Hi. I am a brand new Tablo user. I have a Roku streaming stick. I just bought an onn streaming box from Walmart (haven’t opened yet). Anyone have any suggestions which one works better with Tablo? Apple TV is what I’m waiting for but in the meantime…
Thanks.
I’ll preface this with the fact that I don’t personally have the new gen 4 Tablo. But, from what other users have reported, the Walmart ONN Google TV 4k box will probably work better than the Roku stick, especially if the Roku is several years old. Since you didn’t provide any model numbers or exact device names, it’s hard to give you an exact answer.
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I had a Roku Premiere+ (5th Generation) 4630X. It ran the Tablo Roku app okay, but when I compared its speed and reliability to that of the Tablo Android TV app, I realized what I was missing.
I replaced my Roku device with a $20 ONN Google TV. Great decision - much stronger in my opinion.
While I haven’t had any problems with my Rokus, I do have the new (2024) Walmart Onn GoogleTv Pro coming in today that I am excited to try. They finally can be ordered online.
I have 4 Roku TVs, 4k+ stick, and an Ultra and they run fine.
I just start using the Onn 4K Pro. It definitely feels snappier than the Chromecast with Google TV and spec wise I would definitely recommend it over a Roku streaming stick.
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I didn’t even know there was a pro version of that streamer. I’ll have to check out the differences, but being a couple years newer, I’m sure it’s faster regardless.
I have way too many different STB type of devices, but if it’s a newer stick, either one should be fine. As @3rdRockOKC mentioned, it’s important to know what model of Roku @Kim24 has. Even then it might come down to which OS/UI they prefer…
Each device comes with it’s own pros and cons, and since Kim24 now two different STBs, I think it’d be great to have them both set up and learn the ins and outs of each. It never hurts to familiarize yourself with more than one streaming device, and having a backup in case something goes awry with an app update is a must!
As a side note: Out of curiosity, I pulled out the original FHD version (onn 2k streaming stick) yesterday to see how it handled the Tablo app. It looked great, clicking around was very smooth and live playback was pretty snappy. With the 1G of RAM, I expected the experience to be a nightmare. There was a second or two of stuttering when beginning playback of a 1080p recordings but nothing after that. I was surprised that the Tablo developers could build something that ran on something I would consider a “begginer’s” device – my average free RAM at idle/boot was about 300M!
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The Onn 4K Pro is 3GB memory, 32GB storage.
I saw that. Seems like a huge price increase, but the extra internal space will definitely be nice to have!
It may be a price increase from their $20 device (this is my first Onn device) but it’s the same price as the existing Chromecast with Google TV ($50) with an additional GB of RAM (3GB vs 2GB) and 4X the storage (32GB vs 8GB).
I had one of those, too (the 4k CCwGTV) and didn’t think it performed any better than the $20 onn! It’ll be interesting to see if google updates their current model and what that price will be. It’s nice to see a device with enough storage space to really do something…
How much RAM is free at idle?
Tablo is working for me on the Roku, I need more time to see how well. (It’s in room u don’t watch as much). I will say that the around-$20 onn 4K box is working great. It opens quickly, no problems except I have to completely exit the app so my volume works with other apps. But bear in mind I’m very new to all this.
Just wanted to let other people know that the inexpensive onn 4K box works so well and is super easy to set up.
Thanks for all the replies!
OP Kim
There are a zillion reviews on YouTube and elsewhere for the Onn Pro 4K. Benchmark performance isn’t all that different, but the extra RAM does seem to help. It also has a speaker and mic for Google Assistant, Ethernet, and USB 3.0. At the price, that makes this a great deal. The only downside is the remote lottery. There appear to be 2 or 3 versions. One is virtually the same as the previous, but with remote finder and a programmable star button. Another has a large “Free TV” button that goes to the Google Free TV app (not the same as TV icon for Live TV, which is still there.) That version may have backlighting.
Many reviewers have gotten the simpler remote. Luke at Cord Cutters News just got one with the second remote.
I bought $20 onn. Google TV 4K Streaming Box (2023) 4K resolution to experiment. I have two Rokus, a stick and an ultra. Using the onn box, everything seems a bit faster, but it has its laggy times also. Not a knockout winner for me over Roku. Some of the Tablo bugs, like the ones encountered when scheduling a recording for example, are still there in google tv. It’s very subjective, but google seems to drop out more often on the apps for local live TV.
Call me lazy, but I like the Roku UI and dislike the google UI. I have been using Roku for 10+ years so the remote is familiar, I know where everything is in the UI, and I find the home screen uncluttered and easy to customize. In fact I like that the UI was never very complicated, and they have not changed it much over years. Most important, my wife knows how to use the Roku and would loath learning a different UI, much less switching back and forth from ONN for a dubious advantage. So Roku remains the box of choice for us, for the foreseeable future.
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I mean, we can play the “blame Roku” game, but honestly if Roku was complete utter crapola to the point of being the worst, why is it still #1?? Curious.
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There seem to be a lot of additional features than many would like. I guess with everything they’ve added to it, the price is a little more justified.
As with everything, we all have the STB we prefer. I like to toy with different devices and see how they compare to each other, but this is one I’m going to pass on (only the RAM/storage upgrade pique my interest). Sounds like a nice upgrade, though!
I appreciated the link and info.
Thanks for coming back and letting us know everything was working okay for you.
I’m still curious as to which Roku model you are using. It might help others figure out what works best for them.
See my comment above. I think Roku is so popular because it is easy to use for people like my wife (me too for that matter), who want a simple interface and don’t need a ton of apps, but they are there if you do want them. KIS.
I’m using the Roku 4K streaming stick. I purchased in April 2023. It’s the model still available for sale on Amazon.
The onn is the onn Google TV 4K streaming box for around $20, year 2023.
The Tablo is the newest one, the 4th gen 2-tuner.
The Roku is perfectly fine so far but does have the “loading” screen for a few seconds when starting the Tablo app versus immediate startup on the onn.
I feel the same about Roku, I prefer it. Less busy and confusing than Google TV but also maybe what I’m used to. But I liked the price and I like the performance. I only bought it because for my main streaming I use either our Apple TV device or our Samsung Smart TV apps. But Tablo doesn’t have an app for either one. (I know Apple TV is in beta but who knows for how long. I signed up to test it but no reply so far.)
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