4th Generation Tablo devices include 14-days of rolling TV guide data, so you can always browse and record upcoming airings within the next two weeks. This article covers 4th Gen Tablo TV guide data sources and processes.
Table of Contents
- TV Guide Data Providers
- How and When Tablo Downloads TV Guide Data
- How Tablo Uses TV Guide Data
- In-Stream TV Guide Data (PSIP) vs. Rich TV Guide Data
TV Guide Data Providers
Local broadcasters assemble TV guide data for their over-the-air TV channels. That data is then aggregated and enhanced by a company called Gracenote. TV guide data for free streaming channels is collected by a similar company called Amagi.
These companies supplement broadcast schedule information with metadata including episode and series synopses, cover art and whether the episode is new or a rerun. Data is generally available two weeks in advance and is updated periodically as TV networks adjust their schedules. This rich guide data is then sold to cable companies, television and DVR manufacturers like Tablo.
Guide data from Gracenote and Amagi are delivered first to Tablo servers before reaching individual 4th Generation Tablo devices. Ingesting TV guide data on Tablo servers before distributing it allows us to adjust and correct data using our guide data management tools when required.
How and When Tablo Downloads TV Guide Data
During the early morning hours (around 3:00 a.m. local time), your 4th Generation Tablo DVR will enter a temporary maintenance mode to keep itself up-to-date and working correctly. This automatic maintenance includes downloading TV guide data for the channels in your lineup.
This not only ensures your guide includes a full two weeks of TV guide data, but also makes any necessary updates for schedule adjustments. For instance, playoff sportscasts will be updated with details about the matchup once the participating teams are decided.
If your Tablo is not able to download updated TV guide data during the overnight maintenance window due to an internet and/or power outage, it will attempt to update during the maintenance window on the following day.
When first setting up your Tablo, the initial download of TV guide data can take up to 30 minutes or more. Overnight updates are much quicker, lasting only a few minutes.
You can verify that your TV Guide is up-to-date in SETTINGS > GUIDE > LAST UPDATED. If the Last Updated time is more than 24 hours ago, the automatic update during the last maintenance period failed. To fix this, select Update Guide Now. This will trigger a refresh of your guide data immediately, downloading broadcast schedule changes and any days of missing data since the guide was last updated.
How Tablo Uses TV Guide Data
TV guide data powers everything you see in Tablo’s Live TV grid, streaming-style Guide screens and Library.
Beyond basic broadcast schedules, this includes:
- Series and episode descriptions
- Cover art
- Metadata like a program’s type (series, movie, sport, special), genre, cast, rating and more
Tablo’s series recording also uses the rich TV guide metadata to automatically record all or just new episodes of a specific series. By scheduling recordings based on unique series IDs instead of by date/time/channel, Tablo can continue to automatically record your favorite shows even if they've been on hiatus or switch time slots.
If you find that your 4th Generation Tablo app has missing or incorrect TV guide data immediately after initial setup, Tablo’s back-end servers may correct it automatically overnight.
If the issue persists, review the details and troubleshooting steps for missing or incorrect TV guide data here.
Unlike 4th Generation Tablo apps and devices, legacy Tablo apps pull data directly from Gracenote. This means Tablo's guide data management tools cannot be used to fix missing or incorrect data. Tablo Support can send a request directly to Gracenote on your behalf but, unfortunately, we can’t guarantee a resolution or timely response.
In-Stream TV Guide Data (PSIP) vs. Rich TV Guide Data
Most over-the-air channels are broadcast with Program and System Information Protocol (PSIP) data. This is free and available even without an internet connection but has notable limitations:
- Usually only offers information for programs airing in the next 12-36 hours
- Often lacks detailed episode information
- May not include series descriptions or metadata
- Can be inconsistent between different broadcasters
This is why Tablo relies instead on rich internet-based TV guide data as provided by Gracenote and Amagi.
Should the internet go down, 4th Gen Tablo apps will switch to Offline Mode, which uses TV guide data that’s been previously downloaded to your Tablo device.