Anyone ditched cable for a Roku box?

[JB2K]

I'm interested in hearing about your experiences with Roku -- Great? Not so great??

 

[minnie1928]

I considered the Roku, but then decided that the money was better spent just buying a Netflix capable dvd player. We have cut cable and we're doing just fine. We watch our shows via hulu or netflix. We've been catching up with shows that we didn't see the first few seasons of (Bones) and watching lots of favorite movies. Another positive...no commercials on Netflix! Now my kids don't nag me when they see something on a commercial, because there's no commercials!!

 

[lisaross]

i thought the RoKu was so u could watch netflix on ur tv. am i wrong?

I just got netflix last month, we really like it - though we would like to stream to watch on our tv's that don't have the Wii attached - what is the differnece then between getting a Roku box or a DVR w/the streaming builit in?

I'm interested in hearing about your experiences with Roku -- Great? Not so great??

 

[HeatherC]

I may be wrong, but I think the Roku could be cheaper too. They now have one for $60. Roku also has the ability to watch Amazon on demand, hulu plus, MLBTV among others. Can they all do this?

 

[JB2K]

HeatherC is right -- Roku (along with the new Google box) does way more than just Netflix for your TV screen. That's what had me interested.

Apple TV is too "Apple-restricted", IMO.

Plus, with Roku (and the others), you can watch your programs in HD -- you can't do that with Netflix on a Wii or a non-Blu-ray DVD player.

 

[CaliforniaDreamin]

Hmmm, my dad has threatened for years to get cable just so he could watch MLB. This would be a perfect Christmas gift. The MLB subscription is only 19.95 and Roku works on a standard tv, which is what he has. This is something I might keep my eye on.

Ok, I just saw where it says built in wi-fi. Does this mean my dad could cancel his internet through TWC and use Roku to access the internet?

 

[dfchelbay]

Hmmm, my dad has threatened for years to get cable just so he could watch MLB. This would be a perfect Christmas gift. The MLB subscription is only 19.95 and Roku works on a standard tv, which is what he has. This is something I might keep my eye on.

Ok, I just saw where it says built in wi-fi. Does this mean my dad could cancel his internet through TWC and use Roku to access the internet?

Wifi means it is wireless, but you have to have internet for it to be wireless on. So, no, you would still need to have some type of internet to use the built in wifi on the Ruku. Think of it this way, instead of using a cable (a wire) to hook Roku up to the internet (thru router), it is wifi (wireless) to hook up magically through mid air...no wires, i.e. wireless.

 

[minnie1928]

I may be wrong, but I think the Roku could be cheaper too. They now have one for $60. Roku also has the ability to watch Amazon on demand, hulu plus, MLBTV among others. Can they all do this?

My blu ray player has more options than just Netflix, but at the moment I can't remember what they are. We use Netflix or hook up to my laptop and watch hulu or something.

 

[CaliforniaDreamin]

Wifi means it is wireless, but you have to have internet for it to be wireless on. So, no, you would still need to have some type of internet to use the built in wifi on the Ruku. Think of it this way, instead of using a cable (a wire) to hook Roku up to the internet (thru router), it is wifi (wireless) to hook up magically through mid air...no wires, i.e. wireless.

Ok, gotcha. I think it will be perfect for my dad.

 

[JB2K]

Hmmm, my dad has threatened for years to get cable just so he could watch MLB. This would be a perfect Christmas gift. The MLB subscription is only 19.95 and Roku works on a standard tv, which is what he has. This is something I might keep my eye on.

That $19.95 price is only for the postseason games - ALDS/NLDS, ALCS/NLCS, and the World Series, which, for many would be pointless since the ALCS/NLCS and the World Series airs for free on your local FOX station.

Otherwise, for a whole season's worth of games, it's well over $100 (which compared to cable, isn't a bad deal). The only caveat is MLB.tv "blacks-out" your local home team (For example, I live near St. Louis, so I could not see any St. Louis Cardinals game until 2 hours after the game is over).

Ok, I just saw where it says built in wi-fi. Does this mean my dad could cancel his internet through TWC and use Roku to access the internet?

No, it's just a box that streams video -- it is not a web browser (like the old WebTV) plus, you would still need an internet service provider (ISP).

 

[marius97]

Does it let you watch Hulu for free? Or do you need to have the Hulu Plus? If I could find a way to get hulu on my tv, I would ditch my cable in a heart beat.

 

[minnie1928]

Does it let you watch Hulu for free? Or do you need to have the Hulu Plus? If I could find a way to get hulu on my tv, I would ditch my cable in a heart beat.

I watch hulu for free...I hook my macbook up to the tv using an HDMI cable. So, in essence, my tv becomes a monitor to watch hulu on.

 

[Muushka]

We are satelliteless now. Finally ditched DirecTv (got tired of playing the game, too much $$, here is your TEMPORARY discount).

Anywhoo, anyone have any answers for NASCAR races? That is the only reason (well, that and Iron Chef America) that we would pick up another satellite company or cable. Thanks

 

[crisi]

We got rid of cable for a Roku ages ago.

Its fine - as long as what you want to watch is streamable through Netflix or available through some Roku enabled streaming source. We also have a Neuros box, which lets us do some other things (like Hulu), but not well.

We have a Wii and a Playstation 3 and an XBox that will all stream Netflix, none do it as well as the Roku. It better quality, and simplier.

MLBTV tends to block local games. For instance, my husband couldn't watch Twins games.