Hi. I’m very new here and actually have not yet bought a Tablo. I currently use Dish satellite TV but hope in the next couple of weeks to cut that cord and go with Tablo/Roku etc.
On my current Dish DVR, there is an “options” setting when you create a timer, whether one-time or recurring, which lets you set a default value for all recordings. It permits you to start an event X-minutes early and end the event X-minutes late.
For example, on my current Dish DVR, whether I set up a manual timer or automatic timer, it will start recording 2 minutes before the listed broadcast time and end recording 3 minutes after the listed broadcast time.
Such a “default” or built-in system helps avoid clipping off the beginning or ending of a lot of programs. Given the way local stations “cram” ads into broadcast time slots (at least in my area), and given the variance in accurate clock times, this feature is a life-saver many times.
But except for manually setting up every recording, I haven’t yet seen anything in Tablo similar to what I’m talking about here.
I confess I have only scratched the surface of all the support materials, and as I said, I haven’t get bought Tablo.
But has anyone out there got any info on what I’m talking about? Former Dish TV users, perhaps?
The Tablo extends every scheduled recording by 5 minutes at the end. So if a show is scheduled for 8 pm to 9 pm, it will record from 8:00 to 9:05 resulting in a 65 minute recording.
There is no pre-show buffer. I haven’t missed the beginning of shows yet.
Very helpful. Thanks so much for the prompt response. (I just went to my Dish account and poked around once again trying to find an acceptable solution to their outrageous costs. Not really feeling much love from Dish right now. Tablo’s looking better all the time!)
No problem - of course you can always set up manual recordings for 7:58 pm to 9:03 pm, but I prefer to let the Tablo do the work I just hit “record new” and leave it.
Left them a year ago, after they increased my monthly bill to $68.
We already had Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Instant Video.
Got a Tablo, and Sling TV.
Haven’t looked back.
By the way, the Dish DVR we had was using 40w when in standby mode.
That’s almost 1KWh per day used when you believe the DVR is off.
Dish retention will match the new current prices for new users for a year. They offered it to me prior to my cancellation.
Good news is they do send you a box with a paid shipping label for you to return the stuff. They also will want the LNB off the dish itself.
The key to how the Tablo works is the interface you use on the TV. I would suggest ROKU. The 4 tuner Tablo is your best bet if you like to commercial skip.
I dropped Time Warner like a bad habit for Two tuner Tablo. Roku and Nexus Player are the two most popular streaming devices. I have NP and heartily recommend. Good luck.
You should do some research before you abandon your existing TV Setup.
You should investigate TVfool.com or antennaweb.org, to see what over the air channels you might possibly receive.
To confirm what you find on the above websites, buy $10 rabbit ears, hook it up to the coax connector on your TV, change your TV tuner to “Antenna” and see what channels you receive. Reception doesn’t have to be perfect, a better antenna can be purchased later.
Best to try a Tablo Setup or just your Over the Air TV Set up (without a Tablo) with a better antenna, BEFORE you abandon your current setup. That way, no regrets.
I setup a Tablo, fine tuned the Antenna, Ethernet Settings, Streaming Boxes etc for THREE Months before I cancelled my Verizon TV Service (my contract with Verizon was up by then).
I wanted to make sure the New system worked before burning bridges.
I now have TWO Tablos, EVERYTHING is great and have Not regretted the decision.
Using the Tablo to watch the Simpsons on the local Fox station (Denver), I nearly always lose the first sixty seconds or so of each episode. It would be extremely helpful if the Tablo were to permit me to configure the start time to be 2-3 minutes early.