If someone asked you that question five or 10 years ago, you’d probably have a puzzled look on your face. If you still have that look, don’t worry! I’ll turn that confusion into a smile.
Let’s start with the Roku, which will soon be making its way to QVC’s Today's Special Value® stage and will forever improve the way you watch television. This remarkable little black box plugs into your TV and lets you stream content from the Internet directly to your big screen. With more than 350 channels to choose from there are a ton of options from movies, sports, and religious channels, to some of your favorite TV shows through channels like Hulu Plus. Also, the Roku is pretty simple to hook up. Most Roku units connect to the same wireless Internet signal in your home that you use for your laptop, but for those of you without wireless, the Roku XS allows you to directly connect to the web through an ethernet cable. The choice is yours with the Roku XS. That means if you use a computer in your home to get on the Internet, you can use this awesome device.
The Roku is not a recording device. It works by streaming the content through the 350-plus channels available. There is nothing to save, and you don’t have to remember to record anything. If you want to watch your favorite show that ran last night at 9pm, find it through the channels available on your Roku. There is also no monthly bill. There are some channels like Hulu Plus and Netflix which require a monthly subscription, but there will not be a monthly Roku bill showing up at your door. How cool is that?
A nice part of this offer is the inclusion of a two-month trial of Hulu Plus. What I love about this service is that you can watch your favorite TV show when you want without having to remember to record it. Let’s face it, life is unpredictable, and sitting down to watch your favorite show on time doesn’t always happen. Hulu Plus is a Web-based service that lets you stream those shows the next day, next week, next month or whenever you want. Have you ever had a friend tell you about a great show, and by the time you catch up to it, the show is already up to Episode 9? You always feel a little left out. "What did I miss? How did the plot of this show get here? Where did that character come from and why does everyone laugh at him?" Hulu Plus often has the entire season ready to stream so you can catch up on what you missed or look back on some of your favorite episodes, without recording a thing. Wow, I love the Internet.
So is that confused look still on your face, or is it a smile now? Hopefully, it’s the latter, but if you’re still a little baffled, check me out on Facebook at Craig Smith QVC. I’m more than happy to answer your Roku questions and help you get ready to watch some awesome television.
- Craig Smith
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PaLady11325798098.8112 PostsRegistered 11/28/2011 Hi, Craig, I bought the Roku TSV a month or so ago, so you're saying maybe the Roku XS is coming up as a TSV? I still haven't hooked mine up because I've got to get help getting my wireless going. Plus I just bought the JVC Black Crystal 32" and put it together yesterday so hope to marry those two devices soon. But will need the wireless (I have a router, just don't know what to do with it!). I also found an interesting site called rokuguide.com that isn't affiliated directly with roku but that provides regularly updated info. on new channels, etc. I found it helpful. BTW since you're the electronics guy, I'm wondering if QVC may be showing the HP tablet anytime on Sunday along with the TSV? Can you give me a hint?? :-) Thanks! QVC did the same thing to us a couple of years ago with the Pandigital reader. They offered one as the TSV and made a big deal out of it. And then a matter of weeks later they offered a better, more upgraded one. I bought the Roku a few weeks ago and now I am a little mad that I either need to live with the one I bought or go through the hassle of returning it to get this new one. Not fair! Last edited on 1/9/2012 dixiesmom1326171213.10341 PostsRegistered 5/11/2006 They did this with the Fujifilm TSV cameras this year, too. I am STILL trying to get my return on the FIRST one straightened out. They did not credit my account correctly, and continue to collect the Easy Pay even though I returned it on 12-15-2011, AND they KNOW I did, and they have credited me, twice! I will return the second camera next week and forget about it all together if they can't figure it out! They also did it with the NOOK, TSV - They just out did themselves with the recent TSV deal on that one. Now this. What gets me, when they DO have a TSV, for example, the Tanzanite necklace (I purchased last June for $325-ish) They said, LOWEST PRICE EVER WILL BE. On Gem Day last week, it was almost $125 cheaper, on clearence. Makes me wonder. VERY excited, Craig! Just ordered it! Although you state it CAN'T replace cable-tv due to lack of LIVE content, like Fox News, in your expert opinion, will it at least still give me enough pre-recorded content so i can, at least, "downgrade" my extremely high-priced monthly cable service to just basic plus internet, while also trading in my expensive rented DVR box for a "regular" HD Cable Box (which is free of charge each month)?  PaLady11326231831.4512 PostsRegistered 11/28/2011 Craig, I hope you read the responses here and pass along some thoughts to QVC admin. We regular customers are tuning in to the frequency with which TSV's and other such special values are repeated on either the same item, or the next generation or slightly different model. This is the FOURTH Roku I've seen presented in the past 3-4 months, and at least 2 were TSV's. I bought the first one, which was the first generation Roku, and within a couple of weeks the Roku 2XD was presented as a TSV. So I returned the first unit, but had to pay shipping to do that. Shortly after I purchased the second Roku, another presentation was made, but this time the remote on the Roku 2XD had the Netflix and Pandora (or Hulu - not sure) buttons right on it. Of course I would have preferred that one, but wasn't going to pay shipping again, so I still have the Roku 2XD with the basic remote. Now I see a FOURTH Roku - this time the one with the gaming remote, as another TSV! I still have until Jan. 31 to return the Roku I have, and based on principle I'm thinking of doing that - except I'd have to pay shipping yet again. Please, have a little more respect for our intelligence. Thank you. SarahFL1327474561.9854 PostsRegistered 6/8/2010 Craig - My sister recently purchased 3 tablets for her children and they do nothing - primarily only games so she is returning to department store. I told her to watch tablet product presentations on QVC and HSN before buying 3 more tablets and to wait for certain information. I have been waiting for months for a Show Host or Vendor to answer the following questions about these Pads or Tablets before I will purchase one which I would like to do but will not until these questions are answered on-air during a product presentation. I am not going to research the on-line videos here or anywhere else and sift thru all of the info on several different types and brands of these Tablets (which I have tried to do and just not going to do it again) A Show Host on one of the channels is going to need to answer these questions first and present these portable electronic tablets fully before we will buy. I was watching part of a presentation for a Cruz tablet on HSN and did not see this info presented again - unless I missed it but I doubt it because I have watched many presentations for these tablets and this info is never presented. So after watching part of another tablet presentation this evening I emailed HSN about the Cruz tablet and to be fair here are the same questions for you too about the Tablets that QVC offers: The main questions about these tablets that keeps people from buying and is never answered on any of the shopping channels: HOW DO I PRINT-OUT A DOCUMENT? CAN I WORD PROCESS - IS THE SOFTWARE ON THE TABLET FOR WORD PROCESSING?
IS THERE EVEN ONE USB PORT SO I CAN PLUG-IN A MEMORY STICK AND SAVE OR TRANSFER DATA TO A DESKTOP OR LAPTOP?
PORTS - PORTS - PORTS PLEASE AND WHAT CAN I DO WITH THEM? USEABLE REAL FUNCTION IS WHAT IS IMPORTANT WHAT CAN I DO WITH A LAPTOP OR DESKTOP THAT I CAN NOT DO WITH ONE OF THESE TABLETS? PLEASE TELL US SO NO SURPRISES THANK YOU. WHAT IS THE OPERATING SYSTEM AND CAPABILITIES? RESEARCH ON THE NET STATES THAT ANDROIDS and THESE TABLET O/SYTEMS ARE HAVING SERIOUS PROBLEMS BECAUSE NO FLASH OR STREAMING CAPABILITY AND SERIOUS VIRUS PROBLEMS WITH MILLIONS OF ATTACKS BY VIRUSES AND OTHER THREATS DESIGNED TO HIT THESE TABLETS? PLEASE ADDRESS THESE SERIOUS ISSUES AND TELL CONSUMERS THE TRUTH. WILL THESE TABLETS TAKE ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE? Incidentally, most anti-virus software purchases allow the purchasor to use the same software on multiple computers - Can we do this with a Tablet? DO I NEED ANTI-VIRUS PROTECTION?
If NOT THEN HOW IS THIS TABLET PROTECTED FROM THREATS? CAN I PLUG-IN EARPHONES OR HEADPHONES TO LISTEN TO VIDEOS AND MUSIC?
CAN I WATCH SHOWS ON-AIR SUCH AS QVC THRU QVC.com? CAN I WATCH MOVIES? DO I NEED FLASH? IS THERE ANYTHING I CAN NOT WATCH? CAN I PLUG INTO A LARGER SCREEN IF NEEDED SUCH AS TV, DESKTOP, LAPTOP?
IS THERE A BUILT-IN WEBCAM?
WHAT CAN I DO WITH THE WEBCAM -
CAN I TAKE PHOTOS WITH THE BUILT-IN WEBCAM? CAN I USE SKYPE? CAN I MAKE A VIDEO AND TRANSFER TO THE NET SUCH AS YOU-TUBE?
WHAT ABOUT STORAGE AND INCREASING STORAGE CAPABILITY?
SOUND CAPABILITY? PORTS - PORTS - PORTS - PLEASE
People who usually research before buying electronics need to know the answers to these questions before they will buy. The problem is that such people including myself will not take the time to research the answers to these questions because too many brands with too many differing capabilities so too much frustrating info to sift thru - AND - we know that eventually a KNOWLEGEABLE SHOW HOST AND VENDOR will answer these questions during an on-air product presentation of one of these new Tablets...so PLEASE give us this info - ALL of it please - the Positives and the Negatives - This is how you gain Trust and increase sales.
Thank You Sharke1337546003.7272659 PostsRegistered 8/19/2010 QVC can't be had on the roku device. Picture quality is at one. Over in Electronics blog I've posted the problem. HSN is good though.
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