This seems to be the device that could help us cut the cord, however before I purchase one, does anyone have any experience using this with an Android TV Box? My box is running Jelly Bean.
I don’t have a Neo X5 however I have sideloaded the Tablo Web app on Amazon Fire TV and with a wireless mouse it works fine. You might consider using the Logitech K400. Tablo has said they plan on releasing a dedicated app for Fire TV/Android TV in the future but no date or timeline has been given.
@sgwebb, we have a MyGica Android TV box (with KitKat):
It is perfect with my TabloTV setup. It works with both WiFi and with Ethernet (the new Tablo Web app), but works only on WiFi with the the original Tablo app and HTML5 app (though that may change in the future). I have a 2-tuner unit and a 4-tuner unit. I can switch easily between the two units. I have a WiFi extender plugged in behind my TV with 4 Ethernet ports. Both of my TabloTV boxes on are the second floor, the TV and Android TV box are on the first floor, and I can access both TabloTV boxes in the basement using the WiFi connections. And I have an HD antenna mounted on my roof that pulls in local channels from Toronto and US channels from Buffalo, NY.
I feel very fortunate, as I am not experiencing the issues that are most common on this discussion board. I feel that I should add a disclaimer that states “these results are not typical”.
We cut the cord just over a year ago and have not missed it at all. Good luck with your decision.
Thanks this gives me a bit of hope and a bit of concern though… I do use Ethernet on my android TV box, and was hoping to do this with just an android app, do you think that will work? I will primarily use it for the main TV, and I will be connecting via a Linux (Ubuntu) computer for the second one.
If you want native flawless effort free support for the Android TV boxes you’re going to have to wait for Tablo to release an app. It may be a few months, they’re working on the Roku now - big improvements I hear.
For now try it out what others have down for workarounds.
Tablo offers two Android apps. I pretty much exclusively use the new one:
So far it has worked flawlessly with my setup.
I can still use the HTML5 app (http://my.tablotv.com/) and the original Android app:
My preference is the new Android app.
Agree with icampell, new Tablo Web app is preferable. My only concern about the Neo X5 would be the version of Android its running which could be a potential problem for app compatibility. Looks like the last supported version was 4.2.2 and Minix is likely focusing on their newer models. If you haven’t already purchased it as you stated in your initial post, consider a newer Android box.
Hi 7up, thank you for your advice, I was able to install both apps on my TV Box from the play store, despite being on android 4.1.1, and they seem to open so and try to find the tablo device so I think it will work… now I just need to make a decision of how I want to go about this. I am trying to be debate between this and another product, but the other product does not have the streaming option, so I am leaning towards this one.
What’s the other product? We may be able to give you some personal experiences with them
Channel Master DVDR+
CM DVR+ is nice product but quite different from Tablo. At the risk of upsetting some biased forum members, for use on a single TV, the DVR+ is currently a far superior product to Tablo. I have one of the original channel master 7000PAL DVR (DishPal DVR) which still works to this day but I needed a whole home solution. Good luck in your decisions
Correct I hear the UI is a lot better but it is not a whole home solution unless you add a Slingbox to it. Which makes it way more expensive than a Tablo.
I am happy with the Tablo and expect it to only get better.
DVR+ were on sale Black Friday for 175. If you can wait a few weeks, CES 2015 is just a few weeks away.
Hi, 7UP… Thanks! I had seen the ads, that I missed for Black Friday on those, to be honest if I had I caught that, I would not even consider Tablo, and just bought 2 of them 
… However with that said the Tablo looks interesting… but a bit in the early adopter phase, hence buggy …
Tablo Black Friday deal for quad tuner was $200, I’d still go with Tablo for that price. CM has only 2 tuners.
For use on only 1-2 TVs, a good argument could be made for DVR+. Most here are optimistic for the future, but Tablo functionality has a long way to go before its comparable.
Yes the Tablo looks good, and appears to be coming along, per the reviews on CNET and other places, it appears to be superior to SimpleTV2, and some others, but I only have 2 TVs I want to use it on. Tablo is cheaper than purchasing 2 Channel Masters though… so it is still on my consideration list…
I have some questions … that maybe you can help me with …
1. Are you getting HD quality on the android boxes via Tablo?
2. Are you finding you need the “Guide Service”
- With the Channel Master … I know i will have HD because it is connected directly to the TV, and the Guide is free
As a side note … my problem with “cutting the cord” is I rarely watch network TV, I only watch local news, sports, and a couple of shows. Therefore 90+% of the time I am watching Discovery networks, (History, H2, Discovery, HGTV) so this is going to be a hard move for me either way, I am going to try to supplement much of that via either Amazon, netflix or Hulu
Based upon your comments that you rarely watch Network TV, the only way to know whether you would be satisfied by cutting the cord is for you to look at the available online content from Discovery Networks.
Using a Fire TV which is based upon Android, the current Tablo web app works fine and displays HD although does require use of a mouse with the remote to navigate. The same is probably true for most current Android TV boxes. Tablo has stated they plan on developing an Android TV/FIre TV app which uses just the remote however no timeline has been given. The wildcard for you might be that Tablo has demo’d the capability of using an external network tuner to enable Tablo to work with cable TV. They have not committed to supporting cable TV as a source so at least for now its not an option.
As far as Channel Master DVR+, they have made comments in 2014 that they plan on developing a whole house solution although nothing has been released since the comments were first made and there’s not evidence the current DVR+ could function as such. That being said, I would not be surprised if CM makes an announcement at CES next month.
Hi 7up, thanks again, as it stands right now on January 10th my Dish bill will be going from $71 per month to $93 per month, (I am on a discount now) so I would like to find a solution for this before then, even though most of what I watch is on Discovery Networks, I do not watch enough shows to justify paying that much per month. Even if the Channel Master debuts the home DVR+ in CES next month, it could be a while before it actually hits the market… I will see if Dish is willing to negotiate the bill in the next week or so then make a decision, the more I think about it the Tablo may actually be a better fit since we will be using the android the box, for the supplemental streaming option, and I watch my TV via a TV turner plugged into the computer… if I can just use my browser the effect is the same… I am not happy about the guide fee, but I guess there is not a way around that
CES is Jan 6-9 you should have more information before the Dish bill deadline