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Does anybody have a Roku streaming device?


Dottleshead

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I got a Roku Ultra for Christmas and set it up.  It's all streaming on the telly.  For the most part I like it even though it can be confusing to navigate around -- but generally it's pretty cool.  I just ordered an ethernet switch and cables to configure my downstairs TV that I'm waiting to arrive.  If I decide to drop the cable on that secondary box, I rid myself of about $23 a month in device rental and access fees.  Seems like a no brainer but I wanted to ask others if they own a Roku or another streaming device and if they liked it?  I think it's totally worth it since watching TV downstairs seldom happens.

I already know the following issues:

   1) there can be hiccups in the data and frame rates. 

   2) Local stations are mostly out without additional expense but many local stations provide local news streaming

   3) Streaming is behind live broadcasts by maybe up to 30 seconds or more. 

   4) Comcast does provide it's own cable streaming so I can get all of it downstairs w/o additional cost -- including local stations.  So simple choice, right?  Well, yeah, but the feed isn't as good, there are occassional hiccups, and navigating around the channels is not as sleek and easy.

 

Any other issues?

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We have 4.  They are at least one generation old and they can get glitchy at times with pixelation and funky frame rates.  Ours will only connect to the 2G network.  Wonder if being able to connect to 5G would be better?

Seems to be more frequently lately.  Sometimes a system reset will work.  Do not like the guide feature for Spectrum, as you cannot do a direct numeric input but have to scroll, but it does save us the device rental on multiple boxes.

I stayed with a box in the den, even though I have a Roku in there, as I want a conventional remote control and I want to be able to go directly to a channel.

 

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32 minutes ago, jsharr said:

We have 4.  They are at least one generation old and they can get glitchy at times with pixelation and funky frame rates.  Ours will only connect to the 2G network.  Wonder if being able to connect to 5G would be better?

Seems to be more frequently lately.  Sometimes a system reset will work.  Do not like the guide feature for Spectrum, as you cannot do a direct numeric input but have to scroll, but it does save us the device rental on multiple boxes.

I stayed with a box in the den, even though I have a Roku in there, as I want a conventional remote control and I want to be able to go directly to a channel.

 

The last point you make is the strongest argument against I think.  But the frame rates and glitchiness are real.  I'm going to just continue to test it out and feel before I drop cable.  Though I really feel like if I just dropped it now, I'd never really notice that much.

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I have one and use it mostly for Amazon Prime and CBS to catch the new Star Treks.

30 minutes ago, Dottie said:

 2) Local stations are mostly out without additional expense but many local stations provide local news streaming

I have an antenna in the attic. I can get about 30 channels including local ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC. My TV has multiple inputs. The football games look much better OTA than on cable.

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Our virtual son in law gave us his extra Roku when our daughter and he moved in together. We replaced it with an Apple TV last fall. It was getting glitchy and SIL said they do this just before they die. 
We dropped cable TV and stream everything. Hulu live seems to have everything we had on basic cable except for PBS and Comedy Central. We also stream Amazon Prime, Netflix and Disney+. We are still saving $60 over Charter. Broadcast quality of the streaming is superior to what we were getting from the cable box, too. 

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2 hours ago, Dottie said:

I got a Roku Ultra for Christmas and set it up.  It's all streaming on the telly.  For the most part I like it even though it can be confusing to navigate around -- but generally it's pretty cool.  I just ordered an ethernet switch and cables to configure my downstairs TV that I'm waiting to arrive.  If I decide to drop the cable on that secondary box, I rid myself of about $23 a month in device rental and access fees.  Seems like a no brainer but I wanted to ask others if they own a Roku or another streaming device and if they liked it?  I think it's totally worth it since watching TV downstairs seldom happens.

I already know the following issues:

   1) there can be hiccups in the data and frame rates. 

   2) Local stations are mostly out without additional expense but many local stations provide local news streaming

   3) Streaming is behind live broadcasts by maybe up to 30 seconds or more. 

   4) Comcast does provide it's own cable streaming so I can get all of it downstairs w/o additional cost -- including local stations.  So simple choice, right?  Well, yeah, but the feed isn't as good, there are occassional hiccups, and navigating around the channels is not as sleek and easy.

 

Any other issues?

I got the fancy-pants version a few years ago at costco.  Zero issues whatsoever, and beat the hell out of the Amazon's version.

I don't see how you could think it could be confusing to navigate, seemed pretty damn simple to me.  

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2 hours ago, Dottie said:

The last point you make is the strongest argument against I think.  But the frame rates and glitchiness are real.  I'm going to just continue to test it out and feel before I drop cable.  Though I really feel like if I just dropped it now, I'd never really notice that much.

You still have cable?!!  Yikes!

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I've got 7 Roku's from the cheapest to the best.  The only issue I've found is I hate the stick Roku's because the remote doesn't seem to stay linked half the time.  I'm also a 100% wireless, I have a really good wireless router and 1Gb internet service.  Zero issues, and I'm a lot cheaper than when I had cable.

Services I pay for.

AT&T TV (only streaming service with Nick and Disney)

Disney+

Amazon Prime.

 

Everything else I use is free or I can login with my AT&T login, so included with that.  Don't miss cable at all, especially since AT&T now has a jump between channels.  Wife hates she can't just flip and has to use the guide though.

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 I have 4 (I think) One was really old & in the spare guest bedroom. It was going funky about Christmas so i changed it out. Everything is fine now. I'm all wireless. For local channels I have a small antennae for each TV. Have to change <input> to get to OTA channels. I pay for  Netflix & Sling. With Sling I add on Sports Extra so i get the Ochos & other sports. I think i have to change to Sling Blue for the Fox sports. With the Sports Extra I get Pac 12 Network. So that helps a lot. Also has MLB Network which i like to have on summer evenings

I don't know how to get hockey as I DGAF about it. My plate is full with bad Pac 12 football, basketball & baseball

I think I got a notice last summer or Fall that some of my Rokus were really old and might be going out of update status. I had just bought 1 or 2 new boxes so didn't really pay attention there

I like the ROKU as they are agnostic about what they carry. See Amazon-Google slap fight about each others devices. I trust them to deal with all that infighting

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I have OTA connected to 3 TV's with one Roku Streaming Stick, a 4th generation Apple TV, and in the living room and original (or second generation) Apple TV as secondary (use for mirroring from iPad/Mac/iPhone) and as primary Channel Master Stream+ which provides DVD recording of OTA (non-streamed) programs coupled with Google's Chromecast/Play Store apps which frankly is the weakest and glitchiest compared to Roku and Apple. Apple is perhaps used more with it's mirroring capability, but in terms of performance, they are equal. Other than Acorn, Amazon Prime, and Netflix (free with T-Mobile) I don't subscribe to the majors - Hulu TV, Yahoo, Sling, Direct TV-Now,  - although I have taken "free trials" of those multiple times under different email accounts (hint, hint). Absolutely despise ESPN and their cheap ($4.99/mo) app and confusing ESPN+ doesn't provide live feed of football games they have a monopoly  on football games (like Clemson/LSU National Championship last week) but require you to have one of those streaming services or cable subscription. No problem with streaming to the Apple or Roku, and surprising on the Roku as mid house and device attaches to the back of a TV and buried in a cabinet while the Apple TV is nearer the router, an Asus 1900P ( 68U) which has excellent coverage overall. Had problems with the Stream+ and old Apple, but they were at the opposite end of the house. While would have loved to have set up a MESH system, was cheap and got an old router out of the house and set it up as an extender located in the living room. It did improve my phone coverage throughout the house and outside, rather than relying on wireless, I ran a Cat6 line to the living room and use that old router as both a wireless extender and a direct hardwire to the Stream+.

As you are aware from my post over the weekend, I switched from Comcast to Spectrum. Yes, I did have a 1 time buffering issue on Netflix over the weekend and something I will watch as I dropped from Comcast's 200+ Mbps to Spectrum's 100mbps. That and signal strength of the location are the two critical issues to look for.  On my history with Comcast, started basic Internet and when that 2 year promo pricing ran out to "save" the account flipped me into Internet + Streaming TV promo for $5 more than I was paying which seemed like a no brainer but was trash. Only about 10 channels, most local networks but what grinded on me was having to pay the local broadcaster's fee ($10/mo growing to $15/mo) on something I was getting for free and better broadcast quality OTA. Also, the basic package didn't include ESPN so I didn't qualify.

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Biggest problem I have are remotes. Logitech is essentially the only game in town in terms of "Smart" remotes and always messing up. While I have an old Harmony One with physical buttons, the two newer ones are these touchscreens that are hyper sensitive. Jest pick the remote up or look at it wrong and it goes off activating random activities. All of the mess up changing the input from Antenna, Roku/Apple, DVD, etc an no "input" button is on the remote, buried in the menu and easier to retrieve the TV's original remote to correct. Likewise for a period (.) for going direct to 2.1, 6.2 etc on the remote - including the TV original remote and basically have to set up favorites or screen through the schedule.

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6 hours ago, Page Turner said:

...we have a Roku built into the TV, that came from Costco.  It works well almost all the time, but so does my internet service.

I still have cable because without it I wouldn't get to watch pro wrestling in all its epic glory.

 

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I have a couple smart TV's.  I like the features so well, I put an actual Roku on them and use it.

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6 minutes ago, dennis said:

Got it. Why would you need more than one? Seems like a lot of tv.

We have a TV in the den, a TV in our master bedroom and each boy has a TV.  I bought all of mine second hand as people were upgrading.  Paid $5 or $10 for the ones the boys have.  A bit more for ours.

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Just now, dennis said:

You people watch a F'ton of tv.

Not really, but we all watch different stuff.   I turn on the news to see traffic reports as I drink my pre shower coffee.

My wife and I watch Wheel of Fortune as we prepare dinner.

She has old sit coms on to go to sleep to.

I turn off the TV when I come to bed.

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1 minute ago, jsharr said:

 I turn on the news to see traffic reports as I drink my pre shower coffee.

 

I get that. I listen to the ski report on the radio. I just called in and won trivia. Hell yeah!

My traffic report is "it's cold as fuck and icy. You shouldn't be riding a bike to work dumbass."

Fortunately, someone shoveled path so I don't have to climb a snowbank any longer to break out of this place.

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1 minute ago, dennis said:

I get that. I listen to the ski report on the radio. I just called in and won trivia. Hell yeah!

My traffic report is "it's cold as fuck and icy. You shouldn't be riding a bike to work dumbass."

Fortunately, someone shoveled path so I don't have to climb a snowbank any longer to break out of this place.

Mine is 
Another self indulgent prick was texting while driving and has blocked three lanes of 635 so your ass is stuck in traffic for an extra 20 minutes.  You will be cut off at least 5 times by people in big trucks or expensive imported cars.  Have a nice day.

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13 hours ago, Scrapr said:

I think i have to change to Sling Blue for the Fox sports

Sling and FOX couldn't come to a licensing agreement last summer and they dropped FOX sports.  When that happened we dropped Sling.  I don't know if they've come to an agreement since then.

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1 hour ago, dennis said:

You people watch a F'ton of tv.

Here is one cool aspect of a ROKU.  You can move the TV to that patio or deck, as long as you have WIFI and you can stream a movie or a game or whatever outside very easily.

You can also travel with it easily and get service anywhere you have decent wifi.

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31 minutes ago, Mr. Silly said:

Sling and FOX couldn't come to a licensing agreement last summer and they dropped FOX sports.  When that happened we dropped Sling.  I don't know if they've come to an agreement since then.

I think they did kiss & make up. But Sling put Fox Sports on a different program (Blue) than the Ochos (Orange).  So you have to get both. With a small discount for both. It's not that important to me so i don't. Once in a while i will change the subscription for a football game then change back after. 

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3 minutes ago, jsharr said:

Here is one cool aspect of a ROKU.  You can move the TV to that patio or deck, as long as you have WIFI and you can stream a movie or a game or whatever outside very easily.

You can also travel with it easily and get service anywhere you have decent wifi.

Tell me you making that up. If you are taking a roku while traveling or on vacation, you are doing it wrong.

Seriously, getting rid of tv service was the best thing I have done. I have so much free time.

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Just now, dennis said:

Tell me you making that up. If you are taking a roku while traveling or on vacation, you are doing it wrong.

Seriously, getting rid of tv service was the best thing I have done. I have so much free time.

Not on vacation, but say you were going to a tail gate and wanted to take a TV to watch games and had a hot spot with you.  You could watch the pregrame or whatver in the parking lot prior to the game.

My parents used to live on a lake and they did not get many of the University of Texas games.   Some weekends we would take a ROKU and then we could stream the game and watch the Longhorns with my parents, who both graduated from the University of Texas.

Have never takene one on a vacation or camping, etc.

Scout weekends we are electronics free.  Devices are turned in before the campout and given back after the campout.   Adults can carry them as needed, but we try to keep them out of sight.

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2 hours ago, dennis said:

You people watch a F'ton of tv.

Only because it’s dark and cold when we get home. I go to the gym on the way home, shower and eat supper then watch the tube a bit. 
During the summer, I am only home on Mondays and Wednesday’s during the week. I will watch the Formula 1 races on the weekend, but otherwise I’m doing stuff. I like that streaming gives me options that live TV does not. 

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18 hours ago, Randomguy said:

I don't see how you could think it could be confusing to navigate, seemed pretty damn simple to me.  

I don't like that you can't arrange the icons the way you want them.  It's a big clutter and I simply wish they allowed more control over the home screen.  They don't even provide sorting. And I find the remote recording to be hit and miss.  Also, 80% of that crap I'm never going to watch. But I figure in another week I'll really have the interface down.

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5 hours ago, jsharr said:

Not on vacation, but say you were going to a tail gate and wanted to take a TV to watch games and had a hot spot with you.  You could watch the pregrame or whatver in the parking lot prior to the game.

My parents used to live on a lake and they did not get many of the University of Texas games.   Some weekends we would take a ROKU and then we could stream the game and watch the Longhorns with my parents, who both graduated from the University of Texas.

Have never takene one on a vacation or camping, etc.

Scout weekends we are electronics free.  Devices are turned in before the campout and given back after the campout.   Adults can carry them as needed, but we try to keep them out of sight.

The idea of taking a tv to a game just sounds weird. Shouldn't you be drinking beer and eating brats at a tailgate party? Do we need to send some WI residents to TX to show you how to tailgate?

Taking it to your parents house so you can watch a game with them is awesome. You are a good son.

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We cut the cable, subscribed to Hulu and we use my daughter's Netflix.  We get all the hockey and football, all the local stations except the one crappy one with nothing on anyway.  Saving almost $100/month.  I have one Smart TV, the other TVs have Chromecasts.  Controlling Hulu with the TV remote is MUCH easier from my phone than the TV remote.

Picture quality does get wonky sometimes, really only noticed on hockey

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