Today we’re excited to introduce you to the newest member of the Tablo product family – Tablo DUAL LITE. But don’t let its name fool you; there’s nothing ‘lite’ about its feature set.
The new Tablo DUAL LITE OTA DVR packs all of the things cord cutters love about Tablo – whole-home networked connectivity via Ethernet or WiFi, an easy-to-use interface, one-touch recordings and more – but at a price ($139.99 US) that won’t lighten your wallet.
(See a full product comparison sheet here.)
WHAT’S NEW IN TABLO DUAL LITE:
With the same redesigned look and feel as the Tablo DUAL 64GB we launched last year, Tablo DUAL LITE features improved WiFi with the cost savings and flexibility of ‘bring-your-own’ recording storage.
Improved WiFi:
Tablo DUAL LITE includes an upgraded WiFi chip based on the newest 802.11 a/c standard. That means Tablo DUAL LITE should provide faster and more reliable to WiFi connection to your router for streaming to multiple devices at the same time, especially in areas where other connected devices and neighbors can create heavy network congestion.
(Read more about the benefits of 802.11 a/c wireless here.)
Choose Your Own Adventure Storage:
There are two types of DVR users: ‘TV neatniks’ who record, watch, then immediate delete shows and ‘TV hoarders’ who record and save EVERYTHING, archiving entire seasons of TV shows and movies.
Tablo DUAL LITE gives you the flexibility to connect as much, or as little storage as you’d like via USB. Most Tablo users find that an affordable 1TB drive (which holds between 225-650 hours of HDTV) is sufficient, but USB hard drives up to 8TB are supported.
(See hard drive specifications and recommendations here.)
Optional Cloud DVR Storage:
However, if you are a ‘DVR neatnik’ you may want to try the new Tablo Cloud DVR – currently in beta – for clutter-free recording storage.
The first Tablo OTA DVR to support recording to the cloud, each Tablo DUAL LITE comes with an optional 30-day cloud DVR trial.
Once you opt-in, the Tablo Cloud DVR trial is enabled and your Tablo DUAL LITE will seamlessly upload recordings to the internet, storing them in an account that can only be accessed by your specific Tablo DUAL LITE OTA DVR.
Tablo Cloud DVR will be free to use during beta testing and includes 40GB of storage (approximately 26 hours of HDTV at the recommended recording quality setting).
Full pricing and packages for Tablo Cloud DVR will be announced in the coming months. At that time, Tablo Cloud DVR beta testers will have the option to transition to a paid plan or discontinue cloud DVR service in favor of USB-connected storage.
Tablo Cloud DVR beta users who choose to discontinue will retain access to completed recordings in the cloud for 7 days.
NOTE – Unlike the use of Tablo OTA DVRs with local storage, recording and viewing of Tablo Cloud DVR content requires the use of broadband internet, which will count against any datacap imposed by your ISP. An upload/download speed of at least 5 Mbps is recommended.
WHAT’S STILL AWESOME:
All of the features you know and benefits our customers love about Tablo OTA DVRs haven’t changed with Tablo DUAL LITE, including:
Flexible WiFi or Ethernet Connectivity
Instead of connecting to a single TV like legacy OTA DVRs, Tablo DUAL LITE connects to your home network so it can stream live and recorded TV to all of your favorite devices. The only OTA DVR with WiFi, Tablo DUAL LITE offers the flexibility of connecting to your network via Ethernet, or via WiFi, so it can be placed where your OTA antenna gets the best reception.
Full App Support:
All of Tablo’s beautiful, easy-to-use apps support the new Tablo DUAL LITE OTA DVR, which means you can watch your favorite broadcast programs on the internet-connected devices you already have, including:
- iOS/Android smartphones and tablets
- PC/MAC computers
- Streaming media devices
- Roku – set-top-boxes and sticks
- Amazon Fire TV – set-top-boxes and sticks
- Android TV – Nvidia SHIELD TV, Xiaomi MiBox, Google Nexus Player
- Apple TV – 4th Generation via native app, previous generations via AirPlay
- Chromecast – casting from PC or Android mobile devices
- Gaming systems
- Xbox One
- Nvidia SHIELD TV
- Smart TVs
- Roku
- Amazon Fire TV
- Android TV
- LG WebOS 2.0, 3.0 & 3.5
- Samsung TIZEN
Whole-Home and On-the-Go Streaming:
Once Tablo DUAL LITE is connected to your home network, it will stream live and recorded OTA TV to all of the internet-connected devices inside your home.
Want to catch the game while you’re on vacation, or check your hometown news on a business trip? With Tablo Connect – our out-of-home streaming service – you can stream live and recorded TV from your Tablo DUAL LITE over the internet or 3/4G networks from anywhere in the world.
Affordable (and Optional) TV Guide Service:
Tablo’s easy-to-use Netflix-style apps rely on TV guide data and artwork from our guide data service. For just $5 USD/month or $50 USD/year your Tablo will access to the beautiful cover art, episode and series synopses, filters and views and advanced recording and streaming options that make finding and setting recordings for new shows and old favorites a snap. It also enables some of Tablo DUAL LITE’s more advanced features like Tablo Connect.
Rather forgo a TV guide service subscription? You’ll still get 24 hours of TV guide data (versus a full 2 weeks) and can still set manual recordings by date/time/channel on Tablo DUAL LITE OTA DVRs. And as always, your Tablo guide data service is tied to YOU not a specific device, so you can add Tablo DUAL LITE to an existing subscription or change the Tablo device associated to your subscription at any time.
Pricing & Availability:
Tablo DUAL LITE OTA DVRs will be available starting on April 1st are available NOW in the US exclusively at select Best Buy retail stores or online at BestBuy.com at an MSRP of $139.99 USD. Additional retail availability as well as Canadian retail pricing to be announced.
We hope you like our new Tablo DUAL LITE!
If you have any questions about our newest OTA DVR, or any of our products, or even how to cut the cord and cancel your cable contract, don’t hesitate to reach out. We’re here to help.
