I just installed the Tablo 4th and have a few questions.
I was having difficulties the first day or so - Tablo would be slow to start and slow to tune a station - sometimes it would fail and I would have to restart.
So I went ahead and ordered the Channel Master CM-7779HD PreAmp thinking it might be a signal issues. I’m 35 miles from the broadcast station with a clear line of sight.
I did get around to resetting my router and now the Tablo is working - with about a 5 second delay in tuning - which I understand is just because it is buffering, etc. Is that correct?
Did resetting the router “fix” my issues? Or did it just take time for the Tablo to download the guide in the background - and once that was done, it solved my issues?
And finally, I have the Channel Master on the way. I’m tempted to install it and test to see if I’m overwhelming the tuner (I read that could happen). The Channel Master does have a low/high setting . . .
Or should I just leave well enough alone . . .
Would be interested on your thoughts and comments - especially what you think was causing my initial problems that self-resolve.
In general, a preamp is a good thing, but it is not a panacea. Also, the amp amplifies everything, so if you have a weak station that is close in frequency to a station that comes in well, it CAN amplify the weak station to the point that it interferes with the station that was previously coming in okay. That is why you will hear people recommend to at least try turning them off while doing trouble-shooting.
The delay your are talking about is not unusual in a well functioning Tablo. Sometimes it tunes in almost immediately, sometimes there is a longer delay. There seems to be no rhyme or reason to it. I’ve just kinda gotten used to it, and find it really doesn’t bother me. On rare occasions, it seems to get stuck and I find I have to exit the app and go back in. On even rarer occasion, I have to reboot the streaming device. I’ve never had to reboot the Tablo itself.
I find mine runs pretty well more than 90% of the time. It is not perfect, but I am really happy with it. Also, I have found that it seems to “settle in” after a while. Give it a few days or a week and you will likely find it pretty smoothly.
Good luck with it. You will find the folks here very helpful.