Has anybody here given "roku" a try?

[1958Bassman]

I finally got an ipad and I do the hotspot with my phone and it works very well. Through a fluke I ended up with a 4G phone with unlimited data with Verizon. Haven't tried Netflix yet but I'd be surprised if there were any issues.. it's fine on the phone. Streaming also works fine in the car while using bluetooth audio or aux inputs (no, I don't watch while driving).

I've been using Western Digital WDTV Live boxes for years, play back hard disk content and internet apps. Kind of a love/hate relationship with them though.

I also have streaming through Tivo and blu- ray players at home. They all work.

If you have an iPad, get an AppleTV- you can mirror the iPad's display if it was made after mid-2011.

 

[Brad Johnson]

Slow down, this is my first Apple product since my 80GB iPod. I'm a hardcore PC guy.

 

[Mound of Sound]

I've had a Roku for about a year now. Couldn't justify spending $100/month to sit on my couch. If your TV is hi-def, it most likely has a QAM tuner in it. I have my TV still plugged into my cable, and there's quite a few channels 'in the clear' that we can get (although they just took a bunch away from me).

You could always shut off the TV and play your bass.

 

[Chunk-O-Funk]

Just got a Roku 3

So far I'm very pleased with the performance and have Pandora playing. I let cable go and have an antenna that picks up my local stations. I'll use my Roku for entertainment as well, how much remains to be seen. It was easy to set up to a wireless network and I like the UI. The PQ is very good. The station lineup seems to be great as well. I already have a Netflix account and will have to get back to you on the rest. There seems to be a few stations to check out.

In my previous post I was concerned about missing football games. Without cable it looks like I will miss Monday night games. Not a deal breaker for me but if there is anything that would be missed on a cable station I would keep them.

Roku makes a great unit in my opinion.

 

[curbowkid]

I got one with my new apartment. Still havent figured it out totally. Is it all free? Or do some things cost money? Someone help!

 

[Chunk-O-Funk]

I got one with my new apartment. Still havent figured it out totally. Is it all free? Or do some things cost money? Someone help!

A lot of channels are free or have free versions. Some need a subscription which will cost you.

 

[Ziltoid]

This article is pretty good imo.

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[bass81800]

I got it originally to watch stuff on Amazon Prime on the TV. Easy to set up with wireless, and need to explore more of what it offers, including music. Glad I have it, even if it is not used that much.

 

[warnergt]

I've had a Roku for about a year now. Couldn't justify spending $100/month to sit on my couch.

Sounds like my situation.

One year ago this month, I got an antenna, a Roku box and
completely cancelled my cable TV. I'm saving over $100 per
month ($1200 so far!). My $50 TV antenna paid for itself
in two weeks.

With the antenna, I get 7 stations which give me 7 hi-def
channels (including ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox) plus 8
standard-def channels (e.g. Antenna TV, Me-TV, Cool TV).
Over the Internet, using the Roku box and a few other devices,
we primarily use Netflix and Amazon for programming.

We miss a few channels and a few conveniences but, overall,
the experiment has been a huge success.

I'm planning on installing a bigger antenna to pull in the next
TV market (Philly). That will give me another 12 stations/40+ channels.

 

[JimK]

Bought Roku 2 (HD) in March.
Far easier to get up & running vs. the Sony Blu-Ray WiFi-Ready player downstairs; a 10-year old (literally) could follow Roku's installation guide.
So far, I am very pleased. Cut the cord from our local monopoly/Cable provider.
Have an indoor/powered antenna ($70 from Best Buy) for the NFL. The HD from the antenna is better than what the local monopoly/Cable provider's.

Amazon Prime & Netflix HD is OK...VuDu looks best to me.

Things I really like-
Pandora
Amazon Cloud Player...Amazon recently began a program called AutoRip (buy a cd, a digital version is included immediately & free)...anything bought since 2000(?) that was AutoRip-eligible was sent into my Cloud Player...plus the stuff I have sent up...all available for streaming.

I admit, I am missing MLB right now (last year, got into the nightly habit of Nationals baseball on MASN).
If you consider MLB/Roku, big caveat-
I was a click away from buying the package for $129 (ALL Games - "Blackouts").
Talking to a rep as I was in buy mode, he mentioned what "Blackouts" entail. I was not concerned 'cause I am not in a Major League market...but I was told it goes by ZIP CODES. My Zip puts me in the Nats/Orioles market (200+ miles away).
Result: I would not be able to see either (until these games go into "archived status" 2 hours after their start).
I passed.

 

[Bob Lee (QSC)]

I just bought the MLS Live season package, which is one of the channels available on Roku.