Netflix? Roku? Technologically impaired, please help!

[ChrisinNJ]

I have Comcast (switched from verizon fios almost 2 years ago...big mistake), and I plan to switch to Verizon Fios in a few months when my contract is up.


We have HBO, Showtime and Starz. Honestly, we rarely watch movies.

I saw the Netflix site and know that it is $7.99 per month. We have xbox, and wii, so I understand we can watch Netflix through them. I also hope to buy a new TV in a few months, and I know that some can be connected to Netflix directly.

I have also heard of Roku, but no idea of what it is.

If you have netflix, is there a limit to how many devices you can use it with? Wii, Xbox, Laptop, tablet? Can you watch different movies on different devices at one time?

Do you have to be on wifi to watch? or can you download a movie and take it with you?

We have a motorhome, so I thought Netflix could be a nice way to watch movies at home and on vacation. But, as I said I am technologically challenged, so how hard is it to use??

 

[AuroraRora]

A roku is a device that lets you use Netflix, Hulu, Youtube etc on your tv instead of having to be on a laptop, but if you have your wii etc, you wouldn't need it. Roku is for people that just have the tv, and no gaming devices, and want to be able to watch netflix. I'd look into Hulu as well, I had netflix and then switched to Hulu because I felt their selection was better, for the things I was interested in anyway. I felt a lot of netflix's movie choices were outdated, and I was more interested in watching TV and hulu has a lot of current tv shows.

Netflix is a streaming site, so as far as I know, its not possible to download the movies, I think you'd have to get the dvd-ordering package for that. And I believe you can only use the account for one movie at a time. If you're logged and watching a movie in the living room, and someone else logged in upstairs and started a new movie, I think it would cancel out the first one. My roommate and I shared a netflix account and we'd have to check the other wasnt already using it. Eventually we got our own accounts.

 

[usnuzuloose]

I have 2 roku boxes and I love them. I don't have cable or anything else and we are very happy not having a cable bill.

 

[cmwade77]

Netflix lets you stream to 2 devices at a time with no DVD package, if you subscribe to the DVD package, then it is the number of DVDs you can have out at a time plus the 2 basic streams.

This is not always enforced, but sometimes they do.

 

[MinnieLovesMickey12]

I have a ROKU 2. I bought it to use on my living room TV because I have Amazon Prime and get free streaming and movies and did not want to have to watch the stuff on my computer or on the Kindle Fire.

There is a lot of stuff you can watch on the Roku even if you don't have HULU or NETFLIX. They have a lot of free channels and programming.

I just only use it for Amazon Prime content.

I use Blockbuster by mail because you can have 3 DVD's at one time as many times per month as you can get them back and forth. This use to be an even better deal when we still had an actual Blockbuster store in our town but since the BB store here closed it is not such a great deal anymore at $19 a month.

I never subscribed to Netflix because from everything I have heard from ppl it is all older shows and old movies that you can stream on there and nothing new. If you want new movies you have to get the DVD's by mail and then you can only have out one at a time. That would just be irritating to me.

I now use Redbox for new release movie rentals and the Roku for Amazon Prime. But I do also have DirecTv with movie channels that I rarely ever watch.

Hulu is good for network shows I think. From what I understand you can see the shows the next day after they air. But you have to pay for HULU Plus if you want to see that stuff. It costs about the same as Netflix.

 

[wiigirl]

I love my Roku....I highly recommend them.

 

[tzeitel]

I got a Roku a few days ago and just a head's up - you cannot get HBO Go if you have Comcast. I would've loved to have known this before I bought it but I still like it since there are some pretty cool free channels.

With Xbox you need an XBox gold membership to get HBO Go and Netflix, not sure about Wii. For Netflix you could also get it through a blu-ray player or a TV that supports streaming.

 

[ChrisinNJ]

I got a Roku a few days ago and just a head's up - you cannot get HBO Go if you have Comcast. I would've loved to have known this before I bought it but I still like it since there are some pretty cool free channels.

With Xbox you need an XBox gold membership to get HBO Go and Netflix, not sure about Wii. For Netflix you could also get it through a blu-ray player or a TV that supports streaming.

What is HBO Go? We have HBO, but not familiar with HBO Go.

 

[tzeitel]

What is HBO Go? We have HBO, but not familiar with HBO Go.

You can access HBO on mobile devices, computers, Xbox and bluray players that have streaming capabilities. You can watch all of the HBO shows (has all of the seasons) and a bunch of movies - more than on OnDemand.

 

[elgerber]

I got a Roku a few days ago and just a head's up - you cannot get HBO Go if you have Comcast. I would've loved to have known this before I bought it but I still like it since there are some pretty cool free channels.

With Xbox you need an XBox gold membership to get HBO Go and Netflix, not sure about Wii. For Netflix you could also get it through a blu-ray player or a TV that supports streaming.

I have Charter and I can get HBO Go, on my Ipad, but not on my Roku either. Only Max Go. I am guessing HBO has some weird contracts that prevent them currently from working with Roku.

 

[Golf4food]

If it matters, remember that the Wii is not HD, so if you enjoy HD quality you need something better than a Wii for streaming. The Roku can do HD. We have a Roku 2XS and love it. Much more versatile because there are so many channel options - free, pay-per-view, or subsciption. We use it regularly for Netflix, Amazon Prime, Amazon Cloud player (music), Pandora, etc.

 

[JB2K]

If it matters, remember that the Wii is not HD, so if you enjoy HD quality you need something better than a Wii for streaming. The Roku can do HD. We have a Roku 2XS and love it. Much more versatile because there are so many channel options - free, pay-per-view, or subsciption. We use it regularly for Netflix, Amazon Prime, Amazon Cloud player (music), Pandora, etc.

It should be noted that the latest version of Wii, "Wii U" is now an HD model, meaning everything looks normal on the new TVs with no "stretch-o-vision"...

 

[JB2K]

I have Charter and I can get HBO Go, on my Ipad, but not on my Roku either. Only Max Go. I am guessing HBO has some weird contracts that prevent them currently from working with Roku.

"HBO Go" (and similar services for iPad from Disney/ESPN) are specifically for cable/satellite subscribers, as an incentive...

 

[jnhfrady]

We recently purchased a Roku and we love it. It streams so much better than the other devices we tried. We are way out in the country and don't have many options. It has been wonderful.

 

[elgerber]

"HBO Go" (and similar services for iPad from Disney/ESPN) are specifically for cable/satellite subscribers, as an incentive...

I am a subscriber but HBO go is not available on my Roku only IPad

 

[abcboys]

In an effort to save some money we downgraded our DISH network to the lowest 24.99 package (saving $20) and got rid of the dual receiver for tv's 3 and 4 in the basement (saving $14). We bought a roku at walmart and now subscribe to netflix. We've always found interesting things to watch on netflix and honestly I like watching a lot of older stuff. We have a wii in our bedroom and DS has an xbox downstairs so we can also watch netflix on those tv's if we want but I think you can only watch 2 at a time. Roku box does have a lot of channels, some free, some pay. Hubby found several outdoor free channels on the roku but I honestly haven't found many other channels very interesting. I do like to listen to music on the roku with pandora.

If your looking to save money I highly recommend it. I could probably get rid of satellite all together if we put an antenna up to receive local channels.