Wide World of Women

Okay, don't laugh but I know absolutely nothing about this kind of stuff so try and help a stupid guy out! Recently I've cancelled DirecTV because I couldn't afford it so is Roku a good, cheaper option? I have a few basic questions. I have researched Roku online but am still confused. So you only pay once for the stick, right? And what channels do you get? Do you get local channels too? Are these all in HD? What about stuff like NFL games? Shopping Channels? News channels? Do you get those with Roku? Any basic help would be appreciated.

I understand your "stupid guy" comment but I feel think "overwhelmed guy" sounds a bit more appropriate!

So think of your Roku just like if you bought one of those "digital antennas" for your tv, as soon as you plug in the Roku all your local news channels as well as other local news channels (check the video below for that). Some content is edited differently when it gets posted to the apps, some is just a live stream as it is presented on their website in the best definition they offer.

Sports in general are beginning to lax on their streaming because of the ad revenue but we aren't "quite" there yet with getting full on streaming of every game, big events that you can already stream online and the kind of stuff that goes through ESPN3 are all right at your finger tips.

http://www.rokuguide.com/

CNet has a great review guide here as well on the Roku 3 vs the Roku 2
http://www.cnet.com/products/roku-3/

Basically a good place to start as far as seeing what is public aka free and what is private aka pay, things you would want to buy a subscription to are as easy as downloading an app to a phone or tablet or any other device like that for that matter. Most everything else basically is a cable box here is a video so you can see how the operating system/channel selection works



Some channels will have both a free front end as well as separate content behind a single pay or "subscription upgrade" cost. You'll find most of the sports stuff has the second option than the first. I sub to a few pro wrestling channels and it was as easy as using Amazon to order something.


Hope this helps, if you have any more questions feel free to ask!

Oh whoops, I would also recommend getting the Roku 2 or 3 vs the stick

Thanks so much, Brad, this was very helpful! I do have a few questions for you...First, I am still confused, do you get live feeds of any TV channels? For instance can you view stuff like FOX News, ABC, NBC networks, NFL Network, A&E, QVC ect. live? Would I get live Pittsburgh Steeler games and Pttsburgh Pirates games?
Another question is does Roku just work for one TV in the house? Or would you need another receiver for the TV that's in your bedroom? Do some people have cable and Roku together? Thanks!!!

Both "On/In Demand" and a "Live" options are available with most channels but not all channels, a good way to check is to see if they are already streaming live on their own website. There are also a lot of free channels that don't cost anything they are just like adding an app/program to any other device.

You do lose the traditional "flipping through the channels" which is definitely something to get use to, each channel is basically like a program you would click to open on your PC desktop or an app you'd open on your phone.

The sports streaming really depends on how your teams broadcasting deal works, like here I can watch Seahawks games via my local affiliate that always broadcasts them, but because the Mariners have a contract through FS1/ROOT/FOXSports (whatever they call themselves now) the only way I can access Mariners games via a stream is with the MLB.TV app, so I can't confirm that in other sports markets it works differently, I would guess though if one of your local affiliates carries the Pirates you'd be able to watch it on that same channel. All the stuff on sports streaming is very much at a "wait and see" situation, I think things will only lax up more, it's come a long way in a short time just in making all the playoffs and regular big games available online for free.

As far as the "single tv setup" that's where having a stick model definitely comes in handy if you want to move it around the house, basically like a USB thumb drive. So you might consider that but if you want the power to cap and do other things the Roku 2/3 model would definitely be something you'd want as well. The Roku 2 model is cheaper and is equally as powerful as the 3.

You would not be able to have 1 Roku device and say, have one person watching News on it and another person watching a sports game on two different televisions, which is one of the reasons people have Roku and Cable together because of the other apps that it allows you to run via your television (Netflix, Hulu, various PPV apps/channels) it's essentially a way to upgrade an "un-smart" television/monitor to all the capabilities "smart television" that costs more and if something goes wrong with the smart features can't be replaced as easily as a Roku

Got it. Thanks so much, Brad, I have a far better understanding now. The Pirates games here are shown on Root FS1/Pittsburgh while Steelers games are telecasts on our local CBS affiliate KDKA Channel 2, except of course when the Steelers play select games on FOX or Sun/Mon/Thu night games.
In my case I just couldn't afford to keep DirecTV and was looking for a cheaper route. Basically I don't watch any network TV shows at all, just mostly sports like football, baseball, wrestling ect. I am more interested in seeing those sports when they are live than watching them on demand or watching old movies on demand. And I do like my local news and FOX or CNN live too, but honestly that's about it. Would you think it would be wise for me to go with Roku considering what I like to watch? If so what Roku version would you recommend buying to fit my needs? Thanks!

Personally I love having my Roku and I would recommend it as a way to ease cutting the cord without hurting the pocketbook.

It sounds like the Roku is going to be worth it for what you are looking for, after reading back over your posts, I would probably recommend starting with the stick model that way you could move it around to different televisions and upgrade to a Roku 2 (less expensive, same performance as 3) for the television set you'd one one stationary at. Basically the model is just like a usb thumbstick you are all logged in on so it's a plug and play once you are all set up on your wireless internet. (This is also why I prefer the Roku 2 model because you can plug your ethernet directly in, I don't always get the best wireless signal)

Another feature I really enjoy is having the headphones on the remote, I do like to be able to listen to things late at night and you always know where the remote is because it's hooked to your ears!


For me something like Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast is the closest thing you get for "pay what you want to watch" television, it sounds to me like from the stuff you are looking to watch you'd be very set up on free content, including free movie/syndicated/new content channels that you might find you enjoy that you wouldn't see on a cable package. I like how easy it is to subscribe/unsubscribe from services, most let you buy a giftcard subscription at a store so if you want to try something like WWE Network, a 3 month subscription for $30 from Walmart and just redeem the code through the code redemption option on the app inside the Roku and you are all set, when the subscription runs out it's up to you to get another gift/subscription card and renew.

There is also Sling TV (an app that works like Netflix/WWE Network) that you can subscribe to for $20 a month that is an app for your Roku device to complement the other free content another video Here explaining the Sling TV process.

No problem, glad to help, the bill for all that other crazy stuff most folk don't watch is ridiculous. I think once you have the device it will also be easier to feel comfortable with it as you are learning to actually work with it, again if you have any other questions hit me up on here or by PM

jt20042: just a few thoughts about Roku...

That's a very good explanation that Brad28 gave you of how Roku works... and saves you a ton of money in the process. Went from $150/mo Comcrap bill to $27/mo bill via Roku with Netflix / Hulu / Amazon Prime. It's all the pay sites I need! Cut the cord two years ago and I can truthfully say I've never looked back.

The only things I do miss are Fox News because Roger Ailes refused to institute a "pay as you go" method like some of the other major TV stations have. FoxNews channel is available, but not live on-the-air as it happens. Sports I *can* avoid missing, which is not free via Roku, because I stuck up a Mohu HD antenna up to grab the local stations which carry it. True, I cannot get FS1 or ESPN or whatever channel carries NFL on Thursday nights, etc. but I don't miss it now anyhow. The only thing you have to be careful of is to check beforehand when signing up for a channel if there are charges that go along with it. I have yet to run into a channel that didn't clearly spell out their charges before you got too far down the road paying for something you don't want! There are a ton of channels to choose; you might spend some time looking through them to find the free ones. Just about every topic you can think of, and then some.

This month Roku is revamping their lineup of units, and depending on how new your TV is may determine which one you can use. As I read it, but you should check for yourself... the Roku 1 will be the basic entry-level unit that uses AV cables (red, white, yellow) to hook up your TV to it. Roku 3 will hook up via Ethernet with an HDMI connection on your TV, and Roku 4 is basically the same, but will do 4K / UHD TV signals and has audio return on it. I myself have a Roku 2 because I have an older high-end analog TV with the AV cables that still has a great picture... but the Roku 2 won't be available for much longer and I am not sure the Roku 1 will have as much capability built into it. Of course, if you have a newer/newest TV, then a USB stick might be the easiest, since you can move it between TVs when you need to.

If you want to go with a Roku 2, look around for one of the version that has both the AV cable and Ethernet inputs built in.
I tried to get one of those and Roku had just stopped selling them around that same time, so you might not be able to get that one, and only the new Roku 3/4 have Ethernet connectors.

Finally, I just happened to look at some new TVs this week, and some of them have the Roku unit already built into the TV itself! I don't look that closely at them, but they seemed to be reasonably priced smart TVs. So if you think you might need a new TV, then consider that.... Best Buy was selling a 39" WITH Roku built in for $299! (I don't work for Best Buy nor do I know anything about their products, just sayin')

Anyway, Brad28 gave you good info and I tried to add a little color to it so you could make an easier decision than I had to when I heard about "this Roku thingy" as someone called... Good luck!

Much thanks, xx. I like it. I had cut costs and gotten an antenna as well to get locals/sports. It's just a matter of time before the major networks start streaming sports live. They already do with slingTV. I always stay away from "Free Trials" on Roku too...just don't like those. The free stuff is enough for me.
Like everything I'm sure Roku will make the older versions obsolete and force you to upgrade, but that's okay as they are really not expensive compared to what I was paying for DirecTV a month! Wow, didn't know they started building Roku into the TV's. But it makes total sense. Just a matter of time before all cable and sattelite dishes are gone for good. Thanks again for the tips!!!