Isn’t praise for the Nvidia TV box kind of undercutting your argument? By that I mean, if the Nvidia is so good and does so many other things, you’d have one anyway, right? An apples to apples comparison would require you to look at things that are costing you extra. So if you already have the streaming box of your choice, then that makes the Tablo comparison even cheaper, making it $400 for setup plus $50 for the guide (I’d actually argue $370 since a 2tb hard drive can easily be had for $70).
No, I purchased the Nvidia boxes. Originally I tried Roku because I purchased one before Tablo. It was no good with Tablo App. Then I went to Walmart and got Android TV box and it did not work that good. I was disconnecting like crazy so I returned it and I got Nvidia TV box. It was disconnecting like crazy any way. So I returned the Tablo for Exchange and the second one I put fan right away. It worked good for one day so I purchased another Nvidia Box but few days later started disconnecting like crazy again. Plus shutting down (No Blue Lights).
So NO, I did not had Nvidia boxes…
This is all because Tablo is over heating that they don’t want to say. They bleming on FIRMWARE but if that would be the case then every one would have the same problem. BUt from reading here User of the old boxes have less problem then the New boxes. I quess is the Cost cutting. Cheaper components in the New box. Plus the tuners are weak. I could not pull some local channels on Tablo only evening time would work. On TV no problem I could watch it daytime no problem. ON Tivo same channel Works great at daytime or any time. Same hook up same everything. 4 Tuner system just like Tablo.
So don’t assume what I had because the only thing what I had was Roku Ultra…
I don’t think you’re understanding what I’m saying. I’m saying that if you’re going to compare apples to apples on cost, then you wouldn’t factor in the Nvidia boxes if you would have purchased those anyway. I’m not disputing what you actually paid; I’m disputing that your experience is universal. Many people who buy Tablo already have a Roku/Android TV/Amazon Fire/Apple TV that they already use for other purposes or would buy anyway when they’re cutting the cord.
There may be other technical issues, but I haven’t run into them. I get the same level of signal through my Tablo as I do directly hooking up the antenna to my tv. So for those who haven’t run into technical problems, the Tivo ends up being quite a bit more expensive.
I disagree. They might have one but not for every TV. So they need to get more so the expense is there.
I gave my opinion what it cost me not what it would cost everyone. Some might use on 1 TV and others on 4 TV’s
I have on 3 TV’s. And don’t forget if you get Tivo main box then you don’t need other box what ever it is. So for one TV it cost me $299.00 ($200.00 Used One) with Tivo while with Tablo it Cost me $299.00 plus the price of other box what ever it is. You might had one but still you paid for it. Let say $75.00 everage, so it cost you $375.00 just for 1 TV Plus a cost of the Hard Drive in my case was a $100.00 so now we are at $475.00. Do the math… You had it or not you paid for it. And a lot don’t have nothing so they need to start like me from nothing.
And my first estimate was for 2 TV’s with Tablo and not 3 TV’s that I have now with Tivo…
$850.00 was for 2 TV’s
and $740.00 for Tivo Setup is for 3 TV’s
Do you see the difference.
I’m just confused on why you would purchase a Tivo Bolt to replace a Tablo? The Roamio is the less expensive choice because of the lifetime subscription.
Everyone is going to have their own preferences based on their individual needs. There are two major advantages to Tablo that determined my choice over Tivo. First, Tivo mini’s have to be hardwired vs android devices using wifi (much less wiring throughout my house - I have 4 TV’s). Second, I subscribe to PSVue & Tivo does not have an app for PSVue thus I would have to switch inputs & user devices to go from cable channels to OTA channels. With Tablo & android devices, I never have to switch inputs nor do I need to use any remote besides my android device remote - except for volume.
If Tivo & PS would play nice together it may have tipped the scale in favor of Tivo, but alas they do not & do not seem to have any intention to do so. I would suggest to Tivo that the future of cable TV is streaming & they need to get on board with that. The ability to integrate streaming cable channels with OTA channels on a Tivo box would put them ahead of the competition IMO. They also need to make their mini’s fully functional using wifi, this would again be a major advantage for them.
Your experience is quite useful. There is a class of cordcutting user for which the Tablo is the wrong solution. If you just have one TV, now that Tivo has been forced to reduce rates due to competition, Tivo is a very good option.
This might help people from wasting money on the wrong solution for them.
With that said, if you have the money to spend on add-ons for extra features, Tivo is still a good choice just from the usability point of view.
Of course for some, Tivo’s settop box isn’t going to do what they need it to do outside of OTA, and they end up buying a Roku or whatever for that… and thus again, I think you’re still ok as long as cost isn’t a huge concern, but the setup starts getting complex at that point.
Ultimately my point is new cordcutters would be wise to do more research up front. And also, talk to their neighbors. It’s very likely there are many cordcutters nearby and all likely more than willing to demonstrate their setups. I’m a “mobile” evangelist in that I can demonstrate almost all aspects remotely from my phone. There are plenty of non-Tablo OTA (HDHomeRun, HomeWorx, Plex DVR, AirTV etc) in addition to Tivo users out there nearby (likely). Get to know your neighbors (e.g. Facebook neighborhood page, NextDoor.com, etc). You’ll not only save some money, but some headaches and … well, you get to know your neighbors!!
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You can get Networking box that uses electrical outlet so no wiring.
In my living room I kept Nvidia box. How hard is change source on the TV from HDMI 1 to HDMI 2, a second. It’s faster for me to switch from Nvidia to Tivo then for you going from one App what ever it is to Tablo App that you you need to wait until connected then find the channel or recorded show wait again until starts playing. So your logic is not there.
My setup is with universal remote because I have a TV, Receiver, Tivo plus other players like Blu Ray, Game. So by pressing one button It’s all switches to what I want to watch…
But any way we can talk for ever.
But for new users who want to cut the cord they need to do the Math. What they need what it will cost them and how reliable service they want…
I personally don’t recommend the Tablo. It will cost you more and you will have a lot of problems with it. Just Like I had. Two Tablos with same problem
I appreciate your opinion.
Mine is not the same, though.
I have 2 Tablos: one Tablo Quad for me; and one Tablo Dual for my mom.
We spent very little money, and don’t have the problems you did.
Glad you’re happy with the TiVo.
When I researched it, Tivo was showing the mini’s would have to be ethernet or Moca wired. Their site still shows those two options only for mini’s.
Universal remotes are nice - point taken. I could get one or 4. But I do not need one because the FireTV remote is all I ever have to use.
You right but you can add this to any place in the house. One goes to network routher and the other one any place that you want network…
This is what I’m using for few years… Better then WI-FI
When I leave Tablo, I’ll go out with a bang too! I’ll come in here and tell all of you die hard Tablo supporters how you’re overspending, how you’re wrong, how the product actually sucks, and tell you how much better my replacement product is!
Because… umn… I don’t know why, but yeah, that’s exactly what I’ll do!
.
.
.
.
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Why can’t people just leave quietly?
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Our need to vent? Revenge for perceived loss of time or money? Desire to sway people’s opinions? (which usually doesn’t happpen btw)
Welcome to humanity… we suck and need to be replaced 
(happy Tablo user, fits my needs well)
But the Tivo Mini still costs $150 for each set. Even a Roku ultra is cheaper. It really just sounds like you’re saving money on the hard drive, but you pay for it again with the guide data. And it looks like it costs another $70 to add ethernet, so that drives the price up further. Look, I’m not saying Tablo is the right solution for you, but there are a ton of people for whom Tablo will be more than satisfactory and much cheaper than Tivo.
Shhhhhh… I was trying to sneak out, and now I have to start all over again.
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Those adapters are interesting. So lets truly compare the costs between a Tablo system & a Tivo system in my 4 TV home which would give me what I have today. I won’t include the antenna or the wifi components since they are needed for both.
Tablo:
4-tuner Tablo = $300.00
Lifetime Guide = $150.00
(4) Fire TV’s = $360.00
1 TB HD = $60.00
Total = $870.00
Tivo:
1 TB Roamio with lifetime subscription = $350.00
(3) Tivo Mini’s = $450.00
(3) Netgear Powerline Adapters = $210.00
(4) Fire TV’s = $360.00 (I would still need these for PSVue)
Total = $1,370.00
The above pricing does not include universal remotes, but I’m not sure of any that could be used to control the FireTV devices. Is that possible?
If Tivo had an app for PSVue it would be much closer.
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After some more research, I have found that Tivo users that have tried connecting their mini’s with powerline adapters have had many problems. They have had better luck using wireless ac bridges, but the performance suffers compared to being hard wired either by Ethernet or MoCA.
So it seems it is possible to setup mini’s without hard wiring the whole home but it is not ideal & you can expect many issues.
FireTV can be controlled with the Harmony Hub, but not with the stand alone Harmony remotes. Harmony Hub actually works very well with FireTV and also works with Alexa for some voice controlled functionality if you have an Echo.
So it is possible but how much more money would have to be added to the Tivo system I spelled out earlier so one remote can control the Tivo units & the FireTV devices? The Harmony Hub alone is $90.00 on Amazon.
It is definitely looking like I made the correct choice back in August to go with Tablo given my needs. The fact that Tivo does not have a PSVue app rules it out for me for now. As I said before, Tivo is going to need to be able to integrate streaming cable services & become more wifi capable to keep up with the evolving TV landscape.
It’s funny because DirectTV Now & Sling TV are both scrabbling to get DVR capabilities up & running to better compete with PSVue. Maybe they should be working with Tivo to offer even better DVR options.