Its time. Help me wrap my head around Roku and the like.

[bimbi284]

AKA - "like I'm 5", please.
I think I've seen enough people here mention this stuff that I may get some answers, haha.


We are moving in a month (YAY!) and H and I decided we are done with "traditional" cable services (currently and for the past 5 years have had RCN for cable and internet). We've chatted a little about streaming services, though don't really know a whole lot. We don't own a Blu Ray player nor do we play video games, so going that route isn't for us (services that stream through those devices). Roku seems to be popular, though I'm not too familiar with anything else, so I have no knowledge to compare. We'll likely just stick with RCN for internets (unless anyone knows of good alternatives for that?).



I have an Amazon Prime subscription, so there's that. I'm guessing we'll get Netflix and maybe HuluPlus if its worth it?
 


Sooo...break it down for me, folks. What do I need to know about this whole process and what recommendations might you have for someone who is somewhat technologically challenged but is a fast learner? Any downsides I about which I should know?

I will also accept any links to stuff that explains this well.

[orangeblossom]

I love my Roku. I cannot say enough good things about it.

We have the Roku 3. We got it for $90 at Target. It's normally a $100, but I had some coupons. I believe Costco, and maybe Sam's Club has it for $95 regularly.

We actually have two. One Roku 3 and one streaming stick. I got the stick to get rid of the wires and make our TV area in the family room look neater. The stick is $50. It essentially does the same thing, but they say it runs a little slower. I haven't really noticed.

Think of the Roku like a smart phone. The channels are equivalent to apps. There are paid ones and there are free ones. It comes pre-loaded with the most popular channels, like Amazon Prime, Netflix, Hulu and some more.

You set up one basic account and connect it to a credit card. This is if you decide to buy a channel that is not free. You basically sync the roku to your internet network. Make sure it's secure.

After you do all that, sit back and order channels and watch TV. I like Hulu Plus, because they have a lot of current shows. Some daytime shows like the morning news, The View, The Chew, etc can even be seen that same night many times.

If I were you, I would get the free trials for Netflix (30 days) and Hulu Plus (7 days) and maybe see which one you like best.  I just saw that you can get two free months of Hulu Plus for any Roku purchase on the Roku site.

PBS and PBS Kids are good channels.

Here's a review of the Roku 3 and the Roku Streaming Stick

[Dumbledork]

We've had a Roku for almost our entire marriage, almost 7 years. The first one lasted us until about a year ago, and we just upgraded to the 3. We love it. It's consistently rated the best against competitors (Apple TV and Amazon Fire TV, for example) by reliable sources like Consumer Reports, Wired, CNET, Forbes, Lifehacker, Time, etc.

We have Netflix for older tv shows, Hulu+ for newer tv shows, Amazon streaming for things like Doctor Who and occasional movies. We love PBS Kids for the little one. We use these four the most, but there are so, so many other awesome channels.

The whole process is insanely easy. As long as your have internet connection and can follow simple steps, you'll be able to hook it up easy peasy.

A most recent perk for us- if you have an iPhone, there's an app that can act as a remote. We lost our remote so I just used my phone. It was fantastic.

[ChillyMcFreeze]

We have Apple TV which is great for us because we can airstream from the Mac to TV if there is online content we want to watch on tv. I love it. I've heard nothing but good things about Roku as well. If you have lot of Apple devices, you might prefer Apple tv. Up to you.

I couldn't possibly choose between hulu and Netflix because the content is so different. I get tons of use out of both, so they're both worth it. Prime, less so, but it's a nice perk of the membership.

[Dumbledork]

Oh, and I'll add that I'm a tv junkie. I really only miss having cable when old movies (Potter weekend, Mighty Ducks, etc) are on and I can't watch. Otherwise, we don't miss it at all.

We do have a newer tv do we get some shows digitally or over the air channels. We used to get CBS, Fox, NBC, and ion. Some deal went through last year I think though and now we only get NBC and ion. I miss having Fox, and I'd kill to get ABC. But really, there are shows I could watch 'live' on NBC, but I get caught up in other things and end up watching it on Hulu+ anyway.

[PinkSquirrel]

Jul 18, 2014 18:18:21 GMT -5 mr+ms said:

Listening in... I am interested in going cable-free as well.

Personally, I don't give any shits about tv. I would be happy with netflix and DVDs. But mr. is a CNN and NFL channel addict so we pay $70/mo or whatever for 2 channels basically.

Has anyone with Roku or similar found good substitutes for cable news like CNN or MSNBC? I thought I saw BBC was available via Roku?

Is there any way to watch football games?

Can you get public broadcast TV through roku? Aereo was nice while it lasted.

The NFL just added an online subscription package that isn't connected to having cable within the last week or so, you do have to pay for it, but it would likely offer more than enough content for your H.

[Black Lavender]

I don't think we'll ever cut the cable cord, but we do have Google TV and Chromecast. Google TV (http://www.google.com/tv/) is similar to Roku or Apple TV, but its an android OS. Chromecast (http://www.google.com/chrome/devices/chromecast/)on the other hand pretty much just allows you to play movies, etc that you stream on your smartphone or tablet on your tv.

[bimbi284]

Wow! Thanks for all the info so far, folks, this is really helpful.

Question: What about for things that air only once a year like awards shows and major sporting events (super bowl)? Can you get this stuff on the Roku too? I admittedly have forgotten how getting "regular" channels without cable works because I have always had cable...I remember there being a "switch" back in the day where people needed to get digital converters for their older TVs. I'm assuming all TVs made since then account for this?

[Dumbledork]

Jul 18, 2014 18:48:44 GMT -5 bimbi284 said:

Wow! Thanks for all the info so far, folks, this is really helpful.

Question: What about for things that air only once a year like awards shows and major sporting events (super bowl)? Can you get this stuff on the Roku too? I admittedly have forgotten how getting "regular" channels without cable works because I have always had cable...I remember there being a "switch" back in the day where people needed to get digital converters for their older TVs. I'm assuming all TVs made since then account for this?

Yes. We just do a search for channels through the tv menu (this, I forget how to do but it's easy once you figure out which buttons to push on the remote) and it does its own thing. It takes a few minutes, but any channels in the area that accessible will show up.

[Velar Fricative]

Jul 18, 2014 18:35:17 GMT -5 PinkSquirrel said:

Jul 18, 2014 18:18:21 GMT -5 mr+ms said:

Listening in... I am interested in going cable-free as well.

Personally, I don't give any shits about tv. I would be happy with netflix and DVDs. But mr. is a CNN and NFL channel addict so we pay $70/mo or whatever for 2 channels basically.

Has anyone with Roku or similar found good substitutes for cable news like CNN or MSNBC? I thought I saw BBC was available via Roku?

Is there any way to watch football games?

Can you get public broadcast TV through roku? Aereo was nice while it lasted.

The NFL just added an online subscription package that isn't connected to having cable within the last week or so, you do have to pay for it, but it would likely offer more than enough content for your H.

That might depend on her H's favorite team. Professional leagues black out local team coverage in their special packages like NFL Sunday Ticket. NHL Center Ice, etc. Sports was the only reason we kept cable because we like our local teams but we are moving soon too and DH found a great site to stream NHL games through our smart TV and he is searching for something for NFL games too.

[IIOY]

Jul 18, 2014 18:13:12 GMT -5 Dumbledork said:

A most recent perk for us- if you have an iPhone, there's an app that can act as a remote. We lost our remote so I just used my phone. It was fantastic.

We use H's iPad as a Roku remote.  Given that the remote seems to chew through batteries quickly, I love being able to just pick up his ipad rather than stop everything and find fresh batteries on the spot.

We absolutely do not maximize our Roku the way others in the thread have described, but we love our so much.  We have the 3 and use it primarily to stream Amazon Prime and YouTube.  It was worth every penny even just for those things.

[orangeblossom]

Jul 18, 2014 18:18:21 GMT -5 mr+ms said:

Listening in... I am interested in going cable-free as well.

Personally, I don't give any shits about tv. I would be happy with netflix and DVDs. But mr. is a CNN and NFL channel addict so we pay $70/mo or whatever for 2 channels basically.

Has anyone with Roku or similar found good substitutes for cable news like CNN or MSNBC? I thought I saw BBC was available via Roku?

Is there any way to watch football games?

Can you get public broadcast TV through roku? Aereo was nice while it lasted.

m

You can get MSNBC content. You get it through the NBC news channel. It shows the segments in pieces instead of a whole show. I don't know that it shows everything, but it's pretty decent.

I haven't seen a CNN option.

I think there may be BBC channel, but I'm not sure. Check out the Roku site to see what channels they offer.

For public broadscast like PBS, yes there's a channel for that and PBS kids.

For channels like NBC, ABC, etc, there are channels, but some of them you have to watch through your cable provider. However, you can watch those same shows on Hulu.

I've noticed some of the CBS shows like Extant, Under The Dome, are exclusive to Amazon.

Honestly, I think Roku is great even if you have cable.

[escrow]

When we moved a year ago we bought new smart tvs that came loaded with their own Netflix (and the like) apps. For done reason my dh bought a roku for some new app. So we started using the roku for all streaming and it is so much faster than streaming Netflix from the tv app. Apparently the roku streams everything three times or something so the quality is much better.

[karinothing]

There is no way to get like the SyFy channel or HBO on Roku w/out having cable though right? Like it doesn't really replace cable just gives you a centralized source for streaming stuff?

[teflepi]

You can not get HBO without cable (well, basic if you have Verizon. Comcast, not a chance because they block it. Aholes).

[bimbi284]

Jul 18, 2014 19:44:18 GMT -5 teflepi said:

You can not get HBO without cable (well, basic if you have Verizon. Comcast, not a chance because they block it. Aholes).

Do HBO shows come up on netflix or huluplus?

[orangeblossom]

Jul 18, 2014 19:34:25 GMT -5 karinothing said:

There is no way to get like the SyFy channel or HBO on Roku w/out having cable though right? Like it doesn't really replace cable just gives you a centralized source for streaming stuff?

No, you can't get current SyFy shows without cable.  You can get many past seasons from other sources like Hulu, Amazon, etc.  We just watched Warehouse 13 Season 4 the other day, but I'd have to look to see who we watched it through.

I think things are changing HBO Go may be changing to where you can get it without cable.  Don't quote me though, I feel like I've seen that somewhere.

[orangeblossom]

Jul 18, 2014 19:49:57 GMT -5 bimbi284 said:

Jul 18, 2014 19:44:18 GMT -5 teflepi said:

You can not get HBO without cable (well, basic if you have Verizon. Comcast, not a chance because they block it. Aholes).

Do HBO shows come up on netflix or huluplus?

Not current seasons, but Amazon Prime just got a bunch of HBO shows.

[karinothing]

Jul 18, 2014 19:50:42 GMT -5 orangeblossom said:

Jul 18, 2014 19:34:25 GMT -5 karinothing said:

There is no way to get like the SyFy channel or HBO on Roku w/out having cable though right? Like it doesn't really replace cable just gives you a centralized source for streaming stuff?

No, you can't get current SyFy shows without cable.  You can get many past seasons from other sources like Hulu, Amazon, etc.  We just watched Warehouse 13 Season 4 the other day, but I'd have to look to see who we watched it through.

I think things are changing HBO Go may be changing to where you can get it without cable.  Don't quote me though, I feel like I've seen that somewhere.

Yeah, that is what prevents me from cutting the cord. I have to decide if I can wait a year lol. Or beg my brother for his log in

[teflepi]

Jul 18, 2014 19:49:57 GMT -5 bimbi284 said:

Jul 18, 2014 19:44:18 GMT -5 teflepi said:

You can not get HBO without cable (well, basic if you have Verizon. Comcast, not a chance because they block it. Aholes).

Do HBO shows come up on netflix or huluplus?

Amazon prime has a number of shows and a few for older shows on Netflix

[aurora]

Jul 18, 2014 19:44:18 GMT -5 teflepi said:

You can not get HBO without cable (well, basic if you have Verizon. Comcast, not a chance because they block it. Aholes).

Quite a few HBO series are newly available on Amazon Prime, though not the latest seasons.

To the OP: you might need an external antenna (external to your TV) to get the regular broadcast channels, which show big events like the super bowl and award shows. There is a web site to check the signal strength in your area and tell you what kind you'll need. I think it's antennaweb.com.

[teflepi]

Jul 18, 2014 19:50:42 GMT -5 orangeblossom said:

Jul 18, 2014 19:34:25 GMT -5 karinothing said:

There is no way to get like the SyFy channel or HBO on Roku w/out having cable though right? Like it doesn't really replace cable just gives you a centralized source for streaming stuff?

No, you can't get current SyFy shows without cable.  You can get many past seasons from other sources like Hulu, Amazon, etc.  We just watched Warehouse 13 Season 4 the other day, but I'd have to look to see who we watched it through.

I think things are changing HBO Go may be changing to where you can get it without cable.  Don't quote me though, I feel like I've seen that somewhere.

ypu cam do interenet at basic cable and hbo for cheap on Verizon akd Comcast. I think it'll be a little before hbo goes on own

[aurora]

Jul 18, 2014 19:52:20 GMT -5 orangeblossom said:

Jul 18, 2014 19:49:57 GMT -5 bimbi284 said:

Do HBO shows come up on netflix or huluplus?

Not current seasons, but Amazon Prime just got a bunch of HBO shows.

I type too slowly.

[origami]

Just wanted to add that if you can watch it online on a computer, you can see it on your tv. You just need the appropriate cord to connect your computer to your tv. We use hdmi/FireWire. We do this for anything not on hulu/Netflix/amazon. So sports, shows we gank from my parents' comcast subscription, *cough* current shows posted on foreign servers *cough*, etc. Actually we usually just watch it on the laptop but we are lazy.

[aurora]

Jul 18, 2014 20:09:02 GMT -5 origami said:

Just wanted to add that if you can watch it online on a computer, you can see it on your tv. You just need the appropriate cord to connect your computer to your tv. We use hdmi/FireWire. We do this for anything not on hulu/Netflix/amazon. So sports, shows we gank from my parents' comcast subscription, *cough* current shows posted on foreign servers *cough*, etc. Actually we usually just watch it on the laptop but we are lazy.

And while we're on that topic, a little birdie told me that things like the Olympics have way better coverage from those foreign networks. We do all our streaming from our smart TV or from our laptops. If, say, one wanted to mask one's IP address, that's easier to do from a laptop than a Roku. I mean, just hypothetically, of course.

[craftyone]

We cut the cord about 4 years ago. We have subscriptions to Amazon and netflix. We live in a city and we each of our tv's we have an over an air antennae that we get local channels (nbc,cbs,abc, pbs, fox). We depending on the tv have a xbox, a blueray that has netflix/amazon app, or a wii.

We also watch tv directly from our laptop on the internet (ie abc.com, fox.com) and we plug the laptop into the tv using an HDMI cord. Most new tv's have an HDMI input.

[craftyone]

Jul 18, 2014 20:09:02 GMT -5 origami said:

Just wanted to add that if you can watch it online on a computer, you can see it on your tv. You just need the appropriate cord to connect your computer to your tv. We use hdmi/FireWire. We do this for anything not on hulu/Netflix/amazon. So sports, shows we gank from my parents' comcast subscription, *cough* current shows posted on foreign servers *cough*, etc. Actually we usually just watch it on the laptop but we are lazy.

We used to watch years ago on foreign servers, but the FBI kept on shutting them down. We just didn't want to risk anymore  :/

[MauMau]

Get a digital TV antenna to watch primetime basic channels. ABC, NBC, FOX, MY TV, PBS and a few others I had this one m.rakuten.com/product/211552514?listingid=233189974&adid=29963 I don't mention CBS because I used to live in your city and I could never get CBS on my antenna without a lot of moving it around.

My parents had cable. So I used their login to use things like HBO, Showtime, CNN, and a few other channels and than I would hook up my laptop with a HDMI cable to the TV.