Tablo serves up Metro DVR with onboard antennas
Tablo's new $249 Metro DVR has onboard antennas -- and the company also debuted an improved app for Roku.
LAS VEGAS -- Network DVR maker Tablo's newest recorder, the Tablo Metro, incorporates two antennas into the casing. The company also outlined its new Roku app here, and it features a slick new interface.
The Tablo Metro is essentially the Tablo 2-Tuner DVR -- which has dual tuners so you can record one show and watch another -- in combination with dual fractal antennas. Unfortunately it's not quite all-you-can-eat as you still need to supply your own USB hard drive.
Tablo says the antennas are able to pickup signals within 25 miles of TV broadcast towers and eliminate the need for an external unit. Tablo says the antennas incorporate "intelligent switching technology" so they can capture incoming signals from two different towers on the fly.
The Tablo lacks an onscreen menu -- it's a network streaming unit only -- because, the company says, the majority of its users watch TV and control the DVR via their Roku box. As we found in our review , the Roku app needed work and the company says it redoubled its efforts to improve the interface. It now features a blue program guide with recordings and live TV options on the left-hand side.
The Tablo is anticipated to ship in March for $249, while the antenna-less dual tuner Tablo is $175 and the four-tuner version is $240.