For the sake of kids needing to navigate fewer menus, would love to see them click on the Tablo App (on Roku) and immediately go to LiveTV on a default channel (and/or I’m sure some would want last-viewed channel).
ie. act more like an OTA TV.
I was going to disagree with you but you are right. I go into setup on the Roku app and there is no option for “Startup Section”. Instead, on startup, the Roku app goes to last section you were in. The Windows app has an option under Settings, General “Startup Section”. You can specify “Live TV” but that will only take you to the Live TV grid, not to a specific station. And this is only specific to your Windows device, not the entire Tablo system.
Over the years, there have been requests for better surfing. At times they have added things like the down and up arrow while surfing, but it is much slower than what consumers want. If it were a priority for their customers, they would do it. I suspect that most customers are like me who want to set up the recordings then watch at their leisure.
To be clear… I was hping not just to go to LiveTV (which I would rename “Guide”)… I want to see a default channel (or last channel) full-screen… ie. just like turning on an OTA TV… that way when the kids head downstairs (without waking us up, hopefully), they can turn on and we know it’ll be on PBS (instead of some re-run of Housewives of XYZ).
This is the kind of option which should be easy to add (IMO), and easy for users to select or avoid.
I confess I am less clear on whether the coding for it belongs in the Tablo firmware itself, or instead in the app for Roku.
What you are requesting is perfectly clear. And remembering those days when we had young children, I understand how important that is to you.
Alas, it would have to be both and would be MUCH more difficult than you might think to program. Maybe even impossible.
We would basically have to pre-program the Roku to make a customized, complex, and editable set of requests to the Tablo upon launching the app.
I believe some folks have McGuyvered this by using fancy universal remotes, but that kind of defeats the ‘kid friendly’ concept.
As @HappyUser pointed out, the Roku app will take you to the last previously used section, so perhaps when evening viewing is done you could make habit of returning to the Live TV grid so the kids can more easily check out their cartoons in the morning?
Could LiveTV at least pop up full screen (using last watched channel) ? Again, IMO “LiveTV” really == “Guide” (would be nice to have both options)