CES 2017: Tablo Offers Two New Options for Accessing OTA Video
To help cord-cutters access free over-the-air (OTA) channels, antenna-maker Tablo announced two options at CES.
Tablo Droid is scheduling software that works in conjunction with Android-based set-top boxes (STBs). The Nvidia Shield is the first supported product. Tablo Droid connects the Shield to a digital antennal using the Tablo Tuner, a compact dongle that can tune in two channels at once. Tablo Droid also works with the Hauppauge WinTV-dual HD USB tuner stick. Customers will download the Tablo Droid app from the Google Play store. The Nvidia Shield Pro has 500GB of storage, which the Tablo Droid can use to store TV and movie recordings. This is the only Tablo offering that includes an HDMI connection to the TV (that's how the Shield connects) which makes for faster channel switching and no buffering.
"Tablo Droid brings the Tablo experience to Android TV users who would prefer an HDMI connection to their TV, staring with the Nvidia shield," says Renata Scorsone, Tablo's vice president of marketing.
Both the Droid app and the Tablo Tuner be available in Q2 2017.
Tablo also announced a convenient wireless way to access OTA channels with the Tablo Live stick. Customers connect the device to a digital antenna, then wirelessly connect it to their home Wi-Fi network. Once done, they can stream live OTA channels to any device on the network using a free Tablo app. Tablo offers apps for iOS, Android, Apple TV, Chromecast, Amazon Fire, Xbox, and more, and the app provides free EGP data.
"Tablo Live antenna anywhere stick provides an entry-level device that allows cord-cutters to stream live content from their antenna to any device using the Tablo app. This allows people to dip their toe into cord-cutting with minimal investment," Scorsone says. "It takes your antenna and makes it a streaming service."
While there's no local video recording with Tablo Live, the company is testing cloud DVR service that may be ready when the $99 device goes on sale in Q2. The service is currently in closed testing with friends and family so Tablo can be sure it will scale. The company isn't yet announcing how much the cloud DVR service will cost or how much storage it will include.
The Tablo Tuner
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