Review Insights · App Store
Tablo
Nuvyyo Inc. · 585 ratings · ★ 2.5
2.5
★★★★★
585 ratings
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Top complaints - extracted from 70 negative reviews
Recurring phrases mined from 1-2★ reviews. The bigger the percentage, the more users have the same problem. Fix the top 2-3 in your version and you have product-market fit on day one.
1
"tablo"
26 negative reviews mention this · 37% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Worse Accessibility with each Update. Tablo obviously has given up any pretense of meeting customer needs, in favor of searching for ways to make a higher profit. If you are a caregiver for anyone with any form of dementia, forget Tablo, they won’t be able to use it on their ow…" - MikeF126
2
"work"
17 negative reviews mention this · 24% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Playback issues. Does not work on iOS!" - dejongdn
3
"device"
17 negative reviews mention this · 24% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Playback Failed - Cannot Decode. Keep getting this issue across all my Apple devices. Regardless if I restart, reset, or re-install. But works perfectly with my Android devices like smart tv and google streaming devices." - ERV_Slider
4
"update"
13 negative reviews mention this · 19% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Worse Accessibility with each Update. Tablo obviously has given up any pretense of meeting customer needs, in favor of searching for ways to make a higher profit. If you are a caregiver for anyone with any form of dementia, forget Tablo, they won’t be able to use it on their ow…" - MikeF126
5
"works"
12 negative reviews mention this · 17% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Playback Failed - Cannot Decode. Keep getting this issue across all my Apple devices. Regardless if I restart, reset, or re-install. But works perfectly with my Android devices like smart tv and google streaming devices." - ERV_Slider
6
"doesn"
12 negative reviews mention this · 17% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Horrible waste of time and money. Do NOT buy, download, use nor waste your time nor money as I have. Useless. Doesn’t work!" - Don’t use TABLO
7
"working"
12 negative reviews mention this · 17% of all complaints
★★★★★ "They don’t seem to last very long. I’m now on my third Tablo in about three years. They just stop working. If I could find a similar over the air recorder I would buy it." - Axclm
8
"apple"
10 negative reviews mention this · 14% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Playback Failed - Cannot Decode. Keep getting this issue across all my Apple devices. Regardless if I restart, reset, or re-install. But works perfectly with my Android devices like smart tv and google streaming devices." - ERV_Slider
9
"support"
10 negative reviews mention this · 14% of all complaints
★★★★★ "AppleTV App Is Broken. Recently my 14-month old Tablo 4th gen flat out died. I bought a new one, and it doesn’t show live tv. Tablo’s support acknowledges that a recent Apple TVOS update is the cause. The support article gives a workaround involving a change t…" - FletchersKid
10
"channels"
10 negative reviews mention this · 14% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Was good then became terrible. Every day gets worse and worse. Losing channels I checked to add. Can’t keep a good signal, even though my TV picks it up fine without table. Terrible" - Done with Tablo
11
"guide"
10 negative reviews mention this · 14% of all complaints
★★★★★ "App is slow. The App takes forever to load past the initial loading screen on AppleTV and iOS. The legacy app loads almost instantly to the guide but this app takes a good minute of loading before it gives you the home screen. The app also has frequent …" - JB2006inTN
12
"issues"
9 negative reviews mention this · 13% of all complaints
★★★★★ "Playback issues. Does not work on iOS!" - dejongdn
📋 All 70 negative reviews
Every 1-2★ review we fetched. Use the copy button to grab them all for your own analysis (paste into ChatGPT/Claude with a prompt like "summarize core user problems, group by theme, ignore bugs, focus on missing features").
Playback issues
Does not work on iOS!
Playback Failed - Cannot Decode
Keep getting this issue across all my Apple devices. Regardless if I restart, reset, or re-install. But works perfectly with my Android devices like smart tv and google streaming devices.
Prefer the old app
Lots of flash, but not as powerful as their previous app. It’s not just that everything has moved, it is missing abilities that the old app once had.
Abysmal
I’ve written several reviews in the past about this app’s failure to perform the most basic of operations that it claims to provide. I didn’t think it could get worse, but it does. Everyday it gets worse. It fails to pick up broadcast signals that it was connected to the day before. It pauses frequently. “Signal lock” error message occurs frequently. Etc, etc.
Can’t registered a new account in app
After filling in all the registration info, clicking the register button does not do anything.
Worse Accessibility with each Update
Tablo obviously has given up any pretense of meeting customer needs, in favor of searching for ways to make a higher profit. If you are a caregiver for anyone with any form of dementia, forget Tablo, they won’t be able to use it on their own. Tablo has refused to meet my requests for better usability, including restoring the user-selectable start page option, apparently because that would interfere with their overarching desire for new revenue streams.
Horrible waste of time and money
Do NOT buy, download, use nor waste your time nor money as I have.
Useless. Doesn’t work!
Useless. Doesn’t work!
AppleTV App Is Broken
Recently my 14-month old Tablo 4th gen flat out died. I bought a new one, and it doesn’t show live tv. Tablo’s support acknowledges that a recent Apple TVOS update is the cause. The support article gives a workaround involving a change to the AppleTV audio settings. Problem is that their recommended change item does not even appear in my fairly new AppleTV, which has the latest OS. I realize Tablo doesn’t charge a subscription fee, but they do make money selling user data. Bottom line is they obviously put Apple related updates in a low priority. If AppleTV were valued by Tablo, they would be in the loop for updates and have their software ready. This latest inattention problem adds insult to injury.
Was good then became terrible
Every day gets worse and worse. Losing channels I checked to add. Can’t keep a good signal, even though my TV picks it up fine without table.
Terrible
Terrible
Antenna TV
This device is a very bad device. It does not connect over the air station at all
App is slow
The App takes forever to load past the initial loading screen on AppleTV and iOS. The legacy app loads almost instantly to the guide but this app takes a good minute of loading before it gives you the home screen. The app also has frequent crashes on the AppleTV app. I wish I could still use the legacy app.
Every time it goes down….
It mysteriously stops working every once in a while and it ALWAYS takes hours, sometimes days if we get too frustrated, to fix. Uninstall the app, reinstall. Scan for the wifi, can’t find it until all the stars align and you can. Reboot dozens of times. Spin around twice, cross your fingers, and usually another error appears until that amazing moment when it finally works. Until it goes down again. We even bought another new Tablo puck thinking it was the hardware. But it wasn’t. It’s the best option we know of, but it is a very frustrating one.
Save your money
My Tablo worked intermittently and calling support kept getting me poor results. Eventually the device stopped responding at all. The idea is good, but this device isn’t worked out yet.
Cannot get the app to work...
I downloaded the app and have requested a verification code at least three times, but it won't send one so I can't even attempt to set it up. I'm having trouble finding anyone to contact to correct this.
Amateurish design
I “upgraded” from the old tablo app and found this replacement missing some basic features and functionality. It looks like they spent more time working on the animated open than they did on the app functional design..
Some basic features that are missing; a list view for your recorded and upcoming shows.
Delete by swiping. Now it requires multiple commands.
Scheduled recordings no longer show you the times they are to air without multiple commands. Recorded programs are not even in chronological order. (This one really baffles me).
What used to take 30 seconds minute now takes ten minutes. Scheduled shows that are to be recorded appear in the schedule most of the time but not all the time and you have to manually double check them.
The worst part is the homepage is now promotional advertising instead of the guide. There’s seemingly no way to get around any of these amateurish limitations.
Maybe it was made by grade school kids using Playschool app design software. It’s a joke. A bad joke
Some basic features that are missing; a list view for your recorded and upcoming shows.
Delete by swiping. Now it requires multiple commands.
Scheduled recordings no longer show you the times they are to air without multiple commands. Recorded programs are not even in chronological order. (This one really baffles me).
What used to take 30 seconds minute now takes ten minutes. Scheduled shows that are to be recorded appear in the schedule most of the time but not all the time and you have to manually double check them.
The worst part is the homepage is now promotional advertising instead of the guide. There’s seemingly no way to get around any of these amateurish limitations.
Maybe it was made by grade school kids using Playschool app design software. It’s a joke. A bad joke
Zero star-Headache after headache
Can you fix this app? This is the worst service. DO NOT BUY TABLO! Horrible. This app just spins and spins. I’ve installed and reinstalled and it just spins. It’s really sad because I thought this Tablo would solve all my problems , but it’s been nothing but a headache, meaning the device and the app. 😢
The TV app for Samsung rarely works. Would you please fix it too? It’s really ridiculous. Horrible service. I regret this purchase more than anything.
The TV app for Samsung rarely works. Would you please fix it too? It’s really ridiculous. Horrible service. I regret this purchase more than anything.
Does not work with legacy device
Does not work with a legacy Tablo device even after device firmware was updated.
Not even close to adequate functionality
As a legacy Tablo Quad HDMI user, I waited for the promised firmware update to convert my unit to a subscription free guide version, but those promises seem to have been forgotten. So, when I saw a quad tuner 4th generation Tablo, I decided to try it. So far I have been less than impressed, especially with the lack of features available in the AppleTV/iOS clients as compared to my legacy Tablo.
First, the setup was not smooth, as the iOS app hung several times during the setup. It took quitting and relaunching the app several times to complete setup.
The broadcasters in my area do a lot of channel doubling, that is, they send out the same virtual channel on multiple frequencies. My old Tablo let me select which of the doubled channels to include in my channel list. The new one shows only one, and I have no control selecting which I prefer to use.
After recording a few shows, I find that the skip ahead function doesn’t show thumbnails like the legacy Tablo, so you have to guess how long a commercial break is and fumble back and forth to get to the right spot in the recording. If you are slow to press a skip ahead or back button, the show starts playing again automatically, which is different behavior than the legacy interface. I prefer a pause after a skip ahead, with a thumbnail, so the end of the commercial can be easily found and the show can be resumed when I am ready, not when a button press times out.
I also read that the AppleTV/iOS apps don’t allow for watching a show from the beginning while it’s still recording. That is a major downgrade compared to my Legacy Tablo. I use that feature regularly when an unexpected phone call comes in during a favorite show.
The 4th gen unit cuts off the end of shows. This is a quad unit. There are enough tuners to prevent that. Why?
In the live view, the ability to skip ahead a day at a time is missing. Big fail!
The guide doesn’t always indicate correctly which shows are set to record. I have programs set to record new only; the guide says a new episode is airing; but the guide doesn’t indicate that show is set to record. I go to the series page, and it is still set to record all new shows. I did some research, and found this is a known bug that has yet to be fixed!
The 4th gen client shows a lot of garbage information I couldn’t care less to see. I need the guide and the list of recorded shows. The rest is unnecessary fluff. Where is the advertised ability to personalize my guide to eliminate all this fluff?
Frankly the only upgrade I am getting with the 4th gen Tablo is the ability to watch recordings on most (but not all) of my Apple devices. My quad HDMI model would only allow Android clients to connect (another big fail!).
So, here’s your chance: start fixing your apps to give me back maximum features or my next DVR purchase (that will be required when ATSC 3.0 takes over - and you have yet to support ) will NOT be a Tablo.
First, the setup was not smooth, as the iOS app hung several times during the setup. It took quitting and relaunching the app several times to complete setup.
The broadcasters in my area do a lot of channel doubling, that is, they send out the same virtual channel on multiple frequencies. My old Tablo let me select which of the doubled channels to include in my channel list. The new one shows only one, and I have no control selecting which I prefer to use.
After recording a few shows, I find that the skip ahead function doesn’t show thumbnails like the legacy Tablo, so you have to guess how long a commercial break is and fumble back and forth to get to the right spot in the recording. If you are slow to press a skip ahead or back button, the show starts playing again automatically, which is different behavior than the legacy interface. I prefer a pause after a skip ahead, with a thumbnail, so the end of the commercial can be easily found and the show can be resumed when I am ready, not when a button press times out.
I also read that the AppleTV/iOS apps don’t allow for watching a show from the beginning while it’s still recording. That is a major downgrade compared to my Legacy Tablo. I use that feature regularly when an unexpected phone call comes in during a favorite show.
The 4th gen unit cuts off the end of shows. This is a quad unit. There are enough tuners to prevent that. Why?
In the live view, the ability to skip ahead a day at a time is missing. Big fail!
The guide doesn’t always indicate correctly which shows are set to record. I have programs set to record new only; the guide says a new episode is airing; but the guide doesn’t indicate that show is set to record. I go to the series page, and it is still set to record all new shows. I did some research, and found this is a known bug that has yet to be fixed!
The 4th gen client shows a lot of garbage information I couldn’t care less to see. I need the guide and the list of recorded shows. The rest is unnecessary fluff. Where is the advertised ability to personalize my guide to eliminate all this fluff?
Frankly the only upgrade I am getting with the 4th gen Tablo is the ability to watch recordings on most (but not all) of my Apple devices. My quad HDMI model would only allow Android clients to connect (another big fail!).
So, here’s your chance: start fixing your apps to give me back maximum features or my next DVR purchase (that will be required when ATSC 3.0 takes over - and you have yet to support ) will NOT be a Tablo.
ZERO Service/Continual Issues
When (not IF, but WHEN) you have an issue with your device, there is ZERO service available. You can try help through the app, but it never connects to anyone and you can’t send messages. I’m surprised this company/developer is still in business. My Tablo device won’t connect to my app now. I’ve had my device for about 2 years and it’s been junk. Not connecting to the TV. To the app. Crashing all the time.
Continues to degrade
Have had TabloTV for a few years including previous generation device. The application and ability to view OTA content continues to degrade every week. The errors and timeouts connecting to a networked device increases every week. Do not waste your money on buying a TabloTV device.
App horrible
Why don’t all the same channels work on the phone/ipad app as on the tv?!? It’s crazy stupid
Fix your App!!
Trying to register and they don’t send a code. Tried 5 times. If you’re gonna sell a product then you need to learn how to run the app also. Can’t setup so will return!
Last update messed it all up
Had it working perfectly. No problems at all, then the update screwed it up and am no longer able to watch any of my local channels.
Garbage
Absolute Garbage!!!!!
Not ready for prime time
Cleaver idea but poorly coded. It often can’t play back a recording. The audio and images are not in sync. Playback stops and after a while restarts the playback with the same out of sync issue. It’s not even as reliable as ye ole VCR recorders. In my case plenty of storage is available so that isn’t the problem.
TERRIBLE SETUP
incompetent programer forces you into a dumb setup wizard. with no way out no real feedback and no understanding when you will get done
NO CODE. NO JOY. NO BUY.
The product itself came in without issues. The problem arose when downloading the app, which is needed to operate the product. In an 8 hour period, tried 6 times to get an installation code from the site provided. No joy each time. Not even an advisory regarding site maintenance perhaps. Gave them six chances. What else can one do but return the product?
Does not connect well with Apple TV
Every time I turn the TV on it takes about five minutes of thinking by the device to figure out if it can connect. I stop the device, turn it on again, stop it, turn it on again and it finally connects. It often indicates that it cannot connect to the Internet even though my Internet is fine. It just takes too long to turn on to watch something. I also wish there were a way to adjust how long I can pause the device. On some local channels I can pause it for at least a few minutes and on others maybe a minute or so. The device is a real disappointment.
Lots of problems and poor customers service
The app wouldn’t load the channels and after an hour on the phone with customer service they said the server was having problems. They were supposed to call me back but never did. Still haven’t been able to make it work.
What Happened?
Tablo worked until the most recent update. Now? What a frustrating waste that of time.
I can watch antenna TV perfectly fine without Tablo (it’s not operator error, or bad antenna).
I can’t record shows but at least I can watch TV.
What a waste of money purchasing the hardware only to have it stop working after just a few months.
I can watch antenna TV perfectly fine without Tablo (it’s not operator error, or bad antenna).
I can’t record shows but at least I can watch TV.
What a waste of money purchasing the hardware only to have it stop working after just a few months.
Impossible to register
This is absolutely ridiculous. When I try to register it says it will send a confirmation code. Nothing shows up, so I try again several times, still nothing. After many hours I get a bunch of emails with verification codes. Ok better late than never, but when I try to sign in it doesn’t recognize my email/ password. I try to reset but it says it sent an email to a reset link but unsurprisingly that never shows up either. If something as simple as this can be so difficult I can only imagine what the actual use experience will be like. I’m going to return the device and ask for my money back.
Hard to setup without the verification email
I want to try this but it won’t send me the code to verify my email. There’s nothing in the inbox or junk mail. No other way to verify me. I’ll update this if it ever works.
Verification code won’t send
I’ve tried with three different emails on two different phones. I cannot get the app to send me a verification code so I can’t long in/make an account making this stupid thing not work. Why do I even need a freaking account to make this work? This is so frustrating I’m just going to return the piece of junk tomorrow morning when Best Buy opens
Email verification doesn’t work
The email verification step in the setup doesn’t work. I tried multiple email addresses and never get a code. I confirmed my email is working fine
Phone app issue
I use the app on my phone and it worked fine until about a couple of weeks ago. I get playback failed cannot open. I go to my tv and I’m able to watch the channels without an issue.
Terrible, terrible software
Like it was written by a chimpanzee on mescaline
Latest update bricks tablo
Newest update totally bricks system. Tablo won't show on iPhone or Apple tv. Do better! Works on Google TV and other streaming devices.
firmware update kills ipad app
poor synchronization between firmware update and app. after recent firmware update, app can no longer play live tv.
Wildly unreliable but you get what you pay for.
Upgraded to latest firmware and now connections are patch at best. No subscription so what do you expect?
vpn error
I’m not using a vpn.
Don’t buy
Terrible. Never connects. Gives instructions that can be followed because site won’t open. Says location not installed. How do you install location if you can’t get in??????
Don’t waste your hard earned money
Great concept. Poor delivery. Even with fiber connectivity the app constantly times out on all of my android tv devices. Gets super frustrating having to constantly restart services.
More pixelation after update
Hello guys
After the latest update my Apple TV HD is even more pixelated then it was before.
Totally unwatchable.
Tried to reach out to your support but no resolution. :-(
After the latest update my Apple TV HD is even more pixelated then it was before.
Totally unwatchable.
Tried to reach out to your support but no resolution. :-(
Don’t believe anyone that says this is user error
This device and app is unfortunately a piece of garbage. If you haven’t bought one spare yourself the heartache and don’t get one. I have a top-of-the-line antenna in my attic, I have a Wi-Fi 7 router, this device is hardwired into a 2.5 Gb port, there is no interference between my device and the unit. It simply doesn’t work very well at all.
It constantly pauses on a 1080i feed. I’ve done some research and this has everything to do with the decoding abilities of the unit. It is NOT a network problem because it isn’t buffering. It simply pauses and then resumes at the exact same spot.
I have a TiVo that uses this exact same antenna and not only does it record flawlessly, it broadcasts flawlessly to this and every other device through its app. This is 100% substandard equipment and software.
I have the exact same problems on iPad, on Roku, and on AppleTV. And, oh by the way, this is my second unit. The first one flat out died after a couple of months. They sent me another and it initially set up flawlessly on wireless, then failed in mid-view after literally an hour or two, never ever to connect to wireless again. That’s the reason I have it hardwired into my router. I’ve tried “factory” resetting, and any other number of resets, reboots, leaving it in its connecting attempt state, etc. and support just keeps sending me to the same documents.
I’m not trying to go for street cred here, but I’m an engineer and have literally spent decades configuring industrial controls and other types of equipment.
Find another option.
It constantly pauses on a 1080i feed. I’ve done some research and this has everything to do with the decoding abilities of the unit. It is NOT a network problem because it isn’t buffering. It simply pauses and then resumes at the exact same spot.
I have a TiVo that uses this exact same antenna and not only does it record flawlessly, it broadcasts flawlessly to this and every other device through its app. This is 100% substandard equipment and software.
I have the exact same problems on iPad, on Roku, and on AppleTV. And, oh by the way, this is my second unit. The first one flat out died after a couple of months. They sent me another and it initially set up flawlessly on wireless, then failed in mid-view after literally an hour or two, never ever to connect to wireless again. That’s the reason I have it hardwired into my router. I’ve tried “factory” resetting, and any other number of resets, reboots, leaving it in its connecting attempt state, etc. and support just keeps sending me to the same documents.
I’m not trying to go for street cred here, but I’m an engineer and have literally spent decades configuring industrial controls and other types of equipment.
Find another option.
New comer
This device could be a lot better. Buffering issue, glitches and Ethernet connection issues. Not worth the price. Limited location options
Trash ~Don’t Waste your Money
This Device is Trash, and the Customer Support is even worse. They don’t care if your device is completely working. As long as it boots up, that’s all they’re concerned about. And they won’t replace it even under the warranty.
Don’t waste your money and time with this device and company.
Don’t waste your money and time with this device and company.
Defective Technology, Worse Support
Constant rebooting to be functional. Support will blame you for any issues you experience and refuses to warranty their products. Will never buy from this company again.
Returned the Tablo
I had a Legacy Tablo that quit working so I bought the new one. I didn’t care for the layout and was disappointed that the automatic commercial skip is no longer available, though it wasn’t perfect on the Legacy Tablo. But the reason for the return is that it’s only job, to record over the air tv, wasn’t functional. First the guide didn’t load and it took a week to get the guide complete. Then once it was complete I couldn’t record any shows. The software was not working hardly at all. I kept trying for two weeks and finally returned the unit. I bought a new power source for my Legacy Tablo and hooked it back up. It’s working great.
Fix your servers!
This "outage" is getting ridiculous. Fix your data servers.
Channel Guide missing data
I purchased the Tablo because of troubles with the Amazon Recast. The Tablo was perfect for months, but now it is missing channel guide data. Of course the Amazon recast is working perfectly now. I guess you need two different DVRs to make sure your shows is recorded.
+ 20 more in the clipboard copy
Sentiment summary
32%
Positive (4-5★)
9%
Neutral (3★)
59%
Negative (1-2★)