Is Tablo right for you? You've heard the buzz and read the expert reviews, but sometimes it helps to hear the whole story from real Tablo customers to know if this is the right solution for you.

Our blog series, "How I Cut the Cord with Tablo" features Q&A style interviews with our Tablo OTA DVR customers, focusing on how they've cut the cord on cable to save money while enjoying a whole-home DVR experience using Tablo.

Whether you're still on the fence about cutting the cord or you're just looking for tips and tricks on how to improve your cord cutting setup, we hope you'll find these cord cutting success stories helpful.

Why did you cut the cord?

Cable TV from the very early days touted access to commercial-free programs for a fee. That was a policy I could support.

Then not only did the majority of commercial-free programs go away, but the rise in the commercial-to-program ratio rendered them unwatchable.

And instead of the cost going down with the increase of commercials, the price went up. Way up!

How much money are you saving each month?

When I first dropped the TV subscription from my cable bill, I saved $120/month [USD] for a year. This year, we're spending a bit more for internet, but I am still saving $100/month [USD].

What do you get with an HDTV antenna that you couldn’t get another way?

By using an Over-the-Air antenna, I can record all my local channels without paying fees to rent a cable DVR or access the content.

Why did you choose the Tablo OTA DVR as part of your home entertainment arsenal?

I had spent 3+ years tinkering with tuners and apps from another manufacturer with, at best, 50% success.

Many of the shows weren't watchable because of freezing video, and partial and missed recordings, even though our local broadcast towers are almost within walking distance of my home.

Finally, after seeing a review on YouTube from someone I respect, I tried Tablo and every problem disappeared.

What’s been the best thing about using/having Tablo so far?

The best thing about Tablo is that it works as advertised! It was a breeze to install and set up, with ZERO gotchas.

What other services and tools do you use to watch TV/Video content and why?

In addition to Tablo for OTA content, we use Netflix, PBS apps, and YouTube on an NVIDIA Shield streaming box, and two Raspberry Pi 3 mini-computers running LibreElec/KODI operating systems.

With this combination, I'd need 100 more lifetimes to watch everything that's available.

What advice do you have for others thinking of cutting the cord?

If all you want is local Over-the-Air channels with a DVR function then Tablo will fulfill this for a lot less than cable and with zero hassle.



If you want more content which is not available OTA, then the Raspberry Pi solution is great for all sorts of streaming options, but not as hassle-free as Tablo.

As for the NVIDIA SHIELD, it is overkill mostly due to the cost and the fact that I'm not a gamer, but it is virtually future-proof as a streaming device.

If you're already enjoying your Tablo OTA DVR, remember to post a review of your DVR on the online store where you purchased your unit and let your fellow cord-cutters know how Tablo works for you.

If you'd like to participate in the 'How I cut the cord with Tablo' blog series, drop us a line at info@tablotv.com. We'd love to hear your story.