For a while I used a Samsung T5 USB SSD and that ran very cool. Then I switched to a WD Blue SSD (SATA) which runs much warmer than either a standard hard drive or the Samsung T5. No problems with the WD SSD, just runs very warm.
When I switched to an SSD I noticed that moving through the menus and fast forwarding (jumping through the thumbnails) was “snappier” - no difference in actual playback.
Curious if you installed the SAMSUNG 870 QVO 1TB SSD into your Quad OTA Tablo and the overall results? Thanks!
Yes, I did buy and install the Samsung one terabyte SSD into my quad Tablo. It worked very well, with especially smooth file activities such as opening a new recording for a viewing.
When the most recent Roku issue arose about five months ago, I removed the SSD and replaced it with a western digital external 1 TB hard disk Drive, hoping it would help with the freezing and stalling as well as program guide crashing issues I was experiencing which continue on despite the change of hardware, 5 months later.
The SSD worked beautifully, and I would highly recommend it. One word of caution however is that SSDs have a limited number of rewrite cycles compared to hard disks, and you may find shortened life expectancy in this area. Samsung is about the best SSD on the market in this and other areas, but it is still an issue to be aware of…
Larry
I suggest buying at least a 2tb SSD. The extra TBW will allow it to last longer, but I think in reality an SSD, even a smaller one will last a long time unless you’re really recording a lot of content
Modern SSDs can sustain a lifspan comparable to physical “drives”. Technology has progressed dramatically over time and they aren’t as limited comparatively.
Although I agree with the notion that modern SSDs can compete favorably with traditional hard disks, it is much more true when they are used in conventional computer systems.
In PVRs and DVRs like the Tablo, the utilization of the drive is very different.
In a computer system, many if not most files are increasingly added to the drive, filling the unused blocks with relatively static content which stays in one place for years or many months, usually to be read rather than frequently rewritten.
In video recording systems such as Tablo, the blocks are written and rewritten over and over again as files get recorded, then watched, then deleted. The frequency of rewrite and reuse of the blocks is much higher .
SSD comparisons and tests seldom take this difference into account, and correctly show life expectancies as comparable or nearly comparable to hard disks, but only for situationan where reuse is not extremely high.
I have yet to see good and independent measurements of SSD longevity when used in video recording and playback with constant deletion and replacement. I am guessing it would show a severe penalty for the SSD.
It was my experience that the Samsung Evo, with the highest number of reuse cycles in the industry for SSD’s, began to slow down somewhat within less than a year of use on my Tablo. I am not sure this is typical. And obviously depends on the frequency of new recordings, deletions, and reuse of space.
One final point is that computer systems employ TRIM optimization to dynamically maximize reuse and longevity performance. Such capabilities do not exist in devices like the Tablo, which potentially prevent the drive from getting this additional significant boost in longevity.
As in all such matters, your mileage may vary…
Larry
Power savings is the only obvious reason to use an SSD. The Tablo can’t use the extra speed and it isn’t suited to use in a mobile environment. Even if you placed one in an RV it would be very unusual to have the Tablo powered up well driving.
Not to negate your statements… There are users with terabytes of video, using their DVR [/PVR] as a video library archive. Resulting in significant less rewriting and reusing. However there is still likely watch and delete involved. But that doesn’t make your tablo a good place for an SSD.
Yes, archival storage for collections of videos, photos, music, and other documents is a really good way to employ SSDs, since the content remains relatively static as a “library”.
When the data is heavily “churned” like it is on a Tablo, the SSD really doesn’t achieve the longevity, and the combination of deletions and rewriting wears them out.
I have a third Tablo here, my original two tuner unit from 2014, which I occasionally have used to build archives. I collected hundreds of episodes of Twilight Zone, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Star Trek, etc., and never erased and reused the contents until the drive was filled. I did this years ago before SSD and SATA options existed for Tablo, but this would have been an excellent application for an SSD.
Larry
… And it’s also quiet 
I’ll give you that but a decent drive in a decent enclosure is tough to hear. I need everything in the room off to hear mine at 6 feet. Even then I better be paying attention to notice. My NAS on the other hand… THAT isn’t in a room where noise would be a concern.
A quick update and question. (This thread will never die !!). First I have the original Quad so no internal option for me. Secondly the Toshiba external I used would eventually stop working until refreshed. I’m pretty sure device was going to sleep.
So… does the Tablo recommended WD external not have a sleep problem? And for that purpose does it matter whether I’m on old Quad or new (2019) Quad?
For your Toshiba drive, perhaps there is a Toshiba toolset available to allow manually setting of the sleep setting in the drive.
I don’t think the generation of Tablo used should have much effect on the operation of the non-SSD drive. Some say the drive sleep timer should be turned off (assuming a sleep timer is enabled by default).
Before I got an SSD I used a 1tb Seagate USB drive, and via the Seagate tools I set the drive sleep to 10 minutes. I never had any problems using with Tablo. YMMV.
I don’t think SSDs ever go to sleep.
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