TECH Roku?

[MtnGal]

Reading through Netfix reccomendations. What shows/movies do you suggest as good to watch? http://www.timebomb2000.com/vb/show...-shows-movies-do-you-suggest-as-good-to-watch

I have an older tv that is not HDtv. Are there any of the devices like Roku that anyone uses on old tv's? I do not have cable.

Do they all work off your computer? Can you use your computer to browse the internet while watching tv?

Any help is appreciated. I'm not tech at all so go slow and use small words...lol. Thanks

 

[Dennis Olson]

Are you saying that you have an old tube TV? The kind that needs a converter to get over-the-air signals now?

 

[Batt]

Roku uses your internet connection, but you can still use it for other devices. Otherwise we would be in a mess when all my daughters and grand kids show up. I had to add a second wireless modem to accommodate all of them. I don't think (pretty sure) that HD or even digital is required. My several year old extra tv does just fine.

 

[MtnGal]

Are you saying that you have an old tube TV? The kind that needs a converter to get over-the-air signals now?

I don't think it's a tube TV. I do have a box to pick up over-the-air signals. One decent station, local ABC and three PBS stations is all I pick up. TV is around 15 yrs old 32" screen with big back.

 

[Ellie]

I have a 15 yr old JVC that handles the roku well. I use the same hookup/connections that I use for the DVD player and then add the roku 'signal' to my wireless network and it works great.

 

[Dennis Olson]

I don't think it's a tube TV. I do have a box to pick up over-the-air signals. One decent station, local ABC and three PBS stations is all I pick up. TV is around 15 yrs old 32" screen with big back.

It's a tube TV, in that it uses an actual "picture tube." Not sure if any of the modern devices will be able to use that. You might be able to connect one through your converter box though, but definitely not direct.

 

[MtnGal]

Oh, okay Dennis, thought you meant those old glass tubes...lol, told you I'm not tech in any form.

Thanks Ellie, next time I'm on the other side of town I'll check with the guys at Best Buy.

 

[TA12SEC]

If you have a way take pictures of the plug ins on the back of your tv. Non hdmi means no roku 3 there's no way to make it work on a non hdmi tv I've been trying for months. The 2 works on normal RCA cables. The one likely does as well.
I have a 3 and it's great once I get it workin100% the hdmi problem. I'm ditching comcast.

 

[Flippper]

Roku depends upon your wifi or ethernet connection-you can go to their site and check out the different versions of their box (there are 3). There are 3rd party channels that carry all sorts of I live news and different options for movies and such. I had my first one hooked up to an old 54 inch flat screen RCA HDTV I bought in Florida in 2004, the kind that sits on the floor with the big back on it, it worked fine.

 

[kemosabe]

Roku is pretty awesome..... that is all...







lol

Nah, but seriously... my mom got the more expensive Roku box .. (I think it was around $65 maybe? and they have 2 or 3 different versions) , and we absolutely LOVE it...
If you can't find something good to watch through your Roku player, then Houston , you have a problem... lol

Besides having all the main major apps/channels such as Netflix, Hulu and etc... I think my mom said there are some 500+ channels with a ridiculous amount of subchannels with tv shows, movies, videos , pretty much whatever you could want... even specialized channels .. for example there is one channel I was watching the other day .. a Kung fu theatre type channel which had about 20 different kung-fu and other classic martial arts movies .. There are all sorts of cooking/recipe channels , more religious channels than you could shake a stick at.. lol ...

I know for fact though, that none of the "built-in" smart app stuff that they put in Blu-ray players, hd TV's and etc can hold a candle to the Roku player... WELL WORTH the money...

Matter of fact, we have been mulling over cutting our cable bill to where we only pay for internet and the absolute lowest tv service they offer where just maybe the main networks are available.... Because as of right now our bill with Comcast is nothing short of highway robbery... It's like $145 per month for tv and internet... and that is ridiculous ...
Heck with the Roku player, there isn't anything on tv that can't be streamed through the Roku player using Netflix , Hulu or etc... or found online to watch.....
So really there isn't a need to pay for tv...
Anyone who would want to cut their cable bill, this would be the way to go... A Netflix subscription , a Roku player and high speed internet is more than enough..

 

[Lilbitsnana]

Do you need multiple ROKU boxes for multiple TVs?

 

[Dennis Olson]

Depends. They are not wireless transmitters, so at the very least you would need a cable splitter and to run a physical cable to each tv.

 

[straightstreet]

My mom has roku and loves it. She pays for high speed internet and gets her local channels thru an antenna. She has 2 of the newer TV's though. I'm not sure if that makes a difference.

 

[don24mac]

I wouldn't buy a Roku 3 now because they require a credit card to authorize it during the setup. If you have an account already, I don't know if this applies. But, on the box it states a credit card is needed to setup and authorize it, and a $1.00 hold is placed on the card to assure it's a valid card. Roku also states this requirement on their website here under the setup instructions.

I wouldn't give them a credit card number to just hold on their servers for security and privacy reasons. I would only use internet paid for content, and not video purchased through Roku. There are other devices that work just as well that don't require a credit card to simply set it up (such as Amazon's Fire TV, or most bluray players, that cost about the same price, or are cheaper than the Roku 3).

 

[GeorgiaBoy]

We have an old Panasonic tv. This is the older tube model (about 15 to 20 years old). We will probably replace them one at a time with flat screens this year. Anyway we use an older Roku on it. Works wonderfully. Just bought a second Roku recently through Amazon. It was a factory refurb unit for around 30+. It has an HDMI adapter, and it will also connect to the component (RCA) jacks on older TVs. We did get a netflix account (7.50 mo) which allows us to watch several popular shows, and some pretty good movies. Roku also has some other channels which you can subscribe. Some are free, others cost. It works off our wireless router. So far we have been very please with it. We're thinking of cutting the cord also. Got some antennas through Amazon for flat screen tvs. We live about 30 miles west of Atlanta. If I can get the local channels with it, then we'll probably get rid of everything except internet. We can always use magic jack and keep our current land line number if we want to.

 

[Kevmoley]

I have a Roku 2 and 3 and I prefer the roku3 simply because it gets updates more frequent than the earlier versions. For example, the Netflix layout is updated on the 3 and still not on the earlier versions. Youtube app was on the roku3 several months before being added to the earlier versions too.

There are a lot of new products on the market now as well (amazon fire tv) that cost the same as the roku 3 and I would look at those before making a choice as well. Yes, roku has a lot of channels but I find a lot of them to be worthless and as long as you can get what is important (Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu Plus, Redbox Instant, Crackle, Sports, etc.) on another device, it may be a better way to go. I say this because I have a very fast internet connection and a very good router as well. However, I still have connection issues with Netflix (picture jumping, etc.) with my roku players. However, my playstation has a perfect picture for Netflix. So, I think the problem is with the roku and its memory.

Just my opinion..

Also, if you are looking for a message board with people talking about the Roku, I found this site to be helpful .. http://forums.roku.com/index.php?sid=03b5625c3e10bf66e41150695e667713

 

[MtnGal]

For now I ended up doing netflix through the Wii and the old TV. So far so good! Will check at a later date for Roku. For now I can watch some of the series like Homeland, Falling Skies and Under the Dome which my DD thought I'd enjoy.

 

[marsh]

I was watching some of the SYFY online like Dominion and Defiance. They must have signed some sort of contract with cable/dish as you must now have one of those services to watch. I guess I will have to see if HULU has it

 

[Suzieq]

I have a Roku 2 and 3 and I prefer the roku3 simply because it gets updates more frequent than the earlier versions. For example, the Netflix layout is updated on the 3 and still not on the earlier versions. Youtube app was on the roku3 several months before being added to the earlier versions too.

There are a lot of new products on the market now as well (amazon fire tv) that cost the same as the roku 3 and I would look at those before making a choice as well. Yes, roku has a lot of channels but I find a lot of them to be worthless and as long as you can get what is important (Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu Plus, Redbox Instant, Crackle, Sports, etc.) on another device, it may be a better way to go. I say this because I have a very fast internet connection and a very good router as well. However, I still have connection issues with Netflix (picture jumping, etc.) with my roku players. However, my playstation has a perfect picture for Netflix. So, I think the problem is with the roku and its memory.

Just my opinion..

Also, if you are looking for a message board with people talking about the Roku, I found this site to be helpful .. http://forums.roku.com/index.php?sid=03b5625c3e10bf66e41150695e667713

Thanks for the link!
We have an older Roku and it's not updating to the latest shows. We can get the latest on our laptop when we sign in, but not thru our Roku XR thru our TV. We have an older HD TV, but it does not have the newest HDMI connections.

 

[Flippper]

I wouldn't buy a Roku 3 now because they require a credit card to authorize it during the setup. If you have an account already, I don't know if this applies. But, on the box it states a credit card is needed to setup and authorize it, and a $1.00 hold is placed on the card to assure it's a valid card. Roku also states this requirement on their website here under the setup instructions.

I wouldn't give them a credit card number to just hold on their servers for security and privacy reasons. I would only use internet paid for content, and not video purchased through Roku. There are other devices that work just as well that don't require a credit card to simply set it up (such as Amazon's Fire TV, or most bluray players, that cost about the same price, or are cheaper than the Roku 3).

If you speak to a customer service rep they will waive that cc issue. My sister did. If you get a pissy rep, get one of those refillable cards at Walmart and use that. LOVE the Roku. Once it got Youtube back, it really rounded it out. You can use it on the older tv's but I think you need a direct wire from the unit to the tv, the newer tvs you can run wirelessly.

Using Nowhereman (a third party channel supply) is great for adding channels Roku can't carry. Roku offers nearly 1500 channels if memory serves, new ones added all the time. Do a search for private (I think it's what it's called) Roku channels, or do a search for Nowhereman and Roku, that should at least bring up his channel offerings.

PS My sister has the Roku 2, I have the Roku 3, I notice she doesn't get as many channel offerings in her Roku store tab (you can go to their site and sign in and add channels there, it's faster and easier to do for me, plus all their channels are there).

 

[Suzieq]

If you speak to a customer service rep they will waive that cc issue. My sister did. If you get a pissy rep, get one of those refillable cards at Walmart and use that. LOVE the Roku. Once it got Youtube back, it really rounded it out. You can use it on the older tv's but I think you need a direct wire from the unit to the tv, the newer tvs you can run wirelessly.

Using Nowhereman (a third party channel supply) is great for adding channels Roku can't carry. Roku offers nearly 1500 channels if memory serves, new ones added all the time. Do a search for private (I think it's what it's called) Roku channels, or do a search for Nowhereman and Roku, that should at least bring up his channel offerings.

PS My sister has the Roku 2, I have the Roku 3, I notice she doesn't get as many channel offerings in her Roku store tab (you can go to their site and sign in and add channels there, it's faster and easier to do for me, plus all their channels are there).

You have great information! Never heard of Nowhereman (Nowhere TV) before! I will check it out!

 

[dhelman47]

the roku works fine on older tv as that is what i have. I have the cheaper roku player as most of the other ones only work with the newer televisions. We have had ours for over a year works great no more satellite tv for us. We have a lot of channels that we have selected and could add more if we want.