Hi @GaryZ, sorry you have been having problems with your Tablo experience.
For some insight, when it comes to the Commercial Skip feature, Tablo only uploads a small portion of eligible completed recordings to our Commercial Skip server for processing. If you aren’t using Commercial Skip, no recordings are uploaded or sent anywhere.
It’s also possible you might be thinking of a recent change as of our most recent firmware update. Apps now have a toggle to allow you to send us viewing data, like whether you watch more live TV than recorded TV or are viewing at home or remotely and the types of programs being viewed. But nothing more detailed than that, and nothing that is sold to anyone else.
Cost-wise, as others have said, the guide data subscription is optional. You are able to get 24 hours of guide data and watch Live TV and schedule recordings from the Live TV grid without paying any recurring subscription fees. You are also able to schedule single or recurring manual recordings for any date and time, if you know when the future program you want to watch will be on.
As far as internet connectivity, the way Tablo is designed, internet access is required to use it for multiple reasons that are detailed in this article: Tablo FAQs: Do I Need Internet to Use a Tablo OTA DVR? | Over The Air (OTA) DVR | Tablo
If your internet access is more spotty, you might want to instead try one of our TV-Connected Tablo HDMI models, which are less reliant on a consistent internet.
If you have any other questions, don’t hesitate to ask.