Cord-cutting isn’t just about the unassailable attraction of saving money, it’s also about access to the content people want. Aside from Netflix, Hulu and all the streaming boxes that are prominent in that conversation, over-the-air (OTA) digital antennas are a significant piece of the puzzle. Nuvyyo, a Canadian startup from Ottawa, has maneuvered between the two, coming to market in the U.S. with the Tablo, a $219 set-top DVR box that streams and records free OTA TV channels to tablets, computers, Apple TV and Roku.
Despite the fact that streaming is an integral part of its functionality, the Tablo differs from the likes of Aereo and Simple.TV and Nuvyyo thinks it’s got the goods to make everyone happy and be an indispensable part of any cord-cutter’s arsenal. We gave the Tablo a good workout to see if we agree.
It’s hard not to like the Tablo. Setting it up is easy, the app is intuitive and looks good and it streams to a number of devices in or out of the home. Granted, its up-front cost may seem a little steep, but considering the savings that can be had on the long term by giving up cable, perhaps the price isn’t such a barrier after all.
For cord cutters, an OTA DVR system is an important element for a successful transition away from cable or satellite service and the Tablo happens to be one of the best solutions we’ve seen yet. We hope future models offer an HDMI output and we look forward to upgrades that allow multiple hard drives to be used at once. But even as it is, the Tablo is a slick device with a sweet interface even a tech novice can love.
