"What's the best way" question for the masses here

General Discussion
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This community - every one - has been great so far, Good support, great information, very helpful, good ideas and suggestions so I thought I’d take advantage of the long-time Tablo experiences some of you have, specifically with Chromecast. 
Apple users, Roku people, etc. won’t care and likely won’t be able to help a lot (or will they!)

Here’s the question - 
Considering the following equipment - 
Notebook computer, operating over 150-300 Mbps Wi-Fi (same room as the Wi-Fi router)
Android-based phones, Moto X
Tablo web-app on both, browser-based on the PC, whatever-based on the phone. 
CHROMECAST device plugged into hole in TV (a factory hole, I didn’t make a new one)
Wi-Fi router, Chromecast device, phones, notebook, all in same room (so far, anyway)
Recorded shows - look in recordings, stuff either I or my wife has recorded.
We want to watch a recorded show. 
I connect to the Tablo, find the show, then what. Yes, we’ve watched some stuff but it wasn’t exactly smooth and I have a feeling I’m either doing something wrong, out of sequence, “don’t get it” or “it’s just how it is”.
When you find the show you want to watch, and you have Chromecast in the TV, what’s the exact sequence of events to make it cast to the TV and work seamlessly?

I ask because - when I choose a show and decide to play/watch, the show instantly starts but it’s not connected to the Chromecast yet so I have to really really fast pause it, connect to the Chromecast device, choose "stream Tablo to Chromecast and start again. 

Also when we’re done, what’s the exit strategy? no matter what I do the Tablo jumps back to the very beginning and starts playing the show all over again! It won’t pause or stop and stay that way. 
If we get half-way through  and decide to watch the rest tomorrow, we can’t because it will start all over again at the very beginning no matter what I do. 

So looking for step-by-step best way to play a recorded show over Chromecast.
Best way to STOP watching the show and exit things (on the phone all there is is a back button and that takes you back through every Tablo screen you’ve used that night! It doesn’t exit the Tablo app)
Best way to stop part way and then pick it up again the next day as far as finishing the same show. 

This may sound silly, stupid, or crazy, but I’ve tried everything - every document or “how-to” piece that Tablo has on the topic, I’ve even experimented a lot, and it always starts the show playing on my device before I can get Chromecast connected, and when I stop no matter where I stop, it jumps back to the beginning and starts playing the show over again, I can’t resume from where it left off and I can’t get it to pause forever, it always plays again especially when I disconnect from the Chromecast device, Tablo starts playing when it senses that disconnect or something.

Are these just quirks of the system?

Is there a YouTube video of “how to use Tablo with chromecast and make it play or stop/pause when and where you want” or "how to make Tablo pause and save your place for later when using Chromecast."

I LOVE how-to videos and love pictures, I’m an extremely visual learner. 



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Not that I have personal experience with the chromecast but with appleTV using Airplay to view PLEX recorded content (aka DVDs) … my situation was similar … after a whole lot of fussing tweaking … fiddling with phones, network routers, ethernet over power adaptors, etc… I ended up getting a ROKU … not because I was a ROKU fan … but it was just 100x easier … I am not trying to advocate ROKU here … just pointing out that sometimes doing it a “certain way” or trying to make a “certain device” work to fit your circumstances can be complex and exhausting… which is all well and good if you enjoy that sort of intellectual challenge and don’t mind the futzing and fiddling with things as if they were 18th century steam powered devices with a hundred knobs and dials to perpetually fiddle with … (I personally enjoy that sort of thing but my wife has zero tolerance for it) … hence my move to using ROKU boxes (we originally started out as an appletv/itunes household and have since moved to PLEX/TABLO - ROKU) … just some perspective and 2 cents .

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Trying to keep things simple, cheaper, etc. we have the Chromecast, don’t want yet another online account (Roku requires an account, more online accounts more risks, things to remember, places to go, which sort of off-set things as far as complexity savings for us) 

We have no Apple devices (*other than iPods but that’s another issue altogether)
Since we have the Chromecast, support for it is growing by the day, it’s cheaper and works well with our other resources, that’s where we’re staying for now. some say I’m a geek and I automate the heck out of things honestly, but I’m not so far that I wish for a device that’s 10 times what we need which is basic streaming from Android to TV.

I appreciate that most people here are indeed Roku users. And most who have a Roku of any age or sort seem to really like them. I checked with my son (a Chromecast user for his other devices, broadcast his Chromebook, his Nexus tablet and other stuff to TV) I looked and read and studied and never saw myself getting into a more complex device which it is in some ways. I’ve also witnessed that now and then there’s issues with Roku and the interface, although Tablo is working on it, I didn’t see the gain as offsetting the small issues with the Chromecast. It’s working it’s just that SOMEONE out there knows how to do it correctly! 

Roku personally is just not something to fit “us” at this time. 
Who knows what the future 6 months from now may bring, but for now… 

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fwiw I wasn’t trying to advocate any specific solution … just explain how we arrived at ours.

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Roku personally is just not something to fit "us" at this time. 
Who knows what the future 6 months from now may bring, but for now......... 

As an Apple TV user we also said this … 1 year later we are mostly Roku users… If the appletv allowed native apps (like plex and tablo … I would probably still be using it) … again it was just a simplicity of use thing… not having to fiddle with a phone or a tablet or a computer just watch a show on our living room or kitchen tv was the main issue for us … the Roku (or say a fireTV or any device/settop box that runs the plex/tablo app native) replicates a more cable-tv box like experience without having to “loop” it thru a 3rd device.


And the roku while it does require an account its not as involved as you may think it is… its not something as a day to day user I really deal with … and while you have seen people posting about Roku “issues” 99% of the time it works fine… you usually dont find people on a forum raging because something works… it usually when there is a glitch or something that people bother to post (regardless of what device we are talking about) … for the majority of users it works perfectly most of the time.
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i have all possible combinations of control devices and viewing devices (ios/android, tablet/phone, roku/apple tv/chromecast, web browser from computer). after trying them all, i found, as many others have, that roku works best. the ui could be better and i’d like to be able to see the video frames flying by as i fast forward or skip ahead/back. but it works much better than any other device. in this case even apple tv did not live up to the standards (i was surprised by this).

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A lot of cheers for Roku but that’s not my question - hoping to get chromecast users to give the correct sequence of events. No offense, but the features and positives of Roku have been read many times in the last couple of weeks. 

99% of the time the chromecast works great. Just those annoying nagging things No offense but don’t need to be sold on the merits of Roku, looking for advice on what we have. 
Looking for now, not “maybe, down the road”.
thanks anyway. I was afraid of it as it happens all the time on the forum i run. When asking how to fix a Ford part instead it’s “you need to trade and get a Chevy instead, they run better”. Never a response on how to make the Ford run.   Again, no offense folks, but this forum is loaded with the virtues and merits of Roku - that’s not what we have and we don’t have any money for more expenditures in this area for some time to come.  Gotta make this go, not replace it. 
:smiley:
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I am using both Roku and Chromecast.  There are currently advantages to both.   Right now, the guide on Roku for Live TV is primitive.  When using Chromecast, I use the Android phone app to browse Live TV, which is a much more satisfactory experience (albeit a bit slow).


When I start a program, it starts on the phone.  I switch it to Chromecast, at which point it starts over, so there is reason pause it first.  Once it is running on Chromecast, the phone is semi out of the loop, although it can still be used to skip commercials.  As you noticed, the Tablo (or the phone) doesn’t seem to keep track of where you left off if you stop watching.  To be honest, I don’t know if the Roku does this either, since I haven’t had it long enough to try it. 

Other than the guide deficiencies (soon to be addressed by the new Roku app), the Roku is easier once the program is started, since I can just use the remote to control playback.

The lack of a remote is probably my biggest gripe about Chromecast. It does a fine job of streaming and is supported by a lot of providers,including some that Roku doesn’t support, like Watch ABC. Having to fish for my phone every time I want to do something is a pain! 

The Tablo/Chromecast combo is also limited to 720p, while the Roku can do 1080p without a hiccup (wired, at least).

I use Netflix a lot with the Chromecast.  It has no trouble keeping track of where I left off in a recording, so it is technically possible.  The Android app for Netflix is a native app and I don’t know if that makes any difference.  Hopefully, Tablo will get around to replacing the Web phone app with a native app.  Not sure if it will solve the restart problem, but hopefully will be snappier.

Sorry, but I don’t have any helpful hints for now.  I’m new at this, too.
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Just following the forums since the beginning of the launch of Tablo, the Tablo Chromecast experience has been the worst out of the Roku and Apple TV experiences. And this has mostly been attributed to poor WiFi signal of the Chromecast device and lack of remote.

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That’s not the question and I’ve not got complaints about something to do with Wi-Fi since my router sits 5 feet from the Chromecast and the picture is great and it doesn’t buffer when using a phone to manage it (and when it does, it’s a Tablo issue I’ve since found out!)


It’s a question of what’s the proper or best sequence of steps. I guess no one understood the question. It’s not a complaint about Chromecast or how Tablo handles it - at least not necessarily.

Resolution on a typical TV at the proper viewing distance - TVs under 50" people can’t tell the difference between 720 and 1080 when viewing from recommended distances. That’s been studied for a long time and well established by tests by independent companies.
Sorry but in all honesty I really don’t care if one device can do 1080 but another is “limited to” since the human eye with a typical setup can’t discern differences between the two resolutions. I knew that part before buying Tablo and understood how little difference most people would ever see between the two unless you have a big expensive TV and sit right next to it.

I don’t need “scrap Chromecast, buy Roku” comments please!
I am not looking for a poll on what’s the best device. 
I’m not looking to change religions. (and it’s beginning to look like Roku is a religion as much as a technology)
Just looking for Chromecast users who have figure out how to start and stop playback properly. 

I guess everyone missed the point or the questions.
It’s not “what’s best” - I’m not changing devices because frankly, it’s 6 of 1, half a dozen of the other for people like US. 

I have to suspect now that Chromecast users are scared to death to post here for fear of being pounced on and buried by the pro-Roku group flaming them and that’s why there’s been no suggestions.
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I am using both Roku and Chromecast.  There are currently advantages to both.   Right now, the guide on Roku for Live TV is primitive.  When using Chromecast, I use the Android phone app to browse Live TV, which is a much more satisfactory experience (albeit a bit slow).

When I start a program, it starts on the phone.  I switch it to Chromecast, at which point it starts over, so there is reason pause it first.  Once it is running on Chromecast, the phone is semi out of the loop, although it can still be used to skip commercials.  As you noticed, the Tablo (or the phone) doesn't seem to keep track of where you left off if you stop watching.  To be honest, I don't know if the Roku does this either, since I haven't had it long enough to try it. 

Other than the guide deficiencies (soon to be addressed by the new Roku app), the Roku is easier once the program is started, since I can just use the remote to control playback.

The lack of a remote is probably my biggest gripe about Chromecast. It does a fine job of streaming and is supported by a lot of providers,including some that Roku doesn't support, like Watch ABC. Having to fish for my phone every time I want to do something is a pain! 

The Tablo/Chromecast combo is also limited to 720p, while the Roku can do 1080p without a hiccup (wired, at least).

I use Netflix a lot with the Chromecast.  It has no trouble keeping track of where I left off in a recording, so it is technically possible.  The Android app for Netflix is a native app and I don't know if that makes any difference.  Hopefully, Tablo will get around to replacing the Web phone app with a native app.  Not sure if it will solve the restart problem, but hopefully will be snappier.

Sorry, but I don't have any helpful hints for now.  I'm new at this, too.

Thank you for at least that much!
The phone is a huge improvement over controlling via notebook. Now that I know I can turn the phone to landscape mode to get the FF to work, that’s what I have been doing. The phone is obviously not really acting as a go-between but more like a remote control since we can watch over an hour of TV and the battery on the phone hasn’t dropped more than perhaps 1%. And that drop is likely due to my using the screen to FF, waking the phone and lighting up the display is likely what used that 1% battery. I could probably use the Tablo all day using the phone to control it and not lose any battery to speak of. 
Yes, there are pros and cons to each device or method. The guide is a dream to use. The Chromecast is doing a great job and in fact the picture quality doesn’t seem to be any worse than watching live TV directly through the TV. Yeah, so it’s 720 vs 1080 for SOME, but check your station list and note that not all stations broadcast 1080! So you can’t say that Roku is better there if the original broadcast wasn’t that good. Many stations are laid out so the primary or the dot 1 is 1080 and the dot 2 or dot 3 are lower resolution, 720 or LESS in most cases. Especially the “oldies” stations. Those are never in 1080 so why do I need to play them back with that ability.
I have discovered our buffering issues aren’t the Chromecast itself but are more to do with Tablo and/or the interface. For example, I find that a recorded show might buffer at specific spots or hang when I use the PC in the loop, but if I use my phone, there’s no buffering. Since it’s Tablo to Chromecast no buffering then, it must not be the Chromecast device, eh? It also always buffers at the exact same spot. If I move the slider or skip forward or backward it always gets to the exact same marker and buffers, it’s more like it’s grabbing the next file in the sequence of that recording and having issues launching that file segment. It only happened twice on one particular recorded show and it was a 480 original broadcast so not high resolution at all. I switched to my phone for the next show, a high resolution broadcast and there was no buffering AT ALL.  So I can’t say it was the Chromecast device, more of a Tablo and software issue. The Chromecast itself works just fine. Any buffering issues have 0 to do with it, buffering issues are elsewhere. 
I am not really excited about a lack of remote. Great that Roku has one but that’s not my question in this particular case. I knew the Chromecast didn’t have a remote but worked withe Tablo support weeks before buying anything and they explained perfectly how each possible scenario would work. (*Kudos to them for that help, by the way)
OK, so it’s likely then according to your post that it’s just how it is when playing a recorded show through Chromecast - the Tablo will start playing so you have to quickly hit pause, start the cast to the TV, maybe even backup using the back 20 choice, and then start play. 

The lack of remembering where we were is the biggest “thing” then since starting play is just something to get used to unless we are BOTH doing it wrong!
I don’t see why it can’t remember where it left off if we pause then want to resume later - that seems ODD, especially since in the case of the Chromecast, you are having Tablo play to your computer in Chrome and Chromecast is reflecting your computer to the TV. Pause on the computer control pauses Tablo so it’s paused on the TV since that’s just an echo of what’s on the computer. Tablo thus just plain isn’t remembering where it left off and that’s more of a Tablo bug and not a Chromecast bug! 

I think I see a picture forming and I believe the wrong things are getting blamed for certain hiccups is what I think and that’s being said as an award-winning troubleshooter of technology and mechanical devices. 
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I went back and read everything in these posts and fail to see where you have been flamed…  I think what you will find with a lot of us “old time” users is that we have tried everything out, and discarded things that didn’t work well.  So it may be difficult to get a step by step solution from someone with a lot of experience here because most of us just don’t use that device because we were soured on it early.  Looks like you have the opportunity to be the Chromecast expert.  :)   I still have mine hanging around, but don’t have a use case for it anymore, so I know I’m not exploring it at this point.

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I went back and read everything in these posts and fail to see where you have been flamed...  I think what you will find with a lot of us "old time" users is that we have tried everything out, and discarded things that didn't work well.  So it may be difficult to get a step by step solution from someone with a lot of experience here because most of us just don't use that device because we were soured on it early.  Looks like you have the opportunity to be the Chromecast expert.  :)   I still have mine hanging around, but don't have a use case for it anymore, so I know I'm not exploring it at this point.

Yea ironically I was not really trying to promote Roku or any specific platform either … just saying how we arrived at our solution.  Oh well.

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Thanks for your write up shadowspapa.  I am seeing the same thing when using chromecast.  At certain points the video will stall and a “buffering” message will appear.  The stall will happen consistently at specific points every time those points are reached.  I can RW20 and the stall will occur at the exact same frame.  I have a 480i VHF secondary channel were this happens frequently and it is less frequently on UHF or 1080 broadcasts.  I am confident it is not a wifi issue; 1) a wifi error would occur randomly not the same frame each time, and 2) I have two locations with two separate stacks of communication equipment (service provider, modem, wifi router, chrome cast)  and they behave identically - stalls on same frames (one location through tablo connect).

We have found the chromecast device to work well and use it extensively with netflix and youtube.  My 4-tuner tablo is uniquely struggling with chromecast.  I don’t intend to buy roku devices as a substitute, i am hopeful Tablo will sort this out soon.  The features of Tablo are perfect for us and my interaction with the staff at Tablo have been excellent.  I have filed a trouble report on this issue with the support team and I hope everyone that is having trouble with Chromecast will do the same so the tech guys have sufficient information to solve the issue. 

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