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 latest 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.

How I Cut the Cord with Tablo -

by Tom The Sports-Loving Cord Cutter from Baltimore, MD

Why did you cut the cord? How much money are you saving each month?

I was sick of paying for what I didn't need or use. It’s now becoming cool not to pay for bloated cable subscriptions. The internet is making cable obsolete and cable companies know this. My cable bill was $280 per month and now I pay $62 (not including the subscription services, some of which I was paying for already). If you can save an amount that makes a difference in your life and you can meet your home entertainment needs, then why not give it a try?

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

Freedom! Now that television stations have made the switch from analog to digital you receive beautiful and uncompressed HDTV signals FOR FREE! Plus, digital Over-the-Air TV is uncompressed which looks and sounds better than what you receive from the cable company.

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

I looked at a few other devices that record Over-the-Air but none weighed so pro-heavy on my pros vs. cons list. Tablo’s ease-of-use, beautiful guide, price, and support won me over. And I haven't regretted my decision for a second.







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

The best part of having Tablo is being able to record our favorite network shows and not having to pay the $17 month rental fee for the cable company's DVR. I have 3 busy boys and one of the few things we have time to do together as a family is watch a few of our favorite TV shows. I hate to admit it but we're big Survivor, Big Brother, and Amazing Race fans. One of the things holding us back from cutting the cord was the sadness that we wouldn't be able to watch these shows, argue over the players' personalities, and discuss their strategies.

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

I have been using Apple TV for roughly 4 years, and I knew one day I would get rid of cable and somehow watch TV over the internet. I also knew that I wouldn’t do that until I could cover all or most of my bases.

We have an Apple TV in our family room, an Apple TV in the master bedroom, an Xbox One in my teenager's room, and another Xbox in the playroom to watch various services we subscribe to. We subscribe to Netflix, Hulu, HBO Now, and some professional sports league packages.

The last thing holding me back from cord cutting was sports. Being a sports fan and a cord cutter didn’t work well until recently. I didn’t mind paying for sports streaming packages, but blackouts made it impossible to watch my local teams. For those who may not know that term, a blackout is when a sports event is not transmitted to a particular market when that game is being televised locally via a regional sports network. For example, if you live in San Francisco you couldn’t watch San Francisco Giants baseball with your MLB.tv package because it was being shown on a local San Francisco network. Even though you paid for the MLB.tv package, you were still out of luck. I am morally opposed to these blackouts and feel that the use of services like Ad-free Time or Unblock-Usis justified because they provide access to a DNS server located outside the local market thus avoiding blackouts.

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

Check www.tablotv.com/channels to find out what channels you can expect to receive and go to tvfool.com to analyze the coverage maps to find out which direction the antennas can be found from your location. Make sure there are television channels available for your antenna to receive, make a list of the equipment you need to be happy, and remember that you can always go back. The money you invest in the equipment will be recouped in no time and after that it's all gravy. Aside from saving money there's just something about cord cutting that makes you feel really good.

Yes, there's an adjustment period. You will learn to do things differently, but that's ok. Many of us have been trained to operate in a certain manner but those are just habits and you can create new habits! Worry not! All will be well.

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.