Today’s question comes from Jackie, who asks, “I set up my Tablo, but I only see streaming channels. How do I get my local channels in the guide?”
When you set up your Tablo device, you’ll be prompted to do something called a channel scan. This tells the Tablo to look for all the local channels available from your over-the-air TV antenna, as well as the free internet-based streaming channels included with Tablo.
So, if you see the 100+ streaming channels included with Tablo, but your lineup is missing networks like ABC, CBS, NBC and FOX, one of these four issues has occurred:
1 – You Don’t Have an Over-the-Air TV Antenna
While you don’t have to use the specific antenna included in the Tablo Total System package, every Tablo device needs an over-the-air TV antenna to receive local channels.
2 – Your Over-the-Air TV Antenna Isn’t Connected
If you do have an antenna and you can watch your local stations on your TV just fine, it’s likely that you haven’t physically connected the antenna to your Tablo. You may need to disconnect your antenna from your television and connect it to the coaxial port on the back of the Tablo.
3 – Your TV Antenna Setup Needs Adjusting
Selecting the right TV antenna for your needs and placing it in an optimal location for reception are important. You might need a more powerful TV antenna or to place it in a different spot to pick up your local channels.
4 – Your Area Has No Local Broadcasts
If you live in a valley, mountainous, or a very rural area, broadcasts may be physically blocked and unable to reach your TV antenna, or there may be no local broadcasts at all. We recommend considering your local geography and using the tools on our website to check for channels in your area before making a purchase.
Once you’ve determined why your Tablo isn’t picking up local channels and adjusted your TV antenna setup, remember to run a new channel scan. This will allow your Tablo to ‘see’ the local channels available from your antenna and allow you to add them to your channel lineup.
Have a question about watching TV that you’d like answered? Send us a note and you may see your question on the Tablo blog and in an upcoming issue of our newsletter, Stay Tuned!
