Night Elf Posted March 7, 2012 Share Posted March 7, 2012 My mom needs to know if there is a cheaper option for services like Netflix. She has a Roku player that she uses for instant streaming. She can use her laptop but she would prefer using the tv. She loves programs like History, National Geographic, and older sitcoms and movies. She doesn't care about more current movies. I looked at Hulu but I don't understand it. I thought I read that there were shows that were free, but I can only find information about Hulu Plus which is $7.99/month. She can have Netflix for that amount as well if she chooses instant streaming OR having one dvd out at a time. We would appreciate suggestions. She's had to cut back on so much, but she's now at the point where she is giving up the few things that really keep her happy on a daily basis like Direct TV, Netflix, and the newspaper. I'm just trying to help her find alternatives that are less expensive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chepyl Posted March 7, 2012 Share Posted March 7, 2012 There are a lot of free channels on the Roku. Look at those. I found one with the Dick Van Dyke Show. There are.free movie channels as well. It OS.not as convenient and not as much choice, bit you can get a lot for free. You can only use.free Hulu on a computer. On Roku you have to pay. Amazon prime might be a little cheaper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haiku Posted March 7, 2012 Share Posted March 7, 2012 Netflix is $7.99 for unlimited streaming. I don't think you're going to get much cheaper than that. Tara Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted March 7, 2012 Share Posted March 7, 2012 Sent you a PM. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kokotg Posted March 7, 2012 Share Posted March 7, 2012 I don't know of anything cheaper. Hulu plus is good for current TV shows, mostly (they have some older stuff, too, but they don't have the kind of selection Netflix does). Sounds like Netflix is probably a better fit for your mom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted March 7, 2012 Share Posted March 7, 2012 Does she get regular over the air channels with an antenna as well? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jennsmile Posted March 7, 2012 Share Posted March 7, 2012 http://www.byutv.org is a free Roku channel, that has older shows on it. Some yes is specific to LDS but they also have just good clean shows. It is free. You could order Amazon Prime for her as a gift and it is a tad cheaper than netflix. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Elf Posted March 7, 2012 Author Share Posted March 7, 2012 Does she get regular over the air channels with an antenna as well? She has the cheapest Direct TV plan. I'm totally serious when I say that watching television is her main thing to do during the day. She's 70 yrs. old and the only time she goes out is to help her mom. She's willing to give up Netflix but she is truly upset and feels humiliated that she cannot afford something as simple as that. I told her that we could find some free resources. I'm actually considering paying the $7.99/month for either instant streaming or having one dvd out. She doesn't want us to pay for anything but I could possibly push this one issue since it's so important to her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest submarines Posted March 7, 2012 Share Posted March 7, 2012 Youtube? I think that pretty much every old sitcom is on there, as well as plenty of full lenght, HD, history channel, NOVA, and other documentaries. As well as hundreds (more?) of free movies in their "Movies" section. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted March 7, 2012 Share Posted March 7, 2012 Would she consider giving up Directv if she could find other options? It looked like the cheapest Directv plan didn't have that much more than what I can get over the air. Dawn She has the cheapest Direct TV plan. I'm totally serious when I say that watching television is her main thing to do during the day. She's 70 yrs. old and the only time she goes out is to help her mom. She's willing to give up Netflix but she is truly upset and feels humiliated that she cannot afford something as simple as that. I told her that we could find some free resources. I'm actually considering paying the $7.99/month for either instant streaming or having one dvd out. She doesn't want us to pay for anything but I could possibly push this one issue since it's so important to her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haiku Posted March 7, 2012 Share Posted March 7, 2012 She doesn't want us to pay for anything Could you pay for a year as a birthday or Mother's Day present? Tara Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Elf Posted March 8, 2012 Author Share Posted March 8, 2012 Could you pay for a year as a birthday or Mother's Day present? Tara This is exactly what I'm thinking of doing. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elizabeth in MN Posted March 8, 2012 Share Posted March 8, 2012 DirecTV can get cheaper than what they advertise on their site. The have one option that is only $20 a month, but you have to call in and talk to them to get it. With Netflix please DO be careful about how you give it as a gift. A friend of mine was just given a gift certificate and Netflix charged his credit card for the amount of the gift certificate even though he was not giving the gift. They say in their TOS that when someone gets a gift card their credit card will be charged a "nominal" fee. My friend was charged $50 and his insurance payment was refused. Netflix refused to do anything about the charge, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 Playon only works on PC. Just know that going in and your PC has to be turned on to work. Dawn She could use PlayOn with her Roku. That would give her CBS, some National Geographic Shows, TVLand and classic shows to name a few. Basically it is an app that allows you to stream whatever is on the channel websites to your tv. There's a low monthly, annual comes out to $2.50/month and there's a lifetime that's a one time $80 and never have to pay again. They just added a Plug-In Channel that allows other people to make their own channel apps. It's a little clunky in the UI dept., but it works fine for us on our xbox. One other option is if she has a pc already, she could hook it up to the tv. That way she can watch episodes from the channels she likes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K&Rs Mom Posted March 15, 2012 Share Posted March 15, 2012 Doesn't Amazon Prime play through Roku? They just added a bunch more channels of discovery-type stuff, and you might be able to add her to your own account if you're Prime members - I'm somehow "linked" to dh's account, which means I can watch instant videos & get free shipping, but not borrow Kindle books free. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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