You can use the fire tv/ stick remote or the roku remote and you can see the tiles as you fast forward the program so you can stop when the commercial is over. You can also reverse it the same way. Just use the right arrow to forward or the left arrow to reverse.How easy is this to operate? My wife wants only KISS remotes. I have a Roku Ultra if that makes any difference. Can you fast forward or rewind it? My two year contract runs out in January, so I want to be ready.
The home screen has has a"Trending on Tablo" section with all the show on the different streaming channels that you have with the Tablo. A "For you" section showing shows on you might want to watch on ota channels. Then "Recent Recordings" section. Then a "Your Favorites" section - if you go through and label the channels you like they will pop up here. Then a "Live and Upcoming Sports" section. "Bingeworthy TV" section. "Upcoming network premieres" section. Featured shows & movies section and a "Can't miss primetime" section. Followed by a Live News section and several other genres after that. It is very nice and modern screen. On the top section above the screen you have Library (for dvr recording) Home, Live, Shows, Movies ,Sports and Settings tile. Very easy and convenient to find everything.
The guide is like any DISH guide and it has channel logs on a blue background. You get two weeks of guide information. You can also add or subtract from the all list and keep just what you want under the settings tile once you set up you ota channels and scan for them. Including taking any streaming channel you don't like out. I have a total of 60 channels with streaming and ota included.
You can go to your TV shows section and select from each channel there the shows you want to record and set it for series timers and how many to keep etc. Very convenient and I like it much better than using the guide like we did with DISH. You can pick series recording options and a detailed screen will pop up with everything you need to record it. How many to keep or Auto delete ,whether to start on time or run late and whether it would be on this channel or any channel source.
You will like it as long as you have a good ota antenna and a good internet source you are all set. You can't watch the Tablo app out side of you home like the older Legacy Tablos, but that feature will soon be gone with those older Tablos too. I could never get mine to work right anyway on the older Tablo.