ROKU??? - what is this? help mookie out, please :D

[SteveP]

Okay, so I'm thinking of switching to streaming services from cable. (Not necessarily Roku, as I would also consider any of the other options: AppleTV, Amazon Fire, Chromecast, etc.)

Is the deal with this stuff that you're basically just buying a device that you can use to stream stuff and put it up through the HDMI jack on your TV? And that you're really just streaming apps from services, so it's not like you get out of having to pay for HuluPlus, Amazon Prime, Netflix, [insert streaming app here].

Because with all that in mind, it basically seems like you could get the same functionality from hooking up a laptop to your TV (albeit, the laptop would probably not be able to commit as much processing power to the job as a dedicated piece of hardware).

I just bought the Roku 3 yesterday and spent most of the evening signing up for free trials of Netflix and other services.

We weren't impressed with the rental cost of many of the movies on Netflix....more than the price of a ticket at the theater!

We have 15 days to return the box to Best Buy so we'll see how the trial run goes.

On the tech side, I'm impressed with the picture quality and there's no buffering connected to our DSL Wi-Fi

 

[unofan]

I just bought the Roku 3 yesterday and spent most of the evening signing up for free trials of Netflix and other services.

We weren't impressed with the rental cost of many of the movies on Netflix....more than the price of a ticket at the theater!

We have 15 days to return the box to Best Buy so we'll see how the trial run goes.

On the tech side, I'm impressed with the picture quality and there's no buffering connected to our DSL Wi-Fi

Netflix doesn't charge by the movie. It's a flat monthly fee for access to its entire streaming library. Sure you're not thinking of Amazon or red box? Amazon charges $2 to rent (for 24 or 48 hours) a lot of movies but most recent releases are only available to buy, not rent. The free stuff available through Amazon prime is pretty similar to Netflix, just with minor variations in exclusive tv offerings.

 

[unofan]

Okay, so I'm thinking of switching to streaming services from cable. (Not necessarily Roku, as I would also consider any of the other options: AppleTV, Amazon Fire, Chromecast, etc.)

Is the deal with this stuff that you're basically just buying a device that you can use to stream stuff and put it up through the HDMI jack on your TV? And that you're really just streaming apps from services, so it's not like you get out of having to pay for HuluPlus, Amazon Prime, Netflix, [insert streaming app here].

Because with all that in mind, it basically seems like you could get the same functionality from hooking up a laptop to your TV (albeit, the laptop would probably not be able to commit as much processing power to the job as a dedicated piece of hardware).

You got it. While you could just use a laptop, for $100 you get a 2"x2"x1" box or thumb drive that you can control by remote control that rarely crashes (hulu's app being the major exception) and that you don't have to ever unplug from the tv.

If you already have a tv or blu-ray player with built in streaming capability, you don't need any of these. But I think the convenience of them makes them worth their money when compared to running everything thru a laptop or custom built media center. And I say that as someone who builds his own gaming computers.

 

[ExileOnDaytonStreet]

Re: ROKU??? - what is this? help mookie out, please

My love of sports (and a potentially significant set of incentives from ATT) are likely to keep me in the ****hole world of cable for at least another year, but I'm going to be keeping this stuff in mind. As soon as there are more options (besides watchESPN) for watching sports, particularly Badger hockey, I'm leaving cable and never coming back.

 

[jmh]

Re: ROKU??? - what is this? help mookie out, please

You got it. While you could just use a laptop, for $100 you get a 2"x2"x1" box or thumb drive that you can control by remote control that rarely crashes (hulu's app being the major exception) and that you don't have to ever unplug from the tv.

If you already have a tv or blu-ray player with built in streaming capability, you don't need any of these. But I think the convenience of them makes them worth their money when compared to running everything thru a laptop or custom built media center. And I say that as someone who builds his own gaming computers.

Significantly less than $100 if you comparison shop; I paid $40 for mine last December. I'm not a cord-cutter (not yet anyway), and have a cable box (and PS3) hooked up to the big TV in the living room, but we have the Roku set up to bring content to the small TV in the bedroom (that previously only had a basic DVD player hooked to it) without paying Time Warner a monthly fee for a second cable box. With the Time Warner Cable app we can watch live TV in there if we want to, plus we can do Netflix or Amazon or HBO Go streaming without firing up and connecting the laptop. The way I look at it is, it's a much cheaper (in the long run) alternative to a second cable box.

 

[Zudnic]

Re: ROKU??? - what is this? help mookie out, please

I am a proponent of Roku over its competitors because it is agnostic to services - you can get anything that isn't Apple. It has a "cast" function that is comparable to Chromecast, and a decent smartphone app that allows you to throw your local videos up. The Roku 3 is a great piece of hardware. The 2 has some issues crashing, though.

 

[The Rube]

Re: ROKU??? - what is this? help mookie out, please

My love of sports (and a potentially significant set of incentives from ATT) are likely to keep me in the ****hole world of cable for at least another year, but I'm going to be keeping this stuff in mind. As soon as there are more options (besides watchESPN) for watching sports, particularly Badger hockey, I'm leaving cable and never coming back.

I watch about 4 TV shows (none are network), the rest is sports. Sure, I might randomly watch some other semi-crappy/semi-good shows, but only because I want something in the background. I also have Netflix Streaming and Netflix One Disc plans.

That being said, I did a cost-analysis of cable (with sports package, but no HBO or anything)

vs.

Buying eps of my shows the day after they premiere (via Amazon) AND going out for every Gopher hockey game for 2 beers and a burger (I already go to Old Chicago for noon NFL games every Sunday, that cost was not entered into this).

For the college hockey season, I'd save about $400 or so. That's just for the season. Off-season, I'd save even more (and 3 of my shows' series finales are this upcoming season).


Needless to say, my decision was easy. Bye-bye cable.

After about 2 months cable-less, I don't even miss it one bit.

 

[Handyman]

Re: ROKU??? - what is this? help mookie out, please

After about 2 months cable-less, I don't even miss it one bit.

Yup...cable tv and Dish is a huge scam and there are ways (both legal and illegal) to get everything you want anyways at cheaper prices. I mean I didnt have cable but streamed Gopher hockey in Seattle to my laptop multiple times.

And if you know someone with cable you can have access to everything anyways with an email address as well

 

[SteveP]

Re: ROKU??? - what is this? help mookie out, please

OK, we've pretty much settled on the roku after giving Chromecast a trial over the weekend. There was a bit too much buffering while streaming Draft Day from my tablet (good movie by the way).

The other issue with Chromecast is that it doesn't support NHL Game Center Live. That leads to another question -- does game center give you both home and away games for each team, or just home broadcasts? Trying to decide on dumping Center Ice to be able to watch on other than our TV

 

[joecct]

OK, we've pretty much settled on the roku after giving Chromecast a trial over the weekend. There was a bit too much buffering while streaming Draft Day from my tablet (good movie by the way).

The other issue with Chromecast is that it doesn't support NHL Game Center Live. That leads to another question -- does game center give you both home and away games for each team, or just home broadcasts? Trying to decide on dumping Center Ice to be able to watch on other than our TV

Home and road. Leafs broadcast team or Islanders? Always go Canadian is my rule.

 

[unofan]

Re: ROKU??? - what is this? help mookie out, please

OK, we've pretty much settled on the roku after giving Chromecast a trial over the weekend. There was a bit too much buffering while streaming Draft Day from my tablet (good movie by the way).

The other issue with Chromecast is that it doesn't support NHL Game Center Live. That leads to another question -- does game center give you both home and away games for each team, or just home broadcasts? Trying to decide on dumping Center Ice to be able to watch on other than our TV

Home and road, but with the usual blackout restrictions.

 

[aparch]

Re: ROKU??? - what is this? help mookie out, please

As pointed out, you get both feeds (and all in HD!) on Game center Live.

But, the blackouts are kind of ridiculous. If you are in the teams designated market (judged by Zip Code) or if the game is on NBC, NBCSN, or the NHL Network you are blacked out from watching that game (or it's replay) for 48 hours.


Also, GCL is one sometimes two minutes behind Live. So try not to refresh Twitter too often.

 

[SteveP]

Re: ROKU??? - what is this? help mookie out, please

As pointed out, you get both feeds (and all in HD!) on Game center Live.

But, the blackouts are kind of ridiculous. If you are in the teams designated market (judged by Zip Code) or if the game is on NBC, NBCSN, or the NHL Network you are blacked out from watching that game (or it's replay) for 48 hours.


Also, GCL is one sometimes two minutes behind Live. So try not to refresh Twitter too often.

Thanks for the info guys. We're three hours from Pittsburgh but still in the Pens' market. And I rarely refresh Twitter when I'm watching a game. Learned my lesson during Game 7 of Leafs-Bruins while we were in Arizona.

 

[joecct]

Re: ROKU??? - what is this? help mookie out, please

Thanks for the info guys. We're three hours from Pittsburgh but still in the Pens' market. And I rarely refresh Twitter when I'm watching a game. Learned my lesson during Game 7 of Leafs-Bruins while we were in Arizona.

Along with the Leaf's defense?

 

[SteveP]

Re: ROKU??? - what is this? help mookie out, please

Along with the Leaf's defense?

We were at my in-laws on vacay. We recorded the game on NBC while we went out to dinner. Turned off the phone when a buddy tweeted me asking if I saw what was happening. When we got home I watched the game and the recording stopped with about 5 minutes left in the 3rd (IIRC just after the Bruins narrowed the lead to 3).

I sat on the couch for about 10 minutes before I turned on my phone and saw what happened.

 

[SteveP]

Re: ROKU??? - what is this? help mookie out, please

As pointed out, you get both feeds (and all in HD!) on Game center Live.

But, the blackouts are kind of ridiculous. If you are in the teams designated market (judged by Zip Code) or if the game is on NBC, NBCSN, or the NHL Network you are blacked out from watching that game (or it's replay) for 48 hours.


Also, GCL is one sometimes two minutes behind Live. So try not to refresh Twitter too often.

Watched the TSN Leafs/Avs game tonight. The picture quality was less than HD until the third period when the feed " buffered" several times and then the quality was much clearer. We have 6mb download speed, but wonder if using an Ethernet connection rather than Wi-Fi would help.

The commercials were blacked out (good) but so were the intermissions (not good). Not so when we switched over to the Altitude feed. I wonder if that has something to do with the Rogers deal?

And I need to turn off my notifications. You're right about the delay.

 

[aparch]

Re: ROKU??? - what is this? help mookie out, please

Watched the TSN Leafs/Avs game tonight. The picture quality was less than HD until the third period when the feed " buffered" several times and then the quality was much clearer. We have 6mb download speed, but wonder if using an Ethernet connection rather than Wi-Fi would help.

The commercials were blacked out (good) but so were the intermissions (not good). Not so when we switched over to the Altitude feed. I wonder if that has something to do with the Rogers deal?

And I need to turn off my notifications. You're right about the delay.

Ethernet would help, especially if you have other devices on the wi-fi. I've noticed sometimes that backing out of the game, and re-selecting the game helps re-buffer to better quality. I've been impressed this year as the games so far haven't dropped to a lower quality as often. Then again, I have Comcast's Blast! package and get 25+ mbps. The feed has been equivalent to watching regular Comcast HD broadcasts.

I'm also sure that some more "popular" games have heavier draws on NHL's streaming servers, causing some games to have more issues than others.

Commercial/intermission blackouts are hit and miss. Fox Sports games aren't, TSN's are, Sportsnet's is hit and miss. Don't think it's related to the Rogers deal as it was the same way last year.

 

[SteveP]

Re: ROKU??? - what is this? help mookie out, please

Watching Leafs and Wings using an Ethernet connection with no change in video quality. Very disappointing for what we're paying.