Roku: Good Deal?

Roku Website ^

[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.

[ducttape45]

Credit card? For what? I thought that once the box was purchased and hooked up I was in the clear. Is there a monthly subscription fee?

[GeronL]

Some network websites used to have the last few episodes available for free, I don’t know if they still do that.

CBS used to have all Star Trek TOS online for free, now they say that 16 eps are free....

http://www.cbs.com/shows/star_trek/

[USNBandit]

HBO just threw down the gauntlet with HBO Now, an on demand streaming service. At $14.99 a month it is probably cheaper than getting it through the cable company. If other networks follow we might finally see some price pressure on cable. Wouldn't it be nice to see cable TV to the way of Blockbuster.

I cut the cable 6 years ago. I cut the phone line 8 months ago with Ooma. Now I am Verizon's b#%£ch with FIOS Internet and my cell phone e bill.

[GeronL]

Does ROKU have a USB port? What if I have an external harddrive full of recorded video and want to watch through the ROKU (for some unknown reason)

I guess the TV has more than one port, but its just a question

[Vendome]

It will work on laptops and computers as well.

Just need HDMI.

[GeronL]

I don’t want HBO, not even if its free. lol

[BuffaloJack]

I turned in my cable set top box 6 years ago and replace it with a Roku.
I only subscribe to internet service, Netflix and Hulu and save about $70 a month this way.
Roku has at least 1500 channels of which at least half are free.

[varina davis]

save

[BuffaloJack]

If you get Roku and only use the free stuff, you can get History Channel, A&E, at least 1 Disney channel and dozens of channels with older than 10 years movies.

[ConservativeMind]

I set my mother up with Roku for the Glenn Beck channel. It works pretty well, but the key is subscribing to content or finding the free stuff.

Comcast has a “Blast+” package deal that is $59.99/month with Basic cable and Digital Economy together (45+ channels) AND 50 MB/sec maximum speed Internet PLUS HBO for a year.

AT&T Uverse has a similar package with 18 MB being the only major difference (still has HBO free for the year) for $39.99.

The prices effectively give you the TV stuff for free. Neither company has a contract requirement for those prices.

[Aria]

I am currently watching Mad Men on AMC, like USA, crazy about HGTV and watch some of the British shows on PBS...and FOX almost every day. Once in a while I watch ABCCBSNBC but not often. Do you happen to know if those can be watched some way other than cable? I always feel like I’m being ripped off by Comcast.

I got Century Link DSL and am currently trying to get my Magic Jack working (a real pain) so all I’ll have is Comcast for TV.

My husband watches golf - so this might mean I have to keep Comcast

[SamAdams76]

What if you don’t have a TV? Can you use it on your computer?

That would be redundant. From your computer, you can access all the channels directly. Roku is simply a device for your TV to access Internet content.

[donna]

Is the Bosch series worth it?

[ducttape45]

Looks like Roku is the way to go. I don't mind searching through the free channels to see what I can find. I just wish I could locate a listing of what those free channels are. Looks like I'll have to search for them.

Thanks all. I appreciate everyone's input. I'll continue watching the thread and monitor what everyone else is saying.

[Nacho Bidnith]

What premium channel are you subscribed to that costs $8 a month? I’ve had my Roku’s for more than 2 years and don’t pay any subscription fee.

I suggest you log in to your Roku account www.roku.com and check your user settings to make sure you’re not paying for something you may not want.

[USNBandit]

That’s fine, my point is that if they are followed by other networks there may be a path to ala carte style service.

[GeronL]

Yep. I think things are headed in an interesting way, although a bit slower than I thought.

[molson209]

I bought a NeoTV Smart TV Streaming Player with Wi-Fi $24.00 for my mother so she could watch Netflix on her TV(it’s not the smart TV) ,she loves it

[InterceptPoint]

I have two Roku-3's. I have a Netflix subscription and mostly use the Rokus for Netflix and Youtube.

As to my opinion of the Roku:
You're asking me for my opinion about the Roku - you're asking me about the Roku's performance, I mean ... (with apologies to Tommy Lasorda) ...

It's the best thing going. Just like Dave Kingman's performance in his day. Go our and buy one today. Or wait a few months and buy the 4K version.

[alloysteel]

If you don’t mind waiting a couple days, then the various wireless dongles that let you tap into the Internet for show content are a pretty good deal, compared to staying with a cable or satellite dish company. And with the streaming now provided by a number of outlets that are normally available only on cable, really don’t have to miss much at all.

The cable and satellite dish companies lure you in with a really low introductory price, then three months, or twelve months, a sudden new protocol sets in, and either you pay the disconnect fee, or you resort to not paying them at all, come and disconnect. But make sure you don’t have them on automatic pay.

You thought divorce was hard.