New Tablo OTA DVR supports NextGen TV

A new over-the-air DVR for NextGen TV was announced today by the makers of Tablo.  Ottawa, …

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A new over-the-air DVR for NextGen TV was announced today by the makers of Tablo. 

Ottawa, Canada-based Nuvyyo said its latest OTA DVR supports the new ATSC 3.0 broadcast standard now being adopted across the U.S. 

The model is called the Tablo ATSC 3.0 Quad HDMI OTA DVR.

“With the emerging NextGen TV standard set to reach at least 50% of US households by this summer, we felt it was the right time to introduce a Tablo Over-the-Air DVR compatible with ATSC 3.0,” said Grant Hall, CEO of Nuvyyo. 

NextGen TV (or ATSC 3.0) promises to deliver 4K, HDR picture resolution and Dolby Atmos to local over-the-air broadcasters such as NBC, CBS, ABC, PBS and others. 

Hall said that his company chose to create a hybrid DVR that will still support the current TV broadcast standard (known as ATSC 1.0) because that standard is expected “to continue for many more years.”

Most TV stations in the U.S. are now broadcasting ATSC 1.0 signals that support up to 720p or 1080i High Definition broadcasts.

The new ATSC 3.0 Tablo tuners will support watching or recording up to four unencrypted NextGen TV programs without upgrading their television, according to Nuvyyo.

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The DVR plugs directly into a television’s HDMI port. Nuvyyo said streaming live or recorded OTA TV to other devices inside or outside the home is not supported on this Tablo model.

The DVR supports 4K High Dynamic Range (HDR) video, and Dolby AC-4 Surround Sound audio, according to the company.

The new tuner can also deliver ATSC 3.0’s internet-enabled advanced interactive features, including emergency alerting.

Customers must add their own external hard drive.

The Tablo ATSC 3.0 DVR supports external USB hard drives from 1TB to 8TB. 

The company says recording space will vary based on the resolution of the native broadcast. New HD 4K broadcasts will use 9GB of hard drive space per hour, according to Nuvyyo. Recording programs with HD 1080i resolution will use 2.3 GB per hour. 

Nuvyyo announced the new DVR on the eve of the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

Stations in 46 U.S. markets now offer NextGen TV powered by ATSC 3.0, according to the Advanced Television Systems Committee, Inc., the non-profit that develops digital television standards, 

More markets are expected to launch in 2022, the committee said this week.

The expansion of ATSC 3.0 is once again being showcased at CES.

ATSC will open its exhibit space at CES at the Las Vegas Convention Center. The ATSC booth will highlight innovations and developments for NextGen TV.

The Tablo ATSC 3.0 Quad HDMI OTA DVR is available for pre-order exclusively at the TabloTV store for $299.99. The anticipated ship date is spring 2022. 

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Jim Kimble is a seasoned industry expert with over two decades of journalism experience. He has been at the forefront of the cord-cutting movement since 2016, testing and writing about TV-related products and services. He founded The Cord Cutting Report in 2016, and serves as the editor.

Major publications, including MarketWatch, Forbes, and South Florida Sun Sentinel, have interviewed Kimble for his years of expertise. He gives advice on the complexities consumers are navigating with streaming options, and over-the-air TV. Kimble has been a staff writer or correspondent for several award-winning, daily newspapers, including The Boston Globe.

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