As a longtime SageTV user I decided the other week to invest in a Tablo. I have been watching all competitors very closely since Google purchased SageTV in 2011. At this point there seems to be nothing to come out of that acquisition so I fear that eventually my SageTV software will stop working. I have had the Tablo for a very short time, but decided to do a quick comparison of the two products for SageTV users in case they are interested in moving too. Overall my assessment is that Tablo has come out of the shoot strong with a viable product, but has some features it needs to add to draw others like myself from the SageTV platform. Good job Tablo!
Here is my configuration:
SageTV setup
Dell Computer running Sage server
HDHomeRun PLUS Dual Network dual tuner
Sage HD100 and HD20 Media Extenders
TabloTV Setup
TabloTV with Seagate Harddrive
Roku 3
Apple TV 3
Various tablets
Comparison
Hardware - Tablo
- Tablo is by far the winner here. The tiny footprint made by Tablo and a slim hard drive is phenomenal. Sage requires PC hardware and some type of tuner to run it.
Interface - Tablo
- The Tablo interface on all platforms is fantastic and very modern looking, taking advantage of the tiles-like interface. Tablo shines particularly on the iOS platform. Its support of so many platforms, including a web interface, at delivery is impressive. The Roku interface has some work to be done, but that platform is limited anyway.
- The SageTV interface is solid, but is looking dated. Sage is very extensible and has some really nice modern interfaces that can be added.
Features
EPG - Sage
Both have a 14 day electronic programming guide. Sage gets the nod here because it was free out of the box (since Google buyout waiting to see how long EPG lasts) and Tablo has a monthly fee (optional lifetime payment).
Managing Recordings - Draw
Both have the concepts of managing recordings including setting a favorite. While Sage's interface is a little more developed the awesome Tablo interface makes this a draw.
Plugin/Extensibility - Sage
- Sage has a plugin architecture to extend the base program. Some of the more favorite plugins are commercial skip (Tablo PLEASE add this) and Web interface. It gets the nod here.
Placeshifter - Tablo
Both have the concept of watching recordings away from home. Sage has Placeshifter and Tablo allows you to pair a tablet to watch away from home. Configuring Sage Placeshifter is a little bit of work and Tablo's ease of use make it the winner here.
Navigating recordings - Sage
Sage has this beat hands down. Skipping is probably THE most important way to navigate a recording (unless you have comskip). Skipping is consistent on all clients and smooth as silk. Plus there are two skip modes which are configurable. Tablo suffers from not being able to control how navigation is done on their different clients. So navigating is still a little rough. IMHO skip should be at the top of Tablo's feature list.
Sage also supports the idea of resume playback. Tablo currently does not, but I believe is on their backlog.
Media Extenders - Tablo
- Tablo supports most modern media extenders directly or through broadcast via AirPlay or Chromecast. I assume more to come.
- The SageTV extender set-top boxes are still super solid, extending Sage to any TV via HDMI. However, you can't buy a new one and good luck finding a used one if it breaks.
