Give $20 off Tablo 4th Generation OTA DVRs to your friends and you get a $20 gift card for every successful referral*.

The latest Tablo news along with tips to maximize your free TV experience. 

Tablo OTA DVR vs. Amazon Fire TV Recast Comparison

TABLO OTA DVR VS AMAZON FIRE RECAST

There is a sheer variety of services, gadgets and technology available to help you escape the clutches of cable TV. However, navigating the variety of options can be daunting, especially for new and soon-to-be cord cutters. If you’re trying to decide between a Tablo OTA DVR vs the new Amazon Fire TV Recast for your the Over-the-Air (OTA) DVR requirement, this product and feature comparison will help you choose the network-connected OTA DVR device that’s right for you.

*** FYI – The Amazon Fire TV Recast has been officially discontinued by Amazon in 2022 ***

tablo vs. amazon recast ota dvr comparison

Table of Contents

1. Tablo DVR and Amazon Fire TV RecastOverall Comparison (TL;DR)

2. Hardware, Tuners and Network ConnectionsHardware Comparison Chart

3. Streaming Live OTA TV and RecordingsStreaming Comparison Chart

4. Apps & Device SupportApps & Device Comparison Chart

5. Additional Considerations

Tablo OTA DVR vs Amazon Fire TV Recast Overall Comparison:

Tablo DVRs and Amazon Fire TV Recast both connect your TV antenna to your home network to deliver Over-the-Air content. There is however a difference between how the products deliver video and their supported device ecosystems.

From its inception in 2013, the Tablo brand has focused on an open-ecosystem approach, providing the best Over-the-Air DVR functionality on the widest variety of internet-connected devices. It even allows 3rd parties to develop tools for power-users using the Tablo API.

Tablo DVRs’ video recording and playback functions have been tuned to maintain crisp video quality while maximizing recordings storage space.

All generations of Tablo OTA DVR products continue to be supported and improved via app and firmware updates with funds generated from its optional TV guide data subscription.

The Amazon Recast, on the other hand – despite being a product of a massive multi-national company – is a new entrant to the Over-the-Air DVR space. Its goal is to deliver live and recorded local TV to its slate of streaming devices, televisions, tablets and smart displays to the exclusion of competing products.

Recast’s video recording and playback functions are tuned to deliver video effectively to Amazon’s own products, but it is not compatible with the most popular brands of Smart TVs and streaming media devices, nor computers or gaming systems.

Amazon Recast’s recording storage is limited at this time and not particularly efficient.

TL;DR – Tablo OTA DVRs are the best way to watch live and recorded Over-the-Air TV on any device, anytime, anywhere.

However, if you’re a devotee of the Amazon ecosystem and all the devices in your home are running an Amazon operating system, you may wish to consider a Recast.

BACK TO TOP

Hardware, Tuners, & Network Connections:

tablo product lineup 2020

Tablo OTA DVR hardware comes in two dual-tuner models (Tablo DUAL LITE and the Tablo DUAL 128GB) and two quad-tuner models (Tablo QUAD and Tablo QUAD 1TB).

All network-connected Tablo OTA DVRs can connect to your router via Ethernet or WiFi to enable optimal placement of your TV antenna for signal reception.

The Tablo DUAL 128GB and Tablo QUAD 1TB provide onboard storage, but all Tablo DVRs, including those with internal storage, support up to 8TB of expandable storage via USB hard drive.

Tablo OTA DVR hardware costs between $149.99 US and $239.99 US, depending on the model.

(NOTE – Tablo also offers TV-connected OTA DVRs which feature their own remote, for those who prefer a more traditional set-top-box DVR.) 

Amazon offers two different models of Recast: a dual-tuner variant with 500 GB (75 hours) of onboard recordings storage and a 4-tuner with 1TB (150 hours) of storage.

Neither model offers expandable storage although Amazon has announced this feature will be enabled at a future date. Both models can connect to your router via Ethernet or WiFi to enable optimal placement of your TV antenna for signal reception.

Fire TV Recast is priced at $229.99 US for the 2-tuner model and $279.99 US for the 4-tuner model.

tablo vs recast product details comparison

BACK TO TOP

Streaming Live OTA TV & Recordings:

tablo dvr football

Both the Tablo OTA DVR and Amazon Fire TV Recast use a process called ‘transcoding’ which takes the native MPEG-2 video from the TV antenna and turns it into a streaming-friendly file format called HLS (aka H.264). Both also support passthrough of 5.1 Surround Sound.

The main difference between Tablo and Recast is when and how transcoding is used, which has a major impact on basic functionality.

Tablo OTA DVRs transcode every incoming Live TV stream to your choice of five video quality and bitrate settings, up to 1080 (720p @ 60fps) at 10 Mbps.

tablo transcoding

This has several benefits including:

Recast, on the other hand, stores all video streams to the hard drive in native MPEG-2 format. During playback, live and recorded TV streams are transcoded on-the-fly to match network conditions at a maximum of 720p @ 60fps.

While this does have its benefits – especially for those with flaky home networks – it also has a few downsides:

  • 40% larger file sizes for recordings, which means less recording space on Recast vs. Tablo on a similar sized hard drive
  • On-the-fly transcoding requires A LOT of processing power, so every Recast device is limited to 2 concurrent viewing streams, regardless of whether you have a 2 or 4-tuner model

tablo vs. recast live recording streams comparison

BACK TO TOP

Compatibility Comparison – App and Device Support:

tablo any device

Device support is probably the biggest difference between Tablo OTA DVRs and Amazon Fire TV Recast.

The Tablo brand is committed to an open ecosystem approach with 14 apps, across 8 operating systems, supporting 12,000+ internet-connected devices.

Tablo will continue to support the wide variety of streaming media players, Smart TVs, mobile devices, PCs and gaming systems that cord cutters already own – including Roku, Apple TV, Android TV, Amazon Fire TV and many more.

recast device

On the other hand, Amazon has consistently proven to be much less open.

They have restricted access to content from perceived competitors and designed products to specifically promote their own services and technology. While this is smart from a business sense, it can prove frustrating to cord cutters who want to watch what they want, when they want and on the device they want.

With Amazon Recast, users will be limited to viewing on Amazon devices including Smart TVs, Fire TV streaming boxes and sticks, the Amazon Echo Show smart display and mobile devices via its app.

Recast does not support competing streaming devices like Roku, Apple TV, Nvidia Shield TV, nor does it support competing Smart TVs from Roku, Samsung, LG or Android TV, nor PCs or gaming boxes.

tablo recast device support comparison

BACK TO TOP

Additional Considerations:

There are a few other factors to consider when comparing Tablo OTA DVRs with Amazon Fire TV Recast including, TV guide data, out-of-home TV viewing, streaming service integrations and availability.

  • Out-of-Home TV Viewing

    tablo out-of-home
    Tablo OTA DVRs allow you to watch live and recorded TV as well as set and manage recordings from anywhere in the world.This subscription-required feature is called Tablo Connect and can be used on most Tablo-supported devices, including Amazon Fire TV. Out-of-home viewing via Amazon Fire TV Recast is limited to iOS and Android mobile devices. It does not support setting recordings for programs airing in the future, nor deleting completed recordings.
  • Availability
    Tablo OTA DVRs are available online at tablotv.com and via online retail partners in the United States and Canada and in-store in the US via Microcenter. TV guide data is available for both Canada and the US. Recast is available via Amazon.com in the United States and is not available in Canada.

BACK TO TOP

Final Thoughts: 

The best OTA TV solution, Tablo OTA DVR vs Amazon Fire TV, for you is highly dependent on your needs, what fits with your existing or planned setup and your level of comfort with tech. In order to choose, it is important that you research all the available options and understand the ‘fine print’ of each option.

If you have any additional questions as you compare Tablo OTA DVRs and make choices for your cord cutting ecosystem, don’t hesitate to drop us a line. We’re here to help!

Liked this article? Check out these posts on Tablo products, compatible devices and Over-the-Air TV technology next:

Updated August 16, 2022

Related Blogs

Get the latest from Tablo.

Signup to get the latest product and over-the-air TV  news delivered right to your inbox. 

How to restart your phone/tablet

Sometimes, just restarting your smartphone or tablet can clear up issues with apps. The links below will provide detailed instructions on how to force close your Tablo app. 

Apple iPhone

Android smartphones 

Most Android smartphones and tablets can be restarted by holding the POWER button and then selecting RESTART or POWER OFF and RESTART from the POWER OPTIONS menu.

NOTE: Newer Samsung devices require you to hold the POWER/SIDE button and VOLUME DOWN to make the POWER OPTIONS menu appear. On the Google Pixel 6, hold the POWER and VOLUME UP buttons.

How to force close your Tablo app?

Sometimes, just restarting the app can fix things. The links below will provide detailed instructions on how to force close your Tablo app. 

Apple iPhone/iPad

Android smartphones/tablets 

Need help with the final steps?

Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.  Follow the steps in the video below for a full walkthrough of the remaining parts of the Tablo setup process.

Tablo Logo White

Please enter a valid address. 

We recommend entering your full address for the most accurate results. 

Sorry, no results. Please check your zip code.

Getting your channels...

You can get channels for free!
( over-the-air channels and streaming channels )

This is an estimate only. Actual broadcast TV channels received may vary based on TV antenna location, reception, topography, and other obstructions. Streaming channels require an internet connection. View the Channel Details Report for specifics of each channel and to help determine what antenna is needed. 

Reception alert:  Based upon the location you entered, you may not get many of the major networks.  As a result, Tablo may not be the best fit for you.  Please enter your full address above for best accuracy. 

Major Local Broadcast Channels

Major networks you know that have live sports, major events, local news and more. 

Entertainment and Lifestyle Channels

Sports Channels

News Channels

Movie Channels

Family and Kid Channels

En Español

Additional TV Broadcast Networks

Internet Streaming TV Channels

Internet-based free streaming channels .