TV-Connected Tablo DVRs &
How They Work

TV-connected Tablo DVRs are designed for cord cutters using TV antennas to access local Over-the-Air broadcast TV programs on a primary TV screen. With Tablo you can browse, watch, and record that great free TV content on your schedule. 

Yes! As their name suggests and unlike our network-connected OTA DVRs, TV-connected Tablo DVRs like the DUAL HDMI and Tablo QUAD HDMI offer a more traditional set-top-box-style DVR setup which sends video directly to your television set via an HDMI cable.

This lets you enjoy your favorite live or recorded HDTV content via Tablo’s included remote control and beautiful, easy-to-use interface without the need for a separate streaming device or app.

TV-connected Tablo DVRs provide a traditional set-top-box-style DVR experience for cord cutters who use an Over-The-Air (OTA) antenna to watch live, local TV.

Simply connect your antenna to Tablo, your Tablo to your TV via HDMI and to your home network via WiFi or Ethernet, add a USB hard drive to the Tablo for storage, and you're ready to watch and record local broadcast TV.

When you buy a TV-connected Tablo OTA DVR we include the Tablo DVR, a Tablo remote, two AAA batteries for the remote, an HDMI cable, an ethernet cable, a power adapter, and a Quick Start Guide.

Every Tablo OTA DVR also comes with a free 30-day trial of the Tablo Guide Data Service so you can try out some of the cooler features Tablo has to offer. 

To set up your TV-connected Tablo OTA DVR you need:

• An Over-the-Air HDTV antenna
• An internet connection
• A USB hard drive - this is required both for watching live TV and recording
• A television with an HDMI port (all TVs manufactured after 2005 should include this)

If you'd also like to watch Tablo content on additional TVs within your home, you'll need a strong home WiFi network, an active TV Guide Data Service subscription, and one of these:

• A Smart TV powered by: Roku, or Amazon Fire TV, or Android TV OR
• A Set-Top-Box/Streaming Media Device: Roku, or Amazon Fire TV, or Chomecast with Google TV, or Nvidia SHIELD

TV-connected Tablo OTA DVRs offer a more traditional DVR setup. DVRs like Tablo DUAL HDMI or Tablo QUAD HDMI connect directly to your television while at the same time provide the powerful and yet easy-to-use DVR interface that Tablo customers know and love. TV-connected DVRs are designed for cord cutters who primarily watch programming on a single television.

On the other hand, network-connected Tablo DVRs don’t connect to your television at all. Instead they connect to your home’s WiFi router to distribute live and recorded TV to multiple internet-connected devices like Smart TVs, streaming boxes and sticks, smartphones, tablets, and computers.

While TV-connected Tablo OTA DVRs are designed for cord cutters who primarily watch programming on a single television, they do enable streaming to a limited selection of internet-connected devices within the home with an active TV Guide Data Service subscription. 

Depending on the quality of your home network, TV-connected Tablo DVRs can stream to up to two (for the Tablo DUAL HDMI) or four (for the Tablo QUAD HDMI) compatible Smart TVs or streaming set-top-boxes at the same time.

They are not compatible with existing Tablo apps for computers, smartphones, tablets, Apple TV, or select Smart TVs. 

YES! Since TV-connected Tablo DVRs feature an IR (infrared) sensor on the front of the device, it can receive and detect commands from other IR-enabled universal remotes and remotes from several TV brands. 

All Tablo OTA DVRs come with a free 30-Day trial of Tablo's TV Guide Data Service subscription.

Tablo's TV Guide Data Service subscription provides the beautiful cover art, episode and series synopses, and metadata that makes it easy for you to browse content and set recordings on your Tablo. A subscription also enables some of Tablo's cooler features like in-home streaming to secondary TVs. After the first 30 days, you can choose to subscribe and continue to enjoy the benefits of a TV Guide Data subscription.

Learn more and get pricing on our Tablo TV Guide Service subscription page.

No. Tablo is designed to record and stream Over-The-Air (OTA) broadcast signals from ATSC TV antennas. We do not support recording from cable or satellite signals, cableCARDs, or clear/unencrypted cable (QAM).

No. Legal and technical reasons prevent Tablo from recording content from sources other than an ATSC digital TV antenna. You can read more about this on the Tablo blog.

In general, those in major urban centers in Canada and the United States can expect to receive many free HDTV channels Over-the-Air including most major networks. The quality of your OTA TV reception is based on your proximity to local broadcast towers, the type of antenna you're using, and its location (indoor, outdoor, height off the ground, direction). Consult our Antennas and OTA reception page for more information and to find out what channels are available in your area.

Tablo products are currently available to residents of the United States (including Alaska & Hawaii) and Canada. Tablo DUAL HDMI and Tablo QUAD HDMI OTA DVRs are sold via Tablo's web store and Amazon.com.