Is Tablo right for you? You’ve heard the buzz and read the expert reviews, but sometimes it helps to hear the Tablo Success Story from real Tablo customers to know if this is the right solution for you.
Our latest blog series, “How I Cut the Cord with Tablo” features Q&A style interviews with our Tablo OTA DVR customers, focusing on how they’ve cut the cord on cable to save money while enjoying a whole-home DVR experience using Tablo.
Whether you’re still on the fence about cutting the cord or you’re just looking for tips and tricks on how to improve your cord-cutting setup, we hope you’ll find these cord-cutting success stories helpful.
Why did you cut the cord? How much money are you saving each month?
I’m the kind of guy who likes to have control over my lifestyle. I know that a good company needs a plan for recurring revenue, but I was just sick and tired of sacrificing my money to the visual entertainment overlords who had me shackled by a contract.
So I went on a ’techno-diet‘! By that I mean, I resisted the urge to get new gear from the satellite company just because I could at the cost of 2 more years’ worth of billable chains. After 6 long months, my contract finally expired and I kicked the DirecTV habit!
We sprung for a 4- Tuner Tablo and a couple of ROKUs and an Amazon Fire TV and never looked back! Factoring in current guide service fees and sprinkling in a few other online services, we are saving over $110 per month and we have very similar programming to what we watched before. The kids and the wife adapted quickly!
What do you get with an HDTV antenna that you couldn’t get another way?
We gained the ability to completely control what we pay for on a month-to-month basis. As a bonus, the local OTA channels brought in some stations with some older content that my kids have never seen before. My boys are now fans of Knight Rider and Voltron which is a throwback to my own childhood. They probably would have never seen those without the switch.
Why did you choose the Tablo OTA DVR as part of your home entertainment arsenal?
To be fair, we didn’t know about the Tablo right away. We tried a different device first but it was horrible! Thank God we found the Tablo. It was exactly what I was looking for: an OTA DVR solution with a program guide that could stream OTA channels to ROKU, Fire TV, my phone and my tablet. I’m particularly impressed by the guide service which is spot on.
What’s been the best thing about using/having Tablo so far?
The best part of having Tablo is the low cost but reliable guide service that allows us to schedule recordings and watch what we want when we want. For example, the wife and I watch the news followed by Jimmy Fallon every night. We hit the sack at around 11:30 p.m. and both shows are waiting for us. Catch up on a little news, get in a laugh or two, then drift off to sleep. This is facilitated by the ROKU in our bedroom with the Tablo processing away in the basement where the antenna cable access is.
What other services and tools do you use to watch TV/Video content and why?
As we’ve mentioned a few times, the Tablo / ROKU / Fire TV combo is awesome. We use the Fire TV in our main theater room because the applications are a little more flexible than the ROKU. But we have ROKUs in three other rooms for a whole home entertainment solution. We subscribe to Netflix, Hulu and SlingTV to round out our programming package. I also subscribe to MLB.tv. Between the MLB and ESPN on SlingTV, we have some solid sports options!
What advice do you have for others thinking of cutting the cord?
My advice is to keep an open mind on your viewing habits. The cable companies have been feeding us the gluttonous TV drug for way too long! Yes, you will get fewer channels, but think long and hard about what you really watch on a regular basis. If you’re missing a show or two, think about what you can replace it with. Plus, a lot of the prime time shows are on local TV which you can time shift with the Tablo.
For me, having the History Channel, HGTV and ESPN on Sling TV make a HUGE difference and really put this solution over the top. My family is fully adjusted now and they just know it as ’normal‘ TV even though our total monthly ’TV’ bill is only about $40 per month, which is $110 less than it used to be!
Think about what you or your family could do with that kind of extra cash each month. A couple of theater movie nights? Maybe a trip to the baseball or football game? There are lots of fun activities your family can do with an extra $100!
If you’re already enjoying your Tablo OTA DVR, remember to post a review of your DVR on the online store where you purchased your unit and let your fellow TV lovers know your Tablo Success Story.
If you’d like to participate in the ‘How I cut the cord with Tablo’ blog series, drop us a line at info@tablotv.com. We’d love to hear your Tablo Success Story.
