Looking to bring more simplicity to a DVR that captures over-the-air TV signals and is targeted at cord-cutters, Nuvyyo has added integrated video storage with the launch of a new product called the Tablo Dual.
About 20% smaller than its predecessor, the Tablo Dual integrates two tuners and bakes in 64 gigabytes of onboard DVR storage, about enough to hold about 50 hours of HD programming.
The earlier-generation Tablo doesn’t have onboard storage, but does let users add storage by attaching a USB-connected storage device. Tablo Dual users also have the option to add storage (up to eight terabytes) using a separate storage.
Grant Hall, CEO of Nuvyyo, said onboard storage with the Tablo Dual will reduce friction and reduce the total cost of ownership for consumers.
The Tablo Dual, available in the U.S. on June 4, carries an MSRP of $249.99. It’ll be available at select Best Buy stores and Best Buy’s web site. Nuvyyo is also selling it direct via its site to consumers in Canada for C$329.99.
The previous-generation two-tuner Tablo DVR sells for $219.99, and a four-tuner version fetches almost $300. Hall said most Tablo users implement attached storage.
The Tablo Dual also includes a 30-day free trial to an optional TV guide data subscription that regularly sells for $4.99 per month, $49.99 annually, or for $149.99 for a lifetime subscription.
Hall said there’s a “very high take rate” on the optional subscription, noting that the price also includes remote access features and 14 days of guide data.
Hall said a two-tuner version helped to get the Tablo Dual to an “accessible price point,” and allowed that a four-tuner version would be the next logical step, though the company has yet to announce what’s coming after the Tablo Dual.
Most Tablo users are cord-cutters that connect the device to a TV antenna to receive the local over-the-air broadcast channels. The device captures those signals and sends them wirelessly to other devices on the home network. Tablo today supports Roku player, Xbox and Nvidia Shield consoles, Apple TV boxes, Chromecast streaming adapters, Amazon Fire TV devices, web browsers, smart TVs from LG (WebOS 2.0 and 3.0), and iOS and Android smartphones and tablets.
“We’re really just another app,” Hall said.
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That approach differs than some other vendors that also have built OTA-OTT combination products tailored for cord-cutters, such as the TiVo with the Roamio OTA, Dish Network’s AirTV Player and Adapter, and Channel Master’s subscription-free DVR+. TiVo has been working on the “Mavrik,” an OTA device that will work with a cloud DVR, but ZatzNotFunny reported this week that TiVo has scrapped plans to launch it and weighing the future of its larger retail product strategy.
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At CES in January, the company introduced the Tablo DROID, a software version of a Tablo DVR that initially runs on the Android TV-powered Nvidia Shield. That product is in beta now and is expected to ship soon, Hall said, adding that the product will also support other Android TV devices.
Ottawa, Canada-based Nuvyyo has not announced shipment numbers for its Tablo products, but the privately held company announced last month that it had achieved a three-year growth rate of 288%.
