Anybody tried Roku? Can you get regular TV channels or local stations? Any other TV cost cutting services or devices? Any ideas or input is appreciated!!
No, you can't get local channels. You can only get "channels" that have made themselves available to Roku. See http://www.roku.com/roku-channel-store for a list of what you can get. I use it mostly for Netflix and Pandora. You can watch Hulu on it, if you subscribe to the pay version of Hulu ($8/month, I believe). There are also a bunch of free channels on Roku, but I've only found them interesting when being subjected to severe, severe boredom. Most of the other channels on Roku aren't that interesting, in my opinion. If you're looking to replace satellite or cable, though, I highly recommend Netflix's cheapest plan (for streaming online), and Hulu, whether you watch on the computer, or pay for Hulu Plus. Of course, you'd have to keep some sort of high-speed internet connection. And of course, local channels are watched over-the-air.
We just went w/ the ROKU with the addition of Amazon Plus. So far so good but we are -not- big TV watchers at all. We're fine w/ HD free airwaves TV + ROKU.
We stopped cable this past year and use Netflix through Roku and love it. We haven't had any issues with it either. Love it! Regular programming and Roku, and an occasional movie from Redbox has worked for us.
:iagree:Add Hulu and as pointed out earlier the free 15 or so over the air channels and we are happy and about $100 a month richer!
Or get one of the new Smart Blu Ray players and kill several birds with one stone. By having the smart blu ray player we also get netflix streaming, hulu, vudu, youtube, facebook, twitter, etc.
I will never buy a Blue Ray disc. So for a fraction of the cost I got the Roku and get almost all of that plus more.
We use the Xbox it has netflix, espn, hulu and they keep adding more channels. The xbox and poverty channels have worked out great, so far.
Ok, so if you have an HD tv and you go the route you guys are talking about, do you have to get an antennae or anything to pick up local channels?
I get like 20 something channels with rabbit ears in the house. Heard good things about this local Raleigh company if you want to hide the antenna but have not bought one.
Roku box for $98. http://www.walmart.com/ip/Roku-XS-Streaming-Video-Player/16437940 Roku box for $79 http://www.walmart.com/ip/Roku-XD-Streaming-Video-Player/16437941 Smart blu-ray $98 http://www.walmart.com/ip/VIZIO-VBR122-Blu-ray-Disc-Player/15935506 And they can be had for cheaper as the first blu-ray with apps that we bought from Walmart was only $68.
Again why buy something I will never use. I can get a roku as cheap as $59 at times. Besides the biggest plus for me. After 4 years of having it they are still updating the software and bringing new features for it. How many Blue Ray players are delivering new software to your unit fours years later? The interface beats any other I have seen out there for streaming, but to each his own.
We've been DirecTV customers for four years. Three weeks ago, we suspended our DirectTV ($83 monthly) for 6 months to try a Roku 2 XD ($62), Netflix ($16 monthly for unlimited streaming and one DVD), and Hulu Plus for lots of current and past seasons of TV ($8 monthly). Amazon Prime at $79 per year includes two-day shipping on purchases and TV and movie streaming. Six or seven purchases a year pays for Amazon Prime. (With non-Prime, two-day shipping costs extra.) We watched approximately seven channels on DirecTV and don't have "must see" network shows. They offered a $15 price drop. Perhaps many folks don't come back once the satellite (or cable) is cut. A sales pitch for Centurylink's Prism was more of the same: $$ package prices for the one show one you want. Providers resist an a la carte model, so streaming devices are one alternative. (Then again, is ten years of SpongeBob abuse for the grandkids? We know it's good for exercise, because after two episodes, it's "let's go to the park" time.) We have 10mbps DSL and have no problem streaming movies from the wireless router in 1280x720 resolution to a bedroom thirty feet away. An over-the-air antenna gets local channels in minimally or uncompressed HD, where the station offers it. If we want HGTV or Dateline (those murder cases are trippy), we find it on their web site and output it from a computer's HDMI and input it to a 55" TV's HMDI. The quality is good. To find what's on local channels, I might have to research online, like we did in the old days with TV Guide. And a slow Windows XP computer worked well to stream movies across a home network to the Roku. Still tweaking this project. For us, I don't see a downside to canceling DirecTV and ordering another Roku today. You can move it to different TVs or take it on the road. No leases for set top boxes or DVRs. And we'd save at least $60 a month.
I called Direct TV in response to their recent "special- $39.99 for 205 channels, 4 boxes and free installation. After you PAY extra for HDaccess and rent the boxes @ $6.00 each per month, it came to over $70.00 . Classic bait and switch, in my opinion.
