Customer Ratings & Reviews

As an owner of the previous generations of this device, I was excited to get the opportunity to review the new 4th gen device. I am also in a unique situation where my house is located between 2 major cities and I am often blacked out of my favorite sports teams games, despite only being 30 minutes from either major city. This is infuriating when streaming with the outlandish licensing and black out restrictions, where I cannot even watch my local, 30 minute away, team plan on gameday. This is where having a local antenna comes into play perfectly as I can pickup both local broadcast locations without blackout restrictions. Tablo TV makes this even easier as I can "steam" my antenna, which needs to be located in an upstairs guest bedroom (I'll eventually put it in the attic) to all of my TVs (which are all using Apple TV). The 4th gen Tablo TV supports all major devices (at least depending where you look) - FireStick, Android, iOS, iPadPOS, Android TV, Google TV, webOS, and Samsung. Physical setup is as easy as it gets. Plug into power, plug coax antenna, plug Ethernet (if using Ethernet, which I am) and my antenna happens to have a USB power, and Tablo supports USB power, so I plugged that in as well. I'm using a very inexpensive "flat" or "sting ray" style digital antenna, which I found can pickup 104 channels and all major locals (ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX) in 1080i HD so this works great for me, others will likely need something far more powerful depending on where you live. Then I went to download the app. This is where the first major disappointment comes in. I start on my iPhone and search "Tablo" in the app store. I'm presented 1 option "Tablo Legacy". without giving it anymore thought, I download it. It doesn't work. I then think to myself "isn't this a new device? why is it called "legacy"?. I then read the instructions closer and I need to search "Tablo TV". Oh, ok, so I do. Opening "Tablo TV" works like a charm. Asks for local network access and finds my Tablo immediately. It then asks if i am new or existing. Well, of course I am existing so I go to login in with my old Tablo account and it doesn't work. I have to create a new account. Once setup and logged in, I am able to "scan" for channels. It picks up all 104 I could get on the TV itself (with antenna physically connected) and from my old Tablo, so great, off to the races. Viewing channels is great, interface is super simple and clean, easy to use, everything seems great on my iPhone. I found getting here necessarily confusing and obnoxios, I'm reasonable, but taking away 1 star for this. Now i'm off to my major need, using all my Apple TVs to stream from this antenna. I go to my Apple TV, search "Tablo TV" because I learned the annoying lesson on iOS, yet to my surprise no Tablo TV app. I double check the box, which CLEARLY states supporting Apple... I also check the website which advertises being able to watch "free TV" using a plethora of devices, one of which, is the Apple TV. Then I found a support page which states "coming soon" for WebOS, Samsung and Apple TV. How annoying and disappointing, I have a device now that isn't even completely ready. Thanks for the unexpected beta test Tablo... another start gone. I also happen to have a Chromecast with Google TV so I setup that instead. Finding the latest app on Google TV play store was equally as annoying as on iOS, it didn't come up right away and I had to type multiple different phrases to find it. Once setup, it was easy to use and worked great, just like on iOS. I also tested on Pixel Tablet and iPadOS. iPadOS worked as you'd expect where Pixel Tablet did not have the app properly formatted (see attached pics), but watching actual live video was full screen. The included 128GB of DVR capability is a real bonus here. I couldn't see any mention of having to pay extra for this or pay for any subscription. This adds tremendous value for the product. I did notice some missing features from Tablo Legacy to the Tablo TV app, such as creating folders, the ability to search, and the "Prime Time" filter. If you liked and use these features, just know they're missing at least currently. I however didn't really care about their omission. All in all, this is a decent product, works very well on the devices it works for, I encountered 0 issues or bugs actually viewing the channels. There is unnecessary confusion with the legacy app and finding the correct new app. The app is also "coming soon" on major platforms many buyers will have and expect to use when buying the product. I wish the lack of current support was made more clear, but my situation was fortunately able to work around it, fill my needs, until the Apple TV app is released.

Unfortunately as of 1/12/24 Tablo has a bug when paired with Roku. After about 10 minutes the device turns off and returns to the Roku’s Home Screen. However, it works magic when paired with Amazon Fire Stick I can watch live TV while recording another OTA TV program. I can use the mobile app 2 watch OTA TV programs on my mobile devices. I would recommend this produce for Amazon Fire Stick users. I hope Tablo get’s the bug out of Roku soon.

Easy setup Great tuner Records well Wish they had a 4 tuner version Good customer service

I was pleasantly surprised by how easy it was to set up and use. The app guided me through the process of connecting the device to my antenna and my Wi-Fi. I was able to scan for local channels and access 91 in minutes.

Works great I use tablo app on firestick no issues so far. I bought to watch local channels. Plenty of storage for recording programs.

Best device ever. Easy to work. Get lots of channels including local channels.

Tablo product is great as it seems faster than the previous versions. I upgraded from the Tablo 2. I was impressed with the no subscription vs the prevoius version. I also liked the fact that the new Tablo comes with internal storage. Another bit of information that I did not know is that the channels that are provided from the internet when recording do Not count towards your 2 output devices which is nice.

DO NOT BUY ANYTHING FROM THIS COMPANY, THEY CANNOT BE TRUSTED. PLEASE HELP ME IN PROTESTING AGAINST THIS THEM! I purchased this product almost a year ago with the understanding that a Tablo TV app was "coming soon". It's been almost a year and still no app for the Apple TV. I think we are well beyond "Coming Soon".

No good movie old tv channel ok I would not buy this! Buy Roku player instead!

I really wanted to love this device. I was excited to be able to record live tv and play it back on any other tv. I have had similar devices in the past and they were overall just ok. The size of the Tablo is supper small and easy to tuck away and not worry about. You can also add an additional hard drive to expand storage. Without adding the additional hard drive, you can record up to 50 hours of video right out of the box. It does have two built in tv tuners so you can record two shows at once or watch one and record another. Overall, this is pretty great product, and the price point is on par or better than the competitors. With all the great things this device can do I don't think it's ready for consumers. I tried setting Tablo up on my google pixel 7 phone and it wasn't working and kept crashing and or not responding to anything. I gave up my android and tried my iPhone and it worked and was easy to get setup. Once I finally had the device on my Wi-Fi network, I then tried to use the Roku app. I was met with a loading screen and nothing showing for my device. My Roku is a few years old but works fine, but I tried another device android tv and was met with the same loading screen. In both situations I did let it run for about 5 minutes to see if the app was updating Tablor or something, but nothing happened. I spent some more time messing around and trying to get it to work. Came to the conclusion if I hard wire it to my internet it will get passed the loading screen. I was able to use the app on my iphone to pull up the TV guide and was able to setup the shows I wanted recorded. The menu, when it works, is very simplistic and easy to use. You can select just record this one episode, or you can also select the series. Your recordings show up in the Library and are easy to navigate through. I went back to using my Roku for the Tablo app as it seemed to function. I was able to browse my library and live tv. I tried out one of the recordings I did, and it was flawless, the sound was great, the screen clarity, everything was perfect. Next, I tried live TV, the tv guide takes a moment to load and is choppy to scroll through. I selected a show and it was streaming totally fine, then after 5 minutes the video was no longer in sync with the sound. I figured I will reboot and try again, and then the Tablo app was no longer working. Overall, I feel like this is a pretty simplistic device but somehow it doesn't work. I was pretty bummed out because I wanted to love this and overlook the setup issues, but there are too many issues for me. Maybe Tablo will do an update to fix some of these so the device can be used.

The Tablo OTA DVR & Streaming player is a networked tuner for a broadcast antenna. This is a dual tuner device meant to sit on your home network and allow streaming players and TV’s to connect and play live broadcast signals. I have had on OTA antenna for a few years now, but I have always had to make the compromise of a diminished signal due to my TV’s location. With the Tablo I have been able to break free of this limitation. For starters this is a network attached OTA antenna tuner and DVR that can be connected via ethernet or WiFi. To watch TV, whether it is recorded, live, or streaming you have to have connection to the internet. This Tablo device has 2 tuners, so you can watch 2 live broadcast shows at the same time on different devices. It also has 2 virtual tuners which enables additional streams of recorded or free stream content. Based on the support page on Tablo’s website the device can support up to 6 screens playing fully recorded content, whether it be from a broadcast or free streaming channel. The main takeaway is if you are watching live content you will max out at 2 feeds of live broadcast TV and 2 feeds of a live streaming channels for a total of 4 screens watching live (not recorded) content. The Tablo is also a DVR with up to 50 hours of HD video storage (128GB with about 115GB available). You can also connect an external drive to expand storage up to 8TB. I hooked up my Mohu Arc Leaf antenna, which has its own powered amplifier, to the Tablo. The Tablo has a built-in amplifier if your antenna needs it or if you want to free up a plug. My antenna showed full signal at the new location. The old location only had 3 out of 4 reception lights illuminated, but I was limited at the time based on my screen location. I went from 56 channels to 88 due to this change, which was entirely enabled by the Tablo tuner. Configuring the Tablo requires you to download an app on your phone – like everything these days. Install and setup was pretty swift. The Tablo was discovered by the app within a few seconds and I had it added to my WiFi network in only a minute or two. The initial setup requires Tablo to scan your area for channels, which took about 10 minutes for me. There was another 10 minutes for it to download all of the guide info, but then it was up and running. Total setup time was under a half hour, and the vast majority of that time was spent waiting for the automated processes to complete. Getting the Tablo to stream to my TV’s required me to download the Tablo TV app – I set it up on a Roku TV (TCL), and Vizion TV with a Roku Express HD, and my projector that has Google TV. App install and discovery was super easy on all devices. Watching on the projector and the Roku TV was done without any issue. They ran 1080, 720, and 480 content without issue. I set up a few recordings and watched them as well. No issues ran into at all – it was like watching recordings in the past on my digital cable DVR. I ran into some funkiness on my Vizio TV with the Roku Express. My Vizio TV is from 2015 and it’s a HD (1080p) model, and it has a Roku Express HD attached. There were no issues while playing HD content. However, if I changed to a channel broadcast in 720p or 480i my screen would be windowed. The content would show up in the top left corner while the rest of the screen was green. 480i content occupied 20% of the screen while 720p content took up about 40%. I was missing out on a lot of screen real estate. I tried adjusting settings on the TV, on my Roku, and on the Tablo but nothing worked. I found a few forum/Reddit posts of others running into the same problem, so I submitted a support ticket. I am currently working through that process to see if things can be worked out. As of right now its my 3rd screen that’s affected, so my two main screens run just fine. I am impressed by this little tuner. It has allowed me to use my antenna to its fullest potential by being network connected. I can now watch broadcasts on all of my screens instead of just 1. This is really a nice little piece of equipment. I have already recommended it to my parents who hesitated cutting the cord because they would miss out on local programming.

The Tablo TV experience has completely revolutionized my approach to television. As someone who opted to cut the cord, I was in search of a seamless method for watching and recording live TV without the complexities of subscriptions. In this regard, Tablo has unquestionably lived up to its promise. The setup procedure is incredibly straightforward, with the Tablo app providing excellent guidance every step of the way. With just a few simple clicks, I successfully initiated my Tablo and had it operational. It's worth noting that the model I chose did not include an antenna, but there's an alternative "Total System" model that comes with one. Given that I already had an outdoor antenna installed, which I connected to my home's coaxial system to cover the entire house, this arrangement better suited my requirements. The elegance of Tablo's simplicity truly shines during the process of connecting to your internet network. Through the use of the provided Ethernet cable, I seamlessly integrated the Tablo into my home setup. A standout feature of the Tablo is the option to augment storage capacity using a USB hard drive. While the built-in memory of the Tablo can accommodate up to 50 hours of high-definition recordings, the ability to link an external drive with a capacity of up to 8TB is an absolute boon for those who enjoy binge-watching and avid recording. The absence of any subscription obligations, contracts, or hidden fees is a much-appreciated relief. With Tablo, I've been able to relish both broadcast programming from my TV antenna and access to over 40 streaming channels via the internet, all without incurring any costs. The freedom to watch what I desire without the burden of recurring payments is genuinely liberating. The incorporation of a 14-day TV guide data cycle is a notable advantage, ensuring that I'm consistently updated about my favorite shows and upcoming events. Overall, the Tablo TV has completely transformed my TV consumption habits. Its user-friendly setup, compatibility with existing systems, expandable storage capabilities, and steadfast commitment to subscription-free entertainment make it an absolute game-changer for anyone in search of high-quality TV without the usual cable clutter.

I needed a replacement for my older OTA (over-the-air) DVR and this looked like a great choice. However a couple observations on ownership for this Gen4 Tablo to consider when looking to purchase. The good: - Setup is easy via smartphone - The interface and mobile app are easy to learn - Setting up an external USB hard drive is easy - Picture quality is great - Setting up a recording is easy - Works good with my Roku TVs and Amazon Fire TV - Customer service is an email away and responds within hours. The Bad: - The channel guide is free but may not list channels correctly. (a known issue as I contacted support for help) The solution for now is to select other zip code(s) rescan channels, and update the guide, and this MAY straighten out the channel guide. It finally worked for me. - I knew this at time of purchase but no outside the home access for viewing. Every device you view this on must be on the same home network. (Your smartphone as well) - No app for Windows PC's So for now it stays in the house, the guide seems to have settled down and is working to show correct channel data. The DVR with my external HD is working great and the software is responsive with very few hesitations. I chose to hardwire (CAT5) my connection vs WiFi and I have a good outdoor antenna. The guide data is the biggest concern I have because without a dependable guide the DVR is useless. So fingers crossed they get that fixed soon or my zip code trick holds and keeps things going. Since the DVR isn't really that expensive I'm not to worried about my purchase.

As a long-time Tivo user, I was looking for an alternative that doesn't require a subscription. The Tablo 4 seems to fit the bill. It is easy to hook up as long as you have wifi and a good antenna that you can connect to the unit. The app works well, but sometimes takes awhile to load. I wasn't able to stream directly to my LG smart TV, but I was able to use a Roku player plugged into the TV, and this seems to work very well. I can also easily stream to my android tablets and phones. Picture quality is excellent- as good as the antenna feed. You also get a bunch of extra free streaming channels which is nice. You can record the streaming channels as well as the over-the-air channels, watch them later, and skip through commercials. Very easy to set up recordings of entire TV series and adjust times, channels, etc. My only reservation is that the Tablo works only when it has an internet connection and the Tablo servers are up. My unit quit working after just 3 days and I was about to return it but decided to contact Tablo. They said their server was down and I should wait 4 hours and try again. And sure enough, 4 hours later everthing was working again. But it seems like I should be at least able to watch live TV or my recordings even if the Tablo servers are down or if the internet glitches. There are no technical reasons why a remote Tablo server would be needed to view content that is locally received and stored. Otherwise, the Tablo seems like a very good alternative to Tivo. Time will tell whether Tablo server reliability becomes an issue.

PRODUCT TABLO - 4TH GEN 128GB OVER-THE-AIR DVR & STREAMING PLAYER - WHITE SKU:6554313 SOLID HARDWARE AFFORDABLE OTA DVR – GUIDE DATA NOW INCLUDED FREE Some context for this review. I other have OTA (Over The Air) DVR’s (Digital Video Recorders) from the top 2 DVR sellers and have been using DVR’s since around 2002. QUICK IMPRESSIONS This is an attractive DVR in a small package. It includes 2 HD ATSC (Advanced Television Systems Committee) 1.0 (up to 1080i resolution) tuners, a physical ethernet connection as well as Wi-Fi connectivity. What really makes it a great value it that it includes 14 days of guide data at no extra charge, has built in storage (128GB) and also includes free OTT (Over The Top) streaming channels that can also be recorded without using a Tuner. For many consumers this can give the top DVR a run for their money. Certainly, it packs a lot of value compared to other offerings in the marketplace. It also addresses one my main objections to using TABLO devices in the past, and that is to get rid of fees for guide data or advanced features. WHO IS THIS GOOD FOR • Casual OTA viewers, who want to time shift their viewing • When your Antenna is in a different location (room) from your other TVs. This allows you to put the antenna where it gets the most channels and then stream to the other TV’s instead of running a wire to every TV (assuming you have good Wi-Fi coverage). • Users where their TV or Monitor does not include a Tuner. • Viewers who want free OTT channels (which don’t require an antenna, such as Bloomberg, ION, CourtTV and other “generic” channels) WHAT IT IS NOT (no points off, just sharing information) • It is not 4K / ATSC 3.0 / NextGenTV compatible, so it has a limited life as currently ATSC 1.0 is set to be phased out in Mid 2027 (though it has been extended in the past, and will probably be extended again). But ATSC 3.0 tuners are much more expensive 2X or 3X or more and there is virtually no native 4K content to watch on ATSC 3.0 in most areas. • It does not connect directly to your TV, you must access it through a streaming “stick” like ROKU / AMAZON / APPLE or on your mobile phone. It does not have an app on Samsung TV’s. • It does not work with 3rd party recording software like PLEX. • It does not have DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance) support which makes channels show up as folders to many generic devices. • There currently is no way to watch content offline (eg download a TV show to your phone to watch later). • It does not have commercial skip, but you can fast forward manually. • Does not natively allow streaming outside the house, unless you have your own VPN. These items are not critical for most users, they are nice to have features and easily given up for not paying extra fees, and a relatively low initial cost. SETUP For the most part Setup is straight forward. Attach an Antenna, Load the App on your phone, and follow the prompts. SOME MINOR ISSUES (chalking it up to new release) Some features are only available on the Mobile App, while some are only available on the streaming stick app. I assume over time this will all get harmonized. • External Drives – If you want to add and external hard drive, as of the time of this review, the Roku app does not give you an option for Formatting the Drive, which is required before you use it. I had to switch to the Mobile App to format the drive, then everything worked well. I was able to use an old SSD laptop drive in a cheap external enclosure and it worked perfectly. • Searching the guide - The mobile app does not allow you to search the guide, you need the streaming stick App to search for your favorite show. If you are watching on the phone you have to scroll around the guide to find something to watch. • USE THE BLUE CHANNEL ON ROKU NOT THE WHITE ONE. The Blue TABLO is for the 4th Gen DVR’s. RECOMMENDATION If you want an easy to use and probably the most affordable consumer DVR solution, then the TABLO 4th Gen OTA DVR is a great fit. If you want / need some of the more advanced features that are not included at this time, then you probably need to spend 2X-6X more depending upon what solution you go with and what features you need. For what is included in the price, you get a lot of value. Just don’t expect it to do everything that more expensive DVR’s can do.

A few years ago, I decided to cut the cord from cable and try out the first generation Tablo and that version was not very good where it was unreliable where it does not pick up stations from a rural county 25 miles out from the city even with the recommended indoor antenna and needed external hard drive. It was so aggravating setting it up back then and most of the time it failed to record the TV program and had screen freezes. This year my parents were in need of a device to record their shows on TV since their dvd recorder broke. This is when I gave Tablo a second chance since on the 4th generation and hoped the product had matured. This version had the built in storage which was enough for their needs and a welcome addition. When setting up it was much better than previous device. Since parents live closer to the towers they could pick up stations easily. In short this 4th gen is a winner and so far working fine. I will review again after a year of use.

The Tablo Over The Air DVR is pretty impressive hardware. At 128GB the storage capacity is very good. The setup is very smooth with use of the Tablo app. You are required to have an OTA- Over The Air antenna to hook up with your Tablo DVR. It works with my Fire Stick and with Roku, Apple, Android TVs. You can connect by wifi or ethernet. Ethernet is prefered. You can't beat the stability of a wired connection. When connected I was able to get a few more channels than I did previously. In all I get nearly 25 stations. The number of channels one can get is based on your area in relation to TV towers. The Tablo performed well. There were a few hiccups that I seem to be straightening out as I go along. The unit froze on me a few times, but I got it going again. Then froze again the next day. It has been fine since.The app and device needed an update of firmware out of the box and that went off well. The channel guide is good and has proven to be very helpful. The 128gb drive is supposed to give more than 50 hours of DVR ability. The DVR functions work quite well. This little device is not without some flaws, but it is a nice DVR option if you are looking for DVR ability for Over The Air channels. Combine the hardware of the unit with the the DVR capability, a good app, and this device is recommended by me.

I recently purchased the Tablo 4th Gen, 2-Tuner, 128GB Over-The-Air DVR & Streaming Player, and I’m thrilled with it! This little device has truly exceeded my expectations and made cutting the cord from cable and satellite even easier. First off, I love how it lets me watch live TV and access local channels seamlessly—it really feels like I’m still using cable. The picture quality is fantastic, clear, and crisp, especially for live sports games, which I can now record easily without any hassle. The 128GB storage is perfect for my needs; it gives me plenty of room to record games and shows to watch later. Having two tuners is also a great feature, letting me record one show while watching another live, which is super convenient. Setup was straightforward, and the user interface is intuitive, so it’s very user-friendly. Plus, there’s no monthly fee, so it’s saving me a ton of money compared to my old cable bill. Overall, if you’re looking for a reliable, high-quality OTA DVR to enjoy live programming and record your favorite shows or games, the Tablo 4th Gen is a fantastic choice. Highly recommend it for anyone looking to cut the cord without sacrificing quality or convenience!

I stopped paying for cable recently, but with football returning this fall, I was interested in an upgrading an old over-the-air DVR that I had --- the result is the 4th Gen Two Tuner Tablo… and it is a GREAT option. First, this isn’t quite what I expected – once you attach an antenna, you can set it up in the best place to reach the giant local network antennas that pump out local/national tv. This was VERY helpful as most of my house faces south, but the network antennas are all to the north. So now I get full signals on all of my local channels --- additionally, there is an amplifier on this device, so it strengthens the signal – either way, I have perfect reception on all of my local stations. So I am new to the Tablo Universe, but apparently, they have just overhauled their graphical interface and recording structure. I have nothing to compare it to previously, but I think it looks great. I recently upgraded to 1GB internet in my home – why does any of this matter? Well, you don’t actually plug this device into your television. The Tablo connects to your wi-fi and then you use an app to watch the programs. This is the best case for me as now I can watch all local channels from anywhere in my house. And because there are two tuners in this DVR, I can pause live games and then switch over to the other game, and it will return to the same spot I was originally. I can even set it up in my garage if I have a project or in the kitchen if I am doing dishes – it’s incredibly convenient. I mentioned a recent upgrade in my internet – well, that required new hardware, and I did not expect to have any issues around my house. Unfortunately, my Tablo was having difficulty connecting, but I was able to connect with a customer service person at Tablo who could see my device, and help me troubleshoot the issue from inside my house – this was on a Sunday and was maybe the most impressive and unexpected benefit of the entire device. They also seem to have a rather vocal reddit community, so I'll be using that as well to see if there are any outages or issues (to determine if it's just my internet or something else). The Tablo Dual has two tuners, which means you can record two shows at the same time. It comes with 128GB of storage, which is about 50 hours of HD recordings and it’s really easy to add another drive to expand up to 8TB. The signal strength reaches as far as your router, which means I can now watch anything around the house that I want --- and a final benefit; there were a lot of unexpected other channels includes like Fubo to watch international soccer that I was not even aware of. Just a cool device that seems like it’s just getting going – excited to see how they improve on this going forward.

This replaces a Magnavox DVR that has worked well since 2017 but is now starting to fail. The Tablo is GREAT! Pulls in more channels than the Magnavox, easy to set up and operate, excellent visual scan feature (after the second software update). Picture quality is excellent. Not being ATSC 3.0 isn't a big deal for me. At this price, simply replace it when one is available if that is important to you. I doubt I'll need to add an external drive as I record, watch, and delete shows on a weekly basis. Works flawlessly with my Roku Ultra. Can watch on any Roku in the house. Couldn't do that with the Magnavox. I have slow DSL service (7Mbps), but that hasn't been a problem for the Tablo. But I mainly use the off-air channels and not the streaming channels available with the Tablo. Love the small form factor compared to the Magnavox. Technology can be great, and it is with the Tablo! I couldn't be happier!