Canadian technology company Nuvyyo is still developing a version of its popular Tablo broadcast streamer and recorder that is capable of receiving ATSC 3.0 signals, a company spokesperson confirmed to The Desk this week.
The affirmation comes amid several incorrect posts on social media that wrongly said Nuvyyo had canceled its development of the Tablo ATSC 3.0 Quad HDMI less than two months after the company issued pre-order refunds to customers.
“Yes, Tablo is still committed to delivering the Tablo ATSC 3.0 Quad HDMI,” a spokesperson for Nuvyyo said. “Work on this project is ongoing, but beyond that, we don’t have any specific updates to share.”
For several years, Nuvyyo shrugged off the development of an ATSC 3.0-compatible Tablo model, with officials saying there was not enough consumer demand to support developing and selling one. That changed in early 2022 when Nuvyyo said it would develop and release the Tablo ATSC 3.0 Quad HDMI model, the first to be compatible with ATSC 3.0 signals, also known as “NextGen TV.”
Nuvyyo began accepting pre-orders for the Tablo ATSC 3.0 Quad HDMI, charging customers $300 for the device, which was expected to ship later that year.
But the company encountered development issues with the Tablo ATSC 3.0 Quad HDMI, in part because broadcasters in the United States and Canada had yet to fully agree on the finalized standards of the technology. Rather than ship an incomplete device or one that needed to be greatly updated later, Nuvyyo simply decided to indefinitely delay the Tablo ATSC 3.0 Quad HDMI.
Two months ago, Nuvyyo issued full refunds to all customers who pre-ordered the Tablo ATSC 3.0 Quad HDMI. Some interpreted the refunds as Nuvyyo ending development of the Tablo ATSC 3.0 Quad HDMI model, but the company confirmed to The Desk on Monday that it is still being developed and will someday be available to purchase.
Related: See The Desk‘s coverage of the Tablo broadcast streaming hardware
To bolster its commitment to ATSC 3.0, last year, Nuvyyo agreed to be acquired by the E. W. Scripps Company. In a statement to tech publication The Verge, a spokesperson for Scripps said the acquisition was intended to help bolster the broadcaster’s mission of promoting its free, over-the-air television products. The deal was valued at less than $14 million, The Verge reported, cited regulatory filings made with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
Some of Scripps’ influence on Nuvyyo has already been put on display: Earlier this year, the company quietly offered a deal that bundled a brand-new Tablo device with a Mohu antenna for less than $200. The deal also included a lifetime subscription to Tablo’s premium guide data service, which normally costs $5 a month or $50 a year. Tablo stopped selling a standalone lifetime guide subscription to its users last year.
A person familiar with the deal said it was popular with customers, and the company may revive the promotion in the future.
