AirTV over Tablo - Still No Contest

A lot of people have visited a post I wrote a while back about Tablo. The information is outdated, and I no longer use Tablo. I switched to AirTV.

Let's rewind a bit. I used to be a big Tablo fan. It was a reliable DVR with a user-friendly interface. The best part? The "Tablo Connect" feature, which allowed me to stream my antenna TV from anywhere. Taking my Tablo to a family member's place and enjoying my home TV setup on a different device there was a breeze.

But then came the big letdown. Tablo discontinued Tablo Connect with their new devices. It's still functional on older models, but they've completely removed it from their current lineup. They even sent me an email back in the summer of 2024, celebrating the anniversary of these out-of-home-streaming-less devices and offering a discount. No thanks!

This is what pushed me to AirTV by Sling TV. I made the switch in August of 2024, and it's a decision I haven't regretted. AirTV had a rocky start, initially lacking out-of-home streaming to devices like Roku or Fire TV (only supporting mobile devices). Thankfully, they fixed that pretty quickly.

Setting up AirTV was, and still is, a dream compared to the old Tablo Connect. No need to connect the device to a local network first. Just install the Sling TV app, log in, and you're good to go.

The Sling TV app itself used to be a bit of a nuisance, but I've had no major problems using it solely for AirTV. Plus, those annoying subscription reminders are a thing of the past, thanks to updates, since I only use it for free content and my AirTV.

Sure, I sometimes miss the interface and general polish of my old Tablo. But when it comes down to it, AirTV's ability to let me watch my antenna TV both at home and at my family's places is the deciding factor. My antenna is my primary source of TV, so that flexibility is non-negotiable.

So, here we are in 2025, and even though it hasn't been that long since I switched, AirTV remains the clear winner for my over-the-air streaming needs. My Streaming Life is better for it. Sorry, Tablo, you really missed an opportunity by dropping out-of-home streaming. You're still losing this battle.