A brave title I know but read on.
About six months ago I bought TABLO and was impressed with all its features. However it was a nightmare getting it to run. I experienced every problem described in this Community Board thread and then some. Having 20 years of analyzing and fixing IBM mainframe and I/O problems (370/50), I should have an analytical mind, but that was 30 years ago. I was experiencing lock outs, buffering hangups, freezing, recorded material disappearing, icons for same not showing up and slow or never starting issues. As these problems were forcing me to restart or repower TABLO or in some cases TABLO and fire stick nightly, I decided it was about time to do some basic analysis to determine what the problem might be.
The first step was to try and determine which device was at fault. I happened to own a Roku stick and so I loaded the TABLO app onto it, ran it and it worked like a charm.
As a result of reading elsewhere (TroyPoint - highly recommended), I have learned that the Amazon
fire stick will not be supporting side loading in the future, so I decided it was time buy a 2nd Gen Firestick. When it arrived, I loaded the TABLO app onto it and guess what, TABLO worked like a charm. It loads almost immediately and now runs without errors or buffering.
Amazing, If only I had put my past experience to work 6 months ago I would have so much free time I wouldn’t know what to do with it.
So, the bottom line is get a 2nd Gen Fire Stick and make sure you have at least >600 megs (why? See storage below) of free space. Also, when watching or recording OTA signals be sure they are strong. Remember the TABLO receiver is not as sensitive as your TV receiver by their own admission.
Reference:
FireTV Stick 4K, S/W Fire OS 6.7.0.3 Home version 6490040.1 5.28G - problematic I don’t recommend.
FireTV Stick 4K 2nd Gen, S/W Fire OS 8.1.0.3 Home version 6500118.1 5.28G - works well
TABLO app - Version 1.1.4, STORAGE usage App Size 187M, Basic Data - 397M + cache
P.S. Roku users who are considering suing TABO might consider the same logic used above. IE get the latest Roku device.
I’m not sure how this is a fix. It looks like you’re just telling users to buy a new device. I do think it’s good to note that your specific model (I’m assuming the plain 4k, since it isn’t clear in the main body) is not happy with the TabloTV app. I think it’s hard for users to realize that their expensive stick isn’t working with their expensive DVR. I wish Tablo would release more notes about tested devices and what works well with their app. But, that can change as they improve their apps and fix memory leaks, etc.
Other than how they’ve gone back and forth on general sideloading in the past, if the new sticks will have their own proprietary OS on it, there really wouldn’t be an easy way to allow this anyway. I’m sure down the road, though… there’s always a workaround.
My thoughts on this, as irrelevant as they are: I’ll likely find a different stick when the time comes. I’m tired of running into TVs having their own OS/apps and needing to shove an STB in anyway. So, if I take my current example: a webOS tv needing a firestick (currently, the 1st gen 4k max and it works great). If the next firestick has its own OS and I can’t run X app… what good is it going to be? I think AZ is making a huge mistake, but since they can’t seem to keep their own OS ported from a newer android version anyway… I suppose they had to do something!
My favorite STB is my 2nd gen 4k max, and as you’ve noted, it works fantastically with this and other apps. Thank you for reminding users to keep extra space on their sticks – I think AZ wants 1.5g, but that’s impossible on older devices. It’s helpful that FireOS 7 now offloads extra content to make those updates. Despite my love of the 2nd gen 4k max, I still have to stand by my recommendation of users picking up the Walmart 4k onn box if their only use is for the Tablo app. It also works as an intermediary device while you save up for a better performing STB.
I appreciated the details on which devices have worked for you. Maybe someone, somewhere, is willing to compile a list based on real-world tests. ahem (I don’t think they’re listening!)
I only mention the demise of side loading on firestick 4K as an excuse for someone to spend another 30 bucks to buy a new one which would be the 2nd Gen firestick I would presume. Re lists, you’re right, No one is listening and given the plethora of streaming devices, It’s not surprising.
I hear that! I just saw a recent video that they’re blocking launchers again. I quit bothering a while back and just use voice control. Skips all the extra clicking around and worry about ads/Home Screen layout.
I definitely think that the 2nd gen 4k max is worth the money, even though I use my 1st gen 4k max way more often. (This is a setup issue, I’ve moved/changed/bought new TVs and use STBs less when it’s own app works quite well.)
I appreciate the heavy testing you’ve done on your 4k firestick. Many users still have them and it sounds like everyone’s having Tablo-related issues with them. I hope that they see what you’ve written and are wiling to look at the benefits of a new device when the older one doesn’t handle the data/streaming that the Tablo seems to require.