Well…my Tablo died a couple nights ago. It had been working really well for the past 20 months. The other night while watching TV the picture froze and disconnected. Went to check on the Tablo and the lights were dead. I fiddled around for quite a while, but never got it to show any signs of life. No lights. No heat. No network connection. Just dead.
Since I’m 8 months past warranty, I decided to pop it open to see if there was anything obvious like a popped capacitor. I’ve resurrected a monitor once by ordering a capacitor kit and soldering the new ones into place. I couldn’t get the heat sink screws to let loose, but everything I could see looked good with a visual inspection. No popped caps and no noticeably burned components. I decided to pull out the multi-meter and poke around. Realized I was getting a no resistance direct short at the barrel plug. So much so, that even with the power attached, no voltage would register beyond the barrel plug. The plug adapter works and shows 12. I tried another 12v power source, but I think the short somewhere on the board is definitely the culprit. Pretty much pointing to a failed component that isn’t showing any visual signs of failure.
Like I said, I assume I’m SOL for warranty since I’m 8 months past the end of warranty coverage. So that leads me to my questions.
Has anyone ever successfully pinpointed and replaced a failed component on the circuit board?
Assuming that there is still no native way to migrate recordings to a new device, is anyone aware of a workaround method that works? I have a lot of recordings on an external drive, but I’m not sure I can get them off and from what I’ve read, migrating to a new device just wipes the hard drive.
Any suggestions to improve longevity? I’ve read about people putting fans underneath the vents or orienting the Tablo in a way that improves airflow. Any other suggestions?
Is there any anticipation of a sale coming up in the next week-ish? Not too pumped about paying $150 just to get my TV’s up and running again. Still cheaper than cable I guess…
I think I’m just frustrated because my garbage Recast is still churning along after 7 years, even though amazon writes the worst software ever and completely drops support of their product from the beginning. Tablo has been one of the better OTA DVR experiences I’ve had in the last 2+ decades of mucking around with these things. Still some improvements I would like to see. Some UI/UX things that bug me. But overall, a pretty decent device. I just hope I don’t have to go through a repurchase and recovery phase every year or two.
I have heard of two common failure points involving caps. One is the CS 220 16V, black and silver cylinder next to the power input port. The other is a SMT at 1C37 near the RF shield on the top side of the board. In those cases there was no visible sign of failure.
My electronics ability is mediocre at best. Since it is out of warranty anyway, there is no downside to trying to repair it, and that would salvage your old recordings.
I have been keeping track of my savings since switching to Tablo from DirecTV. As of this month I have saved nearly $3500.00 even after the expense of a new antenna, an SSD, and some network upgrades. If my Tablo blew up once a year and I had to replace it each time, I would still be way ahead.
Luckily, you have the Recast as a backup (at least for the forseeable future). It’s just a pain having a firestick to view the Recast and some other android device for, ahem, movies and TV shows…
Thanks for the clues as to which components might be suspect. My skills are not great either. I know enough to be dangerous. I know a guy though who is good with that stuff though.
Totally agree with you. Still ahead even if I have to buy a new device occasionally.
Yeah, I probably should do that. I have my DVR’s in my bedroom closet, which has the attic access to the roof antenna, so it’s they’re not with the rest of my networking equipment. No excuse for not putting protection on them though.
I’ve been pretty committed to firesticks due to having the recast. They’ve been ok for me. What other streaming devices do you recommend?
Thought about it, but I’m 9 or 10 months past warranty. Figure it would be a stretch to ask, but I guess it wouldn’t hurt.
If my Tablo blew up once a year and I had to replace it each time, I would still be way ahead.
But see that’s my issue with this new 4th generation tablo, it simply does not last compared to the older units, you would think this company would do something about it but they just won’t admit that they are selling a faulty product and that’s what gets me irritated.
If people keep buying the same product that it supposed to be an improvement of the previous versions every time it dies then they would keep selling the same faulty product.
I get that, but there is not really a better option out there. Those that are require subscriptions and more technical knowledge… more like a hobby than a consumer device. That being said, I am pretty happy with my Tablo, and the savings I am experiencing.
Hey Tablo, I would be willing to pay more for a more durable version of this product… better quality components, maybe an internal cooling fan.
Well, for the Recast you don’t have a choice - only their Firesticks. For the Tablo, I used to use Firesticks but because of Amazon’s recent policies, I pretty much switched everything over to Onn 4kPro or Onn 4k Plus devices. I kept a single 2nd Gen 4k Max for my Recast.
I have no problems with my 4th Gen Tablo and Roku Streaming Stick 4K but there are different Streaming Sticks and you have to be carefull to get the right one.
Thanks for the input everyone. Soon I’ll have to buy another Tablo unit. I think the biggest pain point right now is the lack of ability to transfer settings and recordings to a new unit. That should be a priority.
My older gen Tablo overheated quickly and it was a bit of a cluster to figure out a cooling solution that would allow it to work - then it died. Bought Gen 4 and it has never worked well and monotonically turned into a lump. I’d pay more for a decent product but I doubt that Tablo will ever build one. One thing for sure is that Tablo has made me less interested in watching TV - maybe that’s a good thing.
Used to be when shopping there were three price points.
You could buy the cheapest or spend more and buy the better or spend more and buy the best.
While we weren’t looking the best disappeared follwed by the better.
Everything now is designed and manufactured with a price point in mind. The marketing people tell the designers and engineers what to build and what is must cost. It is just the way it is today.
I closed my computer business because at one point I couldn’t but top tier parts and components and I wouldn’t buy the same bottom tier parts and components as HP, Dell, and the other big dogs were using to keep the prices of their products down.
Heck, you can’t even go into a hardware store now and buy nuts and bolts that aren’t made by the great anonymous Chinese nut and bolt company.
