Called tech support and asked why I would upgrade as a legacy Tablo user. The reply was I would not.
The main feature you get is the program guide without a subscription, but I already have the lifetime subscription. Was interesting to hear their own employees don’t recommend the upgrade as to so many useful features are not supported (yet they say). However, why would you roll out a new generation of a product and not have the same user experience as your prior generation. Seems like a strange business model.
Missing features that I use all the time.
Web app access. I have Roku’s but not in all rooms. When I am on my computer I view Tablo on the web app.
iPhone app access. When I am in the garage woodworking, I put in my headset and listen on my iPhone.
Remote access. When I travel, I connect to watch the nightly news.
Just ranting a bit. I really hope they don’t phase out the legacy Tablo without implementing these features before they do.
The app does work on iPhone. It’s the AppleTV that doesn’t.
The other two, well… Only time will tell.
I can believe they wouldn’t want you to upgrade. You’ve got a product you enjoy and since it’s fairly new, why would you? I think it’s cool they’re going to add that lady further firmware so you’ll be able to enjoy many of the 4th gen so features, but it does sound like that might be the end. You never know though since legacy users had to pay for extras. They might keep it going for quite a while!
I do agree that the 4th gen really isn’t an upgrade for legacy users, especially if you have a lifetime subscription. It is more to expand the Tablo user base with a much cheaper alternative while the issues with ATSC 3.0 get worked out.
There are two things I love about the 4th gen that I don’t get with the legacy.
Sports on 1080i channels look a lot better (CBS is my main one). I used to hook an antenna directly to my TV whenever the Titans played to get the best picture (though I recorded on my legacy unit for replays). Now I watch all sports live on my 4th gen, and they look just like OTA.
The mobile Android app doesn’t have to wait for a sync, so it is faster to load. The sync process can take a while on legacy units, especially if you haven’t loaded the app in a few days.
On the other hand, the main thing I use my legacy Tablo for is the Windows app on my PC. While I could use remote access, I have never been a fan of it. I also use it for testing purposes to compare to the 4th gen (and there was definitely a difference when NFL schedules were released for week 18 and the playoffs).
I wasn’t around during the phase in of the Gen4. But I worked for a large networking vendor, and it’s all do to push to market. I think this timeline is a standard now for tech companies. Less/half-baked products to be sold and fix later. Rather than holding on to it to be perfect and then release. Money out weighs the goal.
I think the Gen4 will come along, once they jump the hurdle of a few large bugs. Once the dust settles, more features will come out.
This is a great product. I have a Gen4 and multiple Roku devices, and had very little issues. Those issues I’ve worked through and figured out.
Huh? It’s on OTA DVR device. Not sure what you mean it’s a completely different device. I get its a new design, but the function is the same, is it not? Seems to be like a gas car vs. a EV car. Same function, different implementation. Maybe I missed your point.
Simply put, it’s not an “evolution”. Two different companies on two different paths. Paths cross, one acquires the other, but doesn’t start with their product, but chooses its own.
In some ways it is like a car. Except the engine, transmission, brakes, etc are all different. You ordered a car and it arrived with a manual transmission and you have never driven one. Just like your previous car you can get from point A to point B as soon as you learn how to shift gears.
I like the car analogy…a gas guzzler vs. a hybrid, or something like that :-). Same car company, just going in a different direction in some parts of the vehicle. Certainly not a whole different product, just a different approach to the same problem, an OTA DVR. A more modern approach, updated to reflect the changes in technology over the years. Assuming that the new Tablo is allowed to mature, and the right decisions are made along the way, it will be a better OTA DVR than its predecessor when it gets there. That’s how companies stay alive and sustain themselves, adapting to new technologies and new user expectations.
You may like it better, but pretty sure I’m spot on. Remember, Nuvyyo was a Canadian company with a pretty large Canadian base (eh). Can you even buy a 4th gen in Canada? No. Why? It’s not made to work there.
So, two very different companies, one acquiring the other and the old is pretty much dead and gone.
Yeah. I’ve been observing all this stuff with the gen 4 Tablo and I’m planning on sticking with my legacy 4 tuner (knock on wood) until we see what the deal is with ATSC 3.0. At that time I’ll re-assess because the direction of Tablo by that time may totally differ from what I’m looking for in a solution for ATSC 3.0.
I’ve been keeping an eye on Zapperbox for the time being.
Unless the FCC wakes up and hears from more people, DRM will keep anything good and/or reasonable from ever happening.
At best, you’ll be able to record and playback (but only as long as it’s allowed) content on the same network played from the same device it was recorded from. I know, 4th gen, so who cares about features, who cares about flexibility, who cares about freedom, etc… but for those that know…
Pixelworks probably supplies the API’s that do the actual DVR work as part of their software stack. And if you switch to a different vendor you just might have some issues.