Posted on 04/12/2015 11:10:39 AM PDT by ducttape45
Hello all. I was wondering if I could fellow Freepers about a streaming video product called "Roku."
I've heard it talked about on radio programs, and I've seen it advertised on the Internet of course. I just wondered if anyone has Roku or could possibly cue me in on how well it performs and your overall assessment of it.
I turned off my Comcast TV because they keep driving the prices up and taking channels away and I got sick and tired of not being able watch TV stations that were once part of a standard cable package.
Thanks.
ShadowAce, can you put this on your ping list? Thanks.
I have the Roku stick which is about $40, but I like Chromecast better for $35.
Been using Roku for a couple of years now. Fair amount of free programming. I have a subscription to Amazon Prime (100 dollars a year now) and Netflix. So that is less than $20 dollars a month total. Not good if you a major sports buff, but can access for a fee. Love being able to watch what I want when I want. Don’t miss cable bill.
How do they work?
I have a roku but it doesn’t do much on its own. You need to have subscriptions to Netflix or another service to make it useful.
There are a few free channels like NASA TV.
They’re nice if you have Netflix account. They don’t take up a lot of bandwidth either. The Amazon fire sticks aren’t bad either.
“I turned off my Comcast TV because they keep driving the prices up and taking channels away and I got sick and tired of not being able watch TV stations that were once part of a standard cable package. “
Several decades ago a cable company stock prospectus said their business model guaranteed returns. They said they’d always have a proposal before the commission to raise rates. They published their prior results which were 100% approved. At the time basic cable was about $12. Their chart showed it going to $60/month over whatever the timeframe was. When my sister complains about her $100-plus cable bill I remind her that she invested in the company and his reaping returns.
I just wonder what kind of channels I'll get without paying for other services like Hulu or Netflix.
Truly one of the best investments I’ve ever made. A HUGE number of free channels (now including Youtube), and if you have pay channels like Netflix, you just add them to the lineup. You’ll be amazed.
If your TV has an HMDI slot, it goes in there, Chromecast works the same, the Roku Stick comes with a remote, whereas for Chomecast you control it with your cellphone or tablet.
We got the Roku 3 about a month ago. We are lucky to get 1.5 mps speed and are very happy with the result. Their advertising suggests that 5 mps is necessary, don’t believe it.
I have two of the Ruku Stick drives (Model #3500) and they are prone to overheating. Generally they drop the signal every hour. Very irritating.
They are somewhere in a drawer around here.
Junk, IMO.
I have one on every television and started when they first came out. I do have one Chromecast stick and Roku is the hands down winner. Life without it would be, well, sucky.
What if you don’t have a TV? Can you use it on your computer?
How hard is it to hook up Roku? I really don’t know much about it.
The free choices are not much to write home about, but you can stream YouTube videos, and there’s a lot of good content there.
It’s pretty much for TV. You can watch Netflix directly on your computer via a browser.
A few free channels? There are hundreds! Check the “Channel Store.”
Less than 2 minutes.
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