Got an email from Tablo promoting this DVR and a best ever price. I am a Simple TV refugee who has moved on to TiVo set top boxes, but have been curious about the Tablo TV. This strikes me as a very good deal.
The box comes with the latest firmware. Here are my questions…
Is the hardware dated? Will I have a better experience with the newer boxes?
How is the Tablo DVR without the service? I will not likely renew the service after the trial because I will not be using the Tablo as an everyday device.
A newer revision of the dual tuner model is out, Tablo DUAL (2 models actually, one with built in storage and another without) but there are lots of people still running the original 2-tuner model. The actual functionality is basically exactly the same.
It’s a glorified VCR (you have to manually schedule the channel and time) if you don’t have the service. Still useful if that meets your needs.
I don’t think anyone has had any major problems with refurbs.
For $90 you are getting a solid tuner with pretty mature software. I actually moved from TiVo to Tablo because it provides a lot more flexibility without having to invest in additional hardware I don’t already have (I already have Roku, Android TV, Android devices) and the service subscription is at the account level, not the device level.
There’s also an Amazon.com coupon available for the Tablo DUAL LITE if you’d rather pick up a brand new DVR, instead of one that’s been previously enjoyed.
Here’s a comparison of the dual lite to this. Apparently the same hardware except for the integrated storage and one less usb port on the dual lite. Maybe the integrated hardware accelerates buffering?