I have the Quad. None of these are really made for channel surfing. When switching to a new channel the Tablo has to begin transcoding the incoming signal and converting it to a file for streaming. So there is a delay when you switch channels.
If you’ve just fired it up and you tune a channel… you wait a few seconds.
Let’s say you’ve tuned channel 2.
Now you want to switch to channel 4… you wait a few seconds…
Nope…this isn’t what you wanted to watch. Back to channel 2… much faster change.
This is because one of the tuners had previously been tuned to channel 2. That affect lasts quite a while if nothing forces that tuner into doing other duty.
The advantage here on a 4 tuner is that you obviously have more tuners and if you jump around channels a bit there are more tuners to sort of… stay tuned to a channel.
But yes, there is a delay on the Quad too when tuning to a channel not previously tuned within the last hour or so. Going to a fresh channel (not already locked onto a tuner) the delay is like… 6 to 8 seconds maybe. Jumping between channels already tuned is like… 2 seconds maybe. Maybe less.