Tablo How-Tos
Helpful Hints, How-Tos and More
We've made it's easy to watch and record Over-the-Air TV with Tablo. But here are some tips, tricks and how-tos that average folks and power-users will find useful!
(Click here for power-user tips for the remote of TV-Connected Tablo DVRs.)
Watching Live TV on the Small Screen
Most folks do their TV viewing on the big screen, but if you're on-the-go you might want to check in on the game or the news using your smartphone.
Because of the small screen size, launching a live TV stream from a network-connected Tablo DVR is a bit diffrerent using the Tablo app on a smartphone.
To do so, select the channel ID instead of the Program ID from the Live TV grid guide.
Setting a Manual Recording
If you choose to use Tablo without a Tablo TV guide subscription, or just want to more granular recording options, you'll want to create a Manual Recording.
To get started select the plus sign (or the +Add New button) in the Scheduled screen.
Manual Recordings can be set for a specific date, time and channel via all Tablo apps. You can also set recurring manual recordings if need be.
Make sure to name your manual recording something specific, so you can find it in your recordings screen when you're ready to watch it.
Tablo Roku Channel Tips & Tricks
While the interface of the Tablo Roku channel is very intuitive, here are some tips and tricks that Tablo power-users employ for navigating the Tablo channel on Roku:
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Just Press Play - Skip program detail screens in the Live TV or Recordings screens and get right to your show by hitting PLAY instead of OK
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Fast Forward Through Menus - Breeze through multiple seasons of recordings or any other menu with the FFWD & REW buttons
See more power-user tips for Roku owners using the Tablo Channel here and here.
Tablo Amazon Fire TV Tips & Tricks
While the interface of the Tablo Amazon Fire TV app is very intuitive, here are some tips and tricks that Tablo power-users employ for navigating the Tablo app on Amazon Fire TV:
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Just Press Play - Skip program detail screens in the Live TV or Recordings screens and get right to your show by hitting PLAY instead of SELECT
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Fast Forward Through Seasons - Move quickly through a list of multiple seasons of recordings of a single show using the FFWD and REW buttons
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Enable Closed Captioning - Press DOWN on the directional pad for player options including closed captioning
See all of the Tablo on Amazon Fire TV tips and tricks on the Tablo blog.
Tablo Apple TV App Tips & Tricks
Apple TV's remote and interface are fairly intuitive, but there are a few tips and tricks that Tablo power-users employ for navigating the Tablo app on Apple TV:
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Just Press Play - Skip program detail screens in the Live TV or Recordings screens and get right to your show by hitting PLAY instead of SELECT
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Swipe Down - To see program info and enable/disable closed captioning
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Swipe Across - Pause and then swipe through the timeline to find a particular segment
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Tap vs. Hold - Tap the remote for a 10 second skip, press and hold to move faster
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Ask Siri - Hit the microphone button and ask Siri to 'skip ahead two minutes' to jump through a commercial break
Fast Forward Previews
Most Tablo apps will offer fast forward preview thumbnails on recordings so you can easily skip commercials or find a particular segment of a show.
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Fast forward preview thumbnails are only available on completed recordings.
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Thumbnails require a free tuner to be processed and takes approximately 4 minutes per 1 hour show.
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Missing fast forward preview thumbnails? Live TV and in-progress recordings are unable to offer this option. Completed recordings missing thumbnails may have video errors preventing their creation.
Learn more about how Fast Forward Previews work and which apps support them on the Tablo blog.
Closed Captioning
For those who want or need closed captioning text, most Tablo apps offer closed captioning on both live TV and recordings.
Closed captioning is available on:
- iOS smartphones and tablets
- Android smartphones and tablets
- Roku
- Android TV
- Amazon Fire TV
- Apple TV
- Tablo's web app at my.tablotv.com
- As well as the interface of TV-Connected Tablo DVRs
Check out the Tablo blog for a full overview of closed captioning and instructions on how to enable this service on supported apps.
