Earlier this year, Tablo stepped up with a 4th Generation OTA DVR box and a revamped streaming app. But if the simple dual-tuner Tablo box isn’t enough for you, Tablo is now offering a four-tuner model. The new Tablo box doesn’t plug into your TV. Instead, it plugs into your router and streams broadcast television to all the devices in your home. There’s also 128GB of onboard storage for DVR functionality and Tablo’s new app includes 40 FAST channels.
Back in November, we reviewed the dual-tuner version of the 4th Gen Tablo box. This new four-tuner model offers double the fun—it allows you to stream or record four channels simultaneously. It’s the ideal option for obsessive sports fans or large families, though it may be overkill in some households.
Those who purchase the four-tuner Tablo box specifically for DVR recordings should probably buy an external drive, too. Video saved to the Tablo’s onboard storage is compressed to save space, but still, it can only hold 50 hours of video. Plugging an external drive into the Tablo’s USB port expands your storage by up to 1,000 hours. Plus, video saved on your external drive will be kept at full quality. Tablo is compatible with external drives up to 8TB in size.
Note that the 4th Gen Tablo only uses ATSC 1.0 tuners. It isn’t compatible with the new ATSC 3.0 standard, which is perfectly understandable, as ATSC 3.0 hardware is costly and hasn’t been widely implemented by broadcasters. The FCC wants to shut down ATSC 1.0 in 2027, though this deadline may be extended due to ATSC 3.0’s slow adoption.
You can pre-order the four-channel Tablo 4th Gen OTA DVR exclusively at Best Buy. It costs $140 and starts shipping on December 15th. If you want to save a bit of cash, you can buy the dual-tuner model for $100. Neither one of these listings includes a TV antenna.
