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The Best Tablo OTA DVR

Last updated on March 21, 2022

We looked at the top 4 Tablo OTA DVRs and dug through the reviews from 28 of the most popular review sites including and more. The result is a ranking of the best Tablo OTA DVRs.

Best Tablo Dual Lite

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Our Picks For The Top Tablo OTA DVRs

Show Contents
Our Take
Experts Included
Pros
Cons
  Best Overall

Tablo Dual LITE TDNS2B-01-CN OTA Digital Video Recorder For Cord Cutters

Don't Waste Your Money Seal of Approval

Tablo

Dual LITE TDNS2B-01-CN OTA Digital Video Recorder

Overall Take

Automatically Skip CommercialsWith this Tablo device, you won't have to suffer through endless commercials.

Experts Included
DWYM Electronics Experts plus CNET, Cord Cutter News, TechHive, The Cord Cutting Report, Top Ten Reviews, Slash Gear and 2 more. Along with user reviews from Amazon and Best Buy.
Pros
" What I find particularly cool about the Tablo is that it can stream live and recorded TV outside your home -- great if you want to watch, say, a Sunday football game while traveling."
Cons
"Video and audio streams are inferior to broadcast quality"
  Strong Contender

Tablo Quad TQNS4B-01-CN Over-The-Air DVR For Cord Cutters

Tablo

Quad TQNS4B-01-CN Over-The-Air DVR

Overall Take

Cuts Expensive Cable CostsNot only is this Tablo device affordable, but it also allows you to cancel your expensive cable subscription.

Experts Included
DWYM Electronics Experts plus CNET, The Cord Cutting Report, Best Antenna Reviews, What To Watch, Tech Up Your Life. Along with user reviews from Amazon and Best Buy.
Pros
" The Nuvyyo Tablo Quad offers power users the tools they need to record and watch massive amounts of OTA television. Excellent image quality in and out of the home. The interface is both easy and fun to use."
Cons
"You can record shows without the DVR subscription, but you will only get 24 hours of the channel guide, and you won’t have some of the aggregated categories that I just showed you."
  We Also Like

DISCONTINUED: Tablo 4-Tuner Over-The-Air DVR HDTV

Tablo

4-Tuner Over-The-Air DVR HDTV

Overall Take

Dual-Band AC Wi-Fi IncludedWhen you download this Tablo device's app, you'll be able to stream shows via your phone, computer, tablet or gaming device.

Experts Included
DWYM Electronics Experts plus BestReviews, TechHive, PC Magazine, MakeHardware, Kim Komando, IPTV Insider and 1 more. Along with user reviews from Amazon and Best Buy.
Pros
" Provides whole-home DVR with no subscription needed. Has two tuners for over-the-air reception from separate antenna. Connects to WiFi easily and has Ethernet input and USB port. Ongoing manufacturer support and upgrades keep firmware current."
Cons
"1080i and 480i channels look choppier than 720p channels for news and sports"
  Runner Up

DISCONTINUED: Tablo DUAL 64GB OTA DVR For Cord Cutters

Tablo

DUAL 64GB OTA DVR For Cord Cutters

Overall Take

Fast-Forward and Rewind RecordingsThis Tablo device gives users control by allowing them to fast-forward or rewind recorded shows and movies.

Experts Included
DWYM Electronics Experts plus Engadget, Cord Cutting, Cord Cutter News, POC Network, Slash Gear, Xbox Addict and 2 more. Along with user reviews from Amazon and Best Buy.
Pros
" The Tablo Dual is redesigned to fit everything in a smaller case with no fans for quieter operation, and also manages to squeeze in 64GB of memory."
Cons
"I'm a bit less sold on Tablo's live TV features, primarily because I think the inability to channel surf negates one of the best things about free over-the-air TV."
Don't just take for granted what one reviewer says. Along with our own experts, DWYM analyzes the top expert reviews of the leading products and generates a score you can actually trust.
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We identified the majority of the tablo ota dvrs available to purchase.
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28

Expert Reviews Included

In addition to our expert reviews, we also incorporate feedback and analysis of some of the most respected sources including: BestReviews, TechHive, PC Magazine, MakeHardware, Kim Komando.

7,770

User Opinions Analyzed

We also incorporate user reviews from the leading retailers including

Our experts reviewed the top 4 Tablo OTA DVRs and also dug through the reviews from 28 of the most popular review sites including and more. The result is a ranking of the best of the best Tablo OTA DVRs.

DWYM is your trusted roduct review source. Our team reviews thousands of product reviews from the trusted top experts and combines them into one easy-to-understand score. Learn more.

Don't Waste Your Money Seal of Approval
Look for the DWYM seal for products that are the best in their category.

The Best Overall

Tablo Dual LITE TDNS2B-01-CN OTA Digital Video Recorder For Cord Cutters


Our Expert Score

9.1
8 expert reviews

User Summarized Score

7.8
1,478 user reviews

Our Take

Watch your favorite shows without paying for an expensive cable subscription when you opt for this Tablo device. Not only will you be able to watch and pause, live antenna television, but you'll also be able to record shows and movies. Of course, the ability to automatically skip commercials is a welcome bonus.

What other experts liked

What I find particularly cool about the Tablo is that it can stream live and recorded TV outside your home -- great if you want to watch, say, a Sunday football game while traveling.
- CNET
Flexible USB storage allows you to connect as much recording capacity as you need, up to 8TB.
- Cord Cutter News
Plenty of options for browsing and recording TV shows
- TechHive
The Tablo Dual Lite has two television tuners. These tuners receive digital over-the-air (OTA) signals from the TV antenna plugged into the back of the Tablo. So you can record two programs at once, or watch one channel while recording...
- The Cord Cutting Report
The device has built-in dual band Wi-Fi and is set up for multi-room streaming, so everyone in your household can watch what they want from their internet-connected devices.
- Top Ten Reviews
This particular model offers two OTA ATSC tuners, as well as support for both WiFi and wired Internet connections.
- Slash Gear
It is available on both iOS and Android. You can also enjoy it on devices like computers, smart TVs, streaming media and gaming devices.
- Best Antenna Reviews
Tablo easily integrates with other cord-cutting tech making it the right choice in almost any situation.
- Grounded Reason

What other experts didn't like

It also requires both an antenna and a USB hard drive.
- CNET
Video and audio streams are inferior to broadcast quality
- TechHive
The lack of a built-in hard drive within the Dual Lite OTA is definitely disappointing, especially if you don’t own an external drive yet, as this means you’ll be spending even more money to get the device set up and...
- Top Ten Reviews

Overall Product Rankings

Our Tablo OTA DVR Findings


Tablo Dual LITE TDNS2B-01-CN OTA Digital Video Recorder For Cord Cutters

What We Liked: Watch your favorite shows without paying for an expensive cable subscription when you opt for this Tablo device. Not only will you be able to watch and pause, live antenna television, but you’ll also be able to record shows and movies. Of course, the ability to automatically skip commercials is a welcome bonus.


DISCONTINUED: Tablo DUAL 64GB OTA DVR For Cord Cutters

What We Liked: Setting up this Tablo device is a breeze. All you need to do is connect the device to your home network via the ethernet port or through your Wi-Fi. Once connected, you’ll be able to stream live television anytime on the electronic device of your choosing.


DISCONTINUED: Tablo 4-Tuner Over-The-Air DVR HDTV

What We Liked: Whether you want to watch live TV, browse the current show schedule or manage your recordings, this Tablo device has you covered. It’s extremely easy to set up, even if you aren’t tech savvy. You can even download the company’s app and view shows from your smartphone, Fire TV or Xbox.


Tablo Quad TQNS4B-01-CN Over-The-Air DVR For Cord Cutters

What We Liked: You don’t need a subscription to use this Tablo device. At no additional cost, you’ll have access to every basic live television recording, as well as all of the playback functions. All you have to do is connect the device to your home router.

Our Tablo OTA DVR Buying Guide

Cable and satellite television subscriptions continue to grow in price. Tablo saw this and decided to do something about it. They created a way for consumers to access high-definition television content for free. Once they did that, they decided to take the concept a step further by developing a way to record television content as well. This helped further the cord-cutting movement by making it possible for more and more individuals to cut out their expensive television subscriptions.

Tablo has several different OTA (over the air) DVR models to choose from, all of which are designed to be used right out of the box. Set up is a breeze and takes just a few minutes of your time. All you need to do is connect the unit to your home network using either the ethernet port or the Wi-Fi connection.

The next step to using one of Tablo’s devices is to download the Tablo app. This app is available at no extra cost and allows for live streaming. It can be downloaded on all smartphones, smart televisions and computers, as well as other devices, like the Xbox, Fire TV, Apple TV, Roku and Android TV.

What exactly can you do with Tablo models? In addition to watching live OTA television shows and movies, the devices also allow users to pause the television program, so they can take a bathroom break or make a snack without missing any scenes. The devices make it possible to record up to four shows at once, as well as rewind or fast-forward scenes when desired. Tablo even provides the ability to browse upcoming shows and schedule and manage recordings.

There’s always the option of upgrading and getting a paid subscription with Tablo. There are several benefits of going this route. You’ll be able to stream live-recorded television outside of your home. So, let’s say you’re taking a road trip with your RV. You’ll be able to watch Monday night football right from your campsite. Paid subscriptions also come with the ability to automatically skip commercials.

DWYM Fun Fact

Grant Hall is the founder and CEO of Nuvyyo, which is the parent company of Tablo. Nuvyyo was incorporated in 2010 with the first Tablo product being built just two years later. It would be another two years before Tablo had products available for purchase.

Fortunately, once Tablo products were available to the public via Walmart, Amazon and Best Buy, they quickly grew in popularity. In 2014, Forbes named Tablo one of the “10 Companies Disrupting the TV Industry.” In 2015, the company won TVTechnology’s “Best of Show” award.

Tablo is always releasing new products. It’s safe to say that this innovative company is continuing to monitor the market to create new and exciting products for their customers.

The Tablo OTA DVR Tips and Advice

  • While you can use Tablo devices for free after purchasing them, you’ll only have access to basic channels and 24 hours of the channel guide. You’ll need to upgrade with a paid subscription to have access to additional categories, as well as the device’s special features.
  • It is important to point out that no DVR storage is built into Tablo devices; however, there is room for a hard drive.
  • Some models require users to purchase an antenna separately.
  • Just like any of your other electronic devices, Tablo devices are at risk for dust build-up. To keep yours running smoothly, you’ll want to dust the unit from time to time. When you’re ready to complete this task, make sure you unplug the device from any power sources. Use an anti-static cleaning wipe to wipe down the Tablo’s surface. Wait for the unit to dry before plugging it back in to the power source.
  • The cost for a Tablo is dependent upon several factors. For example, you can expect a two-tuner model to cost less than a four-tuner unit. Devices that are only USB compatible are also cheaper than the models that are USB and SATA compatible. Consumers will find the Tablo Dual LITE TDNS2B-01-CN OTA Digital Video Recorder and the Tablo DUAL 64GB OTA DVR For Cord Cutters are a bit more affordable than their Tablo 4-Tuner Over-The-Air DVR HDTV and Tablo Quad TQNS4B-01-CN Over-The-Air DVR 200 counterparts.

About The Author

Alicia Bodine 

Alicia Bodine is a New Jersey-based writer who loves researching the latest in electronics to keep up with her teenage daughters. With more than 15 years of experience, her work has appeared in leading tech publications. When she's not writing, you'll find her gardening, spending time with her kids, cooking in the kitchen or playing with her two kitties, Flitter and Otter. Alicia loves researching the latest and greatest gadgets, products and items that help her save time, energy and money.