I see a lot of posts about how the Tablo app (android mostly here) won’t cast to chromecast. For me, it randomly stops, buffers or just stalls for a long time, never plays for long. Stop casting & poof it’s playing flawlessly. The 3rd party Plex plugin can’t cast at all currently either.
So… what’s the word on this? BTW, kind of annoying this site says it works with chromecast…
What do I need to use Tablo?
To use Tablo you need the following things:
an HDTV antenna
an internet connection
a USB hard drive - this is required both for watching live TV and recording programming
an iPad running Apple iOS7+ OR an Android tablet running Android 4.1+ OR a computer/smartphone running the chrome browser
If you’d like to watch programming on your big screen TV, you’ll also need a Roku, or Amazon Fire TV, or Android TV, or AppleTV (which uses AirPlay from an iPad), or a Chromecast dongle (casting from an Android device or Chrome browser). You can also use the Tablo web app with an HDMI-enabled computer connected to your TV.
More than half of the recordings are 720p already just because that’s the local news I like. Both the Tablo & chromecast are connected via ethernet, no wifi. There’s no reason it shouldn’t be able to cast 1080p. I can cast crazy huge bitrate 1080p files from all sorts of other apps with out a bit of trouble or any buffering. Tablo can’t even cast 720p? Something is obviously wrong here. Again I’m not the only one… this forum has a lot of other people all saying the same thing about casting. I’m just wanting to know when this will be fixed. It’s an otherwise perfect DVR system. Problem is… I have a house full of chromecasts.
Front page of this site pasted below saying it can handle 6 devices at once & I can’t cast even ONE to chromesast. This is not a bitrate or network issue.
A Whole-Home-DVR, Tablo lets you stream live and recorded OTA HDTV content to as many as 6 devices on your local network at the same time.
I seriously doubt Tablo will do anything more with the Chromecast. It is what is it is, and any Tablo user that uses them does so at their own risk. They have way too much on their plate that is higher priority.
@snowcat What?!? There’s a risk of what using a chromecast? The Tablo is advertised as chromecast compatable.
If you’d like to watch programming on your big screen TV, you’ll also need a Roku, or Amazon Fire TV, or Android TV, or AppleTV (which uses AirPlay from an iPad), or a Chromecast dongle (casting from an Android device or Chrome browser). You can also use the Tablo web app with an HDMI-enabled computer connected to your TV.
I feel your pain, but there are limitations to this system and how it plays with Chromecast. It works better casting to a Nexus player, you’ll read many people on this community telling people to get a Nexus player before getting a chromecast.
I’m not an expert, but it doesn’t matter what it’s broadcast as, you need to make sure your recording setting are at HD720-3MBPS. Netflix can stream 1080P but the Tablo can’t through Chromecast. The faster the device (Nexus Player) the better the performance with Tablo. I’m hoping someone here can explain technically why but there isn’t a “fix”.
AppleTV app is way higher priority, too many people are chomping at the bit (me included) for that app. It’s supposed to perform well since the Apple TV has a fast processor.
With Vizio’s new “monitors” and chromecast built in, maybe it will become a higher priority.
@ctwquad Yeah it’s starting to piss me off actually that people here are so ok with a major feature listed all over this site doesn’t work. Chromecast isn’t a rare device. It’s really really common.
Once again… I can throw a 1080p 20MBPS file at chromecast & it’s fine. Tablo plays these files just fine at first too. But it randomly stops or buffers. If you look at the app on android it’s even showing a circle saying it’s trying to do something. Tablo is even lightning fast at skipping. Till it randomly stops. I even got super lucky today with one 1080p show playing for a whole 7 mins today!
There’s obviously something wrong that’s not bitrate or lack of chromecast’s power here.
I can’t speak to the technicalities and why, I’ve used Tablo with Roku, Chromecast, Nexus Player, and Airplay to Apple TV. The NP and Apple TV are the best experiences I’ve had and they are the fastest hardware of all four.
Yea, there are people who have been here a while and we are working with what Tablo offers. We like the Tablo, this is not a huge company, you can only push so much. Chromecast does work but only using a certain setting with recording. (720P-3MBPS)
From your other post, it sounds like you have a work around with the SurLaTablo.py script. That script is possible because Tablo offers some API’s to developers and there are a few different apps for exports. This is another reason why people are patient with Tablo, they do cool stuff like this for work arounds.
Good Luck with your set up. I’ve been waiting for an Apple TV app since November of 2015 when I got my Apple TV4. While is sucks waiting, I’ve found workarounds.
Well I’ve seen 3 other people complaining about this very thing this week in here. I see no answers about it tho.
Yes I’m trying to use the SurLaTablo.py script instead of streaming my phone’s whole screen as a temporary work around. Go figure, I have a S7 Edge so I have the green screen bug too. So not only does it not cast, I have to disable a setting in the development options of my phone to get Tablo to play each time also.
It’s only 2 bugs that I’m sure they’ll fix. I’d just like to know when. I mean I paid over $300 for this 2 tunner Tablo & a 2 tb drive. Seems only reasonable it would work as advertised. I mean I don’t buy a car & go… oh well I’ll find a work around for the missing steering wheel.
BTW How crhomecast works.
The not so technical…
Chromcast is basically a glorified web browser on a stick. It doesn’t have to do much of anything but render the stream & keep a queue, just like you would in chrome or fire fox. Doesn’t have a UI or remote or anything else it has to run. So it doesn’t have to be powerful.
The more so technical…
Chromecast gets things to your TV screen from a remote device in part by using something called the DIAL (Discovery And Launch) protocol. DIAL was developed jointly by Netflix and YouTube, which is owned by Google. DIAL actually launched on Google TV, Google’s earlier foray into TV control, and now it’s being integrated into devices and apps by a number of manufacturers and content providers.
Your analogy makes no sense, a car is tens of thousands of dollars and is a transportation vehicle which would get into an accident if the steering wheel doesn’t work. Tablo is for entertainment and there are other methods to watch Tablo content without chromecast.
I get how Chromecast works, its understanding the difference between Tablo’s casting (doesn’t work with 1080p) and netflix which works fine for 1080p.
Tablo is by far not a perfect system, I’d recommend cable and Tivo to some because Tablo has its quirks. Overall, people come here for assistance and users here try to help others. It’s a great community. There are a small amount though that have a lot of time on their hands and need to focus all that negative energy on something more positive.
I’m not sure if I should be insulted with that last part or not. I feel like I’m arguing & there’s nothing to argue about here. There is clearly a bug some place associated with chromecast. No biggy! As long as it’s being taken care of. I’d just like to know when it’s being fixed. I keep trying & trying to explain that I don’t think it’s a bitrate or resolution problem. It would act different & more consistent if it was, in my opinion. It freezes at completely random times. If it can stream to multiple outside sources with re encoding… chromecast should be easy.
And my point before being with my analogy is that you expect everything to work that’s advertised when you buy a product. A car is not usable with out a steering wheel unless you go find one to put on it. Just the same as I can’t cast or use my phone to watch Tablo with out having to go out & find workarounds. Like scripts to remove the files off the Tablo to play in a totally different environment. Some what defeating the whole purpose of this DVR setup, but what ever. I have 3 USB tunners that can do that. I’d like to know what’s going on before I decide if I should return this or not.
BTW Just tested 720p - 3 Mbps… it does the same thing while looking worse than 1080p - 8 Mbps go fig. It was actually worse. It freezes in much shorter durations than 1080p but did it a LOT more often. Still froze in the end just the same, just played for a little longer. Mean while I can load up Tablo on multiple devices around the house playing 1080p files with out a skip.
A company offers you multiple types of internet service for your enjoyment.
Cable (nVidia Sheild TV; Google Nexus Player), DSL (Roku 4; Roku 3; Roku 2 (2015)), dial-up (Chromecast), satellite, …
They all work.
Some work better than others.
Even better one…
Comcast Cable ISP offers you 150Mbps internet service.
You can use several different types of cable modems with this service:
DOCSIS 1.x—38Mbps Down; 9Mbps Up
DOCSIS 2.0—38Mbps Down; 27Mbps Up
DOCSIS 3.0—152Mbps Down; 108Mbps Up
DOCSIS 3.1—10,000Mbps Down; 1,000Mbps Up
Using the DOCSIS 2.0 cable modem will still provide you with internet service.
Just not as fast or good as the better modems.
Well… I’m sure Comcast, even as evil as they are, would tell you to use the right modem. I’m sure they’d put you down a tier on par with your modem as the alternative. Again… get what you pay for & what is advertised.
When you say that “more than half of the recordings are 720p”, do you manually go into your Tablo settings and change your “Max Recording Quality”? I believe that Tablo will up-vert or down-vert your data stream to your hard drive based on this setting. If you say your Max Recording Quality is “HD 1080 - 8 Mbps” then all of your recordings are going to be quite large, and require a lot more network capacity to stream or cast than if you had set it at " HD 720p 3Mbps".
Tablo will then also need to use an available tuner to convert the stream out to whatever stream your player indicates that it can handle. (Note that some players are adaptive (they determine “best stream” based on network conditions)).
My preference is to minimize the number of conversions that need to be made, as they always introduce some artifacts or visual distortion. I know my network consistently will transfer HD 720p 3Mbps, regardless of what else is happening in the house – even backups over the network, or someone watching over Plex. I’ve chosen this as my recording rate. But I’m old, and my 32" TV is only capable of 720p. YMMV and you may need a more robust player or network setup.
Bottom line: instead of working from the “top down” on Max Recording Quality, you may want to try working from the lowest quality you can accept – i.e. in my case, HD 720p, 3 Mbs) and then push the upward limits until your overall system begins to fault out. I found this to be must less frustrating.
@JerryG
I’ve only had the Tablo for like a week so… huh? Me? Several months? What?
This buy new equipment even tho it says every where Tablo works with chromecast is not a reasonable or rational answer. I don’t care for the Nexus Player. I like using my phone to fling content at the tv. It’s a much smoother & open experience to me.
Refund is an option but I’m not there yet. I do like the Tablo! It has worked with out a single flaw since day one & I can’t say that for any other DVRs I’ve had or built before. It even runs great in Plex. It’s a great system! But…
I just want to know when casting will be fixed.
@jimzix
65" 1080p TV… there’s a very noticeable difference between 1080p 8Mbps & 720p 3Mbps. I’ve mentioned above that I have tried recording at 720p 3Mbps & it still does not cast correctly. I went back to 1080p recordings currently.
I have had 5 streams running to various devices around the house just to see if it could, all at 1080p. They all worked flawlessly. Cast to even one single chromecast & the whole thing breaks down. It’s got to be a bug of some sorts with how they are casting.
I feel like I’m arguing & there’s nothing to argue about here. There is clearly a bug some place associated with chromecast. No biggy! As long as it’s being taken care of. I’d just like to know when it’s being fixed. I keep trying & trying to explain that I don’t think it’s a bitrate or resolution problem. It would act different & more consistent if it was, in my opinion. It freezes at completely random times. If it can stream to multiple outside sources with re encoding… chromecast should be easy.