anybody use a Roku or other streaming device?

[LagerHead]

I have a ROKU downstairs and Apple TV upstairs. When I want to do streaming downstairs I unplug the Apple TV and bring it down. In my not so humble opinion it beats the snot out of the ROKU hands down. 

[RobertNashville]

I've been thinking about making the switch to totally leave DirectTV but haven't yet...maybe I'm wrong but I believe that many of the shows I watch on DirectTV either aren't available on a device like Roku or take a long time to get there.  I use either my smart TV or my PS3 to watch Netflix and Amazon content but neither of those services had the content available on DirectTV.

 

So...I'm probably going to make the switch eventually but still holding out. ;)

[TripleDigitRide]

I looked into all these alternative TV programming options, but the small savings didn't seem worth it. By time I were to buy all the equipment and pay for 2 or 3 service subscriptions, it just didn't seem worth it. Not to motion, I couldn't find a service that was authorized to broadcast the shows we watch most. Without an antenna, watching a show or sports event in real time didn't appear to be an option.

[2.ooohhh]

I've been thinking about making the switch to totally leave DirectTV but haven't yet...maybe I'm wrong but I believe that many of the shows I watch on DirectTV either aren't available on a device like Roku or take a long time to get there.  I use either my smart TV or my PS3 to watch Netflix and Amazon content but neither of those services had the content available on DirectTV.

 

So...I'm probably going to make the switch eventually but still holding out. ;)

 

 

http://www.canistream.it/  will allow you to search show by show and see what's available on different services vs what you'll be wanting to purchase to stay current. After a year or tow of cutting the cord I realized I don't give a rat's behind whether I'm "current" on most shows. There are VERY few I pay for while on the other hand I have found lots of content that I missed years ago that is wonderful to watch now that the entire series are on streaming providers.

[RobertNashville]

http://www.canistream.it/  will allow you to search show by show and see what's available on different services vs what you'll be wanting to purchase to stay current. After a year or tow of cutting the cord I realized I don't give a rat's behind whether I'm "current" on most shows. There are VERY few I pay for while on the other hand I have found lots of content that I missed years ago that is wonderful to watch now that the entire series are on streaming providers.

Thanks...I appreciate that! :)

[Luke E.]

I've been thinking about getting something like this and wanted to know some good opinions. I've read a number of reviews but seems like some really like certain models and others a real problem with them.

I'm currently just getting OTA with the local channels in Middle TN. Don't want to pay for cable or dish and thought this might be worth a shot. So, anyone with experience would be helpful.

How much of the free content is really any good? And how much and what subscription services allow fairly new run movies and TV series?

Thanks for the advice in advance.

Leave it up to folks to make this 10x more complicated as you wanted.. Good grief!
I've had Netflix for some time now, here's how an honest content description.
Streaming only option, Streaming movies will Not be new, there will be some as recent as 1-2yrs old but most will be beyond that. There are some good ones in the mix and some you really like but haven't seen in years so you want to watch it again. Streaming shows, there will be episodes of most shows still playing OTA and on cable but may 1-2 seasons behind. The cool thing here is that most every show they do have will start with season 1 Episode 1 and run straight through until the last show made(if the show is no longer filming new episodes) or up to the most recent they have available. They are constantly updating so "that show you watched all available episodes" will usually have the next season added as it becomes available to them. They have TONS of the Discovery channel, History channel etc..... Which I really like. You will find that since most everything they have starts with episode 1, you will find 2-3 shows and get into them and won't want to watch much else until they are over. A Roku box and Netflix is a GREAT replacement for cable, especially if you weren't one to watched 6-8 hours of TV per day.
The DVD by mail option. You can get pretty much any of the new release movies as well as most other movies you could ever think of. When Netflix split this option apart from streaming we dropped it and have not missed it much due to there being so much streaming content available.
We had the Subscription based Hulu Plus but didn't keep it very long because I could never find anything I cared to watch on it.
The web based "free" Hulu is good for the most recent 3-5 episodes of OTA and some cable so if I must have something like that, I get it here.
Bottom line, your cutting cable I assume to cut cost because you don't watch enough to be worth the price. If this is the case then a Roku box and a Netflix streaming subscription will be a cheap and great replacement!
Sending PM now

[Luke E.]

http://www.canistream.it/ will allow you to search show by show and see what's available on different services vs what you'll be wanting to purchase to stay current. After a year or tow of cutting the cord I realized I don't give a rat's behind whether I'm "current" on most shows. There are VERY few I pay for while on the other hand I have found lots of content that I missed years ago that is wonderful to watch now that the entire series are on streaming providers.

This x2! How current do you have to stay on TV shows to be happy? Me... No very and Netflix at least gives me the chance to not miss any of the episodes which is more important to me than being current.

[Troutburger]

I have a Roku, Roku 3, and Apple TV.

 

The apple TV is much slower to load than the Roku's.  Plus, movie rentals and TV seasons are typically higher on the Apple.

 

Between Amazon Prime and Netflix I don't feel like we are missing much w/o cable. 

[Raoul]

• Roku 2 XD for me. Had it a year with no problems.

[2.ooohhh]

I have a Roku, Roku 3, and Apple TV.

 

The apple TV is much slower to load than the Roku's.  Plus, movie rentals and TV seasons are typically higher on the Apple.

 

Between Amazon Prime and Netflix I don't feel like we are missing much w/o cable. 

 

The apple TV being "slow" is likely a function of your network speed. They come out of the box set for the best picture quality(1080p) you have to manually bump the quality down if your network/ISP can't keep up. When I first got it I too thought that my newer aTV(3rd gen) was "slow" until I brought it to work to use the airplay function for a presentation. After playing with it for a bit on the much faster network/internet here I upgraded my home's speed with the ISP and hardwired the aTVs where I could. It drastically changed my opinion of them as once given a solid high speed connection they are great.

Edited July 29, 2013 by 2.ooohhh

[RobertNashville]

The apple TV being "slow" is likely a function of your network speed. They come out of the box set for the best picture quality(1080p) you have to manually bump the quality down if your network/ISP can't keep up. When I first got it I too thought that my newer aTV(3rd gen) was "slow" until I brought it to work to use the airplay function for a presentation. After playing with it for a bit on the much faster network/internet here I upgraded my home's speed with the ISP and hardwired the aTVs where I could. It drastically changed my opinion of them as once given a solid high speed connection they are great.

That makes sense...I know when I'm streaming something from Netflix the performance can vary depending on whether my laptop is doing something on the network...pretty much solved that problem when I moved all the automatic stuff to overnight hours (although my firewall and virus systems tend to do whatever they want when they want to do it!).  :)

[Romad7]

I use the Apple TV, it's simple and meets my needs and easy for my wife to use. I could build a Mac Mini to do everything but the wife would hate it. So I keep it simple. We use Netflix streaming and DVDs for most and iTunes for what Netflix doesn't have.

I can mirror my iPad or iPhone to my ATV also and show stuff from the Internet if I want.

I can buy multiple seasons per month of shows for cheaper than satellite was costing and we only buy maybe 6 seasons per year.

Roku works too, I think Amazon is comparable to iTunes for selection (don't use Amazon much though).

I try not to over think things, my Apple stuff works great and is simple, that's all I need.

[Dustbuster]

I've been thinking about getting something like this and wanted to know some good opinions. I've read a number of reviews but seems like some really like certain models and others a real problem with them.

 

I'm currently just getting OTA with the local channels in Middle TN. Don't want to pay for cable or dish and thought this might be worth a shot. So, anyone with experience would be helpful.

 

How much of the free content is really any good? And how much and what subscription services allow fairly new run movies and TV series?

 

Thanks for the advice in advance.

roku is awesome as long as you have a good net connection,i ran mine with a clear internet hotspot device so i was getting netfilx and amazon w unlimited internet for 68 bucks a month.I only went back to cable cause the ol lady was moaning for jody arias coverage and the like......but to answer youre question, the free stuff is junk. w amazon and netflix you wont run outta stuff to watch unless your a hardcore tv junkie.........also DONT LOSE THE ROKU REMOTE. Its a bitch to find a replacement and or program an aftermarket

Edited July 29, 2013 by Dustbuster

[DWARREN123]

We use ROKU and like it.

My wife (Korean) uses it mostly to watch Korean shows, it is much cheaper than renting DVD's.

A good wireless router is needed for wireless especially if 2 or more devices are used.

Like everything else does not meet the needs of everyone but works well for our needs.

[R_Bert]

I did the same (Cut cable) about a year and a half ago. Only thing needed is the streaming, and for DVR's a Hauppage Digital Recording device (About 80 bucks) to permanently replace your DVR, and an OTA antennae to get your qualcomm OTA channels. No need for cable anymore, just net.

 

BTW, having worked in management and engineering in the Cable business, yes the Cable Company always gets blamed for the high prices, but I can tell you for a fact, I used to do the weekly numbers and have been to those meetings, for blame for prices, add in the FCC, the Network requirements, Congress, AND YOUR LOCAL POLITICIANS.

 

Will the Hauppage Digital Recording Device handle off-the-air HD broadcast ?  If so, what are the hookup & operating basics ?

[seez52]

Well, I guess the stars must have aligned. I pulled the trigger and bought a Roku. They were running a special price $50 incl. shipping for the Roku2 XS model. I know it's a discontinued one, but it does have an Ethernet port, and I don't always get a real good signal from my wifi where this is going to go. None of the newer models offer a hard wire connection except the $100 one. The other thing that aligned was Hulu plus was offering a 2 month free trial instead of their one week. I think I'd like Netflix better, but free for two months should give me an idea if I'm going to like streaming to start with, and I figure $50 for a box isn't too bad. Heck I spent more on cheap Chinese junk at Harbor Freight and had it break on first use. So, I guess I'll soon be streaking, I mean streaming.

 

Thanks to everyone who chimed in with advice and suggestions.

[Luke E.]

Well, I guess the stars must have aligned. I pulled the trigger and bought a Roku. They were running a special price $50 incl. shipping for the Roku2 XS model. I know it's a discontinued one, but it does have an Ethernet port, and I don't always get a real good signal from my wifi where this is going to go. None of the newer models offer a hard wire connection except the $100 one. The other thing that aligned was Hulu plus was offering a 2 month free trial instead of their one week. I think I'd like Netflix better, but free for two months should give me an idea if I'm going to like streaming to start with, and I figure $50 for a box isn't too bad. Heck I spent more on cheap Chinese junk at Harbor Freight and had it break on first use. So, I guess I'll soon be streaking, I mean streaming.

 

Thanks to everyone who chimed in with advice and suggestions.

 

 

 I think you will be happy with your purchase. You will be glad you got one with an ethernet port, We tried ours wireless when we were living in an apartment in town while we were renovating the house but it was constantly buffering and adjusting speed. As soon as I hard wired it, it ran like a top and never re-buffered unless it was something wrong with the internet before it got to us.

 If you take time to learn the Netflix system you will be good to go. Also, one thing I ended up doing was pulling it up on my laptop and cruising through available shows and adding them to my que from there (you can flip through and search much quicker than you can with the Roku remote). If you leave feedback (stars) on shows you have watched Netflix will learn your tastes a lot quicker than it will basing it only on what you have watched. Anytime I really like a show I will give the whole series 5 stars and it will eventually start making suggestions based on your most liked shows in each genre.  

Enjoy!

[seez52]

Thanks, good to know. Some said you couldn't watch youtube on Roku and some said there was a workaround to enable it. Have you tried that?

[tnguy]

Here is one other thing that most people dont know. There is a must carry law and has been around for a long time. If you have Cable Net service, chances are you still have TV even if you shut everything else off. Cable companies dont want to lose customers by not carrying local channels. So under the must carry laws and the dual carry laws, if a local station wants thier signal carried, cable has to carry it. If you have a digital signal coming through (internet) QAM channels ride with it. You will need a TV with a built in tuner (Most modern TV's) but can use analog TVs if they havent yet switched. Plug your cable in and run your channel scan. Should get between 20 and 40 channels, no antennae necessary. If it works, buy a pass through splitter from walmart (0-1005+) and you have TV (Crystal clear HD) and internet.

 

That is interesting. We cut off paid-for TV years ago (we use OTA&DVR and Netflix and Redbox) but recently got a cable internet subscription because DSL just wasn't cutting it (mostly for streaming funnily enough). Will have to give that a try.

[Luke E.]

Thanks, good to know. Some said you couldn't watch youtube on Roku and some said there was a workaround to enable it. Have you tried that?

I sure haven't, i know when I bought my first streaming box I was going to go with a Roku because my father in law really had good luck with his but i saw the Sony box and the guy at Best Buy said it was just as good but had YouTube. Boy was he wrong, yes it had YouTube but the system was so horrible that you could not search and find what you wanted (unless you had a couple days to look for that one video). It would take close to 5 minutes to punch in the letters for your search and it return the wrong videos that most of the time had nothing to do with your search.. Anyways i've gone off topic here, I'm not sure if the newer Roku boxes offer YouTube or not and i'm not tech savvy enough to find back doors into things. Hopefully someone else here will be able to help with that. I will ask my father in law about it when I see him.

[Guest Keal G Seo]

Not sure about he YouTube thing man but I'm telling you, setting your comp up with an HDMI cord to your TV and setting up dual monitors with a wireless keyboard and touch pad (or wireless mouse alternatively) is not a huge investment and gives you quite a bit to do on the TV including YouTube. There is HDMI on Amazon for less than a dollar a foot, just found a 50 footer for 20 bucks and a wireless keyboard with touchpad runs about 20 bucks. Hausbell has a nice one on Amazon for 16, there is also one about the size of a standard TV remote with full qwerty and touchpad for 20.

I know this is repetitive but I don't think enough people have tried this. Everyone I set this up with love it. About time for a new computer for me and I am thinking about making this laptop a permanent feature of my entertainment center rather than pulling out the HDMI when I want to use it.

[2.ooohhh]

Not sure about he YouTube thing man but I'm telling you, setting your comp up with an HDMI cord to your TV and setting up dual monitors with a wireless keyboard and touch pad (or wireless mouse alternatively) is not a huge investment and gives you quite a bit to do on the TV including YouTube. There is HDMI on Amazon for less than a dollar a foot, just found a 50 footer for 20 bucks and a wireless keyboard with touchpad runs about 20 bucks. Hausbell has a nice one on Amazon for 16, there is also one about the size of a standard TV remote with full qwerty and touchpad for 20.

I know this is repetitive but I don't think enough people have tried this. Everyone I set this up with love it. About time for a new computer for me and I am thinking about making this laptop a permanent feature of my entertainment center rather than pulling out the HDMI when I want to use it.

 

When I was single I had a mac mini with a TV for a monitor used for watching pretty much everything. The wife put a quick end to is as she didn't want to have to use a mouse and a keyboard to watch tv. As simple as it can seem the interface sucks compared to having a simple remote to control the experience from the couch.

[RobertNashville]

Based on what I'm reading here, what I'm concluding is that it's possible to do away with cable or sat services and get "almost" all of the TV a person might want to see (and plenty of the TV that is actually worth watching) but it's not quite as convenient as actual cable/sat service.

 

For me, I know I like being able to record a program on Wednesday (like Top Shot All Stars, for example) that I'll watch tonight or sometime over the weekend (skipping through the commercials)...that kind of convenience is a bit hard to give up.  Other stuff I want to watch that may have been broadcast months or years ago, yeah...streaming that is no problem (assuming I know the program exists).

 

I guess I'm not ready to make the switch yet...I'm streaming a lot of shows, especially old movies, but I'm not quite ready to give up the convenience yet. ;)

[Guest Keal G Seo]

When I was single I had a mac mini with a TV for a monitor used for watching pretty much everything. The wife put a quick end to is as she didn't want to have to use a mouse and a keyboard to watch tv. As simple as it can seem the interface sucks compared to having a simple remote to control the experience from the couch.

Yeah the user interface is the hardest part to get over. That's why I recommend the wireless keyboards like the Hausbell and smaller ones, literally the size of a remote. Bookmarks help as well and if you are a Chrome user you can just mouse (touchpad) and click from the homepage.

 

Based on what I'm reading here, what I'm concluding is that it's possible to do away with cable or sat services and get "almost" all of the TV a person might want to see (and plenty of the TV that is actually worth watching) but it's not quite as convenient as actual cable/sat service.

 

For me, I know I like being able to record a program on Wednesday (like Top Shot All Stars, for example) that I'll watch tonight or sometime over the weekend (skipping through the commercials)...that kind of convenience is a bit hard to give up.  Other stuff I want to watch that may have been broadcast months or years ago, yeah...streaming that is no problem (assuming I know the program exists).

 

I guess I'm not ready to make the switch yet...I'm streaming a lot of shows, especially old movies, but I'm not quite ready to give up the convenience yet. ;)

Yes you can...even make that "all" the TV you want to watch if you are willing to use questionable websites. As above the user interface (convenience) is the hardest part to get over. As for DVR functionality goes though, there isn't a limit on when you can watch most stuff through streaming, legit and not so legit websites.

I personally have all three options. I keep cable for convenience, have streaming through Amazon for the occasional movie or to get into a series that I missed the first few seasons of and I have the laptop connected for TV series, movies and gaming. Don't even own a DVD/BR player anymore because I can run them off the computer.

[RobertNashville]

Well, I'm not willing to use "questionable" websites...if I can't get the programming I want without doing so then it's a no-go for me.