Cord Cutters, my favorite channels (apps), and yours

[NewTimes]

Purchased 1st Roku in 2012. Relieved myself of the $100+ monthly Dish fee. Love the flexibility to watch what I want, when I want. I'm on my 4th Roku now. Here are some of my apps:
Paid: Netflix, Acorn
Others: PBS, Democracy Now, CBSN, NBC News, YouTube, Smithsonian, and through Spectrum ESPN.

These are the ones we watch the most. We have about another 20 that we watch, or listen to seldom.

What are you channels (apps)?

 

[brucethebroker]

We watch the over the air free local channels and Netflix. Also DVD's from the local library. I occasionally watch something online, on the computer-nothing lately.

 

[whenicandave]

I have never had cable. Can't stand paying to watch commercials. I have a Western digital nas drive with 2 silicon dust tuners attached to it. To manage the recordings I use Plex. Bought the life time pass which allows me to do so much it's crazy. Also use it to organize my music library, personal photos and videos along with movie catalog. You can watch what you want on any device. Smart TVs have the Plex app available as does Android and iOS. Oh and by the way the DVR skips the commercials for me automatically.

 

[ocean view]

Kanopy: they have independent, foreign & classic movies, all free. You have to login through your local library account.

 

[tomc5179]

Philo and Pluto. I was going to go with Sling until I found out they are owned by Dish. I don't watch hardly any sports and Philo has about all of the tech and science shows that stream live for $16 per month, so I felt I had to have it. Very happy with it. Pluto has an amazing amount of content all for free!

 

[Scots]

I am a live sports guy, so we have PlayStation Vue. Works awesome on Roku. Was paying about $200 for Comcast bundle, now down to about $115 with fast internet and Vue.

 

[NewTimes]

Until about 3 days ago, I was using ChannelPear on the Roku. CP was one of those programs where individuals acquire the signals then post them on a website for consumers to use. CP was free for the 1st 5 channels then a cost afterwards. I chose to watch MSNBC (with a 30 minute delay), ESPN, MLB, CNN and SCI. And as Roku has done in the past, they discover the app and terminate it.

 

[Chuckanut]

To manage the recordings I use Plex. Bought the life time pass which allows me to do so much it's crazy. Also use it to organize my music library, personal photos and videos along with movie catalog. You can watch what you want on any device. Smart TVs have the Plex app available as does Android and iOS.

Do you know of a good primer for Plex? Something that will give an ignorant newbie like me an idea of what it does and how to set it up?

 

[Conundrum]

Netflix & OTA. Going to cancel Amazon prime as we have found we just don’t use it.

 

[Cobra9777]

We have two Fire TV boxes. We subscribe to Playstation Vue, Netflix, Amazon Prime, and PBS Passport. We also run the Silk browser for YouTube. Those five get the most use, by far. Lesser used apps include:

- Smithsonian (just the free stuff)
- Fox Sports Go (Texas Rangers games using the in-laws cable credentials, PS Vue does not offer FS-Southwest)
- History (not included with PS Vue, use in-laws cable credentials)
- Pandora and Tidal for music (Pandora free, we subscribe to Tidal lossless)
- Prime Photos (real time cloud access to photos from all our devices)
- lots of others we installed out of curiosity but almost never use

A couple times each year, I subscribe to Curiosity Stream, which offers really high quality documentaries related to science, technology, history, and nature. I binge watch all the new content for a month and then unsubscribe. DW does the same with BritBox. They are both Prime add-on subscriptions.

 

[Freedom56]

This is what I get when I query my Roku on my network:

<app version="4.2.90479014" type="appl" id="12" subtype="ndka">Netflix</app>
<app version="1.0.70500258" type="appl" id="837" subtype="ndka">YouTube</app>
<app version="3.9.3979" type="appl" id="74519" subtype="rsga">Pluto TV</app>
<app version="1.8.0" type="appl" id="73376" subtype="sdka">ABC</app>
<app version="2.8.20180612" type="appl" id="31440" subtype="rsga">CBS All Access</app>
<app version="2.6.0" type="appl" id="68669" subtype="rsga">NBC</app>
<app version="3.7.5717" type="appl" id="47389" subtype="rsga">FXNOW</app>
<app version="2.0.31" type="appl" id="111255" subtype="rsga">The CW</app>
<app version="2.8.1" type="appl" id="23353" subtype="rsga">PBS Video</app>
<app version="3.1.1" type="appl" id="75151" subtype="rsga">USA Network</app>
<app version="3.1.1" type="appl" id="86306" subtype="rsga">Bravo Now</app>
<app version="3.1.1" type="appl" id="86308" subtype="rsga">E!</app>
<app version="1.11.4" type="appl" id="90765" subtype="rsga">TLC GO</app>
<app version="1.11.4" type="appl" id="96041" subtype="rsga">Discovery GO</app>
<app version="2.1.1" type="appl" id="35442" subtype="rsga">AETV</app>
<app version="2.1.1" type="appl" id="35058" subtype="rsga">LIFETIME</app>
<app version="1.0.257" type="appl" id="154149" subtype="rsga">Watch TBS</app>
<app version="1.0.257" type="appl" id="154157" subtype="rsga">Watch TNT</app>
<app version="2.3.38" type="appl" id="74218" subtype="rsga">Paramount Network</app>
<app version="2.6.3163" type="appl" id="75617" subtype="rsga">Food Network</app>
<app version="2.6.3163" type="appl" id="75619" subtype="rsga">HGTV</app>
<app version="3.1.1" type="appl" id="86398" subtype="rsga">SYFY</app>
<app version="2.3.38" type="appl" id="63344" subtype="rsga">Comedy Central</app>
<app version="1.2.501180064" type="appl" id="164003" subtype="rsga">Cartoon Network</app>
<app version="2.4.91" type="appl" id="32828" subtype="rsga">DisneyNow</app>
<app version="2.1.1" type="appl" id="35059" subtype="rsga">HISTORY</app>
<app version="1.11.4" type="appl" id="90764" subtype="rsga">Animal Planet GO</app>
<app version="2.6.3163" type="appl" id="75636" subtype="rsga">Travel Channel</app>
<app version="2.0.10" type="appl" id="54000" subtype="rsga">Bloomberg</app>
<app version="2.3.6" type="appl" id="65978" subtype="rsga">CNNgo</app>
<app version="2.2.210" type="appl" id="27181" subtype="sdka">Sky News</app>
<app version="3.1.1" type="appl" id="9160" subtype="rsga">CNBC</app>
<app version="2.1.7" type="appl" id="9581" subtype="rsga">NBC News</app>
<app version="2.1.990" type="appl" id="54065" subtype="rsga">ABC News</app>
<app version="2.0.2018032900" type="appl" id="34376" subtype="rsga">ESPN</app>
<app version="1.9.2" type="appl" id="44856" subtype="rsga">NFL</app>
<app version="2.3.38" type="appl" id="85100" subtype="rsga">VH1</app>
<app version="2.3.38" type="appl" id="73386" subtype="rsga">MTV</app>
<app version="7.1.1" type="appl" id="20445" subtype="rsga">VEVO</app>
<app version="1.5.9" type="appl" id="151908" subtype="rsga">The Roku Channel</app>
<app version="4.1.1579" type="appl" id="2213" subtype="sdka">Roku Media Player</app>
<app version="1.6.4494" type="appl" id="52838" subtype="sdka">Nick</app>
<app version="1.0.6069" type="appl" id="30547" subtype="sdka">WeatherNation</app>
<app version="5.4.11" type="appl" id="2016" subtype="rsga">Crackle</app>
<app version="2.0.0" type="appl" id="114091" subtype="sdka">Reuters TV</app>
<app version="1.9.338" type="appl" id="30966" subtype="sdka">TripSmart.tv</app>

Most are TV everywhere apps that provide both live and on demand programming. More TV than I have time for.

 

[whenicandave]

Do you know of a good primer for Plex? Something that will give an ignorant newbie like me an idea of what it does and how to set it up?

They have help forums and videos on their site. It's pretty easy.

 

[PawPrint53]

Netflix, Hulu, Acorn (our favorite), PBS app, broadcast, Amazon prime. We pay for the first three, piggyback on daughter's Amazon and donate to PBS.

 

[NewTimes]

Netflix, Hulu, Acorn (our favorite), PBS app, broadcast, Amazon prime. We pay for the first three, piggyback on daughter's Amazon and donate to PBS.

Acorn is also our favorite. The quality of British productions are very high quality.

 

[Katsmeow]

Directv Now, Netflix, Twitch, YouTube, Hulu, occasional Amazon Prime

 

[njhowie]

Over the past 6 months or so, YouTube has become my favorite as the recommendations it makes are very good based on my viewing habits.

pluto.tv is a very good one that folks should try out if they haven't...it's like a cable service within an app/channel. There is a Roku app/channel for it.

 

[HunterGatherer]

Three I haven’t seen mentioned yet:

I got the CostCo deal for MoviePass that came with a year’s subscription to a movie service called Fandor. It has a lot of more obscure, arty movies and rare music documentaries. I especially like the latter.

If you have a library card download Hoopla and you can get access to movies and TV shows. (Also audiobooks, which are hard to listen to on TV.)

I also like the ChiveTV app for background/random videos. I saw it playing at a restaurant and liked it.

These apps run on my TV with TiVo or AppleTV.

 

[davismills]

I called to cancel my SiriusXM radio that I truly enjoy. I have to do this every 6-7 months and haggle them down to a great price. This time they included XM channel, so now I enjoy it on my Roku as well.

Favorites: Netflix, Tablo and on again/off again Sling.

 

[Midpack]

We also have Roku’s and mostly we watch PS Vue, YouTube and PBS Passport - probably 95% of our viewing. I have 40 subscriptions on YouTube (mostly sailing, golf, cars, videography, other) and I probably watch YouTube more often than broadcast TV. It’s astonishing how much high quality content is on YouTube these days, many people think it’s still stupid pet tricks.

Occasionally Weather Nation, Pluto, the Roku Channel and very rarely Tubi TV, Vudu or Crackle. I’ve suggested Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, HBO Now, or Showtime since DW loves movies and we’re saving $600/yr since we cut satellite - but she’s a bigger cheapskate than I am. And we watch less and less TV every year.

 

[Dawg52]

Youtube is easily my favorite Roku channel. A lot of the programming in 4k.

 

[NewTimes]

Youtube is easily my favorite Roku channel. A lot of the programming in 4k.

YouTube, the free app on Roku, we watch very often. Lately we have been watching the previous night's Late Night Colbert show. It has clips of the previous shows.

 

[NewTimes]

PlayOn disappointment

Shortly after we got our first Roku many years ago, we subscribed to PlayOn. It was billed as a service that provided many channels with viewing one day after broadcasting. The services does provide the day after viewing. But, the buffering is at times constant and, at times the service drops and one needs to restart the app. We signed up with PlayOn very early as one of it's first customers with a low one time fee vs. the monthly fee option. I am glad we went with the one time fee. I would cancelled it long ago if on monthly service. It's a good concept, it's just their quality streaming service many times buffers. I have 100 Mbps speed, and Netflix, Acorn and all other apps stream fine so it's not the speed.

 

[njhowie]

Shortly after we got our first Roku many years ago, we subscribed to PlayOn.

We were likewise PlayOn early adopters with the one-time lifetime fee. Early on, it filled a void for us. However, over time, as other services became available, which were better quality and free, we've stopped using the PlayOn. We haven't used it in at least a year, maybe two. Nobody in the household misses it ... one day I just turned off the server and nobody said anything, so I left it off.

 

[Cobra9777]

...I have 40 subscriptions on YouTube (mostly sailing, golf, cars, videography, other) and I probably watch YouTube more often than broadcast TV. It’s astonishing how much high quality content is on YouTube these days, many people think it’s still stupid pet tricks...

+1

DW watches "traditional" TV... major networks and cable channels on PS Vue. She thinks YouTube is for cat videos. Probably 90% of my TV time is watching YouTube. The content is amazing and seems to be getting better all the time. I have about 15 subscriptions and I am near-giddy when new content gets posted. Most of my subs relate to home improvement, woodworking, music, cooking, science, and history. Even without new subscribed content, the suggested videos are always relevant to my interests.

 

[mpeirce]

For us it's "The Summer of The Sopranos"

At about 8:30 we watch Jeopardy, as is our habit, recorded on TiVo (OTA). Then switch over to Amazon Prime Video on the Apple TV to watch The Sopranos until a little after 10:00. Then to bed - we watch the 10:00 local news (delayed on TiVo so we can skip all ads) until we fall sleep.

We never watched The Sopranos, so there's lots of episodes to work our way through. We're a bit past half way - just getting into Season 4.