Tablo for Plex - Now available in the Plex Channel Store

You just have to make sure to not disclose it. The API NDA forbids it. In other words, as long as I can’t see the source, then you’ll be fine. Just something to keep in mind.

@cjcox

According to tablo engineering that is ok as it is acceptable use.

No. That’s not how the NDA reads. And that’s binding. Doesn’t matter what is “said”.

@cjcox

by that logic anything not compiled would be un publishable.

So i dont see how it is any diffrent from


http://endlessnow.com/ten/SurLaTablo/surlatablo-1.7-py.txt

or any other scripting app out there

With that said, as a open source developer (which means I can’t sign the NDA), feel free to expose it… :slightly_smiling:

The API documented under the NDA is what we’re talking about. Not the “api’s” exposed through the Plex app or through reverse engineering already done.

Having the API only available under NDA somewhat puzzles me. Maybe @TabloTV can clarify, but my understanding is that the Tablo hardware is the revenue stream for the company. The apps are provided for free - so why not open up the API so more applications can be developed and possibly sell more hardware as a result ?

You can still have official applications but also allow third party applications that have no support but might allow for new and innovative uses of the Tablo.

I’m just an end user so I may be completely off base, apologies in advance.

@huckabeec - We took the NDA approach basically to ensure that we had a way to communicate with people who were actively working on apps for Tablo. That way we not only keep a bit of a lid on our IP while at the same time encouraging a development community, but we also have a safeguard in place in the event that some sort of 3rd party app causes a malfunction for a user.

Imagine you start working with a 3rd party Tablo app and it somehow manages to brick your unit and erase all your recordings. You contact support and we say, “Um… well we have no idea who the coder of this app is and we have no idea how to contact him/her so we don’t really know how this happened or how to help.”

That’s not an ideal situation for us (who could be blamed for the problem), for the coder (who may not be apprised of any changes we’re making), and for the end user like you who just wants to try cool new tools but may not be able to extricate from a problem that those tools could potentially cause.

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@TabloTV the only remedies to those issues are what other companies do:

  • Clearly state that only the applications with your branding are fully supported by your company and that users install third party applications at their own risk.
  • Make it easy for third party developers to track API changes by offering a mailing list or other subscription model to distribute and discuss those changes. I think you already do this in a way with your beta forums for discussing changes, no ?

The NDA just seems to be overkill for protecting your IP, but that’s only my opinion and IANAL. I’m a happy customer who will be happier when the Apple TV app is released (poke,poke).

Mine magically started working on the One now in Plex.

Just noticed a new error message tonight in Tablo Channel for Plex: “Error: String Indices must be integers”. Only occurs when playing live tv channels. Recording play fine. Had used live channels as recently as last weekend, after 2.2.10 firmware upgrade.

Anyone else seeing this?

More info: On the Plex server, I get a message: “Reconnecting in 5 seconds”, and then it skips to the next tv channel in my Tablo. I then upgraded the Plex server to 0.9.17.2 and the same error message persists.

Previously reported error message was on an Android client, directly connected to the Plex server. Most recent Plex channel is installed.

Also, would it be possible to have the Tablo TV channel number info displayed on the Android app? Currently, the second line of the on-screen description always says Tablo TV. The Windows version shows the channel number data.

Thank you!

Out of curiosity, in what instance are you still using the Tablo Channel on Plex? I was on the Apple TV but now that the native app is out I no longer seem to have a use for it.

My home theatre setup uses an android settop box not compatible with Tablo. Since that room already uses Plex, having the Tablo channel saves me from buying another Roku. I also sometimes will use it while commuting by train into DC.

Ah, didn’t know there were android boxes that wouldn’t run the android app.

I just used it the other night when I was on vacation with my wife’s extended family and we wanted to watch the NBA Finals. They have a Roku powered TV and internet, but no antenna signals available (middle of the sandhills). I used the Plex app to access my Tablo and watched my antenna. It worked pretty good. It would have been better if my upload speed and the cabin’s download speed were higher. I had to play around with the quality level to get it to work.

I would have just logged into the Tablo app, but we don’t have that capability yet remotely. And I can’t take their TV to my home network.

I know you’re already invested in Plex, but have you considered using the new Kodi Add-On for Tablo content on that device?

Looked at it, but you’re right. The family is “invested” in Plex and it would be difficult to change. The Plex app for Android works really well, and I know where many of the landmines in Plex are. Having the Tablo channel available is a “nice to have” feature, but we use Plex mainly for our collection of TV shows and movies – amounting to about 7 tBytes.

We also use Droid TV alot, and we have it set up to FTP the new files from the Droid Android STB to the Plex Server, as well as removing the current shows we’ve watched. Started using Droid TV while posted overseas (it’s ideal because the Droid servers “push” programs to your local STB and are not speed sensitive like streaming solutions). Now that we’re back in the US, we love that it is commercial free.

Once I get the new C7 router installed this weekend and move the phone PBX, I’ll probably take another look. In the meantime, I’ll just use the Roku for live stuff.

@jimzix - No worries. Thought I’d make the suggestion if you hadn’t thought of it.

One of the 3rd party dev team is planning on working on Plex as soon as he’s got some time to devote to it.