topic Re: ROKU Today's Special in Electronics

ROKU Today's Special

seehorse — Fri, 18 Jul 2014 12:22:06 GMT

Sorry if someone has a thread already.

HSN - Roku Today's Special - nice package. Some free trial subscriptions.

I really want to try this to see if we can get off of cable.

May have to get an antenna to get NFL games though.

Re: ROKU Today's Special

circles — Fri, 18 Jul 2014 13:16:31 GMT

if I weren't so electronic challenged I would purchase it....I would like to get off cable, too...

Re: ROKU Today's Special

AspenGrove — Fri, 18 Jul 2014 13:25:39 GMT

We have AppleTV, not Roku, although all of these streaming devices work the same way. Easy as can be (true plug and play). We dropped our cable, bought a $40 antenna to pick up all live stations, and couldn't be happier, literally saving 1000K per year. But, we watch very little TV, so for us it was a no brainer. For people who watch a lot of shows on different cable channels, it's important to check ahead of time to make sure they're available without cable. You can do that by searching Hulu, Netflix and other websites that stream shows and movies, to make sure yours will be available without cable.

Re: ROKU Today's Special

isaboo — Fri, 18 Jul 2014 14:05:17 GMT

I too was interested in knowing about ROKU and if it is a good thing. I've never heard of Apple TV and am interested in knowing more.

AspenGrove, you mentioned that it was easy, are you able to access a lot of channels?

Re: ROKU Today's Special

AspenGrove — Fri, 18 Jul 2014 15:00:45 GMT

On 7/18/2014 isaboo said:
I too was interested in knowing about ROKU and if it is a good thing. I've never heard of Apple TV and am interested in knowing more.

AspenGrove, you mentioned that it was easy, are you able to access a lot of channels?

isaboo, First, you can learn all about AppleTV here. Since I have been an Apple computer user since 1984, I stick with what works! AppleTV seamlessly communicates with my computer, laptop, iPad, iPhone, etc, so that's why I choose to use it instead of Roku or other devices. Keep in mind that although I get a ton of free stuff with it, I still do choose to pay for Netflix ($7.99/month) to get additional content.

Second, it really depends on where you live to know how many free channels you can pick up with your antenna. And, different antennas work better in some parts of the country than others. I'm in a mountainous area (in CO), so my antenna only picks up about 40 free stations, but that's more than enough for us. (I know others who live in more metropolitan areas can get closer to 100.) I get all the local networks, of course (because by law, they all have to provide free access) - ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS, etc. and although I don't actually watch QVC or HSN, those come in also. There are also many Spanish language and religion channels that come in that I don't watch. This is a great site to check your area's antenna access.

And finally, this is a really good article that can help you evaluate whether or not you should consider dropping cable, depending on your viewing habits.

Re: ROKU Today's Special

seehorse — Fri, 18 Jul 2014 16:06:42 GMT

Thanks AspenGrove and isaboo for the antenna advice.

We're in a rural area now. With a "regular" antenna could only pick up PBS. (I had aluminum foil on it too!)

After the roku experiment, I'll look into a better antenna because I cannot miss my Ravens football! LOL

Getting roku for DD also. She is in a city and should be able to get all local stations.

Re: ROKU Today's Special

willdob3 — Fri, 18 Jul 2014 16:11:35 GMT

I'm pretty sure all the trial subscriptions are available for free anyway so don't buy on account of them.

Re: ROKU Today's Special

AspenGrove — Fri, 18 Jul 2014 16:44:54 GMT

On 7/18/2014 seehorse said:
Thanks AspenGrove and isaboo for the antenna advice.

We're in a rural area now. With a "regular" antenna could only pick up PBS. (I had aluminum foil on it too!)

After the roku experiment, I'll look into a better antenna because I cannot miss my Ravens football! LOL

Getting roku for DD also. She is in a city and should be able to get all local stations.

seehorse, that's pretty funny about the foil. Keep in mind that when I say antenna, I'm not talking about the old rabbit ears we all used to have (well, those of us old enough to remember such things)! My antenna is actually a sleek, flat 10" square that lays down behind the TV, out of view. No wires or metal "ears" comes out of it! I'm guessing that with a newer digital antenna, you'd be able to pick up way more than you can now.

Re: ROKU Today's Special

DoneTryin — Fri, 18 Jul 2014 17:20:45 GMT

Seehorse, research the Leaf antenna which would be like what AspenGrove describes. I know they sell them on Amazon, but you might look around for the best price. One of my co-workers who lives in a condo hooked up a Leaf antenna a couple of years ago & has been happy with it. Speaking of rabbit ears & foil made me laugh & remember those days & my dad was always "yelling" at us to not touch the rabbit ears because he always fiddled with it to get the reception exactly the way he wanted.

Re: ROKU Today's Special

glb613 — Fri, 18 Jul 2014 18:11:14 GMT

Keep in mind, antenna's only get stations within 30-40 miles from your house. So if you live near a big city, it should work well. High def broadcasts actually look better than the high def through satellite or cable. Unlike the old analog broadcasts and TVs (snowy if the signal wasn't good), if the digital signal isn't strong enough, you won't get a picture.

Re: ROKU Today's Special

lovescats — Fri, 18 Jul 2014 19:32:46 GMT

I think it's a little bit cheaper on amazon. I really like mine.

Re: ROKU Today's Special

libbey — Fri, 18 Jul 2014 20:43:15 GMT

We have been off cable for almost a year....don't know why we waited so long! We have a ROKU and have NETFLIX and HuluPlus Its like $18 a month for the both...BIG savings over cable. Granted our TV habits needed to change...but I think it more of an intelligent way to be entertained. Its worth looking into for sure! I would never go back to cable...the cord has been severed for good!

Re: ROKU Today's Special

Nuttmeg — Fri, 18 Jul 2014 21:06:20 GMT

On 7/18/2014 libbey said:
We have been off cable for almost a year....don't know why we waited so long! We have a ROKU and have NETFLIX and HuluPlus Its like $18 a month for the both...BIG savings over cable. Granted our TV habits needed to change...but I think it more of an intelligent way to be entertained. Its worth looking into for sure! I would never go back to cable...the cord has been severed for good!

How much is your internet bill, and what speed service do you have? Do you have a data cap?

Re: ROKU Today's Special

DoneTryin — Fri, 18 Jul 2014 21:23:53 GMT

I'm getting it as my first step to breaking the Comcast cable tv cord. Convenient timing since my Comcast bill was due today & I'm really tired of their high-priced package "deals." My biggest problem with switching to Roku is that if I want to watch pro baseball during the season, I'll have to subscribe to MLBtv.com. Even with that, though, I think it'll still be cheaper than paying for the cable tv. Next, I'll drop the land line & switch to just my cell phone, which I hate doing because I hate cell phones, but, as I said earlier, I'm fed up with Comcast.

Edited to add: I got the HSN Roku TS at an even lower price because I had $20 in Spendable Kash which I applied to the purchase.

Re: ROKU Today's Special

adoreqvc — Fri, 18 Jul 2014 23:19:08 GMT

to see various channels go to roku.com and view the channels.

they are always adding new channels and you can even get private channels if you wish by just doing a search for them.

definitely worth the $ and i love the roku3 because i can plug in my headphones into the roku jack on the side of the remote and only i can then hear the tv. great feature!

tons of free channels, many pay channels and some require a subscription.

i also got netflix for movies at $8.99 monthly and amazon prime for prime free movies, as well as huluplus for a small monthly fee and they have tv series and movies.

i cut tv cable since i was so annoyed sitting through so many commercials during early morning hour cable movies. then i bought the roku3 and never regretted cutting my tv cable.

for antenna i used to buy aereo for under $13.00 monthly with cloud storage of favorite movies, but their service was stopped so now my brand new husband of a few weeks Phillip took down my roof antenna and bought a really great antenna which gives us crystal clear television channels so those broadcasts we fully access.

Re: ROKU Today's Special

isaboo — Sat, 19 Jul 2014 00:00:12 GMT

On 7/18/2014 AspenGrove said:
On 7/18/2014 isaboo said:
I too was interested in knowing about ROKU and if it is a good thing. I've never heard of Apple TV and am interested in knowing more.

AspenGrove, you mentioned that it was easy, are you able to access a lot of channels?

isaboo, First, you can learn all about AppleTV here. Since I have been an Apple computer user since 1984, I stick with what works! AppleTV seamlessly communicates with my computer, laptop, iPad, iPhone, etc, so that's why I choose to use it instead of Roku or other devices. Keep in mind that although I get a ton of free stuff with it, I still do choose to pay for Netflix ($7.99/month) to get additional content.

Second, it really depends on where you live to know how many free channels you can pick up with your antenna. And, different antennas work better in some parts of the country than others. I'm in a mountainous area (in CO), so my antenna only picks up about 40 free stations, but that's more than enough for us. (I know others who live in more metropolitan areas can get closer to 100.) I get all the local networks, of course (because by law, they all have to provide free access) - ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS, etc. and although I don't actually watch QVC or HSN, those come in also. There are also many Spanish language and religion channels that come in that I don't watch. This is a great site to check your area's antenna access.

And finally, this is a really good article that can help you evaluate whether or not you should consider dropping cable, depending on your viewing habits.

Thanks AspenGrove! I'm going to go read up on it now.

Re: ROKU Today's Special

Lynnj — Sat, 19 Jul 2014 00:24:52 GMT

I have the Apple TV. Same as another poster here, I selected this because I am all Apple, and it just made it easier for me. I love it. Not ready to cut the cable cord just yet, but I do enjoy watching netflix and the MLB package through the Apple TV. I watch several different things through cable, and I also enjoy watching some shows live or on the day they are aired. But I no longer use my DVR, as I can go to netflix, Amazon, or Hulu to see something I have missed at a later date.

I think you can't go wrong with either the Roku or Apple TV. But I think you can get a better price for the Roku elsewhere. Amazon my have it cheaper, but it won't come with the HD cable, or the couple free subscription services that HSN is offering with theirs. So if thats important to you, then the price is not bad...its just really meshed into the overall price.

Easy to set up and connect. Plug the HD cable into the Ruko, the other end into one of the HD plugs on your TV. Then plug the electrical cord in. Done!

Re: ROKU Today's Special

HandJive — Sat, 19 Jul 2014 00:25:08 GMT

Use the code 143944 for $10 off a one time purchase over $50 at HSN.

Re: ROKU Today's Special

poregirl — Sat, 19 Jul 2014 01:49:43 GMT

we love our Roku. PBS channel is one of my faves & Dokurama

Re: ROKU Today's Special

makeup addict — Sat, 19 Jul 2014 02:36:10 GMT

Do you have to wait a long time to see a tv show? Is it available in a day or so?