mum Posted December 11, 2011 Share Posted December 11, 2011 We just got a blu ray player that has some internet capability, but it seems it needs a wire connection to the internet which will not work for the TV in question. Does this sound right? So someone suggested a Roku box, which I could get Dh for Christmas, IF I know how to make it work before I give it (neither of us are techies). He watches soccer streamed on the internet, which is what I want him to be able to do through Roku. Would he be able to? If I buy a box at COstco, what do I have to do to install it? I need it in very simple language, I have some gifts, but tech knowledge isn't one of them :) Thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Girls' Mom Posted December 11, 2011 Share Posted December 11, 2011 They are very easy to hook up...works like a DVD player hook up with similar cables. You have to have a wireless router for your internet. As for watching the soccer through it, it depends on where he watches it through. If you go to the ROKU website, you should be able to see what "channels" you can get and whether you have to have a subscription. You cannot just browse the web on it. (as far as I know) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nukeswife Posted December 11, 2011 Share Posted December 11, 2011 If you're able to plug a wired network into the blu-ray player then it would work with the tv. The TV only has to be able to be connected to the tv, not the internet. Some blu-ray players also have wireless internet adapters you can buy for them. I'd need to know what kind of internet you have in your house and what kind of bluray player (make and model) to be able to tell you more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
By Grace Posted December 12, 2011 Share Posted December 12, 2011 We just got a blu ray player that has some internet capability, but it seems it needs a wire connection to the internet which will not work for the TV in question. Does this sound right? So someone suggested a Roku box, which I could get Dh for Christmas, IF I know how to make it work before I give it (neither of us are techies). He watches soccer streamed on the internet, which is what I want him to be able to do through Roku. Would he be able to? If I buy a box at COstco, what do I have to do to install it? I need it in very simple language, I have some gifts, but tech knowledge isn't one of them :) Thank you. Roku is limited to specific "channels", so you can't just navigate to youtube or whatever and watch whatever you want. Roku has a ton of sports channels, though, so he may be able to find what he's looking for on there. Like a pp said, check the roku website. It pretty much connects itself. Have a computer handy, bc you'll need to create an account online and enter a code onto your Roku unit once it gets started. Then a lot of the channels require you to create an account with the individual channel provider. Some of the channels are free, others require a payment (most of the good sports channels are subscription-only). If you already have netflix or amazon prime, you can connect those accounts to your roku. It walks you through the whole process pretty easily. The biggest thing that confused me was that I wanted to watch youtube videos, and didn't realize roku doesn't have a youtube channel (yet). If you buy it through costco, look for an hdmi cable for the best transmission of signal from the roku to the tv. You can use the standard av cable that comes with the roku, but it won't transmit a hi-def signal. I don't know how the prices compare at costco vs. the roku site, but if you "like" roku on facebook, they frequently run special offers (currently, you can get $10 off the high-end roku and free shipping). From the reviews I read, you should purchase it through roku before amazon...the amazon units were having some kind of problem (cust svc related??). I love my roku! I mostly use it for internet radio and music, but we also watch some movies on it or the occasional educational or entertainment show for the kids. I also discovered a channel where I can listen to itunes' podcasts on the roku...hello, Dave Ramsey! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bethben Posted December 12, 2011 Share Posted December 12, 2011 Similar question- what can just hook up a laptop to my tv? Think 10 year old tv? We've looked into Roku also, but just couldn't get everything we wanted. We also just want to watch what we can watch on our computer only on the tv. Beth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nukeswife Posted December 12, 2011 Share Posted December 12, 2011 Similar question- what can just hook up a laptop to my tv? Think 10 year old tv? We've looked into Roku also, but just couldn't get everything we wanted. We also just want to watch what we can watch on our computer only on the tv. Beth does your 10 year old tv happen to have an HDMI jack (your computer would have to have one too) ? That's the simplest connection, one cord and it's all set. Now if you don't have HDMI output on the computer and HDMI input on the TV then I'm not sure if you could find something to hook a laptop up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JumpedIntoTheDeepEndFirst Posted December 12, 2011 Share Posted December 12, 2011 (edited) Another set top box to check out is the WD TV live. You'd have to poke around a bit to see if it would stream live content from the internet. I think there are cables that have the HDMI end for a computer and then a 3 part plug for the TV. Hook a computer to your tv and then set your computer to use the tv as an alternate or mirroring monitor. Sometimes the picture quality isn't that great though. Roku is very easy to set up. If you have WiFi at home you just need your password and the passwords to the services (ie Netflix) that you use. The one thing it doesn't do that other similar boxes do is stream content you already own. The WD Live and AppleTV will stream the media on your computer (movies, music, photos) to your TV. It really depends on what you want the box to do. Also, many gaming systems stream internet content so if you have one you might see if it fulfills your requirements. I have friends that bought a Wii early on and it was their DVD player and Netflix player too. They just used the one device for all of it. Edited December 12, 2011 by JumpedIntoTheDeepEndFirst Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bethben Posted December 12, 2011 Share Posted December 12, 2011 I found this to convert what is on your computer to an analog tv. Beth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jennsmile Posted December 12, 2011 Share Posted December 12, 2011 I love my roku! I mostly use it for internet radio and music, but we also watch some movies on it or the occasional educational or entertainment show for the kids. I also discovered a channel where I can listen to itunes' podcasts on the roku...hello, Dave Ramsey! :) Please share the itunes podcast channel. We watch netflix on our Roku and BYUtv and the Mormon Channel. I also listen to Pandora. We spent the money so we can play Angry Birds and Galaga. Dh was so excited about Galaga it was funny. We don't own any xbox/playstation/wii so this allows the boys to have some fun on our old tv. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KarenNC Posted December 12, 2011 Share Posted December 12, 2011 We love our Roku 2 (just got an upgrade from Roku 1 in order to get more subtitling/closed captioning from Netflix), but it doesn't do everything I wish it would. For instance, if you have Discovery Education Streaming, it will not work through the Roku and, from what DE says, there are no plans to make that available. We don't have a gaming system, cable, satellite, etc. Our main usage of it is for Netflix streaming and watching Crunchyroll (anime), though we will occasionally use some of the other channels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
By Grace Posted December 12, 2011 Share Posted December 12, 2011 Please share the itunes podcast channel. iTunes podcast channel is a "private" channel...you have to enter the code in your roku account online. Code is ITPC. Here's a link with explanation: http://forums.roku.com/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=34700 Enjoy! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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