I am new to Tablo and have been running the 4th Gen device directly connected through ethernet cables. I use either the Tablo app on my Samsung TV or through an Amazon Fire TV Cube. I consistently get the “Failed to Decode Video” error when trying to tune into a live channel. Selecting ‘Retry’ doesn’t help.
I usually have to exit the whole app, restart it, and hope for the best. Sometimes switching between the Samsung and Amazon apps can help, but not reliably. The antenna is in an IDEAL location and I am less than 30 miles from the transmission tower. Firmware is current on all devices involved.
Any suggestions other than returning the Tablo as it’s almost unusable for its core function?
Have you tried a reset with the button on the bottom of your Tablo? Just push it quickly and let it go and it takes about a minute to reboot. If you know how to access the app, you can clear the cache or you can reinstall the app after completely uninstalling it. Both of those are troubleshooting steps that I would start with, but support is great if you need more detailed help
When this happens, have you tried a different channel to see if it is just one channel or more widespread?
What kind of antenna are you using? How far are you from the towers? What TV and/or set top box are you using? Are you using an amplifier or not?
Answering these questions might help you debug this problem.
This indicates a weak signal that is not stable enough to record. Believe it or not, sometimes a simple uninstall and reinstall of the app on your phone can fix this, but not always. It’s still worth a try. Assuming this is a 4th generation Tablo here working on.
