Finally, the best way to watch free OTA TV is with Apple TV

You can now use the 4th generation Tablo with Apple TV. That’s all. This is a tweet. OK, I’ll elaborate. This means you can now enjoy the best device for watching free over-the-air (OTA) channels on what we consider to be the best streaming hardware you can buy.

It’s been a long time. This fourth-generation Tablo has been available for about a year. At the time, it worked great on major platforms like Roku and Amazon Fire TV. You connect your antenna to Tablo, launch the app, and watch – and record – free TV channels on multiple devices. And you can do it on up to four devices at once, depending on whether you get a two- or four-channel Tablo. You’ll also get plenty of free, ad-supported channels – because you won’t be able to go anywhere in 2024 without coming across the FAST channel.

Tablo has long been one of the two main options for watching OTA channels on multiple devices on your home network. It was also easiest to record something on these channels. And the latest model released in fall 2023 has improved the experience in almost every way, as we explained in our full Tablo review. The equipment is better. The on-screen guide is as good as any. You can also expand the internal storage by connecting an external hard drive. And most importantly – no additional subscriptions. It completely matches HDHomeRun, both in terms of experience (the HDHomeRun app remains terrible) and support, which is still there but has definitely decreased over the years.

Buy on AmazonMissing, however, was support for Apple TV. That has changed now. You’ll need the fourth-generation Tablo, of course, as well as the app from the Apple TV App Store. (Be sure to purchase the dark blue that matches this latest model.)

The only “major” feature missing here is support for ATSC 3.0, known (or not) as NextGen TV, which enables, among other things, higher resolution and the flow of data from the end of the equation back to the people showing the shows and selling the ads. This was very much stuck in a chicken and egg situation, and Tablo was in no rush to wade into this mess. (There were also patent issues that kept many people from adopting the ATSC 3.0 standard.)

In any case, this is a good thing for Apple TV owners who want to be able to watch their local channels for free.