The problem I have with it, is that Broadcast MP2 at 720p is around 19Mb a second. h.264 on Roku at 720p is less than 4Mb per second. That means that The same video would be about 5 times the size using MP2. I guess if you have unlimited storage then MP2 might work for you, but I think most folks are going to want that efficiency over whatever minimal loss there might be in converting to h.264.
I’m sure there will be options. Even if it’s just the fact that some of the SD units have built in trans-coding and others don’t. So at a minimun the tuner you choose to unit might be all you need to worry about. Otherwise they might offer something in the software side.
The problem I have with it, is that Broadcast MP2 at 720p is around 19Mb a second. h.264 on Roku at 720p is less than 4Mb per second. That means that The same video would be about 5 times the size using MP2. I guess if you have unlimited storage then MP2 might work for you, but I think most folks are going to want that efficiency over whatever minimal loss there might be in converting to h.264.
I agree with you, storage is a lot more convenient with h.264. I have a SageTV setup, with 8TB of drives that hold about the same number of recordings that my Tablo 2TB drive holds (which is now just about full - and I wish Tablo would expand their drive limitations). I have yet to be able to actually see any difference between my Tablo recordings and SageTV recordings (h.264 vs MPEG2). I don’t watch a lot of sports, but I did record the Super Bowl on both systems, just to compare, and any differences in that recording were not worth talking about.
I have to have 4 tuners, so this SD DVR simply won’t do it for me. I’m with 7up on where I use my DVR though. I do nearly all my watching on my TV.
What I really want is for TabloTV bugs under control and get all of the functionality into it that should have been there day one. My primary day to day DVR is still SageTV, even though I own a 4 tuner TabloTV.
I have to have 4 tuners, so this SD DVR simply won't do it for me. I'm with 7up on where I use my DVR though. I do nearly all my watching on my TV.
It supports pooling of multiple tuners. Check the higher pledge levels that come with one ATSC/ClearQAM Dual Tuner and one Encrypted QAM Triple Tuner for 5 total.
Of course you could use 2+2 or 3+3 or as is being suggested more than two boxes.
NAS usage is great, but NAS units are about as niche as it gets. The vast majority of consumers don't even know what a NAS is...much less already own one.
Cable-card usage is also nice…but irrelevant when talking about OTA solutions. If all I wanted was OTA on a TV or two, I would buy a Tivo, not this SD system. If I want Mobil devices and light front ends, I would still buy Tablo, not SD. In both of these generalized use cases… I don’t see this as being the best solution.
The number of NAS units sold dwarf Tablo sales. As a home DVR solution Tivo is in a different stratosphere compared to Tablo with the only valid comparison being Tablo costing less although you get what you pay for. In the end it does matter what you or I believe, the market will speak for itself when this product is released. Based upon the kickstarter campaign interest alone, I’d say its not welcome news for Tablo.
NAS usage is great, but NAS units are about as niche as it gets. The vast majority of consumers don't even know what a NAS is...much less already own one.
Cable-card usage is also nice…but irrelevant when talking about OTA solutions. If all I wanted was OTA on a TV or two, I would buy a Tivo, not this SD system. If I want Mobil devices and light front ends, I would still buy Tablo, not SD. In both of these generalized use cases… I don’t see this as being the best solution.
The number of NAS units sold dwarf Tablo sales. As a home DVR solution Tivo is in a different stratosphere compared to Tablo with the only valid comparison being Tablo costing less although you get what you pay for. In the end it does matter what you or I believe, the market will speak for itself when this product is released. Based upon the kickstarter campaign interest alone, I’d say its not welcome news for Tablo.
Sure there are more NASs out there than Tablo…but again, that’s irrelevant. NASs aren’t typically bought to serve as a DVR. Tablos are.
I understand that you are trying to claim that Tablos are a niche item while SD items are not. They are both very much niche items…but I don’t think their target demographics overlap a whole lot. Tablo aims at the streaming cord-cutters and mobil users, while this SD product looks more like a power tech-user demographic item…much like HTPC and WMC. They both have their places and use cases.
But, again, I really am having a hard time conceiving of a usage case where either a Tablo or a Tivo wouldn’t be a more effective solution.
If they offered a roku app I would back the Kickstarter. I am tired of Tablo's super slow updates and bug fixes.
This pretty much summarizes Tablo. Great concept but 1 year after the product release and simple tasks like deleting more than 1 episode at a time still aren’t possible? “Stay tuned.”
Yep. Need a running pc, Nas, plex pass, dvr, tuner.,and guide subscription. Like, what $1500 in investment. If the pass were cheap, and use internal drive… Cheap twenty dollar tuner. Then, things would make sense.
