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.
If they following their previous business model that
$14.99 is the buy-in price. They plan to raise it later. With the government regulating the internet there will be no competition. That is the purpose of regulation, limiting competition.
Bttt
“So probably would be better off connecting it to the TV on its own then”
probably, but even here there may be issues with format. lots of times best thing to do is plus the usb into your laptop and then connect the laptop’s HDMI output port to the tv or AV/amp if you have one.
Netflix. We have a subscription with them (we could also watch their content on the computer, if we wanted to).
I don’t pay for any of the other channels on Roku, I understand that they’re all free.
TVGuide used to have tons of free tv shows online but I can’t find them now. All I see on their site now it links to paid Amazon, etc. Anyone know if tvguide.com still has the free series?
Roku is just a gateway device, if you only watch content on your computer then you use your computer as the gateway. I still have an antenna hooked up for local broadcast channels. One word of warning about Roku and MLBTV, if you want to watch your local team don't waste your money, they will be blacked out. I have been trying to find a workaround and it seems that you have to pay to use a VPN or DNS service to mask your location. SUCKS
Also my experience. Have the high end one but don't use it much. I download YouTube vids to a USB and plug that into my DVD player.
What bugged me is that when you clicked on many of the channels, they only displayed a website that you had to visit to get an entry code - and then it didn't work. After a few round trips to the computer room, I gave up on 'em.
Bfl
WD offers similar devices with internal hard drives that play various video formats, and have various channels to watch also. If the videos are in MP4 or m4v formats you can add to an iTunes library and stream through AppleTV.
$7.99 sounds like a channel subscription. Open roku and look for you channels in menu. Find the one you are subscribed to and then delete it if you can. Might require a password ....which you set up when you subscribed but don’t remember now. I have been there done that ;) you should be able to recover or change password from there.....hopefully. Otherwise contact your bank....they can help you find contact info for monthly charge so you can cancel
And for those that are technically inclined, Kodi
You’re welcome.
If you don’t mind spending a little money, and you have a fast computer, you should consider purchasing the private roku channel called Playon.
It’s not perfect (it is dependent on your computer and internet speed), but it will give you hundreds of options for watching cable and local channels on your tv with your roku player.
Within playon, there are other scripts made by users (almost all are free) that allow you to watch just about any tv show and movie ever made. The main plugins directly from Playon are all on-demand programming, but the scripts even have live tv options.
I purchased their lifetime license (right now the price is $39-49)—this is a one-time purchase with a 30-day, money-back guarantee.
Website with scripts and plugins that work within playon:
http://playonscripts.com/
The plugins/scripts I use with playon are:
1channel (free) for movies and tv shows
projectfreetv (free) movies and tv shows
superusvox ($5 one-time fee) for live cable
Seems like a lot of free stuff moved to pay sites, doesn’t it?
I played “War Thunder” on the TV that way
Good luck with your Roku. You should be able to find one for about $80. You will fall in love with it.
Yes, if you've read the books you will love the tv series. I guarantee it.
I think if you haven't read the books, you might be a little lost.
And they've already announced there's going to be Season 2.
However, I will have this thread bookmarked and I will visit your idea as time and money allows.
Thanks for the suggestion!
I just ordered the Roku 3 box. I’m looking forward to getting it!
We have Roku after getting rid of cable last September. I kind of miss local news but can get that on the computer. I don’t miss cable tv at all. I have Netflix and Hulu. I like watching all the old 80’s shows without all the commercials. It’s also been great watching Colombo again.
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