Tablo tuner sensitivity question

Currently I have a Tivo and I was wondering… is the Tablo tuner the same or better/worse?  I have a Tivo Premiere which (from what I’ve read) has a reputation for being not so hot for tuning in channels.


I have fiddled with the antenna, and have a reasonable signal across the board for the Tivo (54-90 depending on the channel, for those familiar w/ Tivo signal strength).

Thinking of adding a Tablo to the mix and would like to know.  Thanks!

@VegasSteve  I thought you already had a Tablo? 

I couldn’t find sensitivity numbers, but in an earlier thread @tablotv said that they use the Maxlinear MxL603 tuner chip. 


Technical Highlights: MxL603



The MxL603 is part of MaxLinear’s MxL600 “super radio” family of 4 mm x
4 mm tuner ICs. It features an RF loop-through port and an accurate
input power detector and was specifically designed to exceed the
requirements of new broadcast standards such as DVB-T2/C2. The MxL603
superior interference rejection circuitry can block 4G/LTE, Wi-Fi, MoCA
and EoC signals without the need for expensive external filters
associated with legacy solutions.



Based on low-power 65-nm digital CMOS process technology, the MxL603
supports all global digital cable and terrestrial television reception
standards, including: DVB-T/T2, ISDB-T, ATSC, ATSC M/H, DTMB, ITU J.83
Annex A/B/C, DVB-C2, DOCSIS and EuroDOCSIS. The device is
software-configurable for any of these standards, allowing manufacturers
to re-use designs in multiple markets.


@VegasSteve - That’s indeed the tuner we use. We took a lot of time and tested a lot of tuners before deciding on that one. It was the most sensitive one we could find on the market. 

@VegasSteve  I thought you already had a Tablo? 

I did.  And I wasn’t happy with it for several reasons, so I returned it.  But I want it to succeed, so I keep coming back here and picking your brains to see if things have/will improve to the point where I would jump back in.


I like the concept of Tablo and what it should be capable of doing.


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@VegasSteve - That's indeed the tuner we use. We took a lot of time and tested a lot of tuners before deciding on that one. It was the most sensitive one we could find on the market. 

While you don’t directly say, is it fair to assume that your tuner is better than the one in a Tivo Premiere?  I’m trying to gauge how effective a Tablo would be for me and I’ve done about all I can to improve my signal reception.  Thanks!

I can say that in my case, the Tablo pretty much records exactly what I see directly from the antenna. I have one channel where I get dropouts of a second here and there, and the only difference is that the Tablo records nothing when there is no signal, so there is no pause, it just skips. I hope that made sense.

@philsoft I think VegasSteve is looking for a statement from Tablo that their tuner is better than one from a product they don’t manufacture.  In my opinion, they would be nuttier than squirrel poo to give it.  I posted the actual tuner IC and a blurb from its datasheet, and @TabloTV said their selection was based on an extensive engineering study and was the most sensitive one they could find.  VegasSteve will have to decide if that is good enough for him. 

FWIW, my experience is similar to philsoft’s–the Tablo tuner works pretty well. 

@philsoft I think VegasSteve is looking for a statement from Tablo that their tuner is better than one from a product they don't manufacture.  In my opinion, they would be nuttier than squirrel poo to give it.  I posted the actual tuner IC and a blurb from its datasheet, and @TabloTV said their selection was based on an extensive engineering study and was the most sensitive one they could find.  VegasSteve will have to decide if that is good enough for him. 

FWIW, my experience is similar to philsoft's--the Tablo tuner works pretty well. 

@ddd671 I appreciated your previous post, this one not so much.  One would have to believe that a company would compare hardware with other companies in the same sort of business, like Tivo, SimpleTV, Channelmaster, etc.  I don’t understand why you think they would be nuts to disclose info like this, they are in competition with such manufacturers after all.  “Latest, greatest, and all that”, y’know?  That said, you shouldn’t state what other people are “thinking” when they ask a question.  I’m a consumer trying to make an informed decision, nothing more, nothing less.  And if Tablo doesn’t want to get technical, fine.  My other hope was that ‘maybe’ someone had experiences with two such devices and could comment on reception differences.

I can say that in my case, the Tablo pretty much records exactly what I see directly from the antenna. I have one channel where I get dropouts of a second here and there, and the only difference is that the Tablo records nothing when there is no signal, so there is no pause, it just skips. I hope that made sense.
Thanks philsoft, yep, makes sense.  I’m a little concerned about reception as in reading the forums, it seems like some people who have problems don’t have a rock solid signal.  Just trying to do my homework, thanks again.  (I don’t know why the forum made this look like a quote from philsoft!)

I will be honest, my Tablo works great and I love it. However, the tuner in my HDTV is definitely better than the Tablo tuner. I have channels which I am on the fringe of their signal level for reception. These channels work great on my HDTV but I get pixelation issues on my Tablo.

This is not Tablo’s fault but my fault for the antenna I am using. I am using a Winegard Flatwave. I know if I get a bigger antenna the problem would go away. So all we are saying is buy a Tablo and test it. If it doesn’t get the channels you want, get a bigger antenna. There are always way to improve your OTA signal quality.

My experience is basically the same as theuser86 - the real TV, an LG, is slightly better, the Toshiba tuner in the DVD recorder is also possibly a bit better but it’s hard to say since it records ANYTHING, even dead space in the case of lost signal. It records the exact same thing in every way that we see on the TV where Tablo may pixelate a bit - but then I’m also feeding a lot of devices from my on-the-roof 10 year old antenna.
I have noted that with a forum member supplied amp things are cleaner for all devices. So if you are on the edge, Tablo due to having multiple tuners that split the signal fed to them may suffer a bit, but then is it the tuner or the fact that the signal is SPLIT inside the Tablo and if weak, is splitting a weak signal.
There are a lot of specs involved with tuners and to say one is simply better than another isn’t the whole story, although that’s usually the way we all tend to describe things - including myself!
I’ve found the members here, especially certain members I needn’t name, to be extremely knowledgeable and level-headed and I have learned to accept most of what they say without much pause.  (which goes against my nature and personality so that makes it mean that much more if you knew me)

Thanks guys.  Again, just trying to make an informed decision.  I’m the kind that would rather do the research and have a very good idea of what will/won’t work, rather than buying something and returning it if possible.  But buying/testing/returning if necessary may be the only way.


It puzzles me that Tablo says they chose the “most sensitive” tuner on the market, yet as some of you stated, your TV tunes in the signal better.  Could be that even though the Tablo tuner is great, but being split 2/4 times causes problems.  I don’t pretend to understand all the nuances, and I always felt that TV reception is somewhat problematic, just because it’s based on so many variables.  So there could be a very good reason why “most sensitive” doesn’t equate to some TV tuners. 

Thanks again for all your info.

Yes splitting causes signal degradation even with amplifiers, this is the likely culprit.

@VegasSteve  I apologize.  Re-reading my comments I see where it came off as stronger than I intended.  I can only say that I shouldn’t have been posting on a public board when I was in work mode.  Especially since I had a most exasperating day to that point, mostly dealing with explaining complex issues to non-technical people. 

What I should have said, and what I meant, is that there are way too many variables involved when dealing with RF issues such as OTA signals.  It is not just the hardware involved as the firmware, PCB layout, internal amplification, etc. all matter just as much.  The question you ask about sensitivity is even a little tough to answer.  Sure, there is a sensitivity figure associated with the chip itself, but even more important are isolation and filter circuits.  Those seem pretty good on the MxL600 chip. 

Given the complexity involved, and the potential for litigation based on something officially stated by Tablo, I would be surprised if any company would give you a statement like “ours is better.”  They are much safer to state what they do use, and leave the judgement to others–can’t be sued that way.  The only way to definitively state that one setup is better than others is to do a very expensive and difficult engineering study.  Such things would involve a statistically significant sampling of both devices, perhaps 50 or more of each. The test would need to be conducted in an RF shield room with signals very carefully fed and measured with network analyzers.  Even with such a test all that would be proven is that one tuner works better than the other under controlled conditions.  Such conditions could never be duplicated in a home.

I’m familiar with such testing.  In what seems like a lifetime ago, I was once part of a design team that invented, built, and tested a device that tested repairs to the B2 aircraft.  The testing on that project took almost 18 months and cost over $1.5 Million. 

My best advice is to choose your OTA streaming device based on features and how you will use it in your setup.  Then, if you have signal issues I recommend you concentrate on improving your antenna system.  This means amps, antennas, and a lot of iterative testing to find what works. 

As far as the anecdotal evidence presented here in the forums by other users, my guess (and it is only a guess) is that it is heat related.  Tablo’s run pretty warm, and I’ll bet the MxL600 chip is affected by heat.  I would also guess that tuners in televisions tend to run a little cooler.  That may explain the differences reported. 

@ddd671 … no problem, we all have ‘those days’.  I really do appreciate the info all the users on here provide.

Does Tablo Dual support ISDB-T signal? Could it be used outside the USA?

It can only be used in the USA and Canada. It just receives ATSC signals.

ATSC, digital only