PeterPan Posted January 13, 2014 Share Posted January 13, 2014 I got a Roku 3, planning to cut the cable, and it turns out our cable (Time Warner) will stream through the Roku! It's WAY nicer than streaming it through the pokey dvr box (hate flipping channels with that), and [drum roll] they lowered our bill $30 a month!!!!!! And I bumped my internet speed as part of that!!!!!!! So for less per year I was able to add a roku, Prime, faster internet, and be rid of that nasty box! I'm so psyched. Now we can actually find something to watch, hehe, when we sit down. So what are your favorite channels to add to Roku? Dh will be excited about the Smithsonian channel. Anything else you love? I haven't figured out if we should subscribe to Netflix or not. We tend to watch older stuff and documentaries. Amazon Prime has a lot of the older shows and movies, but I haven't looked up documentaries on it yet. Well anyways, I was on the fence on the technology jump for quite a while and researched on the boards here for comments about the roku, streaming through dvd players, etc. If you've kinda been on the line, it's really awesome. The Roku 3 is super fast, and the whole thing just really works. I could imagine a few things more intelligently (like having multiple watch lists on Prime), but it's just really fast, really awesome. There's a flyout for the Time Warner stuff, so it's like regular channel flipping only BETTER, as you have actual icons. Super love. PS. Is there a way to rearrange the channel icons in the Roku? Right now they're not in alphabetical order, and I'm not even sure they're in the order I added them, though I don't know. Is there a way to *delete* channels I decide I don't want? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KarenNC Posted January 13, 2014 Share Posted January 13, 2014 You should be able to delete channels through the online Roku store. If you or your kids like anime, Crunchyroll is a good one, as long as you know which ones are suitable for your family. We've watched some of the free Spanish language channels as listening practice for Spanish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted January 13, 2014 Author Share Posted January 13, 2014 Ooo, spanish language channels, good suggestion!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mergath Posted January 13, 2014 Share Posted January 13, 2014 I like the various news channels. You can't stream live news, but you can watch most of the stories from the day's news on the CBS and NBC news channels. And I'm still trying to decide if I want Hulu+ so I can watch The Daily Show. That Animal Planet live cam channel is really fun. It's a bunch of live cameras where you can watch different kinds of animals from zoos, shelters, etc. Dd loves it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted January 13, 2014 Share Posted January 13, 2014 So, do you no longer have a DVR? The DVR was the main reason I was not willing to give up Satellite TV for a long time. We did finally get rid of it 3 years ago but I bought a Tivo to use with our local channels so that I wouldn't miss a show. I don't like watching shows sitting in front of a computer and not all my shows are even on the computer. Dawn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blueridge Posted January 13, 2014 Share Posted January 13, 2014 Now I'm tempted to upgrade our older Roku for the newest model. :D On our Roku remote there is a *star* button that we use to delete or change station order. Not sure where I learned that, perhaps their website? Have fun getting channels! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted January 13, 2014 Author Share Posted January 13, 2014 So, do you no longer have a DVR? The DVR was the main reason I was not willing to give up Satellite TV for a long time. We did finally get rid of it 3 years ago but I bought a Tivo to use with our local channels so that I wouldn't miss a show. I don't like watching shows sitting in front of a computer and not all my shows are even on the computer. Dawn Oh don't even get me started. Those idiots forced me to pay $9 a month to rent a dvr just to use an hdmi cord to get the cable but wanted ANOTHER $x a month to actually have it work. And then the something as simple as the usb on the front was disabled. DVR service to me seems outdated with so much available via cloud. Clearly I'm not watching new things where it really matters to me. I'm just glad to be done paying for it, as it took up a ton of space, was slow, etc. etc. The roku and having access to things via cloud is much better. Maybe your cable company does some kind of dvr cloud service for a fee? No clue. You could check. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted January 13, 2014 Author Share Posted January 13, 2014 Now I'm tempted to upgrade our older Roku for the newest model. :D On our Roku remote there is a *star* button that we use to delete or change station order. Not sure where I learned that, perhaps their website? Have fun getting channels! Ooo, good tip, thanks! And yes, I went for the roku 3 because I wanted the faster processor, ability to use ethernet, etc. lt really is quite snappy and pleasant to work with. The flyout for the cable is awesome too, much better than the sifting process of the rental dvr box and on-screen channel guide. With the roku version, your video feed stays full-size and you get a fly-out panel on the left. Instead of sifting through the same channels 3 times with different numbers and giving up, we now just go through our channels by icons, all tidy in alphabetical order, and see what's listed and zip there. Love, love. Now if only I could find a way to stream Tom and Jerry, sniff... I'm broken hearted, as I assumed it would be SOMEWHERE for free. I may have to break down and pay. Any ideas? Granted we can watch it when it's on Cartoon Network, but that's only just a narrow window each day, meaning it's easy to miss and have meltdowns over, ugh. He's downstairs watching some stupid old b&w versions from the 50s, but I want the nice/normal ones for him. The Roku3 can do youtube, so maybe I'll try it that way... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted January 13, 2014 Author Share Posted January 13, 2014 Btw, is there a way to tell the Roku to shove everything to fit screen??? I have no clue, in this day and age, why stuff is streaming in 4:3 to my 16:9 tv. Even old shows on amazon prime are doing that. If I pop a dvd in, the settings in the dvd player (or maybe it's the tv?) tell it to fit to screen. However with the roku, I'm having to hit the p-size button on my tv remote. Can it handle that automatically for me? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted January 13, 2014 Author Share Posted January 13, 2014 I like the various news channels. You can't stream live news, but you can watch most of the stories from the day's news on the CBS and NBC news channels. And I'm still trying to decide if I want Hulu+ so I can watch The Daily Show. That Animal Planet live cam channel is really fun. It's a bunch of live cameras where you can watch different kinds of animals from zoos, shelters, etc. Dd loves it. I didn't know animal planet has a channel! How fun!!! We'll go look! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
applethyme Posted January 13, 2014 Share Posted January 13, 2014 We like the PBS channels on our Roku. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted January 13, 2014 Share Posted January 13, 2014 No, we do not have cable TV. We only have an antenna. I have Tivo now with lifetime service. I am good. Oh don't even get me started. Those idiots forced me to pay $9 a month to rent a dvr just to use an hdmi cord to get the cable but wanted ANOTHER $x a month to actually have it work. And then the something as simple as the usb on the front was disabled. DVR service to me seems outdated with so much available via cloud. Clearly I'm not watching new things where it really matters to me. I'm just glad to be done paying for it, as it took up a ton of space, was slow, etc. etc. The roku and having access to things via cloud is much better. Maybe your cable company does some kind of dvr cloud service for a fee? No clue. You could check. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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