General questions

I did not find a forum FAQ, and the one on the TabloTV website is useless. I was hoping someone could answer a few questions about the Tablo for me.

If I do not subscribe to the guide service, does that mean I won’t have a program guide at all? Does it mean I won’t be able to record shows?

Is anyone using an USB stick as opposed to a hard drive with the unit?

How many hours of shows would I be able to store at 720P using a 256 GB hard drive?

Does the number of tuners reduce the number of possible streams? For example, if I have a two tuner unit, will I be able to watch a previously recorded show on two televisions while also recording two shows?

Anyone using a FireTV with their Tablo? How well does it work?

Any lag in an all WiFi setup?

Any news of new units coming out?

Thanks in advance…!

[quote=“Noctaire, post:1, topic:7424, full:true”]
I did not find a forum FAQ, and the one on the TabloTV website is useless. I was hoping someone could answer a few questions about the Tablo for me.

If I do not subscribe to the guide service, does that mean I won’t have a program guide at all? Does it mean I won’t be able to record shows?[/quote]

https://www.tablotv.com/blog/can-i-use-tablo-without-subscription/

[quote]
Is anyone using an USB stick as opposed to a hard drive with the unit?[/quote]

[quote]
How many hours of shows would I be able to store at 720P using a 256 GB hard drive?[/quote]

[quote]
Does the number of tuners reduce the number of possible streams? For example, if I have a two tuner unit, will I be able to watch a previously recorded show on two televisions while also recording two shows?[/quote]

[quote]
Anyone using a FireTV with their Tablo? How well does it work?[/quote]

Search the forums… but somebody might reply here. I don’t have a FireTV.

Because there are more variables with WiFi, a hardwired connection may prove to be more reliable. But if your WiFi isn’t an issue and you have good reception where the Tablo unit is placed, there shouldn’t be any problem with WiFi.

There once was a company that preannounced new products early and went bankrupt because everyone decided to wait to purchase until the new product was released.

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I use Fire TV Stick without problems. A regular Fire TV should be even better. I do like my Nexus Player as the best Tablo viewing experience. I do use Roku. The problem with Roku is when they release updates it often causes problems with the Tablo
Your WiFi depends on your Router. Does it have Wireless AC? See http://m.thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-wi-fi-router/

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I use two Rokus and one FireTv (1st gen box), and am pleased with both boxes. The FireTv does give the user the full functionality of the Tablo, unlike the Roku, but I don’t see any noticeable performance difference between the two platforms.

I would avoid wifi for the Tablo box itself. I have a solid network at my home, and the one time I tried the Tablo wireless, it increased loading times significantly. I have no problems at all having a wireless Roku, wireless FireTv, and wireless PCs, tablets, and phones with the Tablo, as long as the Tablo is wired.

You will have 24 hours of guide data. You will not be able to set up series recordings (eg, record all new episodes of this show on any channel/time) but you can create manual recordings to record a certain time slot on a certain day and certain channel. You will also not be able to use the Tablo Connect feature which allows you to access the Tablo remotely. I highly recommend getting a guide subscription myself.

This is not supported.

The link provided earlier should help with that. I, personally, would not use a drive smaller than 1 TB unless you plan to watch most things right away and delete right away after watching.

The number of tuners dictates the number of channels of live feed that can be used to record or watch live. Watching a recorded show does not use a tuner, but recording a show or watching live TV does. So yes, with a two tuner unit, you can watch 2 previously recorded shows and record two new shows. There is a max of 6 devices that can be in use at once, though.

I use this as my primary device and it works great. I much prefer it to the Roku. It is very similar to the Android app.

Don’t know as I hard wire everything possible. I highly recommend hard wiring at least the Tablo unit itself. I have not had problems using WiFi on other devices but how strong your WiFi signal is in that location will have an effect.

Not that I know of.

How many hours of shows would I be able to store at 720P?

By the basic math on the site, Tablo says “…Most users opt for 1-5 TB which will save between 250 and 2,500 hours of HD programming”…

I am assuming that (roughly) 1TB = ~250hrs; ~500GB = 125hrs; ~256GB = 62.5hrs

I personally have a 500GB and I cannot even fathom having 125hrs of programming that I am going to keep or watch. TabloTv is not going to be permanent storage for me. Heck, like everyone here I have to work and assuming I get home at 5pm and go to bed at 10pm and all I do is watch tv… that is 25 days to straight TV at 5 hours a day… I dont know about you but that is more than enough for me and my family… any more than that, I say “go play outside already!” :slightly_smiling:

No, I can’t see my Tablo from out there.

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You totally can, if you bring a tablet.

Pretty sure there’s a pic somewhere on here of a guy sitting on his patio with a beer watching a Sunday football game :stuck_out_tongue:

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It depends… I can watch Live TV from my phone, but if it’s really really sunny, then it’s hard to see. Just have to find more things to burn so I can help blot out the sun… maybe the people of Zion can give me a hint. But I think it was all done way before their time.

I should be watching golf on the deck by tomorrow afternoon. Just waiting for a couple more ‘pieces’ arriving tomorrow…:smile: