Quick question, since the universal remote that came with my defunct cable box won't change tv channels (and I don't know if I actually have any other channels on the tv besides good ol' number three: (original remote long lost, and new teevee just not in the budget--this one is only seven yrs old or so)
Cable company quit providing cable tv. (Yes, really!) Abandoned their boxes and everything. I have a fire stick (older) and while I like the programming I can get, it seems to suddenly have problems in the middle of movies. I don't watch much current production, simply because of faggotry and woke-ism and blends of people not seen in most normal gatherings in these parts. What masquerades as "normal" is pretty much alien fare here. But the Mrs. likes to watch Wheel of Fortune and catch the local news from time to time. so I am going to have to get an antenna. About all the fare we will get is in the 35 mile envelope, otherwise, it will be the same networks, just out of another town, 130 miles away or Canada. In case we want to see what regina is putting out, I'll get a dual range with amplifier and that should handle that, and I'm thinking a Roku for the set to go through wifi channels with because the fire stick seems to be having trouble holding onto a wifi signal even though it's only 20 ft. to the router.
Finally, I get around to the question: will the roku allow me to change channels with the antenna feed, or do I need something else to change the channels?
@Smokin Joe Antenna feeds regular TV. Your TV, if it is a flatscreen, has TV, which has either a cable connection, or the antenna connection, AND HDMI channels, which are the various things you hook to the TV otherwise, like your ROKU and your Firestick.
SO, you still need a remote for your TV to change between TV, HDMI1 HDMI2, HDMI3,USB, etc...
When the TV is on 'TV', the TV will be getting feed from the antenna or the cable, so you will seek and change TV channels with that same remote....
Then each of the HDMI channels will represent each of the other things you plug in....
In my case, I have nothing hooked to the TV side of the TV...
And HDMI1 is the pooter I have hooked to the TV.
And HDMI2 is the ROKU...
Now, when I am on HDMI2 (which I got to using the TV remote), I am on the ROKU, so I then have to use the ROKU remote to navigate within that sphere...
As for the lost TV Remote, there are several universal remotes out there - I will recommend the RCA remote, which is the one I use, since the real remote that came with the TV is a precious commodity, irreplaceable, so it lives right under the TV where I have to get up to use it. I use the RCA for general purposes. It ain't perfect, but it gives me ON/OFF and volume control and selects between HDMI ports, which is the sum total I need it for.
Setting up a universal to work with your particular TV is a chore, but not all that bad... RTFM.
As for what to use, I will still maintain that hooking a pooter to the TV is the best way to go - Gives you a regular Windows desktop on the TV... Fire up firefox with it's ad-blocker add-on, and most of the ad-sponsored stuff, you never even see. Spend some time watching TV on your laptop for a while and you will find out there is very little you can't get to with regular old internet. I barely ever use the ROKU. Can't even remember the last time...