I tried the 4 tuner Tablo about 1 1/2 years ago. At the time, I felt it was kinda flakey and the reception was a little weak. I’m still a fan of the concept though, and am thinking of jumping back in, but I have a few questions.
I’ve since swapped out the antenna and get a bit better reception, but I’m still concerned. Would a 2 tuner Tablo have a better shot at reception than a 4 tuner as it’s only splitting the signal half as much? And if I go with a 2 tuner, can I add another 2 tuner in another location (same home network)? If so, how does the Roku display the programming available on both? Is it separated somehow or merged together?
Overall, for anyone who cares to comment, has the Roku/Tablo interface/response improved much in the last year or so?
What kind of thruput does the Tablo need? I would be looking to use this over a powerline adapter to my router.
I probably will come up with a few more questions, but would appreciate any feedback on those. Thanks!
Both the dual tuner and quad tuner have an internal 1x4 amplified splitter. So the signal degradation, which is quite minor, is the same. So you’ll get equal results with either model.
Not all power line Ethernet adapters are the same. What model are yours? The new AV2 standard is better than the older AV for throughput speeds.
I would say the whole Roku solution is much improved. Still may not be the best client to use with the Tablo but it is much much better than it was. Many here point to the Android TV devices, but I am not an Android user so right now Roku is my only client along with an occasional AirPlay from an iPad to the Apple TV.
I have been happy with my Roku’s now that the bugs have been worked out.
I’d suggest Nexus Player for the Tablo. It avoids Roku problems and gets Tablo upgrades faster. It is NEXUS which means Android the way it was developed. No “enhancements” by manufactures. Tablo always tested with it.
With that said, Google does deprecate Nexus lines as well… nothing lasts forever. And no Amazon Prime Instant Video on Nexus (if that matters)… in addition to many other things available on Roku that Nexus doesn’t have.
Only a few people have problems with Roku but are very vocal against it.
Since the upgrade Roku and Tablo have gotten along, but back around Thanksgiving that wasn’t the case and is why some of us got $50 or less Nexus Player. In addition it will work at remote locations such as a friend’s house or hotel.
Yeah, I see there is a big gotcha on live TV. But I rarely watch live TV anymore, in fact, I just can’t stand it, lol! Speaking of which, under Roku, is it difficult to FF thru commercials on recorded TV?
No it is not, it is very easy with the Preview Thumbnails. They are only generated after the recording is finished though, it only takes a few minutes.
8 TB…do you think it’s time to stand back and take stock at that point as far as recordings go? lol
Anyway, to the OP: In addition to what everyone’s said, make sure you have a good, solid Wi-Fi network if you want to sling Tablo recordings and live TV in high-quality rather than the default 720p resolution.
I didn’t jump on board the Tablo bandwagon until fairly recently so I can’t speak of early experiences but I can tell you I’ve had little problems (mostly channel-related to the broadcaster) with my setup. (The Tablo 2-tuner via Ethernet to a Netgear X8 Nighthawk, centrally located on the same floor as all streaming devices (Two Roku 2s, one Roku 3, a Chromecast 1st gen and two PCs. Using an un-amplified Mohu Leaf since I’m about 20 miles from most of the stations as the crow flies.)
Thanks.