ok, some in this thread are saying the 2 tuner gets better reception than the 4 tuner. I asked about this in another thread the tablo support claims they should be the same. I would like to know exactly how the signal is split and how much db loss (if any) I can expect (for each model) before I order. surely there must be some specs on this.
one of the main reasons I was thinking about going with tablo was early reviews stating the tuner was just as strong as their own tuners in their tv. now after researching more I find out that their flagship model 4 tuner is actually weaker than a regular tv tuner. this might still be doable for me if I can find out exactly how much weaker (db) the 4 tuner is. "a little weaker" won't cut it. thanks.
@brg88tx The 2-tuner and 4-tuner Tablos are the same. Here are some of the details I think you’re looking for:
The design of the dual and quad tuner Tablos are nearly identical (other than the quad being slightly heavier due to the additional tuners).
They both use a 4-way output on the board. We’re actually using an amplified splitter which negates the db loss you’d usually see from a split. The key difference here is that the dual-tuner is using 2 of these outputs (though it’s already been split for 4), and the quad-tuner is using all of them. We tested this extensively during design and production, and we consistently saw the same results.
There’s been some confusion about this, and understandably so; at first glance more tuners = signal loss makes sense. However, in this case, we’ve designed the Tablo around this case so that we can see the same performance between the two models. Hope this helps!
Simple test: Plug the antenna into the TV (single tuner) and look at your the lowest signal strength channel that has no loss of signal. If the channel is consistently “good”, then move to step 2 and plug the antenna directly into the Tablo and watch the same channel on the TV with your chosen device through Tablo Live, if there is loss of signal or pixalation, then Tablo has caused a loss of dBs.
Recognize that this isn’t 100% true testing, due to impacts of routers/wi-fi/ethernet/HDMI cable/chosen device equipment that can & may affect the viewing of the channel. I found marginal channels (sometimes work and sometimes not) on the TV would not come through on Tablo. Signal strength is an important part of the equation, but so are many other factors.
Amplifiers can help or hinder, dependent upon where placement of them are located, or the quality and strength of the amp. My testing found the amplifier had to be as close to the antenna as possible, but dropped below the reflector, hence the use of a 3’ foot cable dropped from the antenna. There is about about 6’ of cable (to reach the plug) between that amplifier and it’s power supply. There is another 12’ of cable from that power source to the distribution amp in the network closet. Finishing with 3’ cable to the Tablo from the distribution amp output. This provides a consistent signal strength, as tested at each stage of the cable with a small TV with a signal meter. Note: Power sources and Amplifiers connected directly or fairly close to the Tablo are not recommended, as it can cause disruption & noise of the signal.
Just installed my 4-tuner yesterday, and I am only using a pair of bunny ears I bought from Radio Shack 15 years ago. I get all of our channels perfectly, and in 1080 if the transmitter is broadcasting 1080. Signal strength is nearly 100% dependent on how far you are from the transmitting towers, no matter what antenna you are using. I live 5 to 7 miles from the transmitters, and that is a huge help.
Also, some tuners are more sensitive than others. I have heard, the tuners in Vizio TVs are some of the best. I have a Samsung, and the quality of my reception looks the same on the Samsung as the Tablo.
I was most worried about the strength of the tuner when I bought my 4 tuner. I’ve only had it hooked up less than 48 hours, but the 2 stations I was worried about come through with no pixilation. the tablo tuners are as good as my lg led tv tuner.
We were very careful to select a tuner that was just as good or better than those that come in TVs. Glad to hear our testing is paying off for everyone :-bd
Originally I had it plugged only into my Tablo, but recently I switched things around to bypass the cable signal going directly to the TVs in the rest of my home. This entailed plugging into the maze of 21 year old wires running through the apartment walls and in turn added an extra three splitters (that I’m aware of - not counting any that may be buried behind the drywall) along with an extra three tuners (built into each TV). Overall, I’m running 7 different tuners off of this one little $24 antenna.
Mind you I know nothing of signal strengths, splitter types, amplifiers, and all that. All I do know is that the antenna is pointed in the direction of the broadcast towers, and logically the amplifier that it came with should be (and is) plugged into the start of the mess. So in short I’ve got the cable from the antenna going into the amplifier dongle thingie, which then plugs into the first splitter which sends one end to the Tablo, the other to another splitter. That splitter has one line that goes off to the TV in the living room, and another that goes off into a wall outlet which has yet another splitter behind it that branches one line off to the bedroom behind it and the other through the deep and endless void of a bulkhead in the ceiling that likely makes a few inter-dimentional jumps along the way but eventually ends in the front bedroom.
That said I’m happy to report no loss of channels, signal dots on Tablo, or pixelation / scrambleyness on any of the tuners since switching all of this over. >-)
Another thing to remember is the choice of coax cable from the antenna to the Tablo. I have the Mohu Leaf 50 that came with a coax cable that I was using. I had frequent blips and variation in signal. Further investigation showed that it came packaged with a RG59 coax cable. I switched it out with a RG6 cable and have noticed consistent signal strength. In fact, I have been able to pull in Illinois channels on the channel scan now from an indoor antenna. So I highly recommend checking the type of coax from antenna to tablo and switch to a quality RG6 coax if not already.
I spent quite a bit of time fiddling on my antenna setup. Wish there was a way to tune to live tv and see signal strength from the tablo while I adjusted the antenna - would have been much easier.
We were very careful to select a tuner that was just as good or better than those that come in TVs. Glad to hear our testing is paying off for everyone :-bd
I can tell!!! I’m beyond impressed with the reception I’m getting on the 4-tuner model. I’m receiving a LPTV station which is over 40 miles away with hilly terrain (Ozarks) in between with 5 green dots on the Tablo. I am using an outdoor UHF corner reflector with a mast-mount amplifier along with a distribution amp just before the Tablo. I can get the benefits of both amps because I’m 35 miles away (in the other direction) from my market’s TV towers again with lots of rolling, rocky hills in between. So, there’s really nothing close enough to me to cause overload.
One more step closer to getting rid of my satellite provided DVRs!
Yesterday my Tablo quad arrived and I am very happy with the operation. Unfortunately, I’m not very impressed with the built-in receiver. I have a Mohu Sky antenna with the included 15dB amp that was feeding five tvs of various brands. On those tvs, I was getting very good signal strength for over 20 channels (no pixelation or stuttering). The Tablo is only receiving 9 channels clearly without moving the antenna.
I truly enjoy the Tablo interface on my Apple Tv, Roku 2, and web browser, I guess I will try relocating the antenna to see if I can improve reception this weekend.
I’ve always had my tablo connected directly to my antenna without any splitter in the path. I’ll spend some time this weekend optimizing the antenna placement since the cable run to the tablo is shorter than the previous multiple paths to the TVs.
If signal strength doesn’t improve, I’ll send you a note directly.
After removing the amp as per your recommendation,I found that the Tablo receiver is so sensitive it was picking noise from metal duct work. I have since re-routed my coax and relocated my antenna (still in the attic).
With the new location and the amp back in line, I was able to receive 43 of 69 channels (most of which are dups and shopping networks). Nice work on selecting the tuner for the Tablo!!!
