Two days in and, so far, I couldn't be happier with this little box. Watching TV through AppleTV in my lounge, Fire Stick in my garage or on a (Mac) laptop, the picture is crystal clear, the program guide is beautiful and recording appears to be super easy.
Setup looked daunting but turned out OK. I hooked it up, temporarily, to a flat antenna (without powered booster; we are less than 20miles from the transmitters) just propped on a bookshelf for now. I didn't get far with the wireless install and quickly switched to use an ethernet wire directly to my router. Installation of the Table then became really straightforward; I used my laptop with no particularly special software - just a Chrome browser as directed in the Quick Start guide. The Tablo immediately used my internet connection to update its firmware; no problem. Then running for the first time, the Tablo took a minute or two to scan for available channels and determined which were strong enough to suggest be retained in the program guide. (The system asks the user to confirm the choice; your are able to select any of the received channels you want. As far as I can tell, however, I don't see how to add/remove them later. Maybe I'm missing something. I guess I'll reset and run the installation routine again if necessary.)
I installed the free Tablo app on my AppleTV. When I ran it, it found the Tablo without any problem and worked immediately. There is a few seconds lag on switching channels that is a bit annoying... but I'll live with that. The guide and general interface is great. Note that the guide requires and internet connection and a monthly subscription following the first month's trial. Currently (February 2018) the subscription is 4.99 per month or 49.99 annually. This rubs against the grain a little considering the aim is to cut the TV subscription... however, I feel it is a service that is important for daily viewing and pretty much essential for scheduled recording and, at those rates, I don't believe the Table people are extorting me for it.
I also installed the Tablo app on my Amazon Fire Stick attached to a TV in my garage. The stick is noticeably slower than my Apple TV at the best of times so, allowing for that, the Tablo app worked perfectly well there, too.
On both apps and when viewing TV through my laptop, the guide emphasizes the channel name, rather than the number. This is a lot more user-friendly than with the cheaper
1byone ATSC Digital Converter Box for Analog TV, Analog TV Converter Box with Record and Pause Live TV, USB Multimedia Playback, HDTV Set Top Box for 1080p(New Version)-Black
that I bought to try last week on a different TV. For sure, I wish now that I'd just bought another Fire Stick to use with that TV but, back then, I just wanted something fairly cheap to see if broadcast TV was an option at all for me; if I knew then that the reception at my house works well, I'd have gone with the Tablo as the only TV receiver in my home.
My next step is to put the antenna into my roof space but keep the Tablo next to my router. In my case, I think I'll be able to make use of the cable that previously carried the Uverse TV signal from the router up to the distribution box in the roof in order to send the antenna signal in the other direction. Otherwise, the antenna will just have to sit on the bookshelf - it works fine down here.
The built-in storage promises 40 hours of recording is more than enough for me, so I don't anticipate adding external storage. Nice to have the option, though.
I am a little concerned that some reviewers state that updates to the apps have managed to break things. But, from what I've seen, the Tablo designers did a nice job; it works exactly as anyone would hope. I have yet to try it on any iPads (not expecting a problem when I get around to it)... but, sadly, there is currently no app for iPhones.
Cutting the Uverse cord means the Tablo and antenna will pay for themselves within 2 months. And apart from the English Premier League Football (I am British!), I won't miss any of the other channels at all. Good stuff.
| Brand Name | Tablo |
|---|---|
| Item Weight | 13.1 ounces |
| Product Dimensions | 4.93 x 4.84 x 1.46 inches |
| Item model number | SPVR2-02-EN |
| Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
| Color Name | Black |
| Number of Component Outputs | usb, ethernet, wifi |
