ROKU instead of cable

[wifi]

Originally Posted by Billy Bob

....how do I get CNN and msnbc.....

To balance this discussion out a little, is Foxnews available on ROKU ?

[egatlake]

You can do it three ways, go to the Roku channel station using the remote and choose what you want to add. Also by logging into roku.com you can add channels that way. Also seach google for Roku channels there are some you can get codes (free) in order to add private channels.

[nhboat61]

Originally Posted by wifi

To balance this discussion out a little, is Foxnews available on ROKU ?

For the balance... I searched the news section and NBC and Fox was on the menu. I didn't see CNN, but, like it was mentioned they are "hidden".

I'm going to do some more research today, is there a cost, other then purchasing the wifi transmitter ?

If I could just pay for the inet, that would make me a happy camper !



BTW - this is an awesome site for exchanging information.

[TiltonBB]

I bought the ROKU Box two weeks ago at WalMart for $78 and it works great.

We put the Netflix $7.99 streaming movie account on it and with one click it works well. Crackle on ROKU has some decent free movies but it does have some commercials during the movies. They seem less frequent than on regular stations.

I am still discovering all of the available channels and some of the suggestions above will help to get more use of it. If anyone has more information about available channels or different ways to get codes it would be great to see those ideas posted here.

[patman]

The official list is here:

http://www.roku.com/channels/#!brows...her/by-popular
(that's news and weather...you can select other categories to browse)

There are several unofficial lists, here's one:
http://streamfree.tv/apps/index.php?...s&ascdesc=DESC

Some of the private channels are free...some require subscriptions...some are live...some are not...some work...some don't. It's a mixed bag.

Time Warner Cable recently introduced a Roku channel that lets you view content based on what cable TV you are subscribed to. That might work out well for folks with two houses with a roku at the 'other' house.

[HellRaZoR004]

Originally Posted by Rusty

HDMI ports in TV sets have made it easy to use the TV as your computer monitor. I used to use RCA and "S" cables before HDMI became the way to go. I stream Netflex and Amazon prime from my Kindle Fire HD to my TV for all my videos.

I agree - don't waste money on the devices when you can use your laptop with HDMI ports.

I originally bought a Google TV box so I could surf the web and watch streaming shows/video. It's gotten to the point that providers have blocked use of this device from streaming online media to no longer supporting the interface.

I have since purchased a laptop to do everything else. My roommate let's me use his parents cable provider login account to stream everything else (including the live Bruins game through nbcsports.com last week).

Needless to say I no longer have cable TV. We use Netflix & Hulu+ for shows we like to watch the day after it aired.

[HellRaZoR004]

And I forgot to mention - I still get the basic channels (like the OTA ones) through my cable line still. Not sure why it's not blocked.

That being said, it's worth connecting your digital capable TV up to your cable line and scan for available channels. You might actually find some.

[Argie's Wife]

We've almost shut off the cable altogether - we have basic cable, TiVo, which we love, and a Blu-ray player with wi-fi. Our cable bill is now about $60, and that's our cable and internet. TiVo's are about $70 re-furbished - great investment and fewer commercials.

[Slickcraft]

Just introduced, $50, designed to compete with the google chromecast.

http://www.roku.com/products/streaming-stick
http://www.google.com/intl/en-US/chr...es/chromecast/

We have a ROKU 3, $100, which we really like. The stick is missing two features that we use on the 3. The stick is wifi only with no Ethernet jack and stick remote does not have the ear phone jack. The stick remote also does not have motion sensors for game playing.

For both the 3 and the stick the only output is HDMI, no separate optical digital audio. Anyway Netflix surround sound is Dolby Plus which is not supported by optical cable. So you will need either an A/V receiver or a TV that will decode Dolby Plus. Otherwise you will only get stereo.

[Merrymeeting]

Originally Posted by Slickcraft

Just introduced, $50, designed to compete with the google chromecast.

http://www.roku.com/products/streaming-stick
http://www.google.com/intl/en-US/chr...es/chromecast/

We have a ROKU 3, $100, which we really like. The stick is missing two features that we use on the 3. The stick is wifi only with no Ethernet jack and stick remote does not have the ear phone jack. The stick remote also does not have motion sensors for game playing.

For both the 3 and the stick the only output is HDMI, no separate optical digital audio. Anyway Netflix surround sound is Dolby Plus which is not supported by optical cable. So you will need either an A/V receiver or a TV that will decode Dolby Plus. Otherwise you will only get stereo.

The big advantage here is that competition is good for the consumer. ROKU needed to up their game to compete with Chromecast features/pricing. Amazing how quickly this stuff is changing now.