First, let me say the setup process was a breeze. I’m a long time AV and computer tech and the process went smoothly.
My main concerns regarding this installation are the services. I read through what I thought was all the information about the various Tablo models, but did not realize the lifetime guide subscription was not available for my HDMI model. Had I known, I would have thought twice about purchasing your product. I’m certain someone will say the information was always out there and I somehow missed it, but I would counter that not providing the same service options for all your users is less than user friendly and borders on bait and switch marketing.
I also believe not having the commercial skip service bundled with the guide service for no additional cost is also an unfriendly practice. Two add on subscriptions for full functionality is excessive!
Also disconcerting are the remote option differences between the models. If one model works with many different devices and secondary devices, one would think all models should have similar capabilities. But no, that’s not how things work in Tablo world. I will admit, I did find a table of the various connections per model and therefore was not surprised when my HDMI model wouldn’t connect to anything I own but Android, but even that capability worked only twice (badly) and then stopped connecting at all. Tried the FAQ troubleshooting steps and no joy.
On the positive side, at least the Tablo works most of the time using the HDMI port. I recently tried a competitor’s product and it required a reboot every day and sometimes more than once a day to function. Obviously had to return that device when even the company couldn’t and wouldn’t fix it during my trial return period. At least your device beats that. I also enjoy having the 4 tuners as that is usually more than enough to record the major networks.
I am certain my observations are not new or unique, but, your wide variations in features and unfriendly subscription options will prevent me from recommending your product and services to others. Simpler is better when dealing with the public. Your convoluted options are anything but simple.