Customer Ratings & Reviews

I’ve been using the Tablo for almost a month now. I replaced a TiVo (hard drive failed), which I had over the air channels recording. This is not as easy to use or seamless. I should say as the TiVo, however, for the price and monthly subscription and the ability to watch TV on your tablet or any TV in the house has a fire stick TiVo stream or Roku device it’s a no-brainer. It works best on the tablet or the Roku. It’s very glitchy on the fire stick. That’s not Tablo‘s fault. Set up was simple!

Over-the-air TV and DVR may seem quaint these days. But with streaming providers raising prices and dropping channels, I wanted an easy (and free) method to record local TV. If you have a good-enough antenna and broadcast signal, the Tablo 4th Gen will serve you well. I connected the Tablo to my antenna and wired Ethernet line (it also works on WiFi), and was recording broadcast shows within minutes. The Tablo has built-in storage to make recording easy, though you can also attach an external drive for more space. Picture quality is dependent on your antenna’s signal strength, but the Tablo has a built-in signal amplifier to help boost your antenna range. For me, it seems to pull in all major local networks roughly 30 miles away. The Tablo TV app is very new, and a bit buggy. It can be slow to load at times. It has limited features, and the live TV guide is finicky at best. They don’t have an Apple TV app yet, but it’s supposedly coming soon. Note that this doesn’t work with older Tablo apps or devices. But they’re updating the new app frequently. The big thing for me is that there’s no subscription required. Recording is free. The live guide is free. Even if it’s buggy, it’s still free. In the end, free wins out.

Just purchased this so take that into consideration as you read. The gen 4 Tablo device (white) was connected to my router via ethernet cable to eliminate any WIFI issues. It was connected to an RCA multi-element antenna in my attic that runs through a quality amplified spliter. The Tablo device setup fine using my iPhone 12. I have two Samsung TVs with an AppleTV attached to both. There is no app for the Gen4 Tablo device and the “legacy app” availabe on the Samsung TV and AppleTV only works with the original legacy Tablo device (Black). Tablo seems to work fine on my iPhone, but I noticed some lag and pixelation when watching an OTA channel. That could be from either a poor antenna signal or the device struggling to broadcast to my iPhone via WIFI. I also have an older Chromcast device on one of the TVs. I attempted to Apple mirror my iPhone to the TVs but it would not switch to landscape mode and the Tablo app does not have an icon to cast the image to Chromecast. I will continue to play with it for a few days, but will most likely return it as my whole purpose was to be able to view OTA TV on my bedroom TV without having to run coaxial cable from my attic to my beadroom. I’m getting to old for that. :o) this is a great concept, its just not fully implemented. I understand i could buy a Roko devide as it has the correct app but that is not a clean cost effective solution in my opinion. I hope they provide apps for all the different TV OSs soon.

Had the Tablo since December 5th and am still impressed with the quality recordings and ease of selecting programs for recording. Very easy set up using your mobile phone. Once the app is loaded you can select programs to be recorded in seconds. Thumbnails appear showing what you are recording. You have to use a streaming device like Firestick since the TV manufacturers do not yet have this app available for downloading direct to their sets. Only downside is you must watch Youtube videos to show you all the tricks to record and playback. Money well spent.

It workis perfectly. Very please with it. I would have given it 5 stars if not for the fact that the ap required to register the Tablo is horrible. Don't get me wrong, the Tablo works great. Attached itself to our home's wifi perfectly. The actual install was effortless. But you need to register the DVR to the company and that part took three hours! Their ap is pathetic. They suggest you use your smart phone as the remote. Grim. But, the good news? There's a Tablo ap on ROKU. That works almost perfectly. Much MUCH better than trying to use your smart phone as a remote. Because if you try that, which I did, you'll be a victim of one of the most convoluted, and bug filled aps I've ever encountered. Buy the Tablo, it will connect to your wifi almost automatically. Then spend a few hours trying to enter your email and password until that works and use your Roku and your set.

As long as you have the ability to receive channels OTA, this product is great. Yes, it’s another app you have to access on your smart TV but for me it works near flawlessly. Interface is great and picture quality is amazing. For context I am using an antenna externally mounted near my roofline and the Tablo is connected via Ethernet.

After using this for a month and a half I am pleased with this replacement for Xfinity DVR, and even more pleased to save so much money by dropping Xfinity TV. I had a couple issues, but with the help of their phone support and my online research I was able to get the issues resolved. I'm writing a long review because I read many reviews when trying to figure out how to get a good replacement. Short answer: this is a good Xfinity DVR replacement if you want to save money, want something simple/easy, and are willing to put up with a few nuisances. I looked at other options, but they didn't seem as simple and easy as this Tablo. Important to know: you will likely need an external hard drive if record often and don't watch them promptly, otherwise it will appear as though your antenna signal isn't good and some channels won't come in. As the internal storage started to fill up with recordings (not yet full), I started having issues with reception and channels not coming in. I ruled out the antenna signal and the coax cable. After spending time on the phone with Tablo, I learned that low storage space affects the ability for channels to come in (appears as a "weak signal" when you try to bring up a channel). It took a couple calls to find someone who actually knew this, because at first they insisted that it was a weak antenna signal -- even though the signal was fine when I plugged the antenna directly to my TV (a circular conversation with the off-shore customer service agents vs. an easy answer from the knowledgeable on-shore agent). I bought a 2TB external hard drive and everything worked again. Also important to know: make sure you get a USB 3.0 (or 2.0) external drive, which unfortunately isn't so easy to find anymore (I got Western Digital My Passport Ultra), because I also tried an external SSD (USB 3.2 but backward compatible) and experienced the same "reception" issues with some channels not coming in, and others coming in more hazy and pixelated. Get a good antenna, because this only works well if you can get good reception. I got Antennas Direct Max-V (same as Max-XR without the mast for outdoor mounting), which is a powerful antenna, and I use it indoor with the stand they sell on their website. The interface is similar to what I was used to with the Xfinity box, but there are certainly downsides compared the Xfinity TV box that make it more cumbersome. I have a Sony Bravia Google TV, and I don't know if the interface is the same on all TVs. It's not as smooth and it takes time for each channel to load. You can't switch quickly between channels, and you can't use the channel up and down button (you have to go back to the guide). You also can't go back to the most recently watched channel (you have to go back to the guide). Also. you can't see the upcoming recordings by day and time on the TV app (you have to go to the app on your phone). On the TV app you can only see icons of all the shows that have upcoming recordings sorted in alpha order (not by date), and you have to click into each show to see when the episode will record. I'm often switching between phone and TV to mange recordings -- and you have to look at the phone app to see if there are any conflicts (ie. if 3 shows are set up to record on a 2-tuner device). It seems that they have made updates & improvements to the software (this is a new-ish product), so hopefully some of these things will be worked out. The ad skipping I much prefer to Xfinity. You can see the frames as you fast forward and it's fairly precise when you start & stop. Much smoother than Xfinity. I wish this was a USB 3.2 or better device, and that it had an HDMI port to connect directly to my TV for better picture and more control over the picture options (my TV only allows options for HDMI-connected devices). All that said, I'm accepting the small inconveniences because this is the best, easiest and least expensive Xfinity DVR replacement I found -- and much of my watching is local TV and PBS. Tablo has a phone number you can call for help. This is a big plus -- although you have to be patient with wait times, and there is huge variability in the knowledge of the support people. Ultimately, you can hopefully get your issue resolved if you are willing to spend the time. I debated buying the 4-tuner, but decided to order a coax splitter for the antenna so that I could run a cable from my antenna directly to my TV to watch while two programs are recording. Have yet to install it, and I'm hoping that my antenna signal is strong enough that I won't notice a difference.

My TV didn't have a tuner and wanted a tuner to watch local Football games. In addition to being a tuner, ability to record was a huge bonus so I can watch later or rewatch the games. Easy to setup but needs a good HD antenna

Distributing over the air signals has always been a pain. Those of us old enough remember the mass of splitters and switches needed to get signal to our tv's and VCR's in every room. The Tablo distributes your digital antenna signal to every TV in your household wirelessly with a picture that is as perfect as your digital antenna provides (it does come with a signal booster that can improve your reception). The menu is convenient and attractive and it breaks down movies, series, sports, and news shows that are available. The VCR is also a big convenience. The Tablo solves a lot of problems for anyone wanting to cut the cable.

Bought this because we want to cut the cord but dont want to give up a DVR. The app crashed every time we tried to use it - we’d have to start it, wait for the crash, and then restart. But the worst was that 4 out of 5 shows failed to record on the DVR. So we returned it. Here’s what you need to know before you buy: 1) The device MUST be connected to your internet router via ethernet cable. You’ll get lousy reception if you connect jt over WiFi. 2) The device needs to be in a location where it can connect to an antenna that gets good reception. If you use an indoor antenna, that means your router and antenna should be in the same room. 3) The device does NOT need to be in the same room as your TV. You MUST have a smart TV or other device that connects to the wifi. 4) The Tablo app for FireStick is buggy and glitchy - you’ll find users complaining about it all over rhe internet. Our house is midway between Cincinnati and Dayton, but we watch Cincinnati stations. Our TV is near a south facing window. With the antenna connected directly to the TV, we get all the Cinci AND Dayton stations. But our router is in a north facing room. With the Tablo and antenna in that room we only get Dayton stations. So antenna placement matters. To solve this, we tried putting the Tablo and antenna in the south window and connecting it to the router with a 100’ LAN cable. That solved the reception issues. However, when we tried to record shows, they kept failing to record. That’s the whole reason to buy a DVR. I think some of the issue is the device and much of it is the Tablo app for FireTV. But you need both to make it work. Our setup: Tablo TV 4g 2-antenna device, Amazon Firestick, non-smart TV, GE UltraPro Edge HD amplified antenna. We tried it with an older Firestick 4K and a newer Firestick 3rd gen. Both had the same issues.

Works ok if you need in house streaming to mobile devices. Does not go to a PC, however, does work with Firestick. Has connection issues occasionally and initial setup isn't the easiest. Cannot connect to it outside the house.

I love this thing! Compared to some of the negative reviews, I can only guess that they've made software improvements or that it depends on the equipment you're streaming with. This connected immediately to wifi and has worked flawlessly for me. It's remarkable to be able to browse guides for antenna channels and set series recordings the same as a traditional DVR on cable. I added an external 5TB drive and I can record almost 1000 hours if I want. And no monthly fees. The app for Nvidia Shield connects beautifully with no cords. I can fast forward commercials. With a good antenna, this thing is amazing!

Once I got used to a new way of navigating, it deserved a five-star rating. I also had to buy the fire stick because my TV didn't have Tablo included in the APPs list. The TV must be one of the earliest smart TVs.

Records perfectly with a good antenna signal, the guide is solid and excellently detailed, and it has a fair amount of storage built in. Has had to be reset a couple of times and has a couple of other little quirks, but no major complaints. Biggest issue is probably that 480p broadcasts do not fill the screen when using the device on some televisions. Other than that, very pleased with the functionality, especially for the price (and lack of ongoing or even one-time fees).

This thing seems to have a lot of negative reviews, but I think it is mostly not knowing what to expect (and not expect) as well as understanding how it works. Firstly: Make sure you live close enough to a tv tower and do your homework on what channels you can expect (or not expect) to have in your area. For example, we do not have NBC or basically any big news channels in our area. But we do pick up 73 channels like AMC, CourtTV, Local news, etc.. Secondly: Get a good antenna. The Insignia flat 60 mile antenna works great. It probably also works so great because we have a tv tower 20 miles away from us. Thirdly: This device DOES NOT CONNECT DIRECTLY TO A TV. It is more like a bridge. It gets the over the air channels, and then creates a platform so you can connect over the network from phones, tablets, Roku sticks, Apple TVs, and smart tvs to connect to it. For phones and tablets, you get the app. For smart tvs and devices, you also get the app. The Tablo app, once you login, allows you to view and control the unit as long as it and your device are on the same network. Fourthly: The "point" of this in at least one regard is that multiple tvs, phones, etc. can view the channels at the same time. ALSO, the other point is that this can be positioned out of sight in some other room or in an elevated location for better range, so it does not have to sit in your face by a tv or even in the same room you are in, again, as long as it is connected to the network. Fifthly: It has wifi. I still use a cable. If you can't use a cable, then yes, you have to take into consideration your wifi connection in addition to all the other variables this setup introduces (your tv network connection, your ability to capture over the air signals with your antenna, etc.). Sixthly: It records. Haven't tried that yet, so no comment. Looks pretty straightforward. Lastly: Yes, you need an app to use it and control it. For some people (with a "dumb" tv), that could mean using this device, and a smart device together to be able to use the functionality (namely, viewing over the air channels on your tv, phone, and tablet individually or all at once). My experience has been perfect, it switches channels and loads quickly, is crystal clear, and I have no issues. I don't like app based stuff but this was for my father, not myself, so I cannot complain. It works for what he wanted.

Use to have a TIVO which screws you with a subscription fee to use it. I love that this provides recording and programming grids for free. This is part of my cable cutting, since we use it to record mostly OTA programming.

I love Tablo. I am able to record shows that I miss. Tablo brings movies and etc clear ,even sound comes in much clearer and louder, Tablo the color on my tv shows seem much brighter. Very easy to install and use.I wish I would have heard about Tablo sooner.. When I went to Best Buy I asked employee what to buy to record my shows and he suggested Tablo. The employee at Best Buy was very knowledgeable and answered all my questions.

We recently upgraded our legacy tablo with two new tablos, but tablo app doesn't work on Roku. It can't find the tablos on our networks. So I added firesticks to all our TVs, added to tablo app and all our Tablos are working on Firesticks. Still would like it to work on Roku. Overall, Tablos are great to record local stations over an antenna. Other than the Roku issue, I highly recommended Tablo.

We live a long distance from over air broadcasts. We have a deep fringe antennae. We connected the Tablo to the antennae and now we have over the air stations in every room. (Uses Wi- fi to achieve this). We also receive over 12 additional stations just from adding Tablo and have all of the major networks all in every room we have TV’s and compatible devices. We can record and schedule recordings. Set up was easy. Installation was easy. The only negative is that occasionally we have to re- boot and re-connect. It only takes a few moments. That could be due to power surges in our rural location. Tablo created a Gamechanger experience for over the air TV for us.

Records well. but is very buggy. I have to restart apps several times to connect, and watch recordings. I cannot get it to connect to m Moto 5G stylus, even though that is the device I used to set it up. Overall it is usable, but can be very aggravating at times just to watch a recording.