The Briefing Room
General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: sinkspur on March 01, 2014, 10:39:46 pm
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Have been looking at Roku so we can stream Netflix and stop ordering DVDs.
Is this a reliable product? Any gotchas to watch out for?
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That's been recommended to us, as well. Would like to see what Roku users have to say.
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Pretty sure both Rap and kevindavis use it. Ping them to here maybe?
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Have been looking at Roku so we can stream Netflix and stop ordering DVDs.
Is this a reliable product? Any gotchas to watch out for?
I have had mine for about 1 1/2 years, without any problems. I have Verizon Fios high speed, and my Roku is used via wireless.
I have also used Netflix streaming for the same time, and it too is without problems.
There are 4 Roku devices, and I would go to the topp 2. You get 1080i and a headphone jack on the remote.
With the Roku there is the continuing option to add more channels, like Amazon prime, Hulu, etc. Some channels are free, some paid, etc.
I have used PBS mostly for Masterpiece, Smithsonian, and a few others. All free ones for me, so far.
I have seen comparisons of Roku to other streaming devices, and it always does well, usually finishes on top.
Roku recently updated their home screen, to include some news items, etc.
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Had mine for about the same time, couple of years, never a problem, easy to setup and use. Mine connects to the public Internet via wireless to my local router.
(The only thing that bugs me is that the remote is always trying to come on and do something, even when the device is not in use, sort of creeps me out. It can just be laying there on the table with no one near it or touching it, and it just starts flashing.....)
Plenty of viewing options opening up all the time, free stuff, subs. (Before I cancelled The Blaze in a fit of anger I used to watch shows on that all of the time.) And if you are an Amazon Prime customer, they have a boatload of free content available to watch on your Roku as well as some PPV choices as well.
All in all, a pretty neat little device and a good price (I don't remember what mine cost at the time, I got the high end one and remember thinking the price was reasonable).
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We have two Roku boxes, the one on the tv I watch is the basic cheapest one and I've had no trouble with it. You can get lots of channels on it. We use it for Netflix and The Blaze and we use the Amazon channel to purchase shows to watch. It was well worth the money.
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No, I don't have it. What I'm mulling over is a Blue Ray player so I can stream Netflix. A smart TV will as well, but my flat screens are not needing replacement so the blueray is where I may go.
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You can probably get by with an HDMI cable. That's all I use.
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You can probably get by with an HDMI cable. That's all I use.
To your Dish/DVR? I already have HDMI cable.
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No. From your laptop directly to your TV. How old are your flat screens? Do they have HDMI outlets?
I even pack my trusty little HDMI so I can stream to hotel TVs when I travel. ^-^
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If you have a so-called smart TV you may be able to get netflix directly through your TV via your internet connection. We got a vizio 42" 6 months ago and it comes pre-set to work with a netflix account.
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Unfortunately, like Rapunzel, I don't. I have one 50" flat screen Sony, circa 2001 or so, and then a 36" one from 2009 that at least has an HDMI outlet on it, so I can stream to that TV. Both work so well that I'm not going to replace them.
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I've used it for years and like it so much, I've bought them for family with Netflix subscriptions.
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I have had my Roku 3 for about 1 1/2 years now and I really like it - lots of channels, of various quality and utility, but you get Amazon movies, Hulu Plus, VUDU and Netflix, as well as the Blaze, all in 1080p. The menus are far more navigable than they used to be, as well. Well worth the price.
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No. From your laptop directly to your TV. How old are your flat screens? Do they have HDMI outlets?
I even pack my trusty little HDMI so I can stream to hotel TVs when I travel. ^-^
Yes, they both have HDMI outlets, I have an HDMI cord running from my DVR to the Vizio in my office and the one in the bedroom gets it's connection from this DVR - but is newer and also had a HDMI outlet. So, I'd have to run a cord from my computer across the room to the TV and that is all I'd need to do?
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Yes, they both have HDMI outlets, I have an HDMI cord running from my DVR to the Vizio in my office and the one in the bedroom gets it's connection from this DVR - but is newer and also had a HDMI outlet. So, I'd have to run a cord from my computer across the room to the TV and that is all I'd need to do?
Yes, that is absolutely it--its exactly what I do--cheaper than buying a Bluray. So sign up for Netflix!
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Like Lips, I use HDMI. I also bought a little media player on eBay for $35. Now I put movies on a flash drive and play them from the media player. The media player comes with a remote, so I don't even have to get up. I can put about 25 movies on a flash drive. Did the same thing at our cabin in Texas.
Here's a link to a media player. There are tons of them you can buy:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1080P-HD-Multi-Media-Player-HDMI-YPbPr-AV-USB-SD-MMC-RM-RMVB-AVI-MPEG-Black-NEW-/310728012816?pt=US_Internet_Media_Streamers&hash=item4858d53410 (http://www.ebay.com/itm/1080P-HD-Multi-Media-Player-HDMI-YPbPr-AV-USB-SD-MMC-RM-RMVB-AVI-MPEG-Black-NEW-/310728012816?pt=US_Internet_Media_Streamers&hash=item4858d53410)
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That looks like a really handy gadget. Now all I have to figure out is how to put movies on a flashdrive. No idea how to do that.
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That looks like a really handy gadget. Now all I have to figure out is how to put movies on a flashdrive. No idea how to do that.
I need a man........ I had tyo hire the local Sound Bank to come out after George died and explain how everything worked here........
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That looks like a really handy gadget. Now all I have to figure out is how to put movies on a flashdrive. No idea how to do that.
Just drag the file into the flash drive folder, or copy and paste.
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Just drag the file into the flash drive folder, or copy and paste.
So let me get this straight. I download the movie from Netflix or Amazon to watch and then save it to the flash drive and then plug the flash drive into my TV???? Do I have a Flash Drive thingy on my TV???? I know there is a plug in my DVR. What about saving it to my "My Book" which is a plug in additional drive I use to save the stuff for the doctor separate from my computer.
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So let me get this straight. I download the movie from Netflix or Amazon to watch and then save it to the flash drive and then plug the flash drive into my TV???? Do I have a Flash Drive thingy on my TV???? I know there is a plug in my DVR. What about saving it to my "My Book" which is a plug in additional drive I use to save the stuff for the doctor separate from my computer.
I don't use Amazon or Netflix so I can't answer the first part. But if you are saving and playing the file after you download (as opposed to streaming) then it should work. The flash drive plugs into the media player and the media player hooks into your tv via the HDMI cable.
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So let me get this straight. I download the movie from Netflix or Amazon to watch and then save it to the flash drive and then plug the flash drive into my TV???? Do I have a Flash Drive thingy on my TV???? I know there is a plug in my DVR. What about saving it to my "My Book" which is a plug in additional drive I use to save the stuff for the doctor separate from my computer.
If you're going to stream from Netflix, just keep it simple and run an HDMI from your laptop to your TV.
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I need a man........ I had tyo hire the local Sound Bank to come out after George died and explain how everything worked here........
I had a similar situation. Bill had disconnected the surround sound (I can't remember the reason) before he died, so I had to hire a sound place to come re-configure everything after he was gone. I even had them rig me up an idiot-proof remote system so I wouldn't screw anything up.
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If it was not for “The Blaze” I could easily do without Roku and not miss it a bit. The Movie channels like Netflix, and Amazon are also available through my TV and PS3, and I like the look and feel of them through the PS3 the best so that is where we go. I’m a classic movie fan and there is a ton of free old movie channels in the channel store that you can add to your Roku favorites, but they are all public domain B movies and less than B movies that play in rather poor quality, same with the classic TV channels. So even though I have several of these like Pop Flix, Drive-In Classics and Movie Vault in my favorites, I have never played a full movie from them and very few titles they have interest me.
About 80% of the New stuff in the Channel Store are Church channels, and little of the other 20% is even worth adding to your favorites. The only other channel I use on a frequent bases other than The Blaze, is a Old-Time Radio channel because I like old-time radio like Jack Benny, Life of Riley, Abbott and Costello, Charlie McCarthy, etc.
Maybe ROKU will get better, and maybe it has with some of the newer devices (mine is 4 years old), but I’m glad I didn’t pay a lot for it. I would miss the Blaze though if it was gone.
By the way The Blaze for me sometimes has a buffering problem. Not sure if is my internet or the Roku that causes it, or if its because too many people are watching it at the same time.
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At the urging of Mrs. Chieftain, we just purchased a Samsung Blue Ray/DVD player with wifi capabilities, primarily to access Netflix, but it does a whole lot of other things like access Facebook and YouTube if you sign up and register, which I am very reluctant to do.
However, installing it could not have been simpler. I unplugged and removed the old disk player, and replaced it with this one, using the same HDMI cable. The only other thing to connect is the power. Once I turned it on I was able to set it up and program it entirely without consulting the instruction book. The controls and screens are intuitive and user friendly and its too bad these people aren't designing State exchange websites as well.....
Wifi access on our bigscreen is new, so while the jury is still out, things are looking up....
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I need a man........ I had tyo hire the local Sound Bank to come out after George died and explain how everything worked here........
My wife is the electronics wizard in our family. She is obsessed with doing research before buying electronics, spending 10 to 30 hours or more on-line doing research, reading reviews and such. (Not exaggerating about the time spent.) She goes into our Fry’s Electronics superstore and the salesmen hide when they see her coming, because she can make them look stupid because she knows more about their product than they do. They (and I) are blown away by how much technical knowledge she has when she is ready to shop. Whether it was building our computer, designing our home theater selecting a Klipsch sound system, or selecting what wide screen to buy, or the LED light system over her massive aquarium, she is the one making the electronics decision. My check book, her decision.