Questions/Answers for a new cord cutter

General Discussion
21

Thank you for your detailed reply. I am a retired senior and my wife and I are the only users in the house and always watch TV together. Occasionally we will surf the internet separately. We have an iMac upstairs connected to the WIFI and an iPad downstairs as well as an iPhone. Seldom are two things used at the same time. We would replace the landline phone service we have with Rogers as well. I was looking at Ebox and would choose the 75MB download along with the phone in the Cable Extreme + Telephony package for $67.85/month with modem rental at 0$. I am looking at the Asus RT-AC66U B1 Dual-Band 3x3 AC1750 WiFi 4-Port Gigabit Router for $99 at Amazon or Best Buy.

You can probably tell by my questions that as a 76year old senior, I am somewhat out of the loop on tech stuff these days and I really appreciate your help with this plan to cut the cord.

Bill

22

You actually sound quite well versed in all this tech compared to many who post here.

That ASUS router is a solid router, you’ll be happy with it. If you’re in the Apple ecosystem you might actually like an Apple TV device rather than a Fire TV to use with the Tablo, it is a lot more money but will integrate well with all the devices you currently have.

23

I looked at the Apple TV but the shows we want are easier to obtain on the Firestick and its streaming apps. Thanks for the suggestion.

Bill

24

Next Question:

How do weather conditions affect reception of OTA channels?

Bill

25

Weather conditions may impact everyone a bit different depending on location and setup. For me, just bad weather has little to no effect on my reception. A nasty thunderstorm or near blizzard, and watching the TV, you’ll notice things - tablo will probably puke with error.

Now atmospheric conditions and other technical “stuff” can cause unknown issues, maybe only temporary, maybe not.

26

You don’t want to be in the loop.
It tends to go around in circles, and makes me dizzy. :wink:

1 Like
27

Ok, so I got rid of the old analog TV in the bedroom and replaced it with a Samsung Smart TV. I am thinking that all I need to do is get another Firestick and then us the Tablo App to view the OTA channels. Does that sound like it would work?

Thanks,
Bill

1 Like
28

Yes, that will work fine. That’s how we watch local channels. You might check and see if there is a Tablo app FOR the Samsung TV. If there is, you won’t need the Firestick.

Steve

29

https://www.tablotv.com/apps-compatible-devices/

Tablo Compatible Smart TVs
Select Samsung Smart TVs in the US running the TIZEN operating system have a native Tablo app.

Drawbacks

  • Proprietary operating system means a limited app selection
  • App only available in the United States
  • Does not support pausing of Live TV
  • Does not support Automatic Commercial Skip
30

This is what Tablo support said about this subject:

“ Thanks for contacting Tablo Support.

Currently there is not a Tablo app available for Samsung TVs in Canada.

If the Tablo app is available on the TV it will appear when you search for ‘Tablo’ to download new apps.

If the Tablo app is not on the TV it would need a connected device that can run the Tablo app, such as a Roku or Firestick.”

Looks like the Firestick is the way to go.

Thanks for your reply.

Bill

31

Yeah living in Canada sucks sometimes, but at least half of our population didn’t and wouldn’t vote for Trump lol

32

Well, it’s not like you’re entire federal government is a joke either. It’s been for many decades, he just seemed to show it off to the world.

Regardless which figurehead is there, collectively… it’s not like there’s any individual decisions, we’re still a joke to the world.

1 Like
33

Hi Bill. I am in Richmond Hill just south of you. Weather has no impact to any of the Canadian stations, they come in perfect at all times. I only have small issues in the spring with some of the US stations that are over 60 miles away.

1 Like
34

Thanks for the reply from a place close to mine. That sounds promising.

Bill

35

Another question:

My new tv upstairs is a smart TV and I will install a Firestick on it. Does the TV have to be on my network in order for Tablo to send data to the
Firestick or just the Firestick on the network to obtain data from the Tablo?

Thanks,

Bill, who is getting much smarter every time one of you answers my questions.

36

Just the Firestick…
Steve

37

With the Fire TV Stick connected to the new TV, you can treat it as a “dumb TV”, no need to use any other buttons than the power on and volume buttons. No need to have it connected to your network for streaming.

But if you want other things like firmware updates for the TV you should connect it to your WiFi network.

38

Thanks.

I connected the TV to the network. I will buy a Firestick for it when they go on sale.

Bill

39

There will be a Black Friday sale on them for sure.

40

Ok so now I am feeling better about how to hook up this whole OTA thing and would like to ask another question.

So far we have examined the upside to OTA but there is always a downside to everything so I would like some sober and thoughtful negatives you have experienced that I should be aware of. Thanks in advance,

Bill