I know you guys are really busy right now with CES and the new Android app and Fire app, but the syncing thing is going to need some attention eventually. I like to show off my gadget but that part is kind of embarrassing.
There is a lot of syncing but I suppose there is no way around that. However, the time it takes to transfer the state to one of the apps is kind of crazy. Even on my desktop with Ethernet direct to the Tablo, it takes 20-30 seconds. That’s enough time for more than a gigabyte of data. The Tablo only has to send, what? A few hundred kilobytes of XML or JSON? A few minutes with the app makes it clear that it isn’t caching anything on the client side, other than what the browser does itself.
The interface is still usable while it is sync’ing. You can show it off while it syncs in the background.
IMHO I think they just should do away with the entire concept of “syncing” and have the remote devices load stuff off the tablo on demand as requried for the current screen the user is looking at on their respective client device.
The interface is still usable while it is sync'ing. You can show it off while it syncs in the background.
Not when using a computer. If the computer can’t get to the Internet and the Tablo server or the thing is syncing, it’s stuck until the syncing is done or the Internet server is available and I’m NOT talking about program guide download. The web interface freezes and does nothing if:
It’s syncing
It can’t contact Tablo’s web-based server
Not all of us have or can use “native apps” because of the extremely limited device support at this time.
I agree 100% with ericgus
I have worked IT for the last 2+ decades and most apps will grab what’s needed at the time because you don’t need to sync up a whole database if all you are looking for is a name and address. Let the DATA stay on the Tablo, give me the information being requested at this time. If I had to grab an entire 170 gig SQL database when all I ask for is “what is Joe’s address”, that’s sort of time consuming. Let the interface send a query for information stored in a database on Tablo. Let the computer send a SQL type of query to Tablo and then show me the information. That’s FAST, no syncing and it would mean I could use any one of dozens of devices any time I wanted and they’d all have instant access to the information I’m requesting AT THAT TIME, and not have to download a whole database to get .5K of code
I have worked IT for the last 2+ decades and most apps will grab what’s needed at the time because you don’t need to sync up a whole database if all you are looking for is a name and address. Let the DATA stay on the Tablo, give me the information being requested at this time. If I had to grab an entire 170 gig SQL database when all I ask for is “what is Joe’s address”, that’s sort of time consuming. Let the interface send a query for information stored in a database on Tablo. Let the computer send a SQL type of query to Tablo and then show me the information. That’s FAST, no syncing and it would mean I could use any one of dozens of devices any time I wanted and they’d all have instant access to the information I’m requesting AT THAT TIME, and not have to download a whole database to get .5K of code
The problem is for me is every so often I want to watch something on my phone or iPad (which I dont normally use to view content) and I have to sit thru a sync … (which really shouldn’t be needed if I am just going to watch something previous recorded or say I want to jump on and schedule a recording).
I have to agree, why not read the data directly from the Tablo device? That seems to impact folks who have multiple remote/mobile devices, computers, phones, etc. and use them on occasion. I don’t see a need to cache the information locally if the device must be on the network anyway to function. I can see if you want to work “off-line” say make changes when you are away then sync when you get back home, sort of like “off-line files” on a computer that’s away from the network. But for Tablo, you connect to it or ARE connected to it, so why sync and cache the information, why not just grab it from the Tablo on the fly as needed. Sort of like visiting a web site you’ve never been to before - it’s really not that much slower than a site you visited yesterday where the content is in your browser cache. This is all local on your home network so why sync it? Grab it live and thus grab ONLY what you need. If all you want to do is watch a recorded show, why should you have to wait for the full database to download?
I’m not sure, only one of their engineers could answer WHY they must fully download all content to the local device instead of reading it directly from the Tablo unit AS it’s needed. I can only speculate or guess and that’s worse than no answer in a lot of cases. 
@ShadowsPapa @ericgus @dhowland
Kind of responding in general here, but if they did not download to each device and sync, it would require downloading it all for each page you go to. Imagine the initial sync having to be done each and every time, that would take even longer. If you look at the data for a single episode, there is a lot of data.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I would LOVE for the sync to be shorter, but moving it off of a local device would actually take way more time. Like @theuser86 mentioned, the device is usable while the shorter syncs are going on…
However, I think they need to move the “Recordings” page should be the very first sync that happens. Let me give you an example: If I watch shows on my computer, then later at night I go to my iPad it takes too long, which I do many times. @TabloTV and @TabloSupport can you pass this along to the devs? Update Recordings first during sync. I have to wait until the sync is complete on iPad before the recordings get updated.
How much data? I mean a gig? That much text and that many pictures? Like I say, skip the pretty pictures, give me a text listing of shows I can scroll through and choose based on show title, date and time I don’t need 500 meg of pictures or tiles.
Unless you are talking a gig of data being sync’d, I don’t see why it would take so long pulling it down each time on a fast local network. I mean I can open huge documents and edit big graphics files across my network with little waiting time. So unless we are talking hundreds of meg or a gig, then a few hundred K of info isn’t any worse than a big web page across the Internet and we ALL are willing to do that many times a day.
Maybe knowing HOW MUCH would help. Unless it’s a ton of actual DATA and I don’t mean the number of tiny files or the number of letters in a sentence, I mean FILE SIZE, it’s just like grabbing a web page when you visit a web site- but the web site is hitting your browser much much slower than a local Tablo device that sits on the exact same network segment, no hops, no routers between, you and the device. So is Tablo syncing more than what you get if you visit www.cbs.com for example? Isn’t that a lot of graphic info, a lot of ADS linked from other sources and servers? We all live with that 24/7. I bet the info I’d need from my Tablo if I wanted to record or watch, either one, is less than the downloads I wait for when visiting any graphics-intense web site or use and web-based or browser-based application with a SQL back end.
I think I’ll drop wireshark onto my computer and see just how much is actually going on. I bet it’s not so much as “a lot of stuff” or “a lot of data” as it is slowness in the system. I bet visiting an online TV Guide type of web site forces more data in bytes to my browser than my Tablo does and my Tablo is local to my computer over a 100meg connection, the web site is not.
I think I’ll drop wireshark onto my computer and see just how much is actually going on. I bet it’s not so much as “a lot of stuff” or “a lot of data” as it is slowness in the system. I bet visiting an online TV Guide type of web site forces more data in bytes to my browser than my Tablo does and my Tablo is local to my computer over a 100meg connection, the web site is not.
Thanks for the feedback, all. We did some working on syncing a few releases back, and I’ll will absolutely pass this along to the rest of the team.
We’re hearing you loud and clear. That said, as @dhowland noted, it’s a very busy time! Lots of exciting things on the way. And as we’ve mentioned previously, we look forward to catching up to a few things we’ve always intended to get done.
We take (and we hope this is obvious!) user feedback and feature requests
New products to support, updated software to support and perhaps debug here and there, naw, not much going on up there.
@TabloSupport understandable … we are merely bickering amongst ourselves … 
You guys just keep up the good work and enjoy CES… We know you guys are doing great things! I trust you guys.
@Jestep – I think you are missing what I am suggesting … like a “web page” you dont need to download the entire website server contents just to browse a few pages … think of it like that… Do you really want to download all of Amazon.com’s product database just to browse a few items? … I’m suggesting they just dump the entire concept of a “sync” completely.
Do you think they do a sync for the Roku? I am thinking no.
@ericgus no, I totally understand that. I was just saying that the recordings needs to be the first thing updated…
However, you have to know what you have and what you don’t so question is, where does that sync take place?
You have to pull updates since x date right? That seems the best way to sync. I guess the question is, how do they sync. Don’t think I know that answer and not sure Tablo has ever told us exactly and doubt they ever will
@ericgus no, I totally understand that. I was just saying that the recordings needs to be the first thing updated..However, you have to know what you have and what you don't so question is, where does that sync take place?You have to pull updates since x date right? That seems the best way to sync. I guess the question is, how do they sync. Don't think I know that answer and not sure Tablo has ever told us exactly and doubt they ever will ;)
Why bother … all that “Stuff” is on the Tablo itself live and fresh/up to date… and as a information technology specialist by profession (DBA) I am loathed to duplicate/replicate data when its not necessary … unless there is a very good compelling reason to do so … say slow connection/latency issues or high volume contention issues. etc… none of these things exist here.
I should add, from that perspective, every 24 hours there is a lot of data to sync. If I have 16 channels, and each channel has 24 hours of shows…
Just a rough guess of 24 shows, again assuming 1 hour per show not taking into account movies or half hour comedies. And all recorded/newly scheduled shows…
I would guess that is a lot of data to process via JSON
I was a DBA for years so I understand your points. I am just saying you have to download the new stuff, not everything.
And they do not download everything every sync.
The TABLO knows what it has already … there is no need to replicate it (and worse to potentially multiple devices each with god only knows when it last did a sync). … just ask the TABLO itself … the only thing the TABLO needs to send over is just enough data required for the web browser/device to display the contents of the current page being viewed … nothing more.
@ericgus But that is not what happens. The device you are on has all 14 days worth of guide data. Only 24 hours shows in Live TV
So for prime TV, as an example, that is 1 channel times 14 days * 24 shows * 16 channels. That would be a lot of data to pull down each time you wanted to view that page. Makes more sense to keep local copy.
But you are saying it makes more sense to pull all that data each time you view a page?? That is a lot of processing each time you view a page. It would slow down the user experience that way. So it is a give or take or if you prefer 6 of 1 half a dozen of the other
If I am looking at tonights schedule I dont need the data for all 14 days… just literally what I am looking at on my device/browser. If I view a few more hours into the evening … then just server up the data off the TABLO for that window of time in the schedule… etc … rinse and repeat. There is no need to waste time pushing 14 days of data over if I never actually look at it and its more offensive to repeatedly keep doing that over and over … its simply a waste of time, storage and bandwith.
It doesnt take that much data to send from the TABLO to render a screen like this dyamically as requested by the end user device…
@ericgus, so how would you schedule a show that is playing on Saturday? You would need that data locally.
You have to have the data for 14 days in order to schedule something that far out.
I understand the way you are looking at it, but I want to be able to schedule things other than the next 12 or 24 hours.
Sounds like a personal preference to me.