ROKU stuff

[Calico]

One thing I found out with Roku is that if you have an older device some of the newer channels that are added may not be available on it. I wasn't able to add PBS to mine, was told by Roku that it wasn't compatible with my device. No explanation was given, not sure if there are valid technical reasons or just a way for Roku to get you to buy new hardware.

That's odd. I have the original Roku, and I have the PBS channel on mine.

 

[tmm99]

A bump here for PLEX...

First of all FREE.. for PC... App is one time $4.99
You don't need a media player to use Plex
Play on your computer or connect to a TV.
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The channels are free. Too many to list, but here's a start

Plex channels available:
PBS
The Colbert Report
The Daily Show
Vimeo
Twit
Sound Cloud
Live Music Archive
Revision 3
TED
UTUBE
CNN
Pandora
South Park
CNet
The big Picture
Lens
Crackle
Fox News
Disney
HGTV
MSNBC
The Onion
Reddit
A&E
NYT
NPR
The White House
History Channel
NASA
National Grographic

And dozens more coming available all the time.

Sometimes we don't know what we don't know....

How are you watching HGTV? I only see like one show on it via Amazon when I check the channel and it is a paid show. Thank you!

 

[imoldernu]

I think there is a great deal of confusion here about "free", about "commercials", and some kind of belief that all Roku does is to allow you to watch channels that you already get.
One could write a very large book about this, but for anyone who already has a Roku, I would suggest taking an hour or so, to explore... To see the options for screen quality, closed captioning, connecting to a security based wireless, screen aspect ratios, and how to customize the main screen... In addition, how to select and save favorites, establish a queue for shows you want to watch.

There are so many options... to scan forward and back, to freeze, and to stop watching and pick up at a later date.

The news channels, (not all, but some of the better ones) show a single clip at a time, with no commercial, then go to the next clip... or you can pan through selections to find a particular story.

The quality of shows and the recency vary by channel. Some channels show same day coverage, others do not frequently update. I have noticed some change in this recently, as more and more, attention is being paid to the Roku/Plex people.

Doubtless, in the future, it will be necessary for the product providers to have a way to cash in on the changing technology.

At this point, I am just grateful to be able to watch TV without having to take in one minute of commercial, for every two minutes of content.

My uneducated guess is that many have bought a Roku, and because of the learning curve required may have quietly gone on to other things. At this point, for me, it is not a replacement for Cable or Satellite, but I can see in the not too distant future a change.

In the meantime, this old fogey is missing the most important parts of American Culture... never having watched "Keeping up with the Kardashians", the Big Bang Theory or dancing and singing with the stars. Sad... not to share in what the fullness of life has to offer, but then, life is fraught with missed joys and opportunities.

 

[imoldernu]

How are you watching HGTV? I only see like one show on it via Amazon when I check the channel and it is a paid show. Thank you!

I didn't check to see if it was on Roku... though I thought it was. I get it free on Plex... there are about 60 full length HGTV show there. I find myself using Plex more often than the Roku offerings as I become more comfortable with the interface.

 

[zinger1457]

That's odd. I have the original Roku, and I have the PBS channel on mine.

I have a Roku XDS, from Roku support:

We apologize for any confusion! PBS and PBS Kids are supported on Roku 3, Roku 2, Roku LT, new Roku HD players and the Roku Streaming Stick in the U.S
Finally, we don’t comment on why a specific channel isn’t supported on certain Roku models. After all, the channels and the content are not ours. But there is usually a reason specific Roku models (usually earlier ones) aren't supported for a new channel. It could be the channel was not developed using the software development kit that works across all devices. It could be that the partner required a specific technology (e.g. video streaming format, ad service, closed captioning format, DRM technology) not supported on certain devices. It could be that specific hardware is required (particularly true for games). It could be that the performance of the channel just isn't good enough on specific models. The hardware of a Roku 3 is pretty different than the original Roku player.

 

[Calico]

I have a Roku XDS, from Roku support:

I have a Roku XD, with the PBS channel. It's too bad your Roku doesn't support PBS - one of the best channels out there.

 

[ERD50]

A partial listing of the major channels available for free, for a subscriber Fee, and for partially free watching as for Hulu.

Best Roku Channels of 2014 - Movies, TV, Music, Kids, Sports

As far as paying... while I do have Directv, I pay for nothing except Netflix. .... .

I think you are 'over-selling' this stuff a bit.

The fact that you have Directv probably opens up a lot for you that us 'cord cutters' don't have. I looked at that link, almost all are subscription, or 'meh' (IMO). I can get a lot of stuff right on my computer.

I got excited because more searching showed a private ROKU Food Network Channel - this would make my DW very happy, the main reason she wants cable. I added this private channel, updated my ROKU, and there was "Food Network Nighttime"! Alright!!! I figured that it was probably older, limited shows/clips, so the Food Network would see it as a 'teaser' to get you to pay for the real thing. But maybe 'good enough' for us, and better than nothing?

But when I chose it on ROKU, I got the message something like, 'No Longer supported - the owner has restricted this content'.

I suspect most of the 'free' stuff that isn't legitimately readily available with a computer is illegal and will be taken down in short order, unless you have a supported cable/satellite subscription. And I'm pretty sure that if the cable/SAT companies make this available via subscription on a ROKU or other device, you can probably get it with your computer as well. The only advantage I see is if you think the ROKU hardware is more convenient than connecting a computer to your TV, beyond that, I don't 'get it'.

-ERD50

 

[imoldernu]

Re: overselling...
Probably... I like the interface, and the fact that I can use the media player anywhere with a TV. I'm really happy with Plex, as I see this free and forward looking, as well as being able to use it with just a hard drive with my content, no computer.

As far as the "free"... I guess you're right, but I don't recall having had to verify History, PBS, A&E, TED, The Smithsonian, Pandora, Weather Stations... which are the channels I go to. Couldn't figure a way to backtrack to check on this. I know I had to sign in for ESPN... For sports fans it's really nice, because of tons of content... on demand... ESPN3.

Many of the hundreds of channels are private, with private content, as in health or workouts... others are free movies with commercials. Lots of these are from the '30's through the 70's. ie. "MFM" My Favorite Movies. Really depends on one's interests.

BTW.. you can use a tablet or phone app to tune in Roku (Roku App) ... Makes it a little easier to search and scan.

I am not ready yet to give up DirecTV, but as I begin to lose interest in politics and newscasts, I can look forward to the rocking chair and old Tom Mix movies.

 

[tuixiu]

We're recent Roku3 owners. We added Amazon Prime and cut out the physical DVD subscription from Netflix. Prime seems to fill in lots of gaps in Netflix streaming, especially for HBO original series. I'm hoping I can convince the wife we can go full cord-cutting, if we do will probably add Hulu Plus as well.

International news sounds interesting. Don't think my Apple T.V. offers much there tho. I need to explore.

Yup I found a free channel that broadcasts US related news in mandarin. Good stuff.

 

[Chuckanut]

I recently cancelled Hulu+ and replaced it with Netflix DVD service. There is so much available on DVD that is not on streaming.

 

[imoldernu]

A bump, to mention Nowhere TV.

You won't find it on your Roku Available channels. To add it to Roku, you'll need to go to this site:
Nowhere TV - 2014 Roku | ChromeCast | FireTV | Nexus Player

This opens up a whole new world to cable cutters. Live streams, and access to sources not available through the normal Roku channels. IMHO, worth the few minutes to get content that isn't available anywhere else.
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Would like to hear from anyone who has spent enough time to explore other non-publicized Roku channels.

Also... Plex has a recent upgrade... as good as or better than Netflix.

 

[imoldernu]

A bump, to mention Nowhere TV.

You won't find it on your Roku Available channels. To add it to Roku, you'll need to go to this site:
Nowhere TV - 2014 Roku | ChromeCast | FireTV | Nexus Player

This opens up a whole new world to cable cutters. Live streams, and access to sources not available through the normal Roku channels. IMHO, worth the few minutes to get content that isn't available anywhere else.

You might be interested in this site, too...
Free Roku Channels - 2014 Roku | ChromeCast | FireTV | Nexus Player
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Would like to hear from anyone who has spent enough time to explore other non-publicized Roku channels.

Also... Plex has a recent upgrade... as good as or better than Netflix.

 

[robnplunder]

I stopped using Roku that a friend of mine gave me. I loved it while I had it. Nowhere TV offered fairly good content. The main reason I dropped Roku is XBMC (changed to Kodi). It's an open media center app (IMO, more flexible than Roku) that can be installed on PC, Android box, MAC, and other medium. The medium can be connected to TV for one's viewing pleasure. My new TV also comes with Smart TV feature which came loaded with apps (Vevo, Crush, ...). The said TV can also play PC library videos and pictures. In effect, Roku became obsolete in my house.


I did have a lot of issues with XBMC/Android box I purchased. But it was the fault of the Android box's poor quality. Once I found out XBMC is "box" independent app, I installed it everywhere (2 laptops, another android box) and am enjoying it quite a bit.

 

[walkinwood]

I tried screen mirroring with my ROKU today using a late model android phone. Worked pretty well, but the screen garbled every so often. The feature is still in Beta, so hopefully, it will get better.

 

[imoldernu]

I stopped using Roku that a friend of mine gave me. I loved it while I had it. Nowhere TV offered fairly good content. The main reason I dropped Roku is XBMC (changed to Kodi). It's an open media center app (IMO, more flexible than Roku) that can be installed on PC, Android box, MAC, and other medium. The medium can be connected to TV for one's viewing pleasure. My new TV also comes with Smart TV feature which came loaded with apps (Vevo, Crush, ...). The said TV can also play PC library videos and pictures. In effect, Roku became obsolete in my house.


I did have a lot of issues with XBMC/Android box I purchased. But it was the fault of the Android box's poor quality. Once I found out XBMC is "box" independent app, I installed it everywhere (2 laptops, another android box) and am enjoying it quite a bit.

Thanks for the info

Downloaded XBMC and it looks interesting. Learning curves aren't as fast as they used to be, so it'll take a while to learn, and to use the add ons. So far, it looks a lot like Plex...
Sounds as if Kodi release is not far off.

Without a smart TV, it looks as if some type of "box" is needed, unless using some type of VGA, SVideo, or HDMI cable to connect to the computer.

I've gotten attached to the Roku3 remote, and the speed of searches and connections.

Will look to see what content will be available.. I assume that Kodi will interface with the Nowhere TV, which looks to me to be the first practical streaming content to fill in the local channels, lost after cable cutting.

 

[robnplunder]

Thanks for the info

Downloaded XBMC and it looks interesting. Learning curves aren't as fast as they used to be, so it'll take a while to learn, and to use the add ons. So far, it looks a lot like Plex...
Sounds as if Kodi release is not far off.

Without a smart TV, it looks as if some type of "box" is needed, unless using some type of VGA, SVideo, or HDMI cable to connect to the computer.

I've gotten attached to the Roku3 remote, and the speed of searches and connections.

Will look to see what content will be available.. I assume that Kodi will interface with the Nowhere TV, which looks to me to be the first practical streaming content to fill in the local channels, lost after cable cutting.

One needs to be semi tech savvy. But Google will show you everything you can do with XBMC.

Without a special box, you need to hook up your computer to TV.

There are well over 1000 3rd party XBMC "add-ons" you can download. This is the flexibility I was referring to. But for the most, myself included, Mashup add-on is all you need. The add-on has channels for movies, sports channels, live TV stations, ..... , all in one add-on. Then there are other mashup add-on wannabees like Navi-X. Pretty cool stuff. Be careful though. If you are tech curious, you may end up tinkering with it for days instead of watching content.

 

[tryan]

Ok I am sold! But can I assume my kids can't "order" a pay channel without me knowing. Is the order process PW protected?

 

[robnplunder]

If you are referring to my post on XBMC, it is completely free. It is open source stuff which means people developing XBMC are volunteers (mostly geeks with too much free time on their hand ). There is no official support - only forums you can ask questions, and requests for enhancements.

On the other hand, if you want to buy a box with XBMC already installed, it does comes with minimal support on the HW.

 

[timo2]

CBSN is live on ROKU.

"CBSN will be available on CBSNews.com and its mobile website, key connected TV devices including Amazon Fire TV, Roku players and Roku TV™, and others, as well as the newly launched CBS News app for Windows 8.1 and Windows Phone 8.1 available through the Windows Store and Windows Phone Store. CBSN will also be available on the CBS News apps for Android and other leading platforms before the end of the year."

CBSN: About the live streaming video channel - CBS News