5 Over-the-Air (OTA) DVRs: Tested & Reviewed for 2024 

Currently using an older gen. Tablo with a 1TB external drive. The main thing that made me buy that unit was the remote access feature. We stream video recordings from the Tablo at home (near the city) to a remote cottage with spotty antenna reception using Starlink internet. It works great! I hope this old unit never dies because it seems that nobody wants to offer remote streaming access any more. 😞

Thanks for your presentation....free from all the show-off BS on so many other RU-vid channels. You speak calmly, in a straight-forward and sensible/understandable way. Refreshing to say the least. I have subscribed. Thank you, sir!

Just discovered your video. I currently have the Tablo Quad 4 tuner with ssd expansion slot and really like the fact that I can watch recordings away from home. Unfortunately the new Tablo next Gen does not have that feature included but hopefully they’ll integrate it in the future. Thanks for your cord cutting video

Great info, thanks 👍👍

Thanks for the review comparisons. Very useful.

Good afternoon from Texas Happy holidays

Just bought the TiVo roamio and it works nice. Might add the hd homerun or the sling tv 2. For livetv is the quality better on one or the other?

I love the dual tuner Zapperbox DVR. It might cost a little more, but the customer support is amazing! I was having trouble with a couple NextGen channels being locked , so within days they wrote a software update to fix the problem. Now I get all the networks here in St. Paul.

Great video. We have had an EyeTV DVR for almost 20 years. But it seems Geniatech is no longer supporting it and it has problems working on my MacBookPro with OS Sonoma. The hardware is just a little USB stick with the coax TV antenna screwed in to one end and the USB end connected to the computer. The software is quite nice. It only allows one channel at a time for viewing or recording to the Mac's hard drive. So today I ordered the Tablo 4. I feel like I am abandoning EyeTV after all these years but it crashes/quits too often to be a dependable source for TV viewing. Again thanks for your DVR review.

Good video. Thank you. I've been using an old TiVo Roamio OTA, but it's on its last legs. I've been trying to decide how to move forward. While I have always liked TiVo, they sadly seem to have abandoned the DVR market. I could refurbish my Roamio, but at this point I think I am better off putting that money towards the purchase of a new modern DVR. With my situation I like the option to connect it by Wi-Fi. So I think I am pretty much sold on the Tablo 4th Gen with 4 tuners. Going to order one from Best Buy. I'll pick up some external storage to go with it.

HD Homerun + Plex Lifetime = free TV for life. Tubi has better content than most pay streaming services as well. I will say the HD Homerun UI is horrible though, add Plex or something to it.

I’m going with Tablo 4 tuner and an antenna a 2 terabyte hard drive. Dropping YTTV and getting the programs I want thru Disney and ESPN + bundle. Netflix, Apple TV free with my TMoble account. Waiting for the Apple TV update. Thanks for this video

I have new tablo w 6:59 works on phone not on tv ? Hook up looked easy.i tried ethernet and wifi.

SuperBox is the Best; greatly improved. I have been using it for over 6 years and still use my original box, in my garage.

Do I need a separate antenna with a Firestick?

2024 march good video however tablo 4th generation 75 channels scaned only 39 watchable ?? sub chaneling still out dated.. mine could nt work beyond one hr

How do I watch the Tablo on my Sony OLED?

I had to buy the zapper as I need an hdmi output to my projector 4k Benq ht 4550I..Had problems support was good and fived my issues..$249.. was a lot for dvr dual tuner..

When is the 4th 4 quad Tablo coming out? I wish with the Tablo you could record by shop and not by time.

Thanks for this. I appreciate a solid rundown without music and good info. I've had two Channel Master OTA DVR's for quite a few years, and they've always been problematic. Looks like they've also been discontinued. The Table looks like it might be a good replacement for me! I'm amazed at how many people don't know about devices like this. Nice job.

10 Reasons why OTA DRM ATSC 3.0 TV will fail. Currently no 4K and you only get the main channel and no sub channels. Channel Crawling = super slow channel changing. No sound because of Dolby AC4 audio codec does not have a legal open source license to decode legally on many devices. You may need non OTA home pay internet for updates and to unlock DRM encrypted ATSC 3.0 tv channels. Possible DRM restrictions on DRM ATSC 3.0 recordings and no viewing anywhere on any device with no sound. Emergency alert messages can not be received if DRM is blocking them. OTA DRM ATSC 3.0 TV will fail because the FCC is not going to turn off ATSC 1.0 TV stations for many years if not enough people buy 3.0 TVs and 3.0 boxes. No one has solve the problem of no government money for free DRM 3.0 TV tuner boxes because 1.0 TV turners and recorders will not work after that TV Station switches to 3.0 TV broadcasts. (Range and signal error correction) OR (more sub channels and near 4k picture) trade off problem. FCC is not forcing any 1.0 TV Stations to move over to 3.0 TV. So some TV stations will be on 1.0 and others will be on DRM 3.0. The FCC is only allowing OTA Simulcasts of both 1.0 and DRM 3.0 at this time for testing purposes. DRM ATSC 3.0 is a not finished product and is a work in progress mix of unproven ideas that has never gotten full FCC approval at this time. Software updates for 3.0 tuner boxes may be needed for changes made to the unfinished and future added new official ATSC 3.0 standards modules. Patent License problems. LG no longer sells TVs with ATSC 3.0 tuners. Some 3.0 TV tuners companies may go out of business or stop updates leaving you with no DRM or software updates. OTA ATSC 3.0 is better but is not perfect and still can be affected by weak tv signals: (distance, weather, planes, trees, buildings, trucks, poor antenna, etc). FCC rules that 5 percent of old ATSC 1.0 coverage area does not need to be covered anymore = (SHORTER RANGE). Viewing zone outside of your 15 minute city or town could be blocked. Your TV viewing habits could be tracked by your serial number or IP address. ATSC 3.0 is updatable until it is not updatable without new hardware tuners (ATSC 4.0, 5.0, 6.0, 7.0......). Some of these 3.0 TV issues may be fixed over time. This is only some of the mess with DRM ATSC 3.0 TV. This is my opinion why DRM ATSC 3.0 TV will fail. IMO. Stay on OTA 1.0 TV until DRM is removed from OTA ATSC 3.0 by law. It is the people versus the hostile takeover by private DRM 3.0 TV stations for control over the USA public airwaves.

Can any suggest a pvr with a guide and without an annual subscription fee Tablo 24 hour guide will work I guess

Thank you for the comparison. But one correction, the Zapperbox is not the only one in the comparison with ATSC 3.0 NextGen TV processing capabilities. The SiliconDust HDHomeRun Flex 4K QUATRO has two of its four tuners, capable of processing ATSC 3.0/NextGen TV signals.

I can't use it with my samsung and vizio tv's. What elae do you recommend? I am like you and watch mostly local programs.

Tablo 4th gen works great with both Firestick and Roku. I would not use anything else!

I remember cutting the cable and going satellite directtv and moved to Dish and even fooled around with FTA Satellites. Due to internet i tried going back to cable. bought both FTA Homerun box and one that I needed to get from the cable company a card for. Such bad service i junked them both. I got a tablo box Several streaming boxes latter I got a new TV with NextGen tuner I love that TV. The tuner seems to pick up ATSC 1.0 channels better. It is a smart TV that I dumbed down by not hooking it up to my internet. Works fine I have a mini PC Roku box and Gaming PC hooked and just pulled the trigger on a HomeWorks Antoni box ATSC 1.0 due to it does not have to be hooked up to the tv to use as a DVR. TV is not something I want hooked up to my TV.. No spying and cameras and mics or make believe assistants. Just a remote.

I bought a used Channel Master from eBay 8 years ago and love it but it's starting to have issues. The Tablo look great but I don't want to add another app on my phone. Wish it had a remote.

Can I record a game and start watching it 45 minutes after the recording has started and skip the commercials until I get to live TV?

I use the cheap $30 boxes that come under many brand names. They are fine for me. There is no need to have an "app" You just connect it up, scan and then use the remote for it all.

I have both Tablo's the Legacy and the new one. I really like the add on streaming channels. I paid $80. I am not betting on 3.0 anytime soon. I live in a rural area with 36 OTA offerings. It will be years before 3.0 gets here, if ever. Too many issues with 3.0 & DRM. Not viewer friendly at least at this time. Thanks for the great video.

I just installed the tablo. Easy and works great on my Roku fire stick

I have a tablo 4. It’s a bit quirky but between that and Philo tv I’m ditching RU-vid TV and saving $50 a month

Good review, the only issue is that Tablo 4th gen. units do not work with Roku TV's. Tablo has been unresponsive to when a fix will occur.

I need a remote not my phone. So anything without a remote is a no go. We all need to separate from the stress of our devices........But thats just me!

Why isn't Tivo Reviewed in the video?

Had an AirTV2 and it worked fine, But then, I got Tablo 4Gen and now it is my go to DVR . Merry Christmas, Jesus is the Reason for the Season.

Will any of these units allow me to watch my local TV when I am outside of my home? If you remember the slingbox, In my opinion it was the best box for watching local over the air and your cable box channels. However, they killed slingbox leaving thousands of customers strandard. Will any of these boxes work should the MFG decide not to support anymore?

I won't even consider the Tablo since you can't watch OTA/DVR outside of the home. I have the AirTV2 and a Sling Free subscription. I can watch sporting events while at the beach.

The Tablo 4th Gen is buggy. Got mine new in Dec. it’s flaky at best with Roku devices. Will crash, refuse to play, give ridiculous error messages like storage full (usually true for me) or weak signal, etc. On my Google TV and iPad, iPhone, it works fine. Sometimes it can’t play if the storage is full but works better than on Roku devices. I like the way it works but I may get something else in the future. Doesn’t bother me I can’t watch my recordings away from home because I have Frndly, RU-vid tv, Pluto, Tubi, paramount +, hulu. 😊

Any OTA dvr that doesn’t stream out-of-home is a nonstarter for me.

Our DTVPal DVR bit the dust late last year. We had that thing since the mid 2000's, and it was still better than 80% of what's on the market right now. Why is that? However, this video's points on the Tablo make it interesting... I *will not* buy an OTA anything with a subscription. Period.

I've used Channel Master DVR's (my first models being the CM 7000PAL) which I had 2 of them for many years. My recent model channel master is no longer a useful DVR as they decided with no "heads up" to stop supporting the tv guide which sadly renders the recording options as...well basically useless. I'm going to buy Tablo. I should have grabbed one when they were on sale for 79.00 not too long ago. I'm assuming I can reformat the Western Digital external HD I've been using with my Channel Master and use it with my Tablo. From what I've read, I know the Tablo 4th gen will not have the ability at any point in the future to record NextGen 3.0, not even with updates. At some point, it too may become limited as like all technology moves on, but for the 99.00 it's a good move to get one and I'm sure it will provide some good years of service.

If it runs _off_ the new Tablo app, then what does it run ON?

ADTH nect gen receiver 85$ .GT meadia nxt gen usb tv tuner connects to phone laptop smart tv 60$.

Doesn't work well live streaming on most Roku devices. TCL Roku and my Roku streaming box both boot you off after a few minutes. It works well on my android phone and my iPad. So far Tablo has not fixed this known issue.

("FCC checkmate stalemate 2024"). How to get rid of DRM on OTA DRM 3.0 TV: ("JUST DON'T BUY IT").

Why do you have to have internet, not all seniors have or want it

TiVo Edge OTA beats them all.

The Tablo doesn’t have such a good rating. 3.5 stars with almost 2k ratings.

But why would they do away with the HDMI connection, which requires the TV to be some kind of WiFi/smart related one instead of a "dumb tv" without Roku, etc.?

I bet those are affiliate links regardless of who uses them.

You don't even have the best one which is TIVO

"Sticking with digital TV"? Um... that doesn't make sense; it's like saying ATSC 3 isn't digital TV too, even though it IS.

The picture quality on the sub channels on OTA are terrible

DONT BUY THE ZAPPERBOX! PERIOD!!!! I bought two of them. I returned them BOTH! If you unplug the antenna while its powered on, it will throw up a black screen and give the error "Failed to Initiate" or "Unable to Boot".

DRM on ATSC 3.0 broadcast are making these tuners useless.

"Without paying _for_ a monthly fee"? So is that like... _buying a fee_ with a fee?

"Free ad-supported channels" and "free ad-supported television," etc. are misnomers for whatever that supposed service is, because the standard old channels were *already* that.

Over the air 3.0 is a Dead on arrival. I would not invest in that technology. Corporations have already destroyed it before it even got started. Over there we have now is just fine I don't see a benefit and going to 3.0 and giving corporations more control. Wouldn't make sense I don't see the benefit, yes it may pick up channels easier but that's not worth it. Buy a better antenna.

Interesting presentation, thanks. However, you can stop saying "DVR". All video recorders have been digital for over 20 years. Please just say recorder. (When did you stop saying "color TV"?)

Tablo is pure garbage, I had the older version and it worked great so I upgraded to the 4th gen. Forget watching it on a PC, doesn't work on a Vizio TV, and this last firmware update broke anyone wanting to watch a video on a Samsung device. I'm returning it.

"Any screen or device in your house"? What, some screens "aren't devices"? Also, I bet there are plenty of devices it would still not work on.

Our DTVPal DVR bit the dust late last year. We had that thing since the mid 2000's, and it was still better than 80% of what's on the market right now. Why is that? However, this video's points on the Tablo make it interesting... I *will not* buy an OTA anything with a subscription. Period.