Just a note that Tyler “Antenna Man” posted a review of the Gen4 Tablo. I haven’t had a chance to watch it, but he is smiling in the poster art.
3 Likes
Great review. Pretty complete.
2 Likes
Yeah - he loved it!
I’m glad he shared a very positive experience, but there’s a part of me that wishes he’d have come across a couple of the more common problems. It was probably smart to review it on the Roku since that seems to have the fewest problems.
Thanks for sharing this.
4 Likes
good review…glad he mentioned low wifi signal on his basement tv… wish we could post that clip at the top of the troubleshooting thread.
2 Likes
Nice idea…
Problem is that no one reads more than 1-2 posts above their own question.
2 Likes
This is the review that got me to purchase the Tabio! Very happy so far.
1 Like
It was a great review as far as pointing out the features. Also he did not mention spcifically which model Roku he was using.
It was a horrible review in terms of pointing out the issues and how well it works with all of the devices it is suppose to work with. Just go to Amazon, Best Buy etc and check the reviews and ratings and if you did you would be very careful about buying this device. He should have done that and did his homework to see if what owners were saying was in fact true and issues!
1 Like
It doesn’t surprise me that Tyler had a mostly positive experience and review of this device. But, he is not an “average” consumer/user. I would certainly expect him to have a very robust antenna setup that is properly installed and fine-tuned for his area. This eliminates one of the primary challenges people often have with this, or any OTA setup - good solid reliable OTA signal. He didn’t say much about his network/internet infrastructure, except that he had a weak wifi signal for one area in his house. I suspect that portion of the equation was fine in his testing. Tablo probably didn’t have any server issues during his testing, so he didn’t catch that potential problem area. He did not mention using any external drive, which can be another potential problem area. He did not cover much about the various streaming platforms and potential issues there.
Again, no surprise that he had a good experience. My Tablo works great when all of the planets align! I agree it would be nice if he had provided a little coverage of some of the potential challenges, with some advice on how to navigate such things. Most Tablo gen4 users are going to have to address at least some.
BTW, I like Tyler. He has definitely created a niche business for himself. I’ve watched several of his videos and use one of the antennas he highly recommends. I just think this particular review was a bit shallow.
6 Likes
Hmmm, I thought he was thorough. I mean, it wasn’t just an overview by a person having the device for a few hours, he mentioned how long he had it in use, it seemed “real”.
I know people have had problems with theirs, but you don’t hear from the people that aren’t having issues. And with the huge amount of sales of the product, you think it must be pretty good overall.
2 Likes
How long did he actually have it in use and how much he actually used it are totally different things when the guy has lots of products he installs and uses. So I really find it hard to believe he was a dedicated user and owner like most of us are so his ability to see the issues we see is very limited.
Like how much did he record and play back and view? How many different channels did he record? How many zip codes did he try to get a good guide for? Did he record and use many of the FAST channels? I could go on but I doubt Tyler actually stress tested the product. For example why did he not try to use it with the FireTV sticks? ONN devices etc. to truly judge how well it works? Or did he just assume because it works with Roku all is good? That’s not a good reviewer in my opinion!
Not saying your points aren’t valid. Just saying compared to most reviews, he did mention (I believe) how long he had been using and his preference for the device, etc.
So, certainly possible he’ll trip up on a big issue at some point…
2 Likes
Is there a huge amount of sales? I have not seen any number published that would indicate a big sucess. You have numbers?
I think the ratings on Best Buy, Amazon and other sites show the ratings are way less than 4 starts are quite accurate and indicative of a product that still needs work. There is a lot to like and a lot to not like.
Here is a head scratcher. I have to use the guide of a city next door as my zip code guide is messed up. I tried to use the zip of the largest city in my county which is 5 miles from me and that was messed up. The guide support for this device is very bad and has been reported here over and over again by me and others.
My point once again is how long he had the device and how heavily he actually used it are two distinct and very different things! I have a Samsung TV in my basement that I have had for 7 years. I actually use it maybe once a week.
We’re just talking about what he reviewed, the 4th gen. But he did mention the OG devices (briefly) in that review, again, being very honest about the two very different companies and the “lack” of any real relationship between the products.
1 Like
I assumed @cjcox post was out of sarcasm and I just piggy backed off of it… but I do agree that it works, in general, for some. “Some” maybe a lot or very little users. IDK.
You know… When the server outages were happening back in Feb-Mar. My wife cracked the whip and demanded I look at another vendor. I borrowed from a friend a HD Home Run, Legacy Tablo, and we had the Gen4 Tablo. I sat down with my wife and let her try them out.
She was 100% adamant on switching due to frustrations. I was ready to eat my $99 and move on (still am to this day, if need to). She tried them all out and like the Gen4 Tablo’s GUI. I said Fine what ever you want. She kept it.
I returned those boxes to my friend after we were done.
What I’m trying to say is… Find something that works for YOU… I did my homework and did my R&D on other vendors. Had all 3 boxes hooked up and running. I’ve dug through my network and my antennas.
I don’t get why you’re wasting your time and effort trying to dawg on Tablo. Come on Bruh! I would not want to live with a device that brings me that much chaos in my life. Move on to another platform that fits you and your needs dude!
3 Likes
Wasn’t trying to be sarcastic. But as a 4th gen (never) non-owner, I’m trying (really hard) to just be an objective observer.
I’ll sit back and “observe” this thread and where it goes…
2 Likes
I hope I am not wasting my time by providing other Users and Tablo with a realistic appraisal of the Tablo 4th Gen. Since I have owned the DVRPAL, DVR+ and Recast DVRs I think I can fairly judge the Tablo 4th gen from my past heavy use of other DVR products.
As I said there are a lot of other people who feel as I do as you can see by the reviews on Amazon, Best Buy etc.
I am not giving up because you suggest I do. I am hopeful that Tablo will make software fixes and improvements in the future although I have NOT seen any that fix issues I see. I own 2 Tablo 4th gens so I am not tossing them. Although I could try to sell them on Ebay and take a loss.
I still don’t get why you bought a second one when you’ve been having problems since day one.
Why invest another hundo when the first puck was such a nightmare?