Skip to main content

Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

Tablo OTA DVR set-top box adds Apple TV app

tablo ota dvr app appletv launch schedulerecordings 1
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Nuvyyo, maker of the Tablo over-the-air (OTA) HDTV DVR set-top box, today released a native app on the App Store for the fourth-gen Apple TV.

The Tablo is a set-top box that pulls in free OTA channels from a digital antenna connected to it, and streams the live signals to compatible devices. With a formatted hard drive plugged in the back, the box can be used as a DVR too.

Recommended Videos

The new app is specific to the fourth-gen Apple TV, and isn’t compatible with previous iterations of Apple’s “hobby” streamer because it is built for the tvOS platform and full 1080p HD. Owners will be able to watch live or recorded programming pulled in from a Tablo through the app, including using the voice-enabled remote to have Siri jump ahead past commercials when watching recorded shows.

The app offers much of the same access and feature set seen in the mobile apps for tablets and smartphones. The live TV guide and recordings screens, with similar visual treatments, are prevalent, though subscribers will get the extras, like artwork and remote access.

Shows can be set to record new episodes or all episodes, regardless of whether they’re reruns, making it possible to record a full season of a show. Nuvyyo says more features will be rolled out “over the coming months” to enhance the experience on the Apple TV, but did not specify whether those are existing ones on other Tablo apps, new features, or both.

This latest app adds to an existing suite of apps for iOS, Android, Android TV, Amazon, Roku, Kodi, and Plex. There is also a web-based interface for PC and Mac.

Download for iOS  Download for Android

Ted Kritsonis
A tech journalism vet, Ted covers has written for a number of publications in Canada and the U.S. Ted loves hockey, history…
Apple apes a major Amazon Prime Video feature in tvOS 18
An Apple TV 4K sitting on a wood entertainment center with a HomePod Mini behind it.

WWDC 2024 was all about improving platforms and software within the Apple ecosystem, and that continued into Apple TV, with the best streaming hardware you can buy getting a few minutes of face time. And the improvements are not only just targeted to Apple TV hardware (which includes Apple TV 4K) but also integrating with other Apple hardware and features.

"We design our Home products to elevate users’ everyday lives, and our latest updates reinforce that goal by delivering even more convenience and connection,” Stan Ng, Apple’s vice president of Apple Watch, Audio, Health, and Home Product Marketing, said in a press release announcing the new features. “This fall, tvOS 18 and our services take entertainment in the home to the next level by bringing timely information to fans about their favorite characters and scenes.”

Read more
Does a job listing mean Apple TV is getting an Android phone app?
The Apple TV app listing in Google Play.

There already is an Android app for Apple TV. More than one, actually. Phil Nickinson / Digital Trends

Let's read way too much into a job listing from Apple. Spurred by a (paywalled) piece from Bloomberg under the headline "Apple Signals That It’s Working on TV+ App for Android Phones," the reblogging industry is all atwitter over the idea that an Apple TV app may be coming to Android phones and tablets. And it might!

Read more
What we want to see from the next Apple TV 4K
An Apple TV 4K sitting on a wood entertainment center with a HomePod Mini behind it.

One thing not on this list: A dust-resistant Apple TV 4K. Phil Nickinson / Digital Trends

Now that we’ve gotten the whole “Apple TV 4K with a camera” thing out of our system, it’s time to take a more serious look at what we still consider to be the best streaming hardware you can buy. More specifically, this article is about what we’d like to see added to the diminutive box.

Read more