You can now use the fourth-generation Tablo with Apple TV. That’s it. That’s the tweet. OK, I’ll expand. That means you can now use the best device for watching free, over-the-air (OTA) broadcast channels on what we consider to be the best streaming hardware you can buy.
It’s been a long time coming. This fourth-gen Tablo has been available for about a year. And in that time, it’s worked great on the major platforms like Roku and Amazon Fire TV. You connect an antenna to the Tablo, fire up the app, and watch — and record — free broadcast channels on multiple devices. And you can do so on up to four devices at once, depending on whether you get the two- or four-channel Tablo. You’ll also get a number of free, ad-supported channels — because you can’t go anywhere in 2024 without running into a FAST channel.
Tablo has long been one of the two major options for watching OTA channels on multiple devices over your home network. It also was the easiest if you wanted to record anything on those channels. And the latest model released in fall 2023 improved on the experience in almost every way, as we explained in our full Tablo review. The hardware is better. The onscreen guide is about as good as any. And you can expand on the internal storage by plugging in an external hard drive. And most important — no additional subscriptions. It absolutely lapped the likes of HDHomeRun, both in terms of experience (HDHomeRun’s app remains awful) and support, which still exists, but it’s definitely dwindled over the years.
The only “major” feature missing here is support for ATSC 3.0, otherwise known (or not) as NextGen TV, which allows for, among other things, higher resolution and data to flow from your end of the equation back to the folks showing the shows and selling the ads. That’s very much been stuck in a chicken-and-egg situation, and Tablo hasn’t been in any hurry to wade into that mire. (There also have been patent issues that have kept many from adopting the ATSC 3.0 standard.)
In any event, this is a good thing for Apple TV owners who want a way to watch their local channels for free.
Instagram is making its way to yet another screen, and this time, Apple TV is getting a taste of the Reels rabbit hole. The company has launched a dedicated Instagram app for Apple TV, bringing Reels, longer videos, and live shows to the big screen. So, if watching one quick clip on a phone somehow turns into an hour of scrolling, there's now a much larger screen for that.
Instagram brings Reels and more to Apple TV
Audio-Technica, a brand well known for making some of the best studio and professional headphones on the market, has just come out with the ATH-AWX7000, which the company itself claims to be its "finest headphones ever." The new flagship closed-back headphone has debuted at an eye-watering price of $3,799. It combines hand-finished Japanese woodwork with a newly developed 58mm driver.
The earcups are made from Kiso cypress, a prized wood historically used for Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples. Each housing is finished by hand with traditional Echizen lacquer, which brings out the grain and is expected to darken over time. The frame and sliders are finished in a deep navy kachi-iro shade traditionally associated with samurai.
This post is brought to you in paid partnership with Best Buy.
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