Are there any plans to provide users with the ability to view live content via desktop/laptop web browser with the 4th generation Tablo?
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I do wonder if playing native MPEG2 content is an issue, just like with AppleTv. You can’t use a PC app or browser with the HDMI Tablos either.
I’m happy to have purchased the 4-tuner 4th gen Tablo as it’s step up from my 2-tuner model, but so many features that I liked are not available including browser access. There might be a Windows app, but I’m a Linux person.
I get the sense an in browser player would have some challenges. Browsers don’t seem to support MPEG-2 directly. It seems like a PC app might be more straightforward since I’ve never had an issue playing MPEG-2 on a PC.
There’s a reason for the design of the OG networked Tablos. Thankfully, we didn’t look at those reasons moving forward /s.
I just bought a 4th gen 2-tuner Tablo. It has a web server, but it just displays the message " Nuvyyo Tablo Server". There is no menu or anything else displayed.
My guess is that web browser functionality is such a low priority that the ETA is never. There are so many bugs in the current apps, and no app for common TVs such as Samsung, that by the time they get that stuff sorted out they will be on to the next version of hardware.
I am a Linux user as well, and I would love to have web access. But I just don’t think it’s going to happen.
On the other hand if they were to open source the software, as Cisco / Linksys finally did with their WRT series of routers, then the community could jump in and fix the bugs and add functionality, all for free. But it took a GPL violation lawsuit to open the router code, so again I don’t see it happening for Tablo.
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Old Nuvyyo refused on the open sourcing, even forbid open source development using their API, as it was expressly forbidden in their NDA (required to get access to their closed API).
This of course, has zero to do with the company as it stands today. But, I have a feeling that it’s actually worse than the prior company. Not sure I’d even expect a closed NDA required API from them. But, we’ll see (I really don’t want to say “never”, but if I had to go to Vegas right now…).
I’m a very long time Linux advocate. I wrote software (without signing the NDA) for the older Tablo products. Today, as a Linux user, even though my choice isn’t FOSS, I’d choose Plex Media Server + Plex Pass which will get you a lifetime EPG and Plex DVR. Obviously, my old Tablo OG units still function and work fine with Linux, but you can’t “get them” nor any sort of “lifetime” EPG anymore.
IMHO, there’s lots of room for a “good player” to enter in the OTA DVR space (if you just can’t stand Plex).
Good to know about the Plex alternative. I have a free Plex account and run a private Plex server for playing ripped content from DVDs. I have never looked into the Plex Pass but now I will. It sounds like it may be a viable path. Thanks!
I don’t have one yet but I would run port scan on it to see what ports are open. I would also run a URL Fuzzer to find secret pages on the server.
This thread might be interesting to you as well. It seems some things are already possible without an api.