I started this over in the general discussion forum. But don’t seem to be getting an answer.
I am considering buying a Tablotv DVR as a replacement for a (soon to be discontinued) Slingbox.
The Tablo DVR seems to do everything the Slingbox does, maybe even better, except for the remote connection.
Once set up I can access my Slingbox with a user ID and password.
The Tablo requires that the remote device (say a Firestick) be synched on the same LAN as the Tablo is on. This is OK except I keep hearing sometimes the remote devices lose their connection and the only easy way to reconnect is to synch on the LAN again.
Since I am frequently away from home for months on end it’s not an option to resynch as device, or at least it may be weeks or month before I can.
So, how big an issue is this? Does the remote connection typically last for days/weeks/months? Is there a simple way to reconnect remotely that doesn’t involve having the home LAN on a VPN?
So you use it away from your home? You synched once and basically it hasn’t dropped for years? Can you tell me what device(s) you use for remote access?
Anybody else out there have a similar experience, or a less positive one?
I’m not a tablo connect user, but I’ll bet you mostly hear about the pitfalls… because they come here looking for help – not to tell everyone how great this is. When you sing set up was just want you needed, did you post in their forums how awesome it was and it worked great almost all the time? regularly?
I know there’s been request, why not a user/pass to connect? “They” just don’t want that. Maybe more overhead on their end? Or what they have generally works well most of the time for most of the users - IDK.
I’ve seen several “experts” highlight the VPN model. and other users remotely connecting with minimal trouble, even “remote rebooting” and still working just fine. But there are a lot of issues brought here, may be related to skill-set and/or device/network maybe, maybe not.
Too many variables to say there’s a problem, that’s all they talk about on a “support” forum.
Also, I could have 2 Firesticks set up in case one stops working. I actually have 2 Slingboxes, one is a back up. Regardless, if a Firestick dropped I could express mail it home and get it reset.
I think you have convinced me to pull the trigger.
Presuming whatever"issue" was on the Fire TV Stick end There’s also users with IoT smart plugs on their tablos so as to power-cycle reboot …if that helps.
Presuming whatever" issue " was on the Fire TV Stick end There’s also users with IoT smart plugs on their tablos so as to power-cycle reboot …if that helps.
There are people at home while I am away. Occasionally I would ask them to reboot the Slingbox but lately that hasn’t been an issue. I am sorry to see the Slingboxes go, they have been amazingly reliable.
In looking around I have found the following things that more or less do what the Slingbox did (for me).
Nvidia Shield (requires a Plex account and a PC for remote access, plus a TV tuner)
Tablotv DVR (so far looks like the best alternative)
Amazon Recast (can only have one box linked to a given Amazon account and not quite up to Tablo level feature wise)
RCC Fiber RM1106 (very very pricey, requires a TV tuner)
More likely, “they” don’t want the liability for people using remote viewing to view out of market stations and content. By forcing the remote user to be connected to a lan in the receiving market at least at some point, they reduce their liability to be banned ala Aereo, or people getting into the business of sending content out of market to remote viewership in violation of retransmission agreements.
It’s quite an elegant way of keeping a reasonable restriction on remote viewing. Too bad if it makes things slightly more inconvenient for people who want to push the envelope on what’s really allowed.
I think I remember seeing this was the reason was they wanted to make sure people that were on it were actually there. I also have used it a few times. Set up my phone and never had a problem with it. the biggest problem with the phone/tablet if you dont use it often it takes awhile to update.
Actually, not so. Tablo Connect allows remote viewing from anywhere as long as the client device was paired previously. It’s actually Aereo WITHOUT the Aereo limitations (limited by count of devices and by region and by constrained storage).
Aereo’s case went to the SCOTUS (because they won their case at all the lower courts) because media broadcaster’s convinced them to redefine “broadcast” as someone streaming a transcoded version. Thus Aereo would require a rebroadcast license, and after they were found “guilty”, they applied for a license and the industry locked them out (think “Tucker: The Man and His Dreams”). If they were not successful in this word redefinition, they would have lost btw.
Tablo’s model pushes the receipt of broadcast and transmission of the transcoded stream to originate at the end user. At least for now, nobody’s pushing to throw everyone in jail (yet). Not all of the justices agreed with the ultimate decision which destroyed many livelihoods of people doing nothing wrong (not all justices were on “big daddy’s” payroll).
Other’s like Plex DVR, offer up similar solutions, and do allow the password login and sharing, etc…
That may be part of it, but not as you see it. They’re skipping commercials, it’s likely they don’t define market boundaries.
There were post, someone let roommates and/or kids sync their devices, they left, kept the devices sync’d. While at home, wanting to watch something… tuners were all in use by “someone” remotely - they had virtually no control. If “someone” thought “password sharing” might be a good idea…
Yes, it’s their responsibility, but there’s always everybody else getting in the way.
DMAs are defined by Nielsen, the people who do the ratings.
Commercial skip is a very interesting case. A recording, created on a device in the user’s home, has some small portion of its data/meta-data exported to the Tablo server farm, where its processed, and an edit list sent back down to the user’s device to be applied to the user’s recording. Since the Tablo server doesn’t hold the entire recording, they aren’t in the business of distributing edited content, which would turn them into a content provider. Pretty slick.
In the early days, the playlist had the commercials removed - this would have been amazingly awesome for those exporting recordings!
Now it appears to send a cut out and cut in time back for the player to interpret. But I can’t confirm how it works, I don’t have the service. Someone with skills already figured out way more than I know I’m sure.
That’s the important distinction, regardless of your position on the court’s opinion. In Aeron, you essentially rented access to a pool of receivers at the provider’s location. With Tablo, you only gain access to the receiver(s) at your “home” location, which is defined as a network on which you’ve established your logical presence at least once, and where off air reception occurs.
This makes it more difficult for a “service provider” to sell you access to the signal at their premises, unless you get your remote device to that premises. If such a provider allowed you to do this via a VPN, they would be taking in the responsibility for distribution of “retransmitted” content, not Tablo.
It’s still possible of course for a provider to send you a streaming device that’s been paired to a single device at their premises, but that 1-1 relationship wouldn’t offer the profitability that the Aeron system did by multiplexing many users on many different devices. So, watching out of market TV at your vacation home isn’t a problem, nor is access to recordings made at your home while you are somewhere else.
Bottom line, don’t expect “username/password” access from your remote device to your Tablo device anytime soon.
SCOTUS has already provided a framework on how users can manage recordings without violatings the originators/broadcasters rights.
So Tablo, Plex, Tivo all find ways to work within those boundaries. Plex has comskip on the users media server. It would be pretty easy for Tablo to provide it’s own ripper. But maybe that would cross that magic boundary.
And I would bet the HLS standard allows for multiple playlists. And since CS is based on the thumbnails being generated and the thumbnails represent the start of an image, maybe that’s the CS magic.
Uhm, getting back to the original question – unfortunately my iPhone does occasionally require reeducation on my LAN. I thought the problem was resolved with the last firmware update as it connected away from home for the longest time, but alas, last week when I needed it most I was left out in the cold (literally) trying to watch a Washington Football Team game outside. Maybe it breaks when iOS is updated? Don’t know, but unfortunately it’s not 100% bulletproof.
There’s also users with IoT smart plugs on their tablos so as to power-cycle reboot …if that helps.