'm also a HUGE fan of the single input solution. The streamer meets that goal -- albeit inelegantly is most cases. Which streamer are you using?
Hopefully, Tablo TV will integrate ATSC 3.0 into their current app...

Nuvyyo says they will continue to make their current line of DVRs but are looking into a device that would support both the current over-the-air TV standard and the next-gen ATSC 3.0 standard. Nuvyyo even went as far as to hint that they may have something to show off at the Consumer Electronics Show in 2021.​
Given the way TTV integrates two ATSC 1.0 units, I am not sure their ATSC 3.0 solution will satisfy a one remote guy like yourself...


You will need to switch between Tablo A and Tablo B (using the disconnect button in your Tablo apps) to set recordings or view recordings since each Tablo will maintain its own separate database. That’s why two-Tablo families often dedicate a DVR to a specific family member, group, or content type.
 
#952 ·
If you already have a lifetime sub shouldn't it also cover the new Tablo? That's how it worked before when they dropped the lifetime sub.
 
#953 ·
I just bought a Tablo Dual HDMI to replace my failing DVR+. This is my first Tablo unit. So this is my first post here in this thread and I wanted to pass along my initial impressions and also a comparison between the Tablo receiver and the DVR+ receiver.

Here is my new Tablo Dual HDMI:
  • the latest firmware 2.2.31 (2033219) as of Dec 2.
  • Western Digital Purple WD82PURZ 8TB hard disk in an OWC Mercury Elite Pro USB3 case.
  • I have a Stacker antenna on the roof (from dennysantennaservice).
  • the Tablo connects to my Denon 3600 AV receiver via HDMI.
  • Tablo audio is set to Passthrough (the HDMI to my Receiver).
  • ethernet connection (Tablo WiFi is turned OFF).
  • my antenna is pointed at the Walnut Grove, California, antenna farm (near Sacramento).

The installation process was straight forward and the Tablo came up quickly. The setup process was fine, but it saw that new firmware was available and downloaded it. I had to re-turn off WiFi after this firmware update. Note sure if that is typical, or just due to the firmware update during initialization.

The initial 24-hour guide population process took 8 minutes. The rest of the 14-day guide was populated in the background. I assume there is initial overhead for this first acquisition since 8 minutes seems really slow for simple text info.

The Tablo found 58 channels. Of those, I selected 34 channels to go into the Guide. See my channel comparison comments below about DVR+ vs. Tablo. The bottom line is that both units found the same channel portfolio and signal strengths seem comparable. A viewing test of some of the weaker Tablo channels demonstrated that they were indeed watchable so to first order the Tablo receiver seems comparable to the DVR+ receiver.

The Tablo CH+ remote's channel-to-channel flip time is 4-7 seconds and feels painfully slow. The DVR+ time using CH+ on its remote control is 2-3 seconds.

My lowest RF channel is RF9 (6.1, PBS) which corresponds to the 2nd longest elements on my antenna. On the DVR+ recordings, this channel is sometimes blocky/pixelated due to signal issues. In watching the Tablo for a bit on this channel, I did see an occasional pixelation. So the Tablo seems consistent with the DVR+ on this channel.

The Guide scrolling of the Tablo is very responsive, but it doesn't pre-populate the entire Guide. It only populates when you get to a blank portion of the Guide.


Conclusions:
At this point, I am happy with my Tablo Dual HDMI. It seems like a lateral move from my DVR+ and is functional. Compared to other products that I considered (Tivo Edge, Amazon Recast, etc.) I especially like that the Tablo has an HDMI connector and outputs the full-resolution broadcast stream. And I like that it works with my 8TB hard disk. Colors are vibrant and the picture is sharp. The sound is good but I wish that the Tablo would map broadcast stereo into 5.1 (or the 7.1 that I have). It sounds hollow just in stereo.


Action items for the Tablo developers:

> How do I disable the Screensaver? There isn't a choice for OFF. There should be.
> The 14-day guide needs a Search function. As-is, trying to find shows is a treasure hunt.
> Need to add the "name contains" function that the DVR+ has for specifying recordings. This is extremely useful.
> the Guide should pre-populate the entire 14-day window with text. Not wait to populate until someone scrolls to a blank portion of the Guide.

Here is a comparison of the Channel Master DVR+ (135R) receiver with the Tablo Dual HDMI (2.2.31) receiver with my antenna and distance from the broadcast antenna farm. The DVR+ quotes signal strength (0-100) and signal quality (0-100). The Tablo quotes number of dots (1 to 5).

Each channel is shown that the units auto-scanned. The DVR+ was measured from 4:00 to 4:40pm (it took awhile to write down all of the numbers). The Tablo was measured from 5:20 to 5:35pm. Same RF cable, antenna, etc. since I moved the various cables from the DVR+ to the Tablo then went through its initial start-up sequence.

Both units found the same channels and the signal levels seem to correlate.

Code:
    DVR+               Tablo Dual HDMI
    3.1 100 100        3-1 *****
    3.2  100 100       3-2 *****
    6.1  100 52        6-1 *****
    6.2 100 59         6-2 *****
    6.3 100 62         6-3 *****
    6.4 100 62         6-4 *****
   10.1 100 59        10-1 *****
   10.2 100 59        10-2 *****
   10.3 100 58        10-3 *****
   10.4  100 59       10-4 *****
   13.1 100 100       13-1 *****
   13.2 100 100       13-2 *****
   13.3 100 100       13-3 *****
   19.1 100 100       19-1 *****
   19.2 100 100       19-2 *****
   19.3 100 100       19-3 *****
   19.4 100 100       19-4 *****
   23.1 94 100        23-1 *****
   24.1 81 79         24-1 *****
   24.2 82 79         24-2 *****
   24.3 80 83         24-3 *****
   29.1 100 62        29-1 *****
   29.2 100 59        29-2 *****
   29.3 100 57        29-3 *****
   29.4 100 62        29-4 *****
   29.5 100 65        29-5 *****
   29.6 100 62        29-6 *****
   30.1 71 38         30-1 ***
   30.2 71 41         30-2 ***
   30.3 72 39         30-3 ***
   31.1 100 100       31-1 *****
   31.2 100 100       31-2 *****
   31.3 100 100       31-3 *****
   31.4 100 100       31-4 *****
   31.5 100 100       31-5 *****
   33.2 100 73        33-2 *****
   34.1 100 49        34-1 ***
   34.2 100 50        34-2 ***
   38.1 77 0          38-1 *
   38.2 80 0          38-2 *
   38.3 81 0          38-3 *
   38.4 84 0          38-4 *
   38.5 85 0          38-5 *
   40.1 100 100       40-1 *****
   40.2 100 100       40-2 *****
   40.3 100 100       40-3 *****
   40.4 100 100       40-4 *****
   51.1 81 61         51-1 ***
   51.2 80 62         51-2 ***
   51.3 81 55         51-3 ***
   51.4 77 58         51-4 ***
   58.1 100 100       58-1 *****
   58.2 100 100       58-2 *****
   58.3 100 100       58-3 *****
   64.1 100 100       64-1 *****
   64.2 100 100       64-2 *****
   64.3 100 100       64-3 *****
   64.4 100 100       64-4 *****
Note that the various 38.x and 38-x channels had a black screen on both the DVR+ and the Tablo. There is no channel 33.1 nor 33-1.

The one that stands out are the 6.x channels. I feel that the DVR+ metric is more appropriate than the Tablo metric (based on my previous viewing experiences). This channel can sometimes be problematic for me and Tablo's 5-stars doesn't jive with DVR+'s more appropriate signal quality metric of 52 to 62. Regardless, watching a little of 6.1 shows a little pixelation once or twice.


Update at 8:16pm: channel 6.1 has broken up on the Tablo and it suspends viewing and presents a popup box. I keep hitting Resume and it keeps presenting the popup box. The DVR+ was always more graceful and would just keep trying automatically. The Tablo's popup box seems useless...

Scott
 
#954 ·
Conclusions:
At this point, I am happy with my Tablo Dual HDMI. It seems like a lateral move from my DVR+ and is functional. Compared to other products that I considered (Tivo Edge, Amazon Recast, etc.) I especially like that the Tablo has an HDMI connector and outputs the full-resolution broadcast stream. And I like that it works with my 8TB hard disk. Colors are vibrant and the picture is sharp. The sound is good but I wish that the Tablo would map broadcast stereo into 5.1 (or the 7.1 that I have). It sounds hollow just in stereo.

Scott
The Tablo has a setting so you can record the OTA 5.1 stream. Unfortunately if the OTA audio is only stereo to begin with you are stuck with that. Quick question, why did you opt for the HDMI version of the Tablo? I've had the non-app version for several years and love it.
 
#957 ·
I have a Channelmaster DVR that I am having issues with. So, I ordered the Tablo with HDMI. I run everything through a Marantz receiver, then on to a JVC 540 projector. Projector calibrated by Chad B. Set up the Tablo and everything seemed okay. Picture quality was not quite as good as Channel Master. Then after about an hour, lost the signal. So, I set both recorders to record a hockey game. After a period and a half, the Tablo lost signal, and quit recording. The Channel Master never missed a beat. So I guess I stick with the Channel Master and just use the Tablo as a back up. Pretty much disappointed in the Tablo. I had high hopes, since it was HDMI connected.
 
#958 ·
Hey Guys, just ordered my Tablo OTA DVR. I'll be using it with a Harmony 900 Remote (similar to Harmony One) and an Apple TV 4K. Has anyone successfully enabled number input from the Harmony to the Apple TV. The Guide is fine but I'd like to jump to a channel directly. Thanks for any advice
 
#963 ·
Greetings all,

I decided to switch from the Fire TV Recast to a Tablo Quad DVR several weeks ago. The 30 day trial period is running out soon so I'm deciding what subscriptions I'm willing to pay for. The guide data looks like it's worth it and I'm willing to go with the lifetime option. However, I'm much more on the fence about the premium subscription, commercial skip apparently being the only component. I've found that the commercial skip can lead to 1 of 5 results, as follows:

1. Commercial skip processing works as intended and commercials are skipped - this seems to be most prevalent on major network shows.

2. Commercial skip appears to have worked but there are still one or more commercial breaks that have not been skipped.

3. Programs are not eligible for commercial skip and therefore not processed. I've seen this on PBS shows, which obviously have few commercial breaks anyway so I don't consider this a problem.

4. Commercial skip does not work at all and the program is not marked as ineligible. This seems to happen on sub-channels like METV. Currently I'm recording the Addams Family from METV and there's no mention of commercial skip - yes I do have the option turned on in Settings.

5. Commercial skip will seem to process but the bars indicating commercial breaks are grey instead of yellow and no commercials are skipped.

Due to the hit and miss nature of Tablo's commercial skip feature, I'm hesitant to spend even $20/year for it. Would like to get other opinions so please respond if you are so inclined. Thanks in advance for all replies.
 
#964 ·
I used to have the commercial skip feature for a couple of months or so (when it was marked as a beta feature). After the show is recorded (and some time has elapsed) you can easily fast forward through the commercials as you are able to see the video during FF. I decided that the recurring fees was not worth for me and I was OK using the FF button of my remote.
 
#967 ·
Greetings. I am new to Tablo, but so far really like it. I have a large antenna on the roof of my house and get about 100 subchannels. I set my channel list down to only 53 of the best ones. Some of the low poer stations offer nice programming. I have a 5 TB hard drive on my Tablo. After recording a bunch of shows in HD, it has only used about 0.2 TB. I'm very impressed with that. The commercial skip feature works very well too. It's almost as nice as watching a commercial free show on Netflix.
 
#969 ·
I hope they come up with a networked version eventually so I can use it in my current setup, which includes a Quad. Tablo probably came out with the hdmi version first so they don't have to worry about putting 4k worth of data over a wi-fi connection. However, I'm not in a big hurry because there is only one ATSC 3.0 station in my market. This will change but then we have to worry about lower picture quality in ATSC 1.0 because some of a station's bandwidth is being used for 3.0.
 
#978 ·
Tablo is running a customer survey for any interested.
My personal feedback... I'd love an option to opt out of displaying results from the genres that designate infomercials and news programs in the TV guide.

 
#980 · (Edited)
New Dual HDMI OTA DVR - connected antenna, hdmi, hard drive, completed setup including connecting to my wifi, format drive, software update, enter my zip code, perform the channel search, guide download.

The Guide has all my local channel numbers and names, program names and descriptions are good. Able to watch live tv, but it doesn’t match what’s shown in the Guide because it has the wrong time.

It’s not a time zone or DST issue because the time in the Guide is off by some strange amount. For example at 2:00pm the Guide says 11:39am.

I have submitted an email support ticket. I also have rebooted the Tablo, re-entered my zip code, unchecked all channels then re-scanned and saved.

Any suggestions? Where does the Dual HDMI DVR get it's time from? How can I fix this? Does Tablo support have remote access to my device to set it to the correct time?


EDIT: Never mind. The Guide is now showing the correct time, I didn't do anything, must have done some sort of magic update while I wasn't looking!
 
#981 · (Edited)
Well, Dish is going out the door and I am considering Tablo as the OTA DVR to replace it. Should I go with the Roku as a front end (already have Roku Express). Perhaps I would be better off with the Tablo that connects directly to the TV, keeping them separate? Will CEC work with the Tablo, turning on and off the TV and setting it to the right input (Roku already does this but my older Dish won't) without the two stepping on each other's toes? Is the one connected directly to the TV going to be faster in displaying the TV channel (there seems to be a long delay when using Roku). Are there advantages to using the Tablo remote vs the Roku remote?

Anyone with experience here that can shed some light?
 
#983 ·
I love my Tablo, I have the network device not the HDMI version. I would highly recommend the remote device if you have multiple TVs. Also the network version means you don't have to bring your antenna lead to the TVs location, you can place the Tablo wherever you have an antenna lead. I just routed it to my network rack. If you use an indoor antenna you can place the Tablo and antenna wherever the best signal is and use the network capabilities to view your TV.

I originally purchased the 2-tuner version but quickly upgraded to the 4-tuner.

Yes, channel changing takes a while and can be irritating if you watch live TV but is a non-factor if using the DVR funcions. I believe this is the ONLY reason to use the HDMI version as it does not transcode the live feed so avoids the delay when changing the channel with a live feed.

All my TVs are Android TV so I just use the Tablo client available on the Play Store, it works very well.
 
#982 ·
@RayGuy - think of it like the Tablo is taking your OTA signal and making your own personal streaming service for your house. Basically the Tablo connects to your network, then any computer or streaming box can connect to it just like Netflix. This is super powerful and I really like it over the dedicated box. But depends on your household use probably.
 
#986 ·
What @xnappo said. With the remote version you use the remote that comes with your streamer, Roku/TV/Apple etc. is used to control the Tablo through the app that you load on your device. No need to learn or keep another remote laying around.
 
#987 · (Edited)
Thanks guys. Starting to get some clarity. One last question. On the two tuner Dish, if you have two shows being recorded, you can't watch live TV, but you can watch something that has already been recorded. My impression is that is no longer true with the two tuner Tablo (thru Roku)? Instead, I'd watch something else thru Roku ???
 
#988 ·
If you have the 2 tuner Tablo and are recording 2 shows in the same time slot, you will not be able to watch another live show, but will be able to watch a show you've already recorded, or as you said, anything else available on your Roku. Additional info on 2 vs. 4 tuners is available here. I have the 4 tuner version and highly recommend it.

Also, based on my experience with the Tablo Quad, I recommend the following:

Set up a fixed IP address for your Tablo. I did this by reserving an IP address in my router for the Tablo, as identified by the Tablo's MAC address. This will make it easier to identify the Tablo on your network.

It is possible to get the TV shows off the Tablo hard drive in mp4 format to save them elsewhere and view them on your PC, Tablet, phone, etc. There are several methods for this - I use Tablo Ripper - details here.

If possible, use an ethernet cable to connect to the Tablo to eliminate Wifi issues.

Hope this helps.
 
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