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The only way I’d watch live TV with an antenna is on sale this week

By Phil Nickinson July 16, 2024

The fourth-generation Tablo box. — Tablo has been redesigned in its fourth generation. Phil Nickinson / Digital Trends

I am of the strong opinion that anyone with a relatively long-term living situation — think owning a home or renting an apartment you know you’ll be in for a while — should have an over-the-air antenna at the ready. It’s a good backup for streaming live TV and is a one-time expense.

And while plugging a single antenna into a single television tuner is fine, we can do better in 2024 thanks to what I call “networked tuners.” The gist is this: You plug the antenna (and, most likely, an amplifier) into this magical device, and then you can watch the free, over-the-air broadcast channels on multiple devices — and record shows.

I’ve been using this sort of setup for years. And my current go-to remains the fourth-generation Tablo DVR (be sure to check out our full Tablo review), and it happens to be on sale as part of Prime Day.

The Tablo live guide as seen on a TV. — The Tablo live guide is one of the best of any modern digital service. Phil Nickinson / Digital Trends

Tablo has a lot of things going for it. The DVR is built in, so you don’t have to deal with an external hard drive (hough you can augment the 12GB of onboard storage if you want). There are no additional subscription fees. And the user interface is excellent.

There aren’t a whole lot of negatives here. OK, yes, it doesn’t support ATSC 3.0, or NextGen TV, which gives higher resolution and better audio options, but also requires an internet connection and feeds all kinds of data back to the companies trying to sell you things. A lack of ATSC 3.0 just isn’t a reason to not buy something at this point. Slightly more problematic is if you’re using an Apple TV 4K — the Tablo app is still in beta testing for that platform. But if you’re on Roku, Amazon Fire TV, or Google TV, you’re good to go.

One final decision to make: The fourth-gen Tablo DVR is available with either two tuners, or . I’m of the mind that if you can pony up for the extra hardware, it’s worth it, because it’s not the sort of thing you can add on later. Four tuners lets you watch even more on multiples devices, and record that much more, all at the same time.

The four-tuner Tablo is on sale or $120, down from $140. The two-tuner Tablo is on sale for $80, down from $100. And there are packages available with antennas, too.

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Section Editor, Audio/Video

Phil spent the 2000s making newspapers with the Pensacola (Fla.) News Journal, the 2010s with Android Central and then the…

Audio / Video

Sennheiser Accentum headphones, already a bargain, are $48 off today

Sennheiser Accentum Wireless headphones sitting on laptop keyboard.

You won't find any shortage of headphone deals out there, but we're taking the time to highlight this offer from Walmart for the Sennheiser Accentum. These wireless headphones, which scored 9 out of 10 stars in our review, are already pretty affordable at their sticker price of $180, but they're even cheaper right now at just $132. The $48 discount pushes them further into must-buy territory if you're looking for budget-friendly headphones, but you need to make the purchase as soon as you can as the bargain may end at any moment.

Why you should buy the Sennheiser Accentum wireless headphones
The Sennheiser Accentum wireless headphones scored pretty high in our review with 9 out of 10 stars, which is impressive considering you can get them for much cheaper than most of the entries in our roundup of the best headphones. They feature the brand's trademark high-quality audio, alongside an effective active noise cancellation system that blocks out unwanted sounds when activated. The technology is so good that we described the Sennheiser Accentum as "the best-sounding noise-canceling headphones we've ever heard under $200." They also have a Transparency Mode that will allow you to hear what's going on around you without having to take off the wireless headphones.

Audio / Video

The 8 best OLED TVs for 2024

LG G4 OLED

If you’re a true connoisseur of the moving image, you’ll know that one of the best types of TVs on the market are LG’s impressive lineup of OLED sets. For a while, the company was actually the sole manufacturer of OLED TV screens, even selling the tech to brands like Samsung and Sony. And while the competition is starting to get fierce, LG has yet to back down from its traditional OLED engineering. But now there are also souped-up OLEDs (called QD-OLEDs) that you can buy from other TV brands.

One thing is for sure: There is no shortage of OLED options out there. It can always be challenging to buy a new TV, but OLEDs require a little more research and consideration. These TVs perform best in dark rooms, although features like anti-glare coatings and LG’s Brightness Booster Max are allowing traditional OLEDs to go toe to toe with the best QD-OLEDs on the scene.

Audio / Video

Three 55-inch TVs under $400 during Best Buy’s Tech Fest sale

Insignia F30 TV on a TV stand in a living room.

Best Buy’s Tech Fest sale ends when the weekend does, meaning you only have a precious few days left to snag an awesome TV as part of the back to school TV deals happening at the moment. In particular, we’ve focused on some reliable brands that have had 55-inch models heavily discounted below. That includes TVs from Best Buy exclusive brand, Insignia, as well as Toshiba and Samsung. These come just ahead of the Labor Day TV sales, but we’d be surprised if things got cheaper next week. For now, here’s a look at some of the best TV deals available today. Each TV is the kind of TV we’d be happy to have in our home: a cheap, mid-sized display from a reputable brand.
Insignia 55-inch F30 Series 4K TV -- $230, was $350

The Insignia 55-inch F30 Series 4K TV is a good basic TV for anyone who simply wants a 4K TV without paying much. Besides the 55-inch 4K panel, the Insignia 55-inch F30 Series 4K TV has High Dynamic Range (HDR), so you get a wide range of color details and sharper contrast. It means it looks surprisingly good for the price. It also has support for DTS Studio Sound so that you can enjoy a more immersive audio experience across the two-speaker playback. On a practical level, it’s also pretty smart. There’s Fire TV built-in so you can easily access pretty much every streaming app you can think of. There’s also Alexa voice controls to save you from needing to use the remote so often. Instead, you can speak and switch inputs or adjust the volume, among many other things.