I am thinking about a Roku player for movies through Netflix. The reviews and concept seem to be too good to be true. Has anyone had any experience they'd like to share?
I have 2 of them. They are awesome, and the kids love them. We don't have cable, and limited off-air, so 99% of our TV comes from netflix and hulu.
The only downside is that you have to add the programming to your queue first. Roku has already announced that they will have "browse for programming" soon with an upcoming update.
If you're hooking up to an older TV vs. hdtv, you can save $20 now...they have an SD version for $79.
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Kevin Davis (KD)
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The Roku is cool, you may also want to check out the Apple TV.
We integrate both units in most of our systems we design and install these days.
Also, consider some of the newer Blu-Ray players, as they have Netflix, Pandora, Blockbuster, BD-Live services built in. Of course you need a network connection.
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Do you happen to have a PS3? I was about to buy a Roku when I heard that Netflix was doing a deal with Sony. Got the free PS3 disc from Netflix, and now I have the same streaming video, for free. Great deal if you already have a PS3.
Rich
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FFR # 6288: Non-donor, IRS, T&L 427W, TKO600, Torsen, non-traditional. On the road at last!
Do you happen to have a PS3? I was about to buy a Roku when I heard that Netflix was doing a deal with Sony. Got the free PS3 disc from Netflix, and now I have the same streaming video, for free. Great deal if you already have a PS3.
Rich
Actually, buying a PS3 during the holiday season might be a better choice if you have any interest in one. You get a blue-ray player as well, and you can pick one up new for $260, or used for under $200.
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Kevin Davis (KD)
FFR#6407
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Ditto what everyone has said. I don't have cable and most of what we watch is through the Roku. PLEX is awesome. You can watch any and all of you movies stored on your remote hard drive. I have a friend with his drive set up so I have access to all of his movies as well. I also have a BluRay with netflix and it is MUCH slower to get to what you want to see.
My only regret is, I wish I would have bought two when Woot was selling them for $29.
I purchased mine to access NBA broadband (stream from my internet connection to TV). We now use it for Netflix as well. Works exactly as described. No regrets.
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I have one and love it. We have it connected wirelessly and have had no issues. Netflix was the main reason we got it, but you can choose from lots of free channels as well. Pandora being one we use often.
Thinking about the Roku 2 XD or XS. Direct TV can't seem to get my bill correct so I'm cancelling it and anyway I have never seen such garbage. HBO/Showtime/Starz etc is crap. There is occasionally a great series on HBO such as Band of Brothers or the Pacific, but for the most part I don't even watch it. And what's up with all the moronic shows about people doing their everyday jobs? Gold miners, fisherman, gun/antique/pawn collectors. And apparently a show about a mentally challenged family called Honey Boo-Boo...makes Jersey Shore look intelligent. Anyway I'm over it. I may miss a few college football games but that is the ONLY thing I thing I will have to give up.
ARGH!!! Can you tell I don't like TV programming
Also another question. I used to subscribe to Netflix and it was OK. What about Hulu Plus? 8 bucks a month (same as netflix) better? worse? the same? get both?
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"A parent's only as good as their dumbest kid. If one wins a Nobel Prize but the other gets robbed by a hooker, you failed."
Last edited by Scalded Dog; 02-13-2013 at 04:06 PM..
Thinking about the Roku 2 XD or XS. Direct TV can't seem to get my bill correct so I'm cancelling it and anyway I have never seen such garbage. HBO/Showtime/Starz etc is crap. There is occasionally a great series on HBO such as Band of Brothers or the Pacific, but for the most part I don't even watch it. And what's up with all the moronic shows about people doing their everyday jobs? Gold miners, fisherman, gun/antique/pawn collectors. And apparently a show about a mentally challenged family called Honey Boo-Boo...makes Jersey Shore look intelligent. Anyway I'm over it. I may miss a few college football games but that is the ONLY thing I thing I will have to give up.
ARGH!!! Can you tell I don't like TV programming
I have 2 of the first gens and 1 second gen (hd, not sure the name), and they are all great, no issues on any of them.
We just dumped Dish to save $90 a month. I loved it, and miss my DVR for sure, but that's about it.
It's been about 3 weeks, and we don't miss the programming at all. We watch a combination of Netflix, Amazon prime instant, and then I have an older laptop hooked up so we can watch hulu.com (not hulu plus), and other sources (cbs.com) for any show we want. All you have to do is be willing to be a day behind (watch Biggest loser on Tuesday instead of Monday, for example.)
I wish the Roku had a real browser in it, but that's the only short coming. Combined with a laptop, and it's awesome. But, plenty of stuff to keep you busy on Netflix. If you want to drop $8/month, you can also get hulu plus, which is pretty decent, especially if you like NBC shows, which seem to dominate the programming there.
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Kevin Davis (KD)
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I have 2 of the first gens and 1 second gen (hd, not sure the name), and they are all great, no issues on any of them.
We just dumped Dish to save $90 a month. I loved it, and miss my DVR for sure, but that's about it.
It's been about 3 weeks, and we don't miss the programming at all. We watch a combination of Netflix, Amazon prime instant, and then I have an older laptop hooked up so we can watch hulu.com (not hulu plus), and other sources (cbs.com) for any show we want. All you have to do is be willing to be a day behind (watch Biggest loser on Tuesday instead of Monday, for example.)
I wish the Roku had a real browser in it, but that's the only short coming. Combined with a laptop, and it's awesome. But, plenty of stuff to keep you busy on Netflix. If you want to drop $8/month, you can also get hulu plus, which is pretty decent, especially if you like NBC shows, which seem to dominate the programming there.
Thanks Kevin. I'm pretty much off the news. My mom is addicted to Fox News so that may be the only issue...I'll have to explain that to her...but I'm good , get my news off the web anyway. As for the football I can always head to my local watering hole, they always have all the college games on. I wouldn't mind the monthly cost of DTV if there was something decent to watch.
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MKIII, 302 FMS Crate, GT40 Heads, Quick Fuel carb, TK0500 Mid-shift, 3-Link, 300 RWHP & Trq. Finally done after two years. I think I will call her Black Betty
"A parent's only as good as their dumbest kid. If one wins a Nobel Prize but the other gets robbed by a hooker, you failed."
Thanks Kevin. I'm pretty much off the news. My mom is addicted to Fox News so that may be the only issue...I'll have to explain that to her...but I'm good , get my news off the web anyway. As for the football I can always head to my local watering hole, they always have all the college games on. I wouldn't mind the monthly cost of DTV if there was something decent to watch.
Doesn't fox have a live feed on the web? Or, maybe it's subscription.
I'm with you though, I think honey boo boo pretty much sums it up. I like the Velocity channel, but the nice thing is for some reason, Dish has a "test" channel that gives it for free, so bonus!
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Kevin Davis (KD)
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Free media server software that is designed to work with a ROKU. There are some free "channels" that you can add - Fox News being one of them, and it actually works quite well
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John Hudson FFR 2513 My427SC.com
to beartoothweb's point, I have Verizon FiOS on DVR box which I pay for, but I watch quite a few things: Fox Soccer, NHL Network, and I bought the NHL Center Ice Package, a few tv shows like The Walking Dead, HBO shows like Game of Thrones and True Blood, I like Velocity and still like Speed (I like how Speed had been showing DTM and FIA GT races!). Looking forward to F1 on NBC, I think, if they can get it right.
BUT - I have a computer hooked up to my 50" plasma. I also have a wireless keyboard with a mouse-touchpad built in, so I can control the whole thing from the couch. The wireless keyboard will even wake the computer when it's asleep. Then, netflix, hulu, amazon prime, youtube, you name it, it's accessible and ready for me whenever I'd like. It has a decent generation gaming graphics card, so I can play a few games now and again with the Xbox controller for windows through my steam account. I can't imagine not having a computer on my main TV media center. It's the ultimate device, just not the cheapest.
Also, I tried the Raspberry Pi with raspbmc for a while, and didn't like how much it stutters when playing large movie files. Computer for me, all the way. Anybody want to purchase a Raspberry Pi??
Thanks guys. I was flipping through the free Hulu today and saw some pretty decent programing. I've had netflix as well and have the little doo-hickey on the back of my Blu-Ray player and can stream pretty well. The issue I had with it was that I never got HD quality. The streaming quality was acceptable but I am spoiled with my 53" Samsung HD TV....HD format is amazing! The top end Roku box claims HD 1080p. I wish I could get FiOS here.....the speed is pretty good. Some day I would like to dump my DSL and land line for something like Verizon's Home Fusion Broadband service, but today it's not really economical for me. It's also a set data rate per month.
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MKIII, 302 FMS Crate, GT40 Heads, Quick Fuel carb, TK0500 Mid-shift, 3-Link, 300 RWHP & Trq. Finally done after two years. I think I will call her Black Betty
"A parent's only as good as their dumbest kid. If one wins a Nobel Prize but the other gets robbed by a hooker, you failed."
OK. I ordered the top end Roku box. I also am upgrading my internet service to U-Verse. Going up to 12Mbps. I specifically asked the AT&T rep if it would run on 2 wire telephone cable and didn't require coax to the house. She just kept saying it's available in your area.....AT&T sales people aren't too savvy. Anyway we'll see what the tech says when he gets here. If this all works I'm going to subscribe to Hulu Plus. It really looks like a great solution. Overall savings will be just over $100.00 per month. I'll post again when I get everything up and working.
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MKIII, 302 FMS Crate, GT40 Heads, Quick Fuel carb, TK0500 Mid-shift, 3-Link, 300 RWHP & Trq. Finally done after two years. I think I will call her Black Betty
"A parent's only as good as their dumbest kid. If one wins a Nobel Prize but the other gets robbed by a hooker, you failed."
Scalded.... been using Roku with Netflix (older movies), Hulu (tv shows) and Vudu (for new movies - 1080p...some with 7.1 sound)...Roku also offers a few free movie stations like Crackle. While you're at it .....an Ooma internet phone system will virtually eliminate your phone bill.
Scalded.... been using Roku with Netflix (older movies), Hulu (tv shows) and Vudu (for new movies - 1080p...some with 7.1 sound)...Roku also offers a few free movie stations like Crackle. While you're at it .....an Ooma internet phone system will virtually eliminate your phone bill.
Thanks Kevin. I was thinking about eliminating my home phone service, but I depend on it for my day to day work. I work virtually and need a high quality connection as I do lots of conference calls with my customers. If it wasn't for that I would have already eliminated it.
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MKIII, 302 FMS Crate, GT40 Heads, Quick Fuel carb, TK0500 Mid-shift, 3-Link, 300 RWHP & Trq. Finally done after two years. I think I will call her Black Betty
"A parent's only as good as their dumbest kid. If one wins a Nobel Prize but the other gets robbed by a hooker, you failed."
I have been using the Roku for about 2 years now, and we just got a PS3 (250G hard drive) for Christmas. I know the live sports are missing from the Roku channels, though NowhereMan (NoWhereTV on the Roku) provided live feeds of NCAA March Madness games 2 years ago (I am a Marquette alumni/FAN).
For sports junkies there is a web site where you can typically get out-of-market sports streamed to your computer. It is Wiziwig.tv | Live sports schedules. Watch free streams and the best sports events live on your pc.. You have to down load a plug-in for streaming, but it works quite well. I and my son are big Packer fans (I was born/raised south of Green Bay) and we streamed live Packer games that were not nationally televised, and Monday Night Football games, and some baseball games.
The drawbacks of the website are that the feed can be a little jerky from buffering, not the highest resolution, and you are many times getting an international/foreign feed of the event - such as a Packer game broadcast from a Portugese or Australian TV station (we have watched both). The website has many sports, including international. Events such as NCAA Mens/Womens BBall/Football/Baseball depending on season, NBA, MLB, NHL, NFL, NASCAR, Cycling, Soccer, Volleyball, etc.
I haven't tried setting up the sight on our PS3, or streaming it to the PS3 from the computer, but I will do so soon.
Another thing to look up is the Roku private channels. There are a number of websites and forums where you can find the spreadsheets and the codes for the private channels. These are channels that are not listed on the Roku Channel store. A lot of variety is found there. Everything from "Adult" subscription channels, to food, foreign, or what have you channels.
I know one private channel list is kept on Yahoo groups, but just do a search on Roku Private Channels.
You can also get a cheap antenna from monoprice dot com for $25 to get the OTA channels for broadcast channels. I got one, plus a 100' RG6 cable, for less than $40 from mono. I never knew there were sub channels to the Denver channels, and about 7-8 more OTA channels than the big 4.
HTH
Mark
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Mark
"unscrupulous operators could confuse, could exploit and deceive...the conditional reflex theories... and change the probabilities!"
Last edited by highplainscobra; 02-17-2013 at 05:38 PM..
Reason: Still misspell too much.
OK got the Roku HD box a subscription to Netflix and Hulu Plus. Netflix is pretty good for movies and old TV shows, but I'm less than impressed with Hulu. Yea some good programing but about 50% of it is not allowed to be streamed so I can only watch it on my PC. Examples are that new show on FX called "The Americans" virtually all my wife's favorite shows on Food Network and DIY. And about 1/2 of them are clips not real TV shows. If it was just me I'd probably be happy and cancel the cable today, but I'm hanging on to it for a while.........As Matt says: Happy wife, Happy life......wise words indeed
Edit: The quality is very good on the HD Roku box, but it's not quite as good as watching it directly off the satellite. DTV quality is superb.....maybe not $95.00 a month superb but I can live with the quality of the streaming shows.
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MKIII, 302 FMS Crate, GT40 Heads, Quick Fuel carb, TK0500 Mid-shift, 3-Link, 300 RWHP & Trq. Finally done after two years. I think I will call her Black Betty
"A parent's only as good as their dumbest kid. If one wins a Nobel Prize but the other gets robbed by a hooker, you failed."
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Great deal if you already have a PS3.
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