After having my Tablo for over a year I’ve just about given up on ever having it display the correct channels with the correct guide data. I had a little success initially when I first got it with the help of technical support but the last time I contacted them they basically said they could do anything about it. It’s weird. When I scan the correct channels are displayed. I select them and save and then when it updates the guides the channel names change and I get channels with missing data, or the wrong data or it’s showing the wrong channel for what I’m getting. There are basically three different zip codes where I live in Arizona. I’ve tried them all. Of course my own actual zip code is the worst with the most errors. I don’t understand why this cannot be fixed. I still don’t understand too why my TV picks up several channels very well that do not scan on the Tablo. It has never made sense. I have over 60 OTA channels on my TV (some duplicates) and 47 on the Tablo. Is this normal? Also only TV the guide data is 100% correct and when I click on the channel it’s the actual channel. I don’t know how many times after a rescan I’ve missed recordings because it records a channel listed as MeTV but isn’t MeTV. I’ve tried setting the options to record only one channel but every time I got back to check it says ALL CHANNELS again. I see glowing reviews of the Tablo so I don’t know if there’s a problem with mine or that most people don’t really care about these issues.
I live in the Austin, TX area, and can’t use my zip code (displays about 8 stations incorrectly). Using downtown Ausitn’s zip code (73301), it works. While this makes my OCD go into overdrive, it works, and the motto of all techs should be, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”… LOL.
I know in Arizona, there are many repeater stations, and that could be some of the problem, as you may pickup a weaker repeater on the TV, but due to the 4-way splitter (internal) on the Tablo, it may be too weak to pickup (this is so you can use 4 tuners).
The one thing I wish Tablo offered is a way to manually edit the channels (channel call letters), both adding them manually (some have difficulty in different weather situations), and editing them to match the guide data.
Virtually all of the DVR manufacturers, and many of the cable/satellite providers, use a 3rd party to populate the guide data, and because of that, they don’t have a lot of control over the guide data. If you put in a support ticket, proving your zip code, and the channels affected, support can try to get it fixed (they have always offered a solution to me in the past).
I am also in Austin, TX. 78758 works. I live near HEB on N Lamar and Rundberg. I"ve had Tablo 6+ years and Everytime we get a new station I complain about Gracenote.
Same issue here, live in Cincy suburbs, have to put in 45202 (downtown Cincy) to get the correct channel lineup.
Mine is fine using my real zip code.
Thanks for sharing. So happy for you. I can barely contain myself and the thrill this has given me to know that your zip code works fine. It also makes up for the fact that my piece of shit Tablo doesn’t display even 80% of the channels correctly, doesn’t pick up all of the local channels, and that their customer support is useless. I wish I had your Tablo and you had a feather up you ass so we could both be tickled pink.
I think this is the best course of action
Have you gone to zap2it for guide for your zip (is Gracenote what they use), to make sure it is correct? Check it against your TV to make sure virtual and actual frequency’s match up for METV etc. Submit any needed corrections to zap2it.
I did. They didn’t.
I have not done this. I live in a small town in Northern Arizona. The whole area has 2 zip codes. 3 at the most. Every one gives different errors. I have contacted support several times. Not worth my time as they tell me they can’t fix anything. Don’t understand the zap2it thing or how they could help. When I look at listings for OTA it’s confusing showing many different listings for each channel. My main gripe is that all channels starting with 45 do not scan in even though their local and the signal very strong on my TV. A couple of those are why I bought the Tablo in the first place. My son is in a bigger city in Utah and he’s happy with his. Mine is pretty much useless. Anything I’d want to record is either on a channel I don’t get or I’d have to manually record the show because the channel it’s showing on doesn’t match the program guide. I know every device is different but all of the channels show up on my TV’s tuner in the main room where the Tablo is. So, I can watch them live in there. In other rooms where I’m using a Roku I can’t.
Was just a suggestion, when I got my Tablo one channel and of course all of its subs were incorrect at zap2it. I contacted them (again is the source Tablo uses) within 2 days was corrected at zap2it then 2 days later was correct in the Tablo’s guide.
How do you correct on zap2it?
After putting your zip in scroll to bottom of guide, click on Contact Us give call letters, real and virtual channel number, what it should be METV, CBS etc.
In many rural areas, particularly in the Western US, the “main stations” in the bigger cities will use translator stations. These are much lower power and are designed to only serve the small town in which they are located. The actual station call letters are often given at the top of each hour, along with dozens of other translator. Zap2It and Gracenotes need to know the actual station and city where the original signal was transmitted from. The actual station doesn’t always notify Zap2It, et al, of their translator stations and the markets served. This was a problem for us in Idaho, where some of our translators were less than 100 watts ERP!
This topic was automatically closed 365 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.