Can I use a high capacity (512GB) usb flash drive as an external storage with the 4th generation Tablo TV? Are there any pros and cons vs using a standard external drive?
After formatting the usb flash with the Tablo App, I see the total capacity as 512GB, what happened with the 128GB internal storage?
Thank you
Most flash drives are not very durable and may “wear out” rather fast. SSD’s have methods to spread out how memory is used. Generally, standard HD’s are recommended for DVR use.
With Gen4, the internal is no longer used when external is available. I think existing recordings will still be accessible.
Tablo specifically recommends AGAINST using a flash drive. They just aren’t built to the same standards as a purpose-built external drive. Also, they may not have sufficient speed.
I just recently added a 2TB SSD to my Tablo. You plug it in, then format it in the Tablo app. It then starts recording ONLY to the external drive. The internal 128GB is no longer used. Any recordings you already have in the internal storage are still accessible and can be watched.
In case you are interested, I got a Western Digital 2TB Elements SE - Portable SSD on Amazon. It was about $125.00. I feel it was well worth it. The Tablo will handle up to 8TB, but I think this was plenty. I have found no down-side to the external drive.
@andyross @KGBnut thank you for the feedback, I replaced the usb flash drive with a 2TB Samsung portable SSD T5, I was a little bit reluctant to use it because it is usb-c and with higher specs (speed) than the usb 2.0 port in the Tablo