ProudGrandma Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 we are thinking about ditching our cable and doing only Netflix streaming and Hulu plus. If we did that, what do we need to consider, know about etc. if you subscribe to hulu plus, where do you watch? If you have a wifi TV, can you watch on that...or just on your computer. How will I know if I can watch on my TV? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 we are thinking about ditching our cable and doing only Netflix streaming and Hulu plus. If we did that, what do we need to consider, know about etc. if you subscribe to hulu plus, where do you watch? If you have a wifi TV, can you watch on that...or just on your computer. How will I know if I can watch on my TV? I think to watch on the tV you need a Roku Box. It will certainly make life MUCH easier. We LOVE LOVE LOVE our Roku box. You get a real remote control, so you can move from netflix to hulu plus to Amazon instant video, etc. Plus lots of other channels, some of which are free, including a Ted Talks channel, etc. I'd get the Roku if I were you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 Roku boxes on all our TVs here. Some shows are NOT available through Roku though and are only available online. I don't always know which until I try. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProudGrandma Posted July 10, 2012 Author Share Posted July 10, 2012 Please tell me more about a Roku box? I know nothing about it. Also, I can do Amazon streaming with Prime, right? Right now my prime is free through Amazon mom...so that doesn't count, right? I have to actually pay for prime to get streaming, yes?? What do you all do for local news? anything? We live in a rural area and all of our news stations are far away from where we live. Is there a way to still receive those without cable?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmmetler Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 You can also watch on iPads/pods/phones, and I expect there's an Android app as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProudGrandma Posted July 10, 2012 Author Share Posted July 10, 2012 Roku boxes on all our TVs here. Some shows are NOT available through Roku though and are only available online. I don't always know which until I try. Really? that is a bummer!! Our TV is netflix ready....so we can already do that...if we can watch netflix, can we also watch hulu plus? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 We bought a computer that is dedicated to the TV. We have Netflix (both DVD and streamng). We have watched some shows directly on their networks via the Internet, but it's easier just to wait until they are released on DVD and watch them in one fell swoop. Mr. Ellie also put up an antenna--first time we've had one in 38 years--which gets us the three major networks, public TV (most of the time), and one other local station. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 Please tell me more about a Roku box? I know nothing about it. It hooks up to the TV kind of like a cable box. It is connected to your internet. IF you have a wifi tv you MIGHT not need it, not sure, honestly. Also, I can do Amazon streaming with Prime, right? Right now my prime is free through Amazon mom...so that doesn't count, right? I have to actually pay for prime to get streaming, yes?? Yes, you would have to pay to get it, but most of the same stuff is on Netflix. Where it comes in handy is when you want to see something that isn't free...as they have a ton of stuff that you can rent "on demand" for a small fee. So for instance, I have a preschool phonics movie rented right now for 1.99 for 7 days. What do you all do for local news? anything? We live in a rural area and all of our news stations are far away from where we live. Is there a way to still receive those without cable?? You just need an antenna. They aren't very expensive. My dh built ours actually, from directions online, out of a coathanger and an old video game part. Weird, but it works fine. So we get all the network shows (NBC, ABC, CBS, FOX), plus a couple PBS channels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 If Hulu+ is one of the options when you go on, then yes, if not, you may be out of luck. AppleTV does not support Hulu+ for example. What model is your TV, I can look it up. Really? that is a bummer!! Our TV is netflix ready....so we can already do that...if we can watch netflix, can we also watch hulu plus? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 That depends on how far away the stations are. We are 25 miles from some stations, and 40 from some others. And we have trees. A regular antenna does NOT work for most of our stations. Believe me, we tried! We need an antenna with an amplifier/booster. We bought this one and mounted it on the roof: http://www.amazon.com/Winegard-HD7694P-High-Definition-Antenna/dp/B001DFTGR4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1341927104&sr=8-1&keywords=winegard+outdoor+anten And we purchased a signal amplifier for it. You can look up your address at: http://tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=90 and see how far the stations are from you and suggestions for antennas. Dawn You just need an antenna. They aren't very expensive. My dh built ours actually, from directions online, out of a coathanger and an old video game part. Weird, but it works fine. So we get all the network shows (NBC, ABC, CBS, FOX), plus a couple PBS channels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 Two other options that I don't think anyone mentioned... one is that you can now stream both Netflix and Hulu Plus through the Wii - Netflix you've been able to stream that way for ages, but Hulu Plus is pretty new. The other is that if you have a newer Tivo box that will do it as well, though that's a more expensive option than the Roku. We have Hulu Plus and Netflix, we stream through our Tivo. We have an antenna that gets all the major networks and we can use the Tivo to dvr shows. We're glad we made the switch and dropped cable. The thing that helped me was making a list of the shows that we would have to wait to come out on DVD. It was literally only four or five things. When put in that context, thinking about that $90 a month cable bill seemed INSANE. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheTwinsMom1 Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 We have an internet ready tv so we can watch Netflix and Hulu right through the TV with no extra things needed. Is your TV already equipped with Netflix? If so, you can probably download the gadget for Hulu and watch through your tv also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 Please tell me more about a Roku box? I know nothing about it. It hooks up to the TV kind of like a cable box. It is connected to your internet. IF you have a wifi tv you MIGHT not need it, not sure, honestly. Also, I can do Amazon streaming with Prime, right? Right now my prime is free through Amazon mom...so that doesn't count, right? I have to actually pay for prime to get streaming, yes?? Yes, you would have to pay to get it, but most of the same stuff is on Netflix. Where it comes in handy is when you want to see something that isn't free...as they have a ton of stuff that you can rent "on demand" for a small fee. So for instance, I have a preschool phonics movie rented right now for 1.99 for 7 days. What do you all do for local news? anything? We live in a rural area and all of our news stations are far away from where we live. Is there a way to still receive those without cable?? You just need an antenna. They aren't very expensive. My dh built ours actually, from directions online, out of a coathanger and an old video game part. Weird, but it works fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest CARDIOSTEF Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 We ditched our cable a couple of months ago. Our older panasonic dvd player allows us to watch amazon prime content. My main challenge has been not having local news. I know I can catch up online,but the bigger problem has been the crazy weather we have been having. We had a tornado watch and I was completely oblivious to it. I suppose I could get a weather radio. I went to RadioShack to purchase an antenna and the cashier told me I would not pick up anything :( I am about an hour from DC and Richmond. I am reconsidering my options. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CountitallJoy Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 We stream Hulu + through the Wii or the Blu Ray player. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProudGrandma Posted July 10, 2012 Author Share Posted July 10, 2012 I just figured out that our TV does accept Hulu plus. So then I wouldn't need a Roku, right? that is cool! Now to figure out local news...an antenna might work...don't know for sure. We are about 2-3 hours away from any of the BIG cities.... thanks!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 Right. You don't need a Roku. Did you go to the website I posted earlier in the thread to see about an antenna? YOu put your address in and it will tell you what you would need. Dawn I just figured out that our TV does accept Hulu plus. So then I wouldn't need a Roku, right? that is cool! Now to figure out local news...an antenna might work...don't know for sure. We are about 2-3 hours away from any of the BIG cities.... thanks!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WagsWife Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 I just figured out that our TV does accept Hulu plus. So then I wouldn't need a Roku, right? that is cool! Now to figure out local news...an antenna might work...don't know for sure. We are about 2-3 hours away from any of the BIG cities.... thanks!!! If you have an Xbox 360, you can stream Hulu (Netflix, Amazon, etc) as well. You have to pay for the Gold Membership...about $60 for the year I think. The cool thing about the Xbox, is that you can use the Windows Media Player app to connect your computer and Xbox via network. From there you can download movies/tv shows to your computer and then play them through the Xbox. We just got hooked on The Walking Dead (don't judge LOL)...and did not want to wait for Hulu or Netflix to finally get the rights. We buy the episode through Amazon, download it to the computer, and then watch it through the Xbox. Works like a charm. We did figure out not to pay for the HD shows. They have a hard time streaming. The "Standard Def" still looks good, and does not have to buffer so much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soror Posted July 10, 2012 Share Posted July 10, 2012 We have a BluRay player and can stream HuluPlus, Netflix, Amazon and several other things, along with music(Pandora and other options). It was maybe $100 a few years ago and even cheaper now. We needed a dvd player anyway so it was the best option. We had a computer hooked up to the tv prior to that but the picture quality and ease of use is much, much better and easier with the bluray. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProudGrandma Posted July 10, 2012 Author Share Posted July 10, 2012 Did you go to the website I posted earlier in the thread to see about an antenna? YOu put your address in and it will tell you what you would need. Dawn I just did that and the all but the PBS stations were in the "I doubt you will be able to receive them" category. Now what?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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