Hardware difference between 2 and 4 Tuner Models

General Discussion
1

Hi,
I’m planning on buying a Tablo based on the community here and the reviews. That said I really don’t need to record 4 shows at once…my current DVR is a 2 tuner and that seems to fit our needs fine.

I’ll be driving/streaming no more than 3 TVs and have no plans to do remote streaming (like watch my TV while away from home on my phone).

So is there any performance advantage for the 4 tuner in terms of hardware spec (perhaps its cooler) than the 2 tuner? Or are they identical other than the fact one has the ability to record 4 shows vs 2 at one time?

2

They’re literally identically except for the tuners, a bit more RAM (to handle the additional tuners) and a slightly different base plate.

3

Thanks - I’ll go for the 4-tuner for the added spec and who knows maybe I’ll record 4 shows at once someday…

4

If you plan on relying on your Tablo to watch Live TV on your 3 tv’s, you’re better off with the 4 tuner for sure. Recording uses a tuner but so does watching Live TV (if you’re not recording that specific channel).

5

@jbsmith_05

The 4 Tuner is the right choice.

When generating thumbnails for your recordings, the Tablo uses an idle tuner to do the job.
Thumbnails are great when fast forwarding through the commercials.

If all the tuners are busy, then no thumbnails until one is freed up.

Chas

6

Thanks for the feedback on the thumbnails, etc. I went ahead and placed an order for the 4 turner model…hopefully shipping is fast! If this works well I plan on getting rid of each tv’s individual dvr.

1 Like
7

The four tuner is the best choice. What Nobody has mentioned is a tuner is required to make the thumbnails for ff when watching what you recorded.

8

Thanks for this info. I did not know this. Every now and then I have no thumbnails, but not very often. I now know the reason.

1 Like
9

Good choice. I almost went for the two tuner, but decided on the four tuner at the last moment and very glad I did. With four tuners you don’t need to worry about having a free tuner. Scheduling shows is a set it and forget it situation.

1 Like
10

And the thumbnails get created sooner😁

11