Dolby 5.1

You can look on Amazon for a digital converter box that includes DVR. Some have pass thru so you can record a show and watch another. You need to add your disk. Make sure to check if it supports 5.1.

Kinda defeats the purpose of already having spent $300 for the Tablo & hard drive, and additional $60 a year for the guide, don’t you think?

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Yes…the Tablo description on Amazon and Newegg should say in BIG BOLD letters, NO DOLBY 5.1

I already mentioned the same thing on the “Surround Sound” topic, but I’ll do the same here. I can’t see spending $300 on a device that can’t do any type of surround sound. Once Tablo adds this basic feature, I’ll purchase one & the lifetime subscription, but not until then.

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I’m glad more people like you are speaking up. I’ve been asking for 5.1 for over 2 years now.

That being said, DPL II isn’t horrible with OTA content. That or I just got used to it.

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I’d say to the ears, DPL II is the equivalent of what DLP 2d to 3d conversion, is to the eyes.

-Rodger

DTS-MA > DPL2 > Stereo > Nothing

I want to get as far left as practical

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You are not the only one who has been waiting years for 5.1. 5.1 is part of OTA. Why would Tablo not support all that is given to us OTA.

ADD SUPPORT FOR 5.1 / AC3 / SURROUND SOUND!

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I think they’re waiting for ATSC 3.0 to be implemented…

I’m continue to wait to purchase two units for 5.1/AC3 to be implemented, as well as for the Apple TV 4 app to be released.

Will Apple TV support 5.1/Ac3?

@beastman - The AppleTV itself supports it, however I’m testing the Tablo BETA AppleTV App right now and it does not have 5.1 support. It will have to be a firmware update to the Tablo itself because right now when it transcodes the MPEG-2 stream (and audio channels) from the tuner it either throws away the 5.1 or down samples it to stereo. The change needs to happen at the Tablo box, not (just) at the player/app level.

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@AcesAreWld - The use-case I’m primarily interested in is scheduling recordings and watching them, both via Apple TV 4. Most of my other content is housed on Plex, and is 5.1, so I’m not too concerned that Tablo doesn’t support 5.1. Does the BETA function in the capacity of my use case? Thanks in advance…

Yes, it lets you schedule, watch, delete, etc. It’s pretty great!

@AcesAreWld - Cool. Does it perform well? I’ve read about big lags switching channels, but I’m wondering if that’s primarily an issue noticed by folks who are watching live TV. I personally would simply watch live TV directly from antenna…

Not sure yet… my time with it has been limited. I’ll keep trying and posting in the BETA thread.

The delay in tuning a channel only pertains to watching Live TV (Tablo re-encodes OTA to H264 which is why it takes 6 seconds or so).
Playback of recorded shows works very well with the latest releases of the Tablo firmware and various players (Roku and Nexus Player are my primary experiences).

@ChrisFix - Awesome, thank you for the info.

I’d really like a Tablo, but I’m still waiting for Dolby Digital 5.1 to be supported before I buy a Tablo…

Any updates Tablo? Is this on your roadmap for this year, next year, ever?

I’ve been waiting for over two years, at first it was on their short term road map, then regular roadmap, then they’re aware of it but have more important things to do.

In one of these threads TabloTV said that they’re aware, but she has nothing more to say on the topic (which is understandable, the topic has been beaten to death).

They’ve done surveys of owners (they’re aware lots of people won’t buy one without 5.1), and 5.1 doesn’t seem to be a high priority item for owners, so why would Tablo spend their limited resources on it?

I wouldn’t hold my breath though. I think the next iteration of hardware will have it, I don’t see them spending the time on this one. But that’s my opinion.

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