Roku

[GOBILLS78]

I'm putting a new TV in a spare bedroom and don't want to pay for another cable box, so I'm considering buying a Roku. I know many of you have one. A few questions:

 

1.) Are you happy with it?

 

2.) If I get one, it would probably be the lowest model, Roku 2 HD. Anybody have any experience with it?

 

3.) I'm already streaming Netflix on a PS3 in a different room. I can still stream from the same Netflix account on the Roku 2 in a different room, right?

 

Also, I should note, I don't want to pay any additional monthly fees. I just want to stream from the get-go with what comes with the Roku.

 

One more thing -- I'm also considering Apple TV because I have an iPhone and iMac, and I like the thought of seamlessly sharing content on all devices.

 

Thanks.

Edited August 16, 2011 by GOBILLS78

[Fan in Chicago]

I'm putting a new TV in a spare bedroom and don't want to pay for another cable box, so I'm considering buying a Roku. I know many of you have one. A few questions:

 

1.) Are you happy with it?

 

2.) If I get one, it would probably be the lowest model, Roku 2 HD. Anybody have any experience with it?

 

3.) I'm already streaming Netflix on a PS3 in a different room. I can still stream from the same Netflix account on the Roku 2 in a different room, right?

 

Also, I should note, I don't want to pay any additional monthly fees. I just want to stream from the get-go with what comes with the Roku.

 

Thanks.

 

First of all, Roku is not a subsitute for your cable box. It is an easy and very good way to stream net audio and video content. I have been using the 720p (XD?) version for a year now primarily to stream Netflix and Pandora. I occasionally try radio stations also:

1. I am very happy with it - easy setup, simple operation and very reliable. Don't expect too many bells and whistles. It is light and competent

2. as I said above, I have the middle tier one and it works great

3. I have Netflix devices in three places and can stream from any one. I am not sure I have tried concurrently watching Netflix - your bandwidth may be an issue

 

There are no fees for Roku - there are several free channels besides Pandora (and Netflix if you already subscribe to it). But don't expect a whole lot of free and good content

[GOBILLS78]

First of all, Roku is not a subsitute for your cable box. It is an easy and very good way to stream net audio and video content. I have been using the 720p (XD?) version for a year now primarily to stream Netflix and Pandora. I occasionally try radio stations also:

1. I am very happy with it - easy setup, simple operation and very reliable. Don't expect too many bells and whistles. It is light and competent

2. as I said above, I have the middle tier one and it works great

3. I have Netflix devices in three places and can stream from any one. I am not sure I have tried concurrently watching Netflix - your bandwidth may be an issue

 

There are no fees for Roku - there are several free channels besides Pandora (and Netflix if you already subscribe to it). But don't expect a whole lot of free and good content

 

Thanks. I'm not looking at it as a cable box substitute; I just want a reliable, low-cost streaming player for a spare bedroom. I'd like to give guests something to watch, and using Netflix would be fine. It will rarely be used otherwise.

[GG]

I use it mostly for music streaming, not video. For that it's not better than the old Roku Soundbridges, as there was a lot of set up that I needed to do to add other streaming servers - Squeezebox, Rocksbox etc. The Shoutcast channel doesn't have as much functionality as the PC version. Too bad there's no Winamp channel to manually add the streaming URL that I need.

 

So it depends on your use. If it's for Netfix & other video, then it's ok. But for music, it's more limited than a smartphone or a tablet.

[Fezmid]

First of all, Roku is not a subsitute for your cable box. It is an easy and very good way to stream net audio and video content. I have been using the 720p (XD?) version for a year now primarily to stream Netflix and Pandora. I occasionally try radio stations also:

1. I am very happy with it - easy setup, simple operation and very reliable. Don't expect too many bells and whistles. It is light and competent

2. as I said above, I have the middle tier one and it works great

3. I have Netflix devices in three places and can stream from any one. I am not sure I have tried concurrently watching Netflix - your bandwidth may be an issue

 

There are no fees for Roku - there are several free channels besides Pandora (and Netflix if you already subscribe to it). But don't expect a whole lot of free and good content

+1

[ajzepp]

I love my Roku box. One of the coolest things about it is that it's very simple to move from one tv to another. If I want to go to someone else's place and watch a movie, all I have to do is take the box with me and I have access to my entire Netflix streaming library, Amazon streaming, etc. All you do is just log onto their network and you're good.

 

I keep mine in the bedroom and I use it nearly every night. It's about the best $60 I ever spent and I haven't had a single problem with it yet. (I've owned it nearly a year.)

[/dev/null]

1.) Are you happy with it?

Yes

 

2.) If I get one, it would probably be the lowest model, Roku 2 HD. Anybody have any experience with it?

I don't know off the top of my head what model I have. But I wouuld recommend getting whatever Roku model best supports your TV. If you have a full 1080p HD TV you should get a Roku that supports full 1080p, because in a couple of months you'll be kicking yourself for not getting one. Conversely if you're watching on a standard def 480p TV there's no need to get more than the basic model.

 

3.) I'm already streaming Netflix on a PS3 in a different room. I can still stream from the same Netflix account on the Roku 2 in a different room, right?

You can have multiple devices configured for your Netflix account. I've not attempted to run all 3 simultaniously so I don't know if that's possible or feasible from a bandwith standpoint

 

Also, I should note, I don't want to pay any additional monthly fees. I just want to stream from the get-go with what comes with the Roku.

Netflix has a monthly fee (which I assume you are already paying). There are other fee based services available on your Rokku as well as free content

 

One more thing -- I'm also considering Apple TV because I have an iPhone and iMac, and I like the thought of seamlessly sharing content on all devices.

I have no experience with Apple TV as I have not yet been assimilated by the Apple Borg

[LeviF]

I keep mine in the bedroom and I use it nearly every night.

It's best out of context.

 

 

 

Actually, it's pretty good in context too. It tells us how much action you're getting

[dhg]

I'm putting a new TV in a spare bedroom and don't want to pay for another cable box, so I'm considering buying a Roku. I know many of you have one. A few questions:

 

1.) Are you happy with it?

 

2.) If I get one, it would probably be the lowest model, Roku 2 HD. Anybody have any experience with it?

 

3.) I'm already streaming Netflix on a PS3 in a different room. I can still stream from the same Netflix account on the Roku 2 in a different room, right?

 

Also, I should note, I don't want to pay any additional monthly fees. I just want to stream from the get-go with what comes with the Roku.

 

One more thing -- I'm also considering Apple TV because I have an iPhone and iMac, and I like the thought of seamlessly sharing content on all devices.

 

Thanks.

 

1- I am very happy with it. I use it mostly for Netflix and streaming music. There are a bunch of free channels on their too, some are good, some not so good. All depends what you are into. They are adding new channels all the time too.

 

2- I would go for the top model. It's not that much more and like someone else mentioned, you will be kicking yourself in a few months for not getting the better model.

 

3- Yes, you are correct.

Edited August 16, 2011 by dhg

[GOBILLS78]

Thanks for the great feedback. You've persuaded me.

[ajzepp]

It's best out of context.

 

 

 

Actually, it's pretty good in context too. It tells us how much action you're getting

 

I like to spank my roku when he's being naughty...sometimes I need to get the whip