Reaching for The Sky

Mohu's Sky outdoor antenna aims high.



North-Carolina based Mohu is arguably one of the more cutting-edge antenna manufacturers since the digital over-the-air TV revolution. Already popular or its paper-thin Leaf antenna and the recent indoor Mohu Curve 30 which we reviewed, Mohu has sets its sights high (literally) with the Sky: its first attempt at an outdoor model and the longest range antenna has to date in its product line.

While Mohu has proven it can design attractive antennas known mostly for their “cool” factor, how well does the Sky deliver on it advertised 60 mile reception range performance? We tested it out in our Canadian skies and here is what we found.

Model: Mohu SkyHDTV Attic/Outdoor Muti-directional HDTV Antenna

Size (main antenna element): 28cm H x 54.5cm W x 2.5cm D (11” x 21 1/2” x 1”)

Package includes: Mohu SkyHDTV antenna, J-Mount (unassembled), amplifier, USB power adapter, 30ft terminated coax cable with weather boot on one end, all assembly hardware, mounting hardware for 2 types of substrates, English / Spanish instructions

Output: One F-type connector (cable coax) on the antenna for RG-59 or RG-6 cable, amplifier is F-Type in-line with USB power input.

Pros: Compact aesthetic appearance, good performance when used outdoors, performs well within advertised range, versatile mounting positions, complete package for the consumer right down to the last little bits of hardware, extremely user friendly, clear instructions

Cons: Price point may seem elevated when compared to other antennas of this range, compact size is a trade-off in terms of performance when brought outside its advertised range, the antenna will not mount to larger diameter antenna masts / rotator without some sort of adapter

Build Quality

Mohu continues to provide the best product packaging in the business. Items are enclosed in a well thought-out custom-made box with each component held securely in place and smaller hardware items clearly labelled.  It would be difficult for items to arrive damaged or scratched from transit or handling.

 

The components themselves show the same level of professional build quality. The main antenna is made of two halves of a high quality thick-walled plastic that is sealed closed with a well-compressed rubber gasket. It is rigid, solid and appears very well sealed in terms of weatherproofing. With no exposed elements or wires, the Sky is definitely ready to withstand the snow and ice that Canada’s winters are ready to throw at it.

The included J-mount is of good quality as well and is covered in a shiny (sparkly?) silver powdercoat . The finish is of good quality, and does not scratch as easily as other commercial J-mounts when the hardware is adjusted and re-tightened. Please note the tube diameter is much smaller than standard J-mounts used for satellite dish installations.

The details of the other components were well engineered as well: the amplifier is compact and completely silent when operating, generating only very little heat even during prolonged use (absolutely no concerns on our part for its lifespan). The pre-terminated 30 ft cable makes this antenna ready to go right out of the box, and features a good quality weather boot (below) at one end for a safe and reliable outdoor installation.

 

Assembling the Antenna

The antenna comes with some assembly required when using the J-mount. (If desired, the antenna can be simply hung off two hooks if used indoors or in an attic, so in that case no assembly required)

The instructions are well-written and show detailed steps to install the J-mount base and attaching the arm and cable to the antenna body. The entire antenna can be assembled and ready for installation using a standard screwdriver and small wrench / pliers / key in about 5 minutes.

Appearance

The Sky is definitely a lot easier on the eyes than some other antennas within this reception range. The antenna is completely enclosed in its cosmetic cover and there are no exposed reflectors, elements or wires. Its grey colour and silver mount makes it easy to blend in on any roof or balcony, although some neighbours may ask you what’s up with the inverted Batman symbol hanging off your house. This antenna scores just as big in the size-to-power ratio as it does in the appearance (dare I say “wife”?) factor.

 Installation

The best part of the Sky is that it really comes as a complete kit, right down to two types of mounting hardware being provided in the box. Threadforming hardware is provided to install the J-mount securely into wood / aluminium siding or on a shingled roof. A nut and bolt combination is also given for other thru-hole applications, for example if installing in thin walled applications like a shed. The hardware appears anodized for weatherproofing, but also works inside. Installation is made easy by a lot of the hardware being captive in the mating parts through carriage bolt features and embossed hex counterbores. Everything you need is basically in the box; the only extra we recommend are UV-resistant ty-wraps for securing the cable run and caulking to seal any penetration points when installing the mount outdoors.

When you purchase the Mohu Sky you aren’t just getting an antenna; you’re getting a complete kit right down to the screws to bolt the mount into the wall.

Given its compact size, the Sky is perfect for attics. We’ve had issues where larger antennas need to be disassembled or brought up in pieces to fit through small attic openings; at the size of a laptop, the Sky is compact and lightweight enough to fit anywhere, even if your best reception spot in the house is inside the office closet.

Aiming the Antenna

The Mohu Sky can be pivoted on its mount for azimuth alignment as well the mount for elevation adjustments. The foot of the J-mount provides infinite adjustment points and once tightened the hardware locks the position of the antenna firmly in place.

 

We found the best orientation was having the flat face of the Sky antenna facing the transmitter. Although the reception angle is quite wide, we found the side reception lobes were a bit unpredictable and dependent on the vertical adjustment of the antenna. In any case, we were able to find a reception sweet spot for our test location, but be forewarned it may take time. We highly suggest taking your time in really finding the best spot for the antenna and to not only look at the signal strength but the sound-to-noise-ratio (SNR on most TV sets) since it is an amplified antenna.

 

Performance

The antenna was tested head-to-head against a baseline main brand outdoor VHF/UHF antenna with similar range characteristics. As the Sky is amplified, we added a standard amplifier (Antennas Direct CPA-19) as well to the baseline antenna and factored the cost of the cable and mount as well, rendering it essentially equivalent in cost. The antennas were tuned based on obtaining the most possible channels and were not rotated during testing.

Station (RF)	Distance (mi)	Baseline Antenna ($160) Strength / SNR	Mohu Sky ($160) Strength / SNR
10	12	100 / 68	98 / 78
13	81	99 / 71	90 / 52
14	81	100 / 100	100 / 84
21	12	100 / 100	100 / 91
22	81	100 / 92	99 / 81
29	10	81 / 60	90 / 69
32	81	100 / 96	88 / 67
35	12	100 / 100	100 / 93
38	52	92 / 77	88 / 65
43	81	89 / 75	78 / 52

Based on our test results, the Mohu Sky performed fairly well compared to the larger baseline antenna. In particular we were surprised by the respectable VHF performance given that the antenna is so compact. The beamwidth also allowed it to receive multiple signals from various incident angles without needing to be rotated. Our tests show that the antenna definitely maintains its advertised 60 mile range and can reasonably go further than that if the conditions are right (i.e. LOS to distant signals, etc)

Prices and Where to Buy

As mentioned in our other Mohu reviews, what’s somewhat prohibitive to Canadians is that Mohu products are not sold by the usual cast of retailers north of the border. Mohu will ship to Canada from their US website at extra cost, and duties are to be expected upon delivery. However, Mohu does recommend buying off amazon.ca.

Promotions are few and far in between, with most of the promos being around free shipping in continental US. If you are interested in the Sky are able to wait, we suggest to follow Mohu on Facebook and Twitter to know when sales or other promo are underway on their products.

Overall, prices in Canada are fairly offsetting. Canadian online retail prices will range over $200. If you live within driving distance of the US border, it may be more advantageous to buy directly form Mohu.com and drop-ship to a border holding point (like The UPS Store).

Although the cost may seem a bit steep at first, if you can get the Sky within the $160-170 ballpark, it is a fairly good deal. Consider the following: excluding junk clone antennas, most name brand antennas in that reception range will cost around $100, and you will have to add a mount, an amplifier and RG-6 cabling to get what the Sky antenna kit delivers.

Although it may seem like you're paying a premium price for the Sky, you have to realize you're not just getting an antenna in the box.

 

Conclusion

The Mohu Sky is a good quality, user-friendly (and neighbour friendly) antenna that can deliver the goods when mounted outdoors. We found it works well inside its advertised range and can yield some surprises with stations technically beyond its reach.

Although some sites citizen Mohu products as being gimmicks or overprices, the value is there when bought at the right price. It is an excellent antenna for the “condo crowd” or people that are willing to pay slightly more to have something that looks as sharp on their roof as what they see from uncompressed OTA HD on their TVs screens.

Final Score: 8.5/10

For more information and to purchase the Mohu Sky, please visit the Mohu Website

 

Tablo TV : Stream From Your Antenna

Tablo reinvents the way to watch OTA TV

Cordcutting hit Canada in record numbers last year with pay TV subscriptions falling flat and a surge of interest in alternative options such as internet streaming services and digital over-the-air TV. So wouldn’t this be the best time for Canada’s innovative tech industry to launch its own cordcutter hardware into the mix? Ottawa-based Nuvvyo thought so and introduced their new product geared at cordcutters, Tablo TV.

Tablo is classified as an over-the-air (OTA) DVR, but fact is it’s more of a “cloud DVR” than a typical set-top product. Don’t think about a conventional DVR that you would get from a cable company; with no remote control and no way to connect directly to a TV, Tablo is best described as network-attached storage powered by dual or quad OTA tuners with one heck of a high-end software interface.

 

Hello, Tablo! Promotional photo provided courtesy of Nuvvyo.

Tablo definitely comes in with cutting-edge technology and is by all means not targeted at the traditional OTA crowd as having an antenna is not the only pre-requisite. You’ll need a fairly modern home network, a spare hard drive and a Roku, AppleTV or a Chromecast and to get Tablo up and running on your big screen.

So is Tablo worth taking the plunge? Here’s what we think based on our trial:
 

Model: Tablo 2-Tuner OTA DVR

Size: 7" wide x 4 1/2" deep x 1 3/8" high

Package includes: TabloTV, power supply, ethernet cable, owner’s guide

Inputs/Outputs: RF connector (F-type coax), Ethernet, USB x 2, Power, Dual band WiFi

Pros: Robust and innovative software, beautiful user interface, bulletproof program guide info for two weeks (requires subscription), good OTA tuner, true “whole home” and cloud DVR functionality, excellent streaming quality even over busy networks, free apps for most devices, one subscription covers multiple Tablo devices with several payment options available, works well with all the most popular streaming players, excellent customer support, remote web access and Wifi capabilities already included.

Cons: Pay subscription required for full functionality, interface only available in English, no live signal strength data or ability to tune / add channels in real time, unit runs warm, limited search functionalities.

 

Appearance

The Tablo unit is a discreet black box, a mix of matte and glossy black finishes with no buttons (including ON/OFF) or switches present besides a discrete reset button recessed on the back panel. All connection ports are lined up in the back and easily accessible. The look is clean and sleek, the base is solid metal with what looks like a black powder-coated finish, the top and sides are a high-quality plastic. A blue LED in the front center is the only signs of life the unit will display when powered up, and can be turned off if so desired via the Tablo web browser interface or app.  The LED also acts as indicator of when the unit is doing something special, such going into tech support mode.

 

Tablo is compact and good-looking; it is compact enough to be used almost anywhere and with its cool look, fits in great with any high-end home theatre setup.

 

Build Quality

The unit comes well packaged and is solidly built, no flimsy components or cheap finishes here. The I/O connections are tight and the chassis fits well together with close tolerances.  Early units had an issue where the internal RF shield could come loose, resulting in a rattling sound inside the unit, but the issue was promptly addressed by Nuvvyo and the design was changed on newer models. The unit we received had excellent build quality.

 

Made in Canada: When buying a Tablo you’re not just signing up for excellent quality workmanship, you’re also supporting the local economy.

 

Installation

The setup of Tablo requires a few steps but is easily accomplished. The first step is adding a USB harddrive and be warned; not all harddrives will work and you can find a detailed list of them in the Tablo Community Forum thread. The basic requirement is that the hardrive must not exceed 2TB and that it should not be externally powered. For purposes of our tests we stuck with the recommended Seagate model. Although there are two USB ports, the current firmware allows only hooking up one hardrive. Tablo mentions that future developments may allow a second drive to be added and even for hard drives to be interchangeable between units (which would be a cool feature for sharing recordings with friends or archiving recorded series).

 

There are plenty of compact HDD options that work with Tablo.
 

The next step is to connect an antenna to the RF input and then power on the unit. Although each Tablo comes equipped with dual-band WiFi, it is recommended that it is hard-wired to a home network Ethernet port using the provided 3-ft cable. 

 

Step by step, Tablo's awesome start-up guide is easy to use and well-illustrated for an easy and fast setup.
 

Now that the unit is powered on and communicating on the network, setup is done through the free web interface or the free apps available for iOS or Android devices. As advertised by Tablo, the web interface will work best with Google Chrome – we tried Internet Explorer and FireFox and the system would hang or not display properly.  The setup steps are easy and user-friendly, and will require formatting your hardrive, obtaining your location for guide info and other basic home network setup properties.

The one speedbump we found was that the Tablo software does not provide real-time signal strength information from the antenna, except when running a full setup scan. This made it a bit difficult to aim the antenna as we had to keep running re-scans, and becomes somewhat annoying when trying to find the right balance / compromise between several stations coming in from different angles. Another drawback is that there is no way to manually add a single channel; a whole re-scan needs to be done if you somehow missed a weaker station.

Signal strength is only captured once, during the initial scan. It is not live (real-time), making it difficult to use when aiming your antenna.
 

Once the initial scan is done, guide data will begin downloading and the Tablo interface will start populating. By default, each Tablo unit comes with 30-day trial period, after which you can make a decision on purchasing the subscription packages. Without the subscription, Tablo’s functionalities become significantly crippled. In our opinion, if you’re not going to go with the subscription, you may as well forego Tablo altogether for many of the awesome features we will describe below (that make it totally worthwhile) will not be active.

For testing purposes, we ran Tablo on an iPad (iOS 7) and a Roku 2. We chose the Roku 2 since our initial research showed that Tablo runs like a breeze with the Roku 3, but there could be Roku 2 as that would really give us the worst case scenario.

On the iPad, installation was easy as we downloaded the free app and merely synched it with the Tablo on the network. Everything simply auto-detected and worked like a charm. For Roku 2, we used the custom Tablo channel provided on the Tablo website. Again, things worked beautifully and once added to our Roku account, our Tablo channel popped up in the menu like any other Roku channel. The Roku channel does not have any setup options as opposed to the iOS app which does. Both instances work well, respond quickly and are very easy to use and user-intuitive.

 

 

Free Tablo apps  are available for most devices (top), while a custom Roku channel (middle) adds Tablo to your Roku menu (bottom)
 

Of course, we were also able to watch Tablo programming on our PC using the Google Chrome Tablo web portal we used for the initial setup.

Features and Performance

Features

First and foremost, let us re-iterate that Tablo is not a conventional set-top DVR; you’ll be scratching your head for a long time looking for the HDMI-out. Tablo is essentially a local area network “cloud” DVR, and with that comes a plethora of cool superpowers which we will discuss below.

But before we jump into that, let’s talk about what really sets Tablo apart from the pack, its distinct and innovative user interface.

The Tablo UI

Tablo reimagines the way to view OTA TV. Traditionally, OTA TV watchers were ruled by the programming grid – what is on what channel at what time. Tablo redefines OTA TV by turning its user-interface and program guide into essentially a Netflix-style concept. Instead of thinking about what is on at what time, Tablo will show what content is available via your antenna.

Although Tablo has traditional OTA guide capabilities, the beauty lies in how it categorizes and shows you what content is available out there. It’s like a Netflix-style layout for your OTA channels content. Note how available episodes are organized by seasons.

To be honest, we were at first taken slightly aback by the concept. Where are my channels? What’s on at 7PM? In playing with the unit over several weeks we realized that Tablo is right on track with the way people and cord-nevers (the younger generation that will watch AppleTV instead of cable) are currenty using the ol’tube.

Save for live sports, more and more people are watching TV via recording or on-demand content, either for binge-watching or to skip commercials. Tablo basically gives that power now to OTA users by showing them all that is available via antenna and allowing them to identify the content they’d like to record, and then watch it when it’s most convenient for them.

By having programming options presented to you by content rather than time/channel, it’s easier to sort and categorize. Tablo can filter and show you all the programs over the next two weeks that are identified as sports, movies, premiere showings or fall into genres that range from agriculture to westerns.

As a bonus, this type of user interface actually allowed us to discover interesting shows that we didn’t even know aired by browsing through the titles in the Tablo guide, usually because it was at certain ungodly hours of the night or morning.

Although Tablo commands, menus and the overall UI is only available in English, programming synopsis and descriptions will display in their native language, like French (above).

For example, the teen music-video show Juicebox is a hit with the kids – but usually only available via cable. With Tablo’s interface, we stumbled upon a 2-hour recurring session that airs at 6AM on a local CTV affiliate, making it perfect to record and playback when the kids are actually awake to appreciate it.

Watch Live OTA TV

Tablo allows you to watch live OTA TV to streaming boxes like Roku and Apple TV as well as your iPad, Android tablet or PC web browser. Think of it as streaming from your antenna instead of the internet, saving you quite a bit of internet cap space, and giving exceptional picture quality considering most DTV signals come in uncompressed at 19Mbps at a quality of 720p or 1080i. With the hard drive attached, you can also use Tablo to pause live TV or rewind back.

The Tablo guide for live TV on tablets is a traditional layout with a large preview pane that provides more program details. Unfortunately, the guide only goes 24 hours into the future, even with a full subscription. On streaming boxes like Roku, it is reduced to merely a list of shows currently airing.

 

Tablo’s Live TV guide on tablets (above) resembles a traditional layout but leverages Tablo’s excellent guide info. Only drawback (like all the other Tablo menus) is that you can’t browse and still watching live TV in the background. Unfortunately on Roku it is reduced to a list of programs that are currently airing.

Now about that “live” TV - there is actually a short buffer delay on live TV which we measured at about 11 seconds behind the live feed. This buffer helps give good quality streaming and for the most part doesn’t really impact your TV watching. Well, maybe those of you with thin walls may want to tell the neighbours on the other side to tone down the goal celebrations during the hockey game (spoiler alert, please). Overall we found the streaming quality excellent, with hardly any artifacts, lagging or ghosting. Fast-moving images and action sequences were on par with other streaming devices we’ve seen in the past. In cases where there was lagging and such with live TV, merely pausing the feed for a few seconds to allow the buffer to fill would resolve the problem.

The streaming quality from Tablo is excellent; one of the best we’ve seen.

Tablo comes in dual and quad tuner models, meaning it can receive two four live OTA TV channels at a time. Streaming is basically dependant on your network, as long as your network can handle it, you can have many devices accessing Tablo at the same time either for live TV or recorded programming. The best part is that if you do go for a Tablo subscription, you’re covered for that unit and not dependent on the number of devices you use to access it (since the apps/channels are all free); so whether you’re streaming to one or ten devices it’s all the same subscription price.

Whole Home DVR

The main advantage to having Tablo as a network DVR over a set-top box is the whole-home capability. Start watching a recording on the big screen, pause and resume on a tablet without missing a beat. Tablo has this feature ready to go right out of the box, no need to pay more for extra hardware or a special subscription package.

Paused recordings can be resumed on any connected device.

Recording can be done automatically (with a guide subscription) or manually. Recordings are smart enough to only record new episodes and will extend most live event recordings (sports) in case they run late. The recordings are easy to find in a dedicated recording menu and episodes are automatically grouped by program, which means you won’t be scrolling around trying to find your shows. Settings allow older shows to auto-delete if you start running low on hard disk space, ensuring your new shows record and helping you manage free space on your hard drive.

The playback interface is easy to use and the functionalities are on par with standard DVR offerings. On the web and tablet interface, you can easily fast forward or rewind back by using the sliders. Conventional skip fwd / skip back buttons are provided as well for jumping commercials. On Roku, the DVR works directly off the remote control commands. Overall, a good offering of standard playback functionalities.

Make your own replays and scroll back in time during live TV, especially easy and fluid on tablets (above)

 

Cloud DVR

Tablo also can be used as a “cloud” DVR when away from home. By setting up TabloConnect, another pre-loaded feature ready-to-go out of the box, you can access your Tablo remotely via a secure web portal. Impress your friends with cable by streaming your OTA feed directly to your smartphone at their house. Hey, maybe they can actually watch some of the real SuperBowl commercials?

TabloConnect can be enabled in the settings menu and allows streaming anywhere there is an internet connection and a suitable web browser.

One caveat is that TabloConnect may not be easy to set up on certain home networks, but that isn’t Tablo’s fault. Many “out-of-the-box” LAN setups with the big internet providers come with default firewalls and other imposed security features that may not like the idea of remote access to an attached device, so buckle yourselves in for a fun evening of playing around with port mappings and other modem router configurations before getting the feature up and running.

Menus and Navigation

The menu on the tablet interface is very well done and consists of a sidebar that has the most popular options and the advanced settings required to configure Tablo. This sidebar is always accessible through an icon in the top banner area and all menu selections respond and load quickly. The menus and the items are glossy, fluid and fun to use.

Glossy, full-coloured illustrated menus take full advantage of touch-enabled tablets; this interface is what truly makes Tablo stand out from the rest.

On streaming boxes, the menu is fairly standard and there are no advanced settings. The simplified menu makes it easy to navigate to the important and most popular features, especially with reduced remote controls like the 12-button Roku. Due to this simplicity, you will always need the web interface as a minimum to be able to configure Tablo.

On streaming boxes such as the Roku 2, a simpler menu allows for easy navigation using remote controls.

The guide information is rich and detailed. Each show is grouped by its title, which contains a brief description of the series. In each of these groupings, available or recorded episodes are grouped by seasons. Each episode contains a fairly detailed synopsis. Programming in other languages, such as French, will have French descriptions and episode synopsis. While great for providing the user with a very visual and detailed description of programming content, the only disadvantage we saw was that sometimes grouping by seasons made it harder to find certain episodes. Ideally, it would have been great to have a setting that would list all episodes in one list. For example, with many episodes of Seinfeld recorded from various seasons, it takes a bit longer to find the “Soup Nazi” episode for playback (Geez, was it season 7, 8 or 9? Guess I’ll have to look through all the pages.). Having the option to also show the episodes as one recorded list and then sort by season or title could have made these pages a bit easier to navigate.

 

 

Search

If there was one area of Tablo that we found could use improvements, it was its search functionalities. Currently there is basic categorization such as sports, movies and show premieres. A search function allows to search by title, but it seems that’s about it. This is a bit unfortunate because seeing as the end user is paying good money for the guide subscription and that the guide is so rich and detailed, it would have made sense to allow users to search by things such as actor names, synopsis keywords or dates (i.e. let’s search for Clint Eastwood movies). When asked for comment, the team at Tablo said this is something they may work on improving in future firmware releases.

Tuner Sensitivity

Our testing showed that Tablo is equipped with a very good ATSC digital TV tuner. We noticed that it was fairly sensitive: don’t expect it to pull in extra channels, but it will keep a stable lock on the channels it does receive. Due to the sensitivity of the tuner, you are better off providing a good, clean signal rather than an over-amplified noisy signal, especially in situations where co-channel interference or multipath could be present. We noticed the tuner would sometimes balk at signals if this type of interference was prevalent.

Tablo's tuner is very good, but will not magically solve issues related to antenna performance such as multipath or co-channel interference. As with any sensitive ATSC OTA tuner, use a good quality antenna, aim it properly and ensure distribution of your TV signal is as noise-free as possible.

Operation

The unit is completely silent when operating as there are no cooling fans; the internal components are passively cooled using the metal bottom plate as a heat sink. In testing, the unit got quite warm but never exceeded the published value of 48C, with values under stress-testing (streaming to two devices at the same time for prolonged periods) peaking at 46C. If you’re packing Tablo in a tight or filled-to-the-brim cabinet with other electronics that require convection cooling, you may want to make sure the enclosure is properly ventilated for the sake of your other boxes.

Customer Support

Tablo is blessed with a great support team and, in general, a really good customer support system. Besides being available through contact info on their website, the customer support team is also active on Twitter with a dedicated account and Facebook. On top of that, there is a great Tablo community forum available on their website where a Tablo owner can consult the existing knowledge base for common issues, receive updates or simply ask questions to other members. The best part for Canadians? With Tablo being based in Canada, there is excellent support for updating and correcting guide info for Canadian broadcasting chains and Canadian postal codes.

Prices and Where to Buy

There are many different options available to Canadians to purchase Tablo. Best Buy and Future Shop sell Tablo online in Canada. All models can also be bought directly off the Tablo website. Other online retailers such as Newegg.ca and Amazon.ca may offer better details from time to time. For the uber-frugal, Tablo also sells factory refurbished units on its website at a discount which may make the price-point more interesting for certain people. Shop around and compare shipping fees as prices will vary; and if you are truly interested in owning a Tablo, be sure to follow them on social media as Nuvvyo will have promotions or contests advertised through their Facebook and Twitter accounts.

In general the hardware prices make sense, in particular seeing that the device comes fully loaded without the need to buy additional accessories such as a Slingbox for streaming or other dongles just to access your WiFi network. Whether you go for the 2-tuner or 4-tuner model depends on your viewing habits; if you are a family that watches lots of network and live TV, and/or you will be using Tablo as your primary source of TV you may want to have those extra tuners on the 4-tuner model available. For most casual TV viewers or people that stream specialty programming rather than watch network shows, dual tuners should do the trick.

Now for the big question – what about the subscription fees? Many cordcutters ditched cable because they didn’t like monthly fees, so signing up to pay for guide data seems somewhat contradictory to the cause, no?

Well, first and foremost we do not recommend Tablo without a subscription. One day of guide info is OK, but nothing special considering most OTA stations will sometimes send out almost a week worth of guide info via PSIP (data passed along with the TV signal). Also, being able to only set manual recordings and losing most of the nice Tablo interface features isn’t really setting you up for a great user experience. On top of that, there are many other devices that can do those things and be more const-effective.

The good news is the cost of the subscription is fairly low, it is per user and not per device which means you don’t need to double up your fees if you double-up your hardware and if monthly fees really bother you, a one-shot lifetime subscription is also available. The price of the Tablo subscription is also considerably less than its prime competitor, Tivo, which is generally 3 times more expensive, in particular for its lifetime subscription at a whopping $500 USD.

Tablo is sleek, it's sexy, and you will never look at OTA TV the same way again - but is it right for you?

So what's our recommendation? Well, if you already have a streaming box, the choice as a no brainer – check the number of free channels in your area and see if it’s worth adding some OTA via Tablo. Trust us, your internet streaming cap will thank you. If you’re a new cordcutter, grab yourself a deal on the hardware (Tablo + a HDD + OTT box) and factor the cost of a lifetime membership in the equation. With the nearest option of dual-tuner OTA DVR that can sort of (but not really) match up to Tablo, coming in around $400, you may find it’s worth taking the plunge with Tablo for all the extra features that come with it.

Conclusion

Tablo delivers the goods in terms of overall quality and end-user experience. Tablo performs well and is easy to use, and will only get better with future firmware updates. While the cost is a considerable investment, this product will be a hit with current streamers and new cordcutters alike.

Overall rating: 8.5/10

For more information or to purchase a Tablo unit please visit the Tablo TV website.