When I watch the Steelers game, I turn down the tv sound and listen to the local radio broadcast.
I use the Tablo to sync the tv with the broadcast.
I also hoped to get rid of a couple streaming channels, like Paramount by recording the shows on the Tablo.
It’s terrible. It is so buggy. Freezes, takes forever to load, reboots itself, and on and on. There have been zero recordings that I have been able to fully watch. I’ve used it thru a Firestick as well as my TV.
What alternatives are out there?
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My second tablo was the same way, it was a legacy quad. I could not get anything out of customer support except excuses, so I just ordered another one and dropped it in and it worked fine. That was least a couple of years ago, still working. Oh then they warrantied mine and I returned the one that I had purchased just to prove a point. But as an alternative, I use a TiVo BOLT VOX tuner unit as well (upgraded to 4TB).
I have never recorded the FAST streaming channels but not surprising as others have complained about bad recordings from them. The over the air channels should be rock solid assuming that the end user has a good antenna setup. I have had one for over a year and never had problems with the over the air signals.
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Plex DVR. Pretty much take every feature, add more and presto. Plex DVR.
I’m going to say this… Good RF signal, Wi-Fi signal, decent network is a big deal. At the same time, not all RF tuners are built the same.
With that said, you could change and the issues will go away or they may not.
As in, 1 and Done… HD Home Run. It comes with a fee. The GUI is just as clunky.
If you don’t mind maintaining some hardware, Plex and Channel DVR are good options.
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OTA recordings are rock solid for me. I’m also not using a wall/window mounted antenna inside my home. I have a good antenna mounted on the roof, about 35 or so feet up. I can pick up 160ish channels/sub-channels with very good signals.
FAST channel recording is another matter, though. I have been very disappointed in support’s response to the problem I am having recording the content.
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That is really interesting. I don’t do it often, but I have no trouble at all recording the FAST channels. The resolution isn’t always top notch, and the movie channels have WAY too many commercial breaks, but it works fine.
Alternate is cable and satellite company. For me I was sick of paying 140 a month just to watch TV took a chance on Tablo put 3 antenna in the attic about 30 feet high two story house and combine them, hard wired all with switches and used ethernet to prevent buffering that was almost 7 years ago. That’s how cable company start when people live to far or a mountain blocking to have a decent signal.
I was with DirecTV for about 20 years. I really liked it, but realized that I was using it 90% for watching the major broadcast networks, and I was paying about $160.00 a month. We had a falling out over two consecutive missed repair appointments, so I told them to get lost. The Tablo, a good antenna, and an external harddrive and it still paid for itself in less than two months. I have very few problems and really like my Tablo.
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Yep, this is how it worked for us, too, many years ago. Not to mention what we’ve saved since then. We were paying >$2,500/year.
Since using Tablo it saves me more than 10K that was almost 7 years ago, that’s when tablo was still in infancy (new) the unit is around 200 bucks hard drive still expensive for a 2 terabyte and couple of antenna and a lifetime subs $150 and never going back paying that much just to watch TV mostly local network that I watch.
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Because I’ve seen it mentioned, and I was curious, I did some reading about “AirTV Anywhere.” It seems functionally very similar to the Tablo. Works through a streaming device, and gives you the option of tying it in to SlingTV. It does have the “view outside of the home” functionality that so many seem to find so important.
Reading the reviews, the customer satisfaction seems very similar…some people love it, and others hate it. It seems to have all the buggy frustrations that you see here.
I think any similar product that relies on users getting antennas and WiFi dialed in are going to have some frustrated and vocal customers that expect it to be easier to set up.
Wow, I wish all tech setups went like this…
Just finished installing a 4 tuner HDHomeRun FLEX 4K ATSC 3.0 which is now running as an OTA digital broadcast tuner connected virtually over my home LAN from my attic to my PLEX media server on the ground level.
Took less than two minutes to unbox the HDHomeRun, disconnect the power, antenna and ethernet cords from my Tablo and swap them to the HDHomeRun.
THe HDHomeRun booted in about 10 seconds and was visible on my router’s connected device list by the time I got back downstairs to jump on the HDHomeRun web interface from my office.
A couple minutes of setup using the HDHomeRun web interface and then another minute to add it as a live TV & DVR source device in my PLEX server’s web interface.
Last, it took 3-4 minutes to scan the channels and download the channel guide.
All in - it was up and running smoothly less than 15 minutes after UPS delivered it.
F’in crazy, right?
Anyone need a legacy 4 tuner Tablo?
8/14/25 UPDATE
Well, a week later and I have absolutely no reason to keep my legacy tablo online.
- After changing a couple of encoding options in setup that were causing a glitch, the HDHomeRun/PLEX solution has been stable and problem free.
- Playing live TV or DVR’d shows is much less buggy. Skipping forward or back in a program doesn’t cause the player to choke and freeze (usually requiring you to exit and re-enter the show on tablo).
- Commercial skip - you get the option to delete commercials completely from a recording or mark them and leave them there to skip or not skip.
- The recordings use the MPEG2-TS format so I can edit them outside the platform with virtually any video editor.
- Plus+plus+plus …sooooo many more options to play with that allow me to tailor the system to my needs.
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How much?
Before you ask, I don’t have an ethernet cable running to the attic. Instead, I have a 2nd ASUS gaming router in the attic that I bought 2nd-hand on eBay set up as a WiFi mesh satellite node using ASUS’s AI Mesh protocol. Used WiFi6 routers are cheap these days now that WiFi7 is out!
Fantastic bandwidth with the AIMesh feature.
Actually I jest…it will go on eBay next week after I’ve run the HDHomeRun for a while - just to be sure…
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Just curious, does it have to go through the Plex, or can you connect directly through the common streaming devices? I understand Plex is not a turnkey setup.
Also, how much did the HDHomeRun cost you, and are there any monthly/annual service fees?
@KGBnut Looks like the cost is $200
To use the HDHomeRun FLEX 4K ATSC 3.0, you need an antenna to receive over-the-air broadcasts, and an internet connection for your home network. You’ll also need a device like a smart TV, smartphone, or streaming device with an HDHomeRun app or other compatible software like Plex. An optional, but recommended, addition is a USB hard drive if you want to use the built-in DVR functionality.
Here’s a breakdown:
- ATSC 3.0 Antenna: This is the primary way to receive free, over-the-air TV broadcasts, including ATSC 3.0.
- Ethernet Cable: The HDHomeRun FLEX 4K connects to your home network via ethernet.
- Network Connection: The device needs to be connected to your home network to stream the content to other devices.
- HDHomeRun App or Compatible Software: You’ll need an app like the HDHomeRun app or a third-party application like Plex or Channels to view the live TV and access recordings.
- USB Hard Drive (Optional): If you want to utilize the DVR functionality, you’ll need a USB hard drive to store recordings.
- TV Guide Subscription (Optional): The optional HDHomeRun DVR guide subscription is $35/year, according to SiliconDust SHOP.
- Power Supply: The device requires a power supply to operate.
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Plex is basically just another app you can add.
You can watch everything Plex offers and your local media as well.
If yo want a plex DVR server you need a tuner such as one of the hdhomerun models and a plex media server plus license. Today lots of people have spare Windows PC’s that still have life left in them. So they use those for the plex media server. Obvious it should run 7/24.
If you just want linear TV distributed via the network to multiple TV’s you just need a tuner such a hdhomerun. You just use the hdhomerun apps no service fee needed. Of course you get the same thing if you buy a used legacy on ebay. Plus you get to make recording using the manual recordings feature.