Netflix and Roku combo. What is the best way to go? (vanity)

feb 25 2015 | moi

[dennisw]

Hi all

*****3mbs and 6mbs are my local DSL speeds.

I have never considered this before. I see many different roku devices. Which Roku are you using and recommending for it to stream Netflix to a TV set that has a few HDMI ports? Netflix is my only interest for getting a Roku. I know Roku can pull in other internet broadcasts such as as sports.

--Does the Ruku HDMI stick work well? I distrust such miniaturized devices as maybe failing sooner.

-- What is the total monthly cost for roku + netflix. Probably would be an unlimited netflix plan.

--- how will Netflix streaming work at 3mbs and 6mbs which are my local DSL speeds?

-- my understanding is that with such slower connection speeds I will have to wait 10 or 20 minutes for the Netfix stream to build up before I can watch it?

---will such slow speeds make for jerky motion and dropouts?

---- Do such slow speeds ruin action movies with special effects?

Thanks!

[sheana]

You don’t need to pay for Netflix, amazon prime or a roku. Free streaming content is on the net. Just hook a computer to the tv with an hdmi av adapter or a tablet with an digital av adapter and you are set.
I have one for my laptop and another one for my ipad and watch whatever I want and don’t pay for anything.

[nonliberal]

My Roku 3 was $99 at Wal Mart. One time cost. All I pay for is internet, Netflix ($8.99), Amazon Prime ($99 year, one time charge) and Hulu Plus ($8.99). I also have a Blu-ray/DVD player and frequently rent from Redbox. I highly reccomend a Roku.

[vmivol00]

You can look up the pricing online, based upon what you want.

I have 3 Roku Sticks, an over the air antenna, a Tablo Box, Amazon Prime, and Sling TV.

Roku Stick - works great

OTA - I get about 22 channels with my un-amplified antenna

Tablo Box - this is a pretty cool system. My OTA plugs into it, along with an external hard drive. The Tablo box plugs into my network. I can then “stream” all of the OTA content through any of my Roku players. It includes a guide and the ability to DVR shows.

Amazon Prime - pretty good content

Sling TV - the future of TV. All of the ESPN channels, food network, disney and others for $20/month

If you prepay for 3 months of Sling TV, you get a Roku stick for free. Great deal.

I hope that helps.

[Enlightened1]

The best thing about this plan is that it will cost you one time for the hardware and you are done.

Upgrade to 6mbs DSL if you can, and make sure you have a wireless router.

The minimum speed you want is 3mbs, but you really should upgrade to 6mbs. It should work fine. Netflix streaming runs just like youtube. So go to youtube to test it out.

You certainlly want a Roku 3, and not the stick. Although if you have an older TV with no HDMI port coax with the RCA (red, yellow and white ports) then get the Roku 2.

I have Netflix streaming only and it’s $7.99 a month. I also have an Amazon Prime account. It has free streaming with some different movies.

Here is the Roku link for you.

https://www.roku.com/

Finally, you may want a digital Antenna too for the local channels (ABC, FOX, CBS, etc...), watching sports, news, etc....

These are very small indoor antenna’s with no ears, easy to hook up, etc... You either will have a very good picture or you do not. These are a lot better than the old rabbit ears you many have had a long time ago. There is no outdoor antenna. As long as you are within 30 to 50 miles, depending what you get, then should be good.

http://www.frys.com/category/Outpost/Video/Antennas+&+HD+Converters/

and

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Delectronics&field-keywords=antenna

[The Great RJ]

We have had a Roku box since it first came out and it worked without problems. My wife recently bought Apple TV so she could stream videos from her Apple devices. It works great, but Apple TV does not allow access to rival Amazon prime. We recently added an Amazon Firestick so we could get Amazon prime videos. The Firestick works great and was easy to set up. If I were to have just one streaming device, I would stick with Roku. Given your relatively slow connection speed I’d opt for the basic model Roku as I don’t think you would be able to stream HD content. Roku allows access to Netflix, Hulu Plus and Amazon as well other mostly free channels. We got my mother in law a Roku box for Christmas and she loves the free streaming music from Pandora as well as Netflix. The Amazon Firestick is new and hard to find in stores. At $40 it is a good deal. Ours works with no problems so far, but given my long experience with Roku that would still be my choice

[dennisw]

I am reading all comments and greatly appreciate all

[exPBRrat]

— What is the total monthly cost for roku + netflix. Probably would be an unlimited netflix plan...

...no cost for Roku but you must register a credit card to start the service. Netflix is less than 10 a month.

-— how will Netflix streaming work at 3mbs and 6mbs which are my local DSL speeds?

....that’s lower that we have so I dunno. Go on the ROKU forums to better find out, maybe?

— my understanding is that with such slower connection speeds I will have to wait 10 or 20 minutes for the Netfix stream to build up before I can watch it? ...I believe that is true.

-—will such slow speeds make for jerky motion and dropouts?... If you get the optional roku extra dish cache chip it will help eliminate that lot.

—— Do such slow speeds ruin action movies with special effects ...yes, but there are work-arounds.

We have a roku 2 and a 3 hooked up and imo Roku is a good deal compared to the exploitative and propaganda-like organ cable/dish has become...

...but have yet to cut the cord. Waiting on service contract to expire.

[Enlightened1]

Here is a link that compares the different Roku models.

https://www.roku.com/products/compare

[Louis Foxwell]

ROKU has hundreds of channels. There is almost nothing reg TV offers not available through ROKU.

[LearnsFromMistakes]

I wanted to be first to suggest AppleTV, but ya beat me. I really doubt dennisw will be going that direction...

We have both roku and atv. netflix thru both of them, use the roku for amazon prime and the atv for playing music/videos from iphones/ipads/ipods and other computers.

[printhead]

If I may offer my 2 cents... I highly recommend that you go with the Roku 2 rather than the Roku 3. The Roku 2 has analog outputs for the audio and video as well as HDMI. The Roku 3 has only HDMI output.

I feed the analog video to a 4.3” LCD display. That way when you’re using Pandora you don’t have to turn on your TV to see your stations. I feed the stereo signal to a receiver. It’s not surround but most older shows weren’t recorded in surround anyway.

Even though your surround receiver passes HDMI to your TV, it won’t play the audio. Somehow you’re supposed to send the HDMI back from your TV into a re-assigned input on the receiver to extract the audio. I’m thinking that they complicate it this way so you won’t record it.

[TomGuy]

I just upgraded to the high-end ROKU 3 from the old ROKU 1.

It loads fast. I don’t care for the shiny plastic remote keys. I discovered my old ROKU 1 remote works with the ROKU 3, so I use it, except when I need the special new features the ROKU 3 remote has.

My Netfix programs load in about 3 seconds. I have 50 Mbps cable internet.

The ROKU box ranges from around $50 to $100, depending on whch one you select. Compare them at this link:

https://www.roku.com/products/compare

Netflix costs about $11 per month for new signees. Amazon Prime streaming is $99/year. Both have ROKU apps. You might check the FAQs at their respective websites.

[wally_bert]

Slightly OT, any recommendations for a TV tuner card and antenna? The spouse keeps the DVD tied up and Time Warner Cable boxes refuse to drop power saving mode despite what the menus say. Sometimes ME-TV runs some mystery movie overnight that isn’t on DVD and I would like to capture it without a signal drop.

[Neoliberalnot]

I think this might be on the edge of “the law” but hey, 20 million illegal aliens say in your face to “the law.” It might be a good way to see American Sniper and Unbroken at home when they are still in the theaters. haha

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

Here I am, out in my garage trying to figure out how to remove wheel bearings on my iPhone.

That sounds like a real pain in the arse job.

But it can't be as hard as it was for me to remove the muffler bearings from my Samsung Galaxy tablet.

[sportutegrl]

Netflix streaming starts at $8/month. That gives you two screens at a time, in HD or standard. You can load Netflix on as many devices as you want, but you can only have two streaming Netflix at one time. We have it loaded on our 4 cell phones, 3 laptops, and 2 tvs. If you want to use Netflix with DSL, it will be slow, but here is a trick my mother uses: Select the movie you want to watch and choose play, then, after it starts playing a few seconds, hit pause and go pop popcorn, fix snax, whatever. The movie will load and then it can play without stopping to load.

If you want, you can add DVDs delivered by snail mail for more money, fromm $5/month for 1 SD disc/at a time (not 1 per month) to $20 for 3 Bluray discs out at one time

[lwd]

Western Digital’s live media players (WDTV) are probably worth looking at. Here’s what I have:
http://www.amazon.com/Live-Hub-Media-Center-Model/dp/B004GK0GKO/ref=sr_1_10?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1424790565&sr=1-10&keywords=wd+tv+live+media+player

Seems like I paid $170ish for it a few years ago ...they are trying to sell them used now for over $300 ...not sure why.

[LaRueLaDue]

“I have subscribed to both Netflix and Amazon Prime. Amazon Prime has more selection.”

Yes, Amazon has much more selection. NetFlix used to to have a good selection, but I guess they pulled old stuff off and went with more TV shows... Bad move, in my view.

[WillVoteForFood]

Big issue for you is going to be the 3MB to 6MB speed. Depending on how many devices you have in your house that will be eating up bandwidth, streaming may be difficult over any Roku device. I have a Roku streaming stick upstairs and an Amazon Fire Stick down stairs and have 24 MB Uverse service. Performance is good for us, although there can be a lag if one of the devices is streaming a live event like on ESPN3.

Possible you could get decent performance at 6MB, but I think 3 would be difficult.

[catnipman]

get the latest roku, namely roku 3; it’s only 99 bucks.

no charge from roku after that, just from content providers like netflix.

if you have slow internet service, buffering won’t help as solid-state streaming devices buffer only a few seconds worth of material. The purpose of buffering is to compensate for small fluctuations in streaming speeds, and can not overcome consistently slow bandwidth.