Going to get rid of cable soon and just keep the internet! Will I lose a lot of what Roku has to offer??
How good will Roku be when i get rid of cable?
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It depends what you want. If you want access to HBO Go and WatchESPN or really any cable channel's Roku app you either need a cable/satellite subscription or someone who is willing to share their account info with you. I use my parents' info for HBO Go and Epix. I'm hoping the new contract with ESPN includes WatchESPN access for Dish so I will be set for college football this fall.
I use use an Apple TV for the majority of my streaming but I have a Roku in my bedroom and I'm just as happy with that. The streaming services I subscribe to are Netflix ($8 per month), Amazon ($79 per year), and MLB.tv ($129 per year). Amazon and Netflix share a lot of the same content but they each do have stuff that the other doesn't. I could do without amazon if I didn't take advantage of the free 2 day shipping so often. Note that if you want Amazon stick to a Roku because it's not on Apple TV. I get around that limitation with game consoles on my main TV.
I also subscribe to a couple season passes on the Apple TV. This will give you access to just about everything the day after it airs except for premium series like the ones on HBO and Showtime. They typically range in price from $9.99 to $42.99 per season in HD depending on what show you want. They usually sell the SD version for quite a bit less but I always want HD. On a the Roku you would use Amazon or Vudu instead of iTunes for this. The prices are usually about the same on all of these services in my experience.
I get all my shows from the big 4 networks plus CW and PBS OTA. They are available with season passes too if you aren't able to get some of them OTA though.
I use use an Apple TV for the majority of my streaming but I have a Roku in my bedroom and I'm just as happy with that. The streaming services I subscribe to are Netflix ($8 per month), Amazon ($79 per year), and MLB.tv ($129 per year). Amazon and Netflix share a lot of the same content but they each do have stuff that the other doesn't. I could do without amazon if I didn't take advantage of the free 2 day shipping so often. Note that if you want Amazon stick to a Roku because it's not on Apple TV. I get around that limitation with game consoles on my main TV.
I also subscribe to a couple season passes on the Apple TV. This will give you access to just about everything the day after it airs except for premium series like the ones on HBO and Showtime. They typically range in price from $9.99 to $42.99 per season in HD depending on what show you want. They usually sell the SD version for quite a bit less but I always want HD. On a the Roku you would use Amazon or Vudu instead of iTunes for this. The prices are usually about the same on all of these services in my experience.
I get all my shows from the big 4 networks plus CW and PBS OTA. They are available with season passes too if you aren't able to get some of them OTA though.
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I have Roku, and like it. It is NOT a replacement for Cable or Satellite unless you do not watch much programming now. You can't just decide to watch a show you heard about, probably won't be found. That said there are a few series that are there, some you have to pay for some not, most all not available till sometime after the original air date, in some cases not till the whole season is over. If you have an antenna for the Networks that will help if you watch mostly the big four. Roku has a wide variety of programming (Some of which is available online by the way without it) but to use it as a way to watch many programs found on Cable/Satellite will be frustrating. But if money is an issue and you are prepared to just watch what you can that is available online/with a Roku, (Adjust what you watch and when) it does work for that.
Although not an everyday thing, be prepared to see an app/channel you like only to see it no longer available at some point. That has even happened with Youtube. And as mentioned above, there are some programs you still need a cable/satellite subscription to be able to watch.
Although not an everyday thing, be prepared to see an app/channel you like only to see it no longer available at some point. That has even happened with Youtube. And as mentioned above, there are some programs you still need a cable/satellite subscription to be able to watch.
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If you don't mind waiting for series' to be released, the netflix sub is good...Amazon for renting is not bad, either!
GOOD PBS selection, Discovery mainstream shows, and some movies that your local video store won't carry because they're
only interested in the "newer" releases. It was my incentive to try a roku when they were new, and I've not been disappointed.
Roku is a surprisingly GREAT box which delivers equally great quality if your 'net is stable and not bogged down. Mine is on
cable 'net on a commercial sub, so no issues, but I've run it with as low as 3mb down when camped at our local fair
on our broadcast DSL line.
Many series' I'm "turned on-to" by others are now fully available on Netflix, and I don't mind being late to the following of them, plus I
get to watch WHEN I want, and my only subscription now is netflix. Combined with over the air, it's a nice combination
for me! If you want to be up on the latest subscription TV program to talk-about at work, it won't probably fit....but
there's much more to life than that!
GOOD PBS selection, Discovery mainstream shows, and some movies that your local video store won't carry because they're
only interested in the "newer" releases. It was my incentive to try a roku when they were new, and I've not been disappointed.
Roku is a surprisingly GREAT box which delivers equally great quality if your 'net is stable and not bogged down. Mine is on
cable 'net on a commercial sub, so no issues, but I've run it with as low as 3mb down when camped at our local fair
on our broadcast DSL line.
Many series' I'm "turned on-to" by others are now fully available on Netflix, and I don't mind being late to the following of them, plus I
get to watch WHEN I want, and my only subscription now is netflix. Combined with over the air, it's a nice combination
for me! If you want to be up on the latest subscription TV program to talk-about at work, it won't probably fit....but
there's much more to life than that!
A couple things here are a little inaccurate. First, there are a lot more than a few series available and almost all of them are available the next morning after their original air date. The exceptions to that are premium series like the ones on HBO, Showtime, Cinemax, and Starz. Those don't become available until after the season unless you have someone's cable login. I am able to watch Game of Thrones within minutes of the episode ending using HBO Go.
Now, you aren't going to browse a channel guide and watch random stuff that is still in it's current season. You have to know what specific series you want to watch and buy a season pass. That's fine with me because I typically stuck to specific shows on my DVR instead of random TV anyways. If I do want to browse I just open up Netflix or Amazon. They have tons of series available for streaming as part of your subscription. There is enough there that I have only had to sign up for two season passes so far since cutting the cord. I didn't want to wait a year for The Walking Dead or Archer so I paid for those shows. If I was a little more patient both of them will be available on Netflix before next season starts.
I canceled Dish and went with OTA and streaming and I am happy with my decision. It was a good replacement for cable for me. The money I saved was a factor but I can afford pay TV. I just decided that I had enough alternatives that were cheaper and many of the shows I was paying $80 per month to watch are available free OTA. The only cable series I was recording when I canceled are the two I bought a season pass for.
In other words, just because I can afford pay TV doesn't mean I should write them a check every month for a service I don't need. The value just wasn't there anymore for me. When I look at a guide of over 100 channels and decide there is nothing worth watching it means it's time to move on and quit paying for reality TV on every channel.
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Season pass! Can someone explain to me what that means with Roku? Is it that you pay Roku some $$ for a series on Roku you would like to watch but cant if you have no cable tv or dish.
It all depends on your watching habits. If you watch mainly OTA and can take care of that with a TiVo or other device then you may only have a few shows to fill in via RoKu which is quite doable even if you have to buy the shows if you do not want for something like Hulu or Netflix.
You would buy a season pass from Amazon for shows that are available to view the day after they air new on whatever cable channel, otherwise you would have to wait 6 months or whatever until the entire season has finished airing before it becomes available to everyone
Amazon and iTunes both offer season pass. They tend to have bonus features too, sort of like buying the BluRay/DVD. You tend to get the episode between 2 and 6am the day after it airs on the network. iTunes does not work with the Roku.
Sure. Most shows end up on Netflix and Amazon Prime about the same time they come out on DVD. This is usually right before the next season starts on cable so you are often a season behind with Netflix or Amazon Prime. A season pass is something outside your Netflix or Amazon Prime membership. This is for the shows you want to watch while they are still new on cable instead of waiting until the season ends.
When I want to buy a season pass on my Roku amazon is my go to service. There are other options like Vudu but Amazon seems to be the preferred choice for most people. It's basically like buying a season of a show on DVD but you are buying it while the season is still airing on cable. The lowest price I have seen is $9.99 and the highest I have seen is $42.99. Most shows seem to be about $30. These are the HD prices. SD is cheaper. Unlike waiting for the season to come out on DVD you will get each episode the morning after it first airs on cable. Like a season on DVD these are uncut with no commercials.
$30 per season can seem expensive, and it is if you want 9 or 10 season passes at a time. In my case I only need two right now. So I spent a little over $60 on those two season passes but the seasons are 3 or 4 months long. They were the only two cable series I was currently recording when I canceled my Dish service. The rest of the shows I was recording are available to record with with my antenna. So basically I was paying $80 per month to record two shows. This can change depending on the time of the year but most of the shows I'm watching right now are on broadcast TV.
In addition to my antenna and my season passes I am watching shows I never saw before on Netflix and Amazon Instant like Mad Men, Justified, Doctor Who etc.... I am really hooked on the Netflix Original series House of Cards too. In my case I was already spending a lot of my TV time this way. I was just paying for dish on top of that.
If you are looking for a traditional model of TV where you turn on a channel and watch it live you won't find that on the Roku, at least not for most popular channels. If you think you can adapt to something like I'm doing you can save some decent money though.
Edit: oops. While I was typing out that long explanation on my iPad several people beat me to it.
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Thanks a lot for the help!Right now we still have cable tv but have added some rabbit ears for our flat screens.We also have recently bought a roku3 which my wife uses with a trial membership to both amazon prime and Netflix!I stream Netflix and other internet media on another flat screen with my computer.Better to see what we can view from other sources other than cable tv (loaded) instead of going cold turkey.PS! also have two FTA sat dishes for viewing but that's more of a hobby than a replacement.
Try the plex channel for roku. Plex works in conjunction with your computer. Set up network channels like nbc, abc, and the cw and watch them on your roku. Episodes are released at the same time free episodes are released on the networks' websites (often the day after). With plex for new shows and netflix for episodes that are a year or more old, there is a lot to watch.
Without a doubt the roku3 is a nice little box.
For me personally I have never been more content with the music & tv choices than what is offered on roku. Then again I'm no sports fan & there is nothing I gotta see live other than local news.
The few shows & movies I do purchase on amazon I get sd. Their sd is as good as what some claim to be hd. So it is worth the savings for me.
Dont forget to add the smithsonian channel. They have full length episodes of shows & their hd is absolutely stunning.
With the roku3 the YouTube channel can be paired back to a tablet or PC for easy searching & watching. That is very nice, with YouTube it seems to be the sky's the limit.
For me personally I have never been more content with the music & tv choices than what is offered on roku. Then again I'm no sports fan & there is nothing I gotta see live other than local news.
The few shows & movies I do purchase on amazon I get sd. Their sd is as good as what some claim to be hd. So it is worth the savings for me.
Dont forget to add the smithsonian channel. They have full length episodes of shows & their hd is absolutely stunning.
With the roku3 the YouTube channel can be paired back to a tablet or PC for easy searching & watching. That is very nice, with YouTube it seems to be the sky's the limit.
Don't forget, Roku3 can also bring you RADIO from all over the U.S! It's my understanding the Roku3 plays the newest encoding for radio stations that stream, and you can search for just about ANY location or type of station! If you enjoy radio, that may be another option for you! (and yes, I'm partial...our station is streamed on the TuneIn Radio app in Roku...)...and I'm told it's now able to serve our station along with many others to a bigger audience! Granted, this isn't your goal, but a nice 'extra.'
Time Warner has app that make the roku an extra cable box..if you could get a time warner password.......
It is tied to TWC internet. It may work for any TWC internet, but somehow I bet they can figure out if it is going to the wrong place. It is not for remote viewing, only in the same house as the cable connection.
I'm doing something slightly different than most here. Instead of dropping satellite completely, I dropped to a minimum package and kept the DVR so I could watch and record the OTA channels. That gives me the opportunity to watch the networks live or wait for the seasons to become free on Amazon. My Dish with Welcome Pack is $35 a month and gives me a handful of live channels to view and recording/archiving abilities. I weighed that against TiVo, which is $15 a month for just the guide and DVR with nothing extra added. I'm happy with basic Dish, Roku 3, and Amazon Prime along with just buying the seasons of The Walking Dead and Game of Thrones on BD. Still miss some of the HBO and Showtime series but a subscription to NetFlix streaming would solve that. Also keep in mind that Amazon is considering a $20 to $40 hike for Prime and loss of Net Neutrality ( Congress screwing the plebes again ) is likely to force NetFlix to double their monthly rates for streaming as well.
So. My $125-a-month Dish bill was reduced to about $50 a month including the cost of three season BD buys. I've actually found a few things that I would never have taken the time to watch if it was on cable/satellite. I don't factor in the cost of internet ( $52 a month ) since I'd have that whether I had a basic or deluxe programming package.
So. My $125-a-month Dish bill was reduced to about $50 a month including the cost of three season BD buys. I've actually found a few things that I would never have taken the time to watch if it was on cable/satellite. I don't factor in the cost of internet ( $52 a month ) since I'd have that whether I had a basic or deluxe programming package.
For those looking to cut the cord, I think think this is a good move, you get some basics, your DVR, reduce your bill and supplement in other ways
