In January, we announced a new feature – Automatic Commercial Skip – was coming to all subscription-enabled Tablo OTA DVRs.
We’re thrilled to announce that the open beta for this feature begins today with our latest firmware update (2.2.26).
Like all Tablo firmware updates, 2.2.26 is being distributed in a random, phased rollout which means you may not receive access immediately. When your Tablo is eligible for the update you will receive a notification in the Tablo app.
How Tablo Automatic Commercial Skip Works
Tablo's Automatic Commercial Skip feature makes it possible for your Tablo OTA DVR to play the majority of completed recordings without ads on our most popular TV-based apps.
Once enabled, your Tablo DVR will upload a small portion of completed recordings to the Tablo Commercial Skip Server for processing. A hybrid of digital signal processing (DSP) algorithms and machine learning will examine the data and mark the sections containing commercials.
Depending on the recording quality and audio settings of your Tablo, this process will use between 100-200 MB/hour of recording in external internet bandwidth.
When a recording has been processed successfully, a new playlist will be delivered back to your Tablo that will automatically jump over the sections with commercials (marked in yellow).
If the feature is not working as expected during playback, you can still scrub into and view a skipped section of video using the FFWD or REW buttons on your remote.
How to Enable Tablo Automatic Commercial Skip Detection
Once you’ve received and installed the 2.2.26 update on your Tablo DVR, Automatic Commercial Skip detection can be enabled and disabled globally via the settings screen and enjoyed on following Tablo apps:
Automatic Commercial Skip is not currently available on the original Tablo app for Amazon Fire TV or Android TV, Smart TVs, mobile devices, Xbox, or PC. All apps will continue to support Fast-Forward Previews.
Once enabled in your Tablo’s settings screen, automatic skipping is ‘on’ by default in the player of supported apps.
You can, however, turn the feature off on a per-recording basis, if for example, you wanted to watch the Superbowl WITH commercials.
When disabled, the skips will still be visible (as grey bars) but the video will not automatically jump over these sections.
Here’s how to disable Tablo Automatic Commercial Skip on a per-recording basis from within the playback screen:
Which Tablo Recordings Are Eligible for Commercial Skip
In order to be eligible for commercial skip processing, your Tablo DVR’s recordings must:
Recordings that have failed fast-forward preview processing are likely to have too many reception-based errors for commercial skip identification to be successful.
If many of your completed recordings do not currently show Fast-Forward Previews, you may wish to improve your Over-the-Air antenna or adjust its positioning before enabling this feature.
However, certain networks, program types, and shows are always ineligible for commercial skip processing including:
Network and program type filtering are done at the Tablo device level, meaning those recordings will NOT be uploaded to the Commercial Skip Server for processing.
Filtering by show is done at the Commercial Skip Server level for now, as we gather data to improve processing of cartoons and other shows with unique characteristics.
When Tablo's Automatic Commercial Skip detection is enabled, all recordings that have been processed will show a commercial skip message identifying either success or one of several error messages:
For a full overview of the meanings of these error messages, head over to the Tablo Knowledge Base.
Why Is Tablo Automatic Commercial Skip in Beta?
UPDATE - Tablo's Automatic Commercial Skip feature will be transitioning out of beta and into into a new, and optional, Tablo Premium Service add-on starting February 6, 2020.
Because the technology is new and requires additional refinement, Automatic Commercial Skip is being introduced as a beta feature.
Over the coming months, we will work to improve the feature with the goal of providing 90-95% skip accuracy on recordings with good signal quality.
During the open beta, Automatic Commercial Skip will be free to enjoy for Tablo customers with active or 30-day trial TV Guide Data subscriptions.
Once we are satisfied with the accuracy and quality of the feature and have reviewed the server infrastructure costs associated with Automatic Commercial Skip, this feature may transition to a paid add-on.
If Automatic Commercial Skip does become a paid feature, pricing will be announced and Tablo customers can then choose whether to add this feature to their TV Guide Data Subscription or discontinue its use.
Tablo Automatic Commercial Skip Q&A
Still confused? Here's a quick recap:
We hope you'll enjoy this newest feature on your Tablo OTA DVRs! If you have questions about this feature or anything else regarding your DVR, don't hesitate to contact us via Facebook, Twitter, or speak directly with our support team.
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