Thanks. I'm surprised Tivo didn't remove the cable tuners from the OTA model or disable them via software.
Tivo vs Tablo
- Thread starter Jackonearth
- Start date
- Latest activity Latest activity:
- Replies 66
- Views 9K
Those tuners/tuner chipsets are combined OTA and QAM. Probably cheaper to buy one combined unit than stock and track and manage two SKUs.
I suppose a s/w defeat could roll out at any time. But I doubt they’d ever bother.
Today’s units probably only have about a year or so of retail life left. Once the ATSC 3 tuners become available, I expect more and more people will demand it be included, to future proof their investment. Not that they’ll really care, especially if there’s no ATSC broadcast in their area, but I expect an advertising blitz to convince JSP that a nifty thing is coming and he doesn’t want to be left behind.
I suppose a s/w defeat could roll out at any time. But I doubt they’d ever bother.
Today’s units probably only have about a year or so of retail life left. Once the ATSC 3 tuners become available, I expect more and more people will demand it be included, to future proof their investment. Not that they’ll really care, especially if there’s no ATSC broadcast in their area, but I expect an advertising blitz to convince JSP that a nifty thing is coming and he doesn’t want to be left behind.
I was lucky enough to find a Roamio parts only box local on Criagslist for $20. Here is the link for the eBay adapter.
PCMT-134-02-L-D-RA-02-SL Adapter for a Cable Card | eBay
PCMT-134-02-L-D-RA-02-SL Adapter for a Cable Card | eBay
Is it worth buying a Tablo right now, or is it worth waiting until ATSC 3.0 comes out? I've got a Philips 3575H 160GB hard drive/DVD recorder that I've been using for digital OTA DVR since 2007. It only does SD, and I want an HD solution that will work on multiple platforms throughout my home. I don't want to spend $200 on the 2 tuner model and end up with a doorstop in a few years when the new standard comes out.
Silicon Dust HD Homerun for $70 would be cheaper. Free Live tv or pay to use Plex DVR or the Silcon Dust dvr. I haven't used it in a while, but NextPVR used to be free, I used it with my HD Homeruns before getting Tivo's. I have the HD Homeruns setup with Plex DVR now, as I got a cheap lifetime Plex service offer a few months ago.
I have the free HD Homerun app on my Fire Tv sticks and laptop and it works well for Live TV. I think the picture is a little better thru Plex as I have an older i5 desktop as my Plex server, so more processing power than the Fire stick by itself.
You aren't likely to see any cheaper consumers ATSC 3.0 tuners for at least 5 years, or if so, any serious need for it before then. So, I'd say buy the Tablo or another device if you want dvr. It'll pay for itself quickly.
The question probably comes down to how many OTA tuners you need and how many ways you can afford to split your antenna line.
The Tablo is perhaps one of the more expensive network-dependent tuners. It is a relatively closed ecosystem and doesn't play as well with media servers.
The HDHomerun can run with any number of third party software applications so you have lots of choices.
There are also the conventional USB and card slot tuners that run with their own software. Network bandwidth takes much less of a hit.
Finally, there are the cheap single-tuner boxes that you plug a USB drive into. They're going for around $30 and use relatively primitive built-in software driven by timers and PSIP data.
The Tablo is perhaps one of the more expensive network-dependent tuners. It is a relatively closed ecosystem and doesn't play as well with media servers.
The HDHomerun can run with any number of third party software applications so you have lots of choices.
There are also the conventional USB and card slot tuners that run with their own software. Network bandwidth takes much less of a hit.
Finally, there are the cheap single-tuner boxes that you plug a USB drive into. They're going for around $30 and use relatively primitive built-in software driven by timers and PSIP data.
They send them out every so often. This was the first time I got the offer. I’ve forgotten it was either $50 or $75.
If you sign for an account on the Plex site, the offers come around once in a great while.
I got my Plex Pass lifetime subscription back in September for $74.99.
If Next-Gen uptake has anything to do with it (as it did with DTV), it won't be until some large percentage of OTA viewers are equipped with capable tuners.
Absent a mandate and tuner subsidies that DTV enjoyed, this seems likely to be an uphill battle. Until then, the broadcasters will likely be required to maintain full DTV service.
The shutdown clock starts ticking once they start broadcasting ATSC-3. But I don’t remember- is it five years they must maintain the ATSC-1 signal? I suspect they’ll maintain that “old” signal more than five years.
I’m with harshness on this. It appears to be a long uphill battle coming.
However, I also suspect the NAB has something up their sleeve.
I’m with harshness on this. It appears to be a long uphill battle coming.
However, I also suspect the NAB has something up their sleeve.
The shutdown clock for DTV was turned back twice and it was all backed by a Congressional mandate. Unless the NAB is going to give tuners away, they're going to have to do more than be allowed to broadcast Next-Gen. Broadcasters have a "fiduciary responsibility" to keep emergency information available.
Does ATSC 3 free up spectrum for 5G? If so they might shut down ATSC 1 sooner rather than later.
I'm thinking that "Operating in the Public Interest" dictates that all stations must meet the requirements to maintain their licenses.
NO!!!
The spectrum is freed up by the Congressionally mandated TV channel repack and that will commence before most of us see our first Next-Gen tuner (it has already begun in Puerto Rico).
As such, Next-Gen stations that turn up will have to share the smaller 36 channel spectrum with existing DTV stations.
DTV is the standard until the FCC decides that it isn't. Next-Gen is operating in an "allowed use" capacity.
Similar threads
