Erin Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 Anyone have an opinion on this?? I already have a fairly well-established Apple farm, so I'm leaning toward Apple TV, but If one of the other three has a major selling point, let me know! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 I have Apple and Roku. I like the Apple the best. If you have an iPad or Macbook that is more recent, you can do the mirror image thing too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest inoubliable Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 I have a Roku. I have verra old Macbooks. I don't think AppleTV is even an option with them? I like my Roku, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 I have a Roku and think it's great! :) I subscribe to only one paid channel: AcornTV, and it, along with the other channels I have, works great. The Roku is easy to use. The Apple TV thing is useful if you like to stream stuff from your iPad or other such activities. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamaraby Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 I really like my AppleTV and how well it works with the iPads, etc. I'd maybe make a different decision if I didn't have any Apple stuff. Maybe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PinkyandtheBrains. Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 Roku unless you have many iDevices already then you can mirror. I bought Roku because it was half off at the time. We like it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 We have an Apple TV and the Wii can do streaming from Amazon Prime. It would be nice not to have to switch input channels but I don't know of any device that can do both iTunes streaming and Amazon streaming. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamaraby Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 We have an Apple TV and the Wii can do streaming from Amazon Prime. It would be nice not to have to switch input channels but I don't know of any device that can do both iTunes streaming and Amazon streaming. We only have the AppleTV and I stream Amazon Prime to my AppleTV from my iPad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 We only have the AppleTV and I stream Amazon Prime to my AppleTV from my iPad. We have done that, but the interface is clunky and the mirroring has a tendancy to get interrupted. Since we already have the Wii, that is what we typically use for Amazon Prime streaming. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeaganS Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 We have two Rokus and Chromecast. We got Chromecast because dh subscribes to Google Music and it was the easiest way to play it through our sound system, although I also prefer it for YouTube. It is just so darn easy. We use Roku daily and really like it as well. It does everything we want. We use Netflix, Hulu Plus, Vudu, and Amazon Prime all the time as well as some other channels like BYUtv and Plex (for streaming our own files off a dedicated hard drive). We are Google/Android people, though, so Chromecast made sense for us. Roku wouldn't really matter for that unless you had tons of iTunes files you want to stream. If I was already invested in Apple, I would probably just do Apple tv because it would be easier, but then I don't know much about it. Oh, we also like Roku for travelling. It is small and we can watch our normal tv in hotels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamajag Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 I love my Apple TV. I have two of them, actually. We are an Apple farm here, too. One of them is dedicated to homeschool use. I use it to mirror my Macbook to the TV, and we watch tons of documentaries on discovery streaming or put their virtual art class on the big screen. I can mirror my iPad to it and use it as a virtual whiteboard. If you share your iTunes library to it, it can wirelessly stream anything in your library through your TV. Of course it has your usual suspects as far as streaming channels, so you're covered there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blessed3x Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 We have an Apple TV and the Wii can do streaming from Amazon Prime. It would be nice not to have to switch input channels but I don't know of any device that can do both iTunes streaming and Amazon streaming. You just made my day. I did not know you could watch Prime from the Wii! I have been on my iPad mini for months while moving overseas. THANK YOU! THANK YOU! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jilly Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 Another vote for Apple TV especially if you have an iPad for mirroring. I use that for when I want to watch Acorn TV or Amazon. I was given an Amazon Fire TV for my birthday, and I ended up sending it back. Although I did like the Amazon Fire, it drained all my monthly data due to a glitch with it. I returned it and am waiting for the next model in hopes they fix that particular issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tammyw Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 You just made my day. I did not know you could watch Prime from the Wii! I have been on my iPad mini for months while moving overseas. THANK YOU! THANK YOU! I didn't know this either! I'm going to check it out, because we thought we were going to have to buy another roku to enable us to use Amazon on our other tv. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hellen Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 I don't know what you plan to use the devices for. We have a Roku hooked up to a tv without cable. We have cable but only to one tv. I would like the Rocky better if we didn't have Comcast which blocks a lot of the Rocky channels. For instance I can't get Fox or HBO on my Roku. So basically our Roku is good for PBS and Amazon. We bought a new dvd player and can stream Amazon through it along with youtube. Think twice if you're a Comcast customer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angie in VA Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 Love Apple TV here. We have Amazon Prime and I use Air Play to watch movies that are on Prime on my tv through Apple TV. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ad astra Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 We have both of Apple TV and Amazon Fire TV. We MUCH prefer Apple TV. If you have a cable subscription, you can have an access to HBO, PBS Kids and other channels that Fire TV don't have. (Fire has ShowTime.) Channels are already set up on Apple TV's home screen but on Fire TV you have to search and download "apps" including channels that you want. It's easier to browse through shows on Netflix with Apple TV. The voice search on Fire TV only works for the Amazon's contents. Only after two months we got the Fire TV, it stopped working so we had to reset it to factory setting. We've never had any technical problem with Apple TV since we bought it last year. I really wanted to like Fire TV although we don't play any games nor own any android device, but it is just not as good. The only better thing on Fire TV is that you can stream Amazon Prime shows (as well as its paid contents) on its home screen, but if you have a high speed internet, Air Play on iPad can work well for this, too. Amazon tries so hard to sell vast media contents through their devices. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThisIsTheDay Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 We got Roku a few weeks ago, and I don't get it. Imo, there was nothing to watch, and there's no easy way to find out what to watch. We were already using the Wii for HuluPlus. For us, it's been a waste of money. I don't imagine anyone here devoting any time to trying to further figure out the benefit of Roku. But I know that's not the case for everyone, and it depends on what you are looking for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5of5 Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 I don't know what you plan to use the devices for. We have a Roku hooked up to a tv without cable. We have cable but only to one tv. I would like the Rocky better if we didn't have Comcast which blocks a lot of the Rocky channels. For instance I can't get Fox or HBO on my Roku. So basically our Roku is good for PBS and Amazon. We bought a new dvd player and can stream Amazon through it along with youtube. Think twice if you're a Comcast customer. Could you elaborate? What exactly does Comcast block and how? (Wasn't aware of this.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 We got Roku a few weeks ago, and I don't get it. Imo, there was nothing to watch, and there's no easy way to find out what to watch. ? i honesly don't get this. Add some channels. Then open them up. I'll give you some ideas: PBS, Smithsonian, whatever you subscribe to (Amazon, Hulu, Netflix). You can watch Frontline, NOVA, Mystery, and so on from PBS. You can watch all sorts of stuff. Once you get some channels lined up, you can start watching things and maybe it will make more sense? I have comcast and I can get Fox on the roku. I watched an episode of that space show on it. I can't get HBO because I am not an HBo subscriber. I am able to watch ESPN 3 which included the World Cup, because of having comcast. ETA: To clarify, I have internet access only via comcast. I don't have cable. Another thing -- I too have traveled with my Roku box. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 I find the Wii clunky and not as user friendly as Roku or AppleTV. The other thing about the Wii is that it streams in 480p. If you have a 1080p TV, you can really see the difference in quality. The Apple 3 and Roku higher end models all stream in 1080p if it is available (may shows are streamed in 720p through the provider) but even 720p is a difference from 480p IMO. Dawn We have done that, but the interface is clunky and the mirroring has a tendancy to get interrupted. Since we already have the Wii, that is what we typically use for Amazon Prime streaming. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 You HAVE to go online to your HuluPlus account or your Netflix account and add shows to your queue. Then they pop up on your Roku device to stream. Searching ON the Roku is indeed useless. We only have OTA TV through an Antenna (and we have Tivo boxes with lifetime memberships to record TV) and we have Roku boxes. We LOVE them. I can watch an entire series of a show at once with it. I think you are missing how to use it properly and missing out on all the great benefits of it. Dawn We got Roku a few weeks ago, and I don't get it. Imo, there was nothing to watch, and there's no easy way to find out what to watch. We were already using the Wii for HuluPlus. For us, it's been a waste of money. I don't imagine anyone here devoting any time to trying to further figure out the benefit of Roku. But I know that's not the case for everyone, and it depends on what you are looking for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hellen Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 You have to enter a code to get full access to some channels. You can't get that access without already paying for cable. We do pay for cable but not to the tv the Roku is hooked up to. Comcast does not provide codes to these stations. Your cable provider might. The Roku has 2,000 channels and you only need a code for a handful; basically any cable channel. I used to get Fox but I got kicked off. I don't knoy why. Maybe I just need to go through the code process again. The good news - if you're an HBO subscriber, you can now watch every episode of every season of HBO's top original series, as well as HBO original movies, on your Roku. The bad news - if you aren't an HBO subscriber, you're out of luck. HBO GO is available only to those who subscribe to HBO through a cable or satellite television provider. And even then, not all providers support Roku. Comcast XFINITY and DirecTV customers, for example, won't be able to access HBO GO through their Rokus, although it is accessible to them through iPad, iPhone, and Android apps. And Time Warner Cable and Cablevision Systems are said to not support HBO Go on any device. Here is a link to an article with the most watched stations: http://www.rokuguide.com/articles/the-best-roku-channels-most-watched-channels-in-all-categories Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 We have Roku because we don't want to be locked into any company's ecosystem (Apple, Amazon FireTV or Chromcast). We love it. We do have 4 channels that we pay for - Netflix, Hulu Plus, Acorntv, and we're Amazon Prime members. For us, the Roku was a satellite/cable replacement and even with the 4 subscriptions we don't pay as much in a month as we were paying for Directv. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 In the end, Roku (from what I gather) is the only device that is not self-promoting something... it's not pushing apple products, google products, amazon products... I must have missed this when I was posting, but yes. This is what I was trying to say. With Roku you don't get involved in companies fighting each other and not wanting to allow the other one's app on their device. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 How do you get locked into another ecosystem? I can use Hulu+ and Netflix with AppleTV and never use iTunes, ever. I don't really care that I can't stream Amazon to it because I never use Amazon prime for anything other than shipping. What is AcornTV? Hmmmm.....will have to go look. We have Roku because we don't want to be locked into any company's ecosystem (Apple, Amazon FireTV or Chromcast). We love it. We do have 4 channels that we pay for - Netflix, Hulu Plus, Acorntv, and we're Amazon Prime members. For us, the Roku was a satellite/cable replacement and even with the 4 subscriptions we don't pay as much in a month as we were paying for Directv. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 I find the Wii clunky and not as user friendly as Roku or AppleTV. The other thing about the Wii is that it streams in 480p. If you have a 1080p TV, you can really see the difference in quality. The Apple 3 and Roku higher end models all stream in 1080p if it is available (may shows are streamed in 720p through the provider) but even 720p is a difference from 480p IMO. Dawn Most of the free Prime content is standard definition anyways. Usually the HD stuff is paid, and for that we purchase via iTunes because then it can go on the iPad with the bigger screen than the Kindle Fire. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 What is AcornTV? http://acorn.tv A channel that streams British (and Australian and Canadian) TV shows. They have a ton of mysteries and dramas, some comedies, and they're expanding their documentaries. They have new material and rotate some out periodically. Here's an article http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/personal/2014/05/17/cutting-the-cord-acorn-tv/9184875/ You can get a free month trial, but non-members can also watch the first episode (or first half of the episode?) of all the series, to get a feel for what it's like. You can pay month-to-month or annually. They often have deals that package Roku with a subscription. At the end of last year, they had a deal of $65 for a year's subscription plus a roku (!!) but it's now $80 for a roku2 plus 6 mo of Acorn subscription. I believe their annual subscription rate is $50. **Just adding this in. They have a warning on their page that if you start a trial subscription and then buy an annual membership, you need to specifically cancel the trial or it will roll into a month-to-month subscription, but you can do this online. Want to mention this as it seems a bit fiddly and don't want anyone being upset with me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ad astra Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 I can use Hulu+ and Netflix with AppleTV and never use iTunes, ever. I really like this about Apple TV. We are not forced to see anything that iTunes offers. I can just go straight to the channels I want. However, Fire TV is way too pushy. When we got it, our Amazon account was already set up in the device and it comes with a free one-month trial of Prime membership if you don't have one. And their contents are all over the home screen while you have to search and download all other channels like Netflix and YouTube. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 How do you get locked into another ecosystem? I can use Hulu+ and Netflix with AppleTV and never use iTunes, ever. I don't really care that I can't stream Amazon to it because I never use Amazon prime for anything other than shipping. What is AcornTV? Hmmmm.....will have to go look. But there you go. We do watch a lot of free Prime videos. They have a bunch of new stuff from HBO now -shows we've never seen such as Band of Brothers and John Adams. They even have The Sopranos and Boardwalk Empire. Acorn tv is a channel that has British shows. I found it while trying to find a way to watch more Midsomer Murders (The ones beginning with Barnaby's cousin for those who know what I'm talking about). I came across Acorn tv when searching. It has another show we've been unable to watch - the past two seasons of Murdock Mysteries There's a free one month trial, but the cost is minimal after that, so we'll probably keep it*. We like British mysteries and it has a bunch. It also has comedies and dramas as well as many period series. Mostly all British. Some Canadian. Acorntv link *We had intended to get caught up on our shows during the trial period and then drop it, but after browsing the available shows we decided to keep it, at least for a while. It's only $5 a month. A steal! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 Right, but the claim that you are locked into an ecosystem is not really true. I can never buy iTunes anything and still use AppleTV. If you want Amazon, then fine. We actually have 3 Roku boxes so we have access. But the claim that you are locked in to something is not true. Just like Roku will not stream anything from iTunes. So, it is about personal preference. Dawn But there you go. We do watch a lot of free Prime videos. They have a bunch of new stuff from HBO now -shows we've never seen such as Band of Brothers and John Adams. They even have The Sopranos and Boardwalk Empire. Acorn tv is a channel that has British shows. I found it while trying to find a way to watch more Midsomer Murders (The ones beginning with Barnaby's cousin for those who know what I'm talking about). I came across Acorn tv when searching. It has another show we've been unable to watch - the past two seasons of Murdock Mysteries There's a free one month trial, but the cost is minimal after that, so we'll probably keep it. We like British mysteries and it has a bunch. It also has comedies and dramas as well as many period series. Mostly all British. Some Canadian. Acorntv link Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 Do you only use Amazon prime? You don't use Hulu+ or Netflix. Those do stream in higher quality. I never use prime, so I don't know the quality they stream in. Most of the free Prime content is standard definition anyways. Usually the HD stuff is paid, and for that we purchase via iTunes because then it can go on the iPad with the bigger screen than the Kindle Fire. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 Right, but the claim that you are locked into an ecosystem is not really true. I can never buy iTunes anything and still use AppleTV. If you want Amazon, then fine. We actually have 3 Roku boxes so we have access. But the claim that you are locked in to something is not true. I guess I wasn't clear. What I meant was that you only get what they'll allow you to have, and they often won't allow you to have something from their competitors. Apple is not alone. I wouldn't want Fire TV for the same reason. Or Chromecast I love Amazon and Google but don't trust them not to prevent me from watching something from a major competitor. It probably won't happen because it's likely better economically for them to let you buy more, but I'd rather not be locked into one company. Like you said, a preference. I can't remember if you like British mysteries - I know we've talked in the past about old shows on OTA channels and I thought you also like police mysteries, British stuff, etc. If I'm right, take a look at Acorn tv. You might like it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 I can't remember if you like British mysteries - I know we've talked in the past about old shows on OTA channels and I thought you also like police mysteries, British stuff, etc. If I'm right, take a look at Acorn tv. You might like it. The good thing about Acorn is that they've been responding to viewer suggestions and have been adding a more diverse lineup from the Agatha Christie-heavy fare they favored in the past. They've got more documentaries and more modern mysteries, and other stuff. They are the first place to show the last Poirot shows, so they definitely haven't given up the Christie ghost, though. They have a mix of new releases and stuff from years past. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomtoCandJ Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 Can someone please tell me the free channel list for Roku? We want to get this when we switch internet providers. Or at least the documentary and kids channels ( that's about all we watch) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 http://www.roku.com/channels I'd browse by categories and look at the ones that are more popular. There are a lot of free movie ones with kind of wacky cult SCIFI type movies, but I'd definitely think about PBS and PBS Kids as they have tons of content, Smithsonian, maybe History and A&E, any of the major networks (CBS, Fox, etc) that has shows you might want to watch. I am able to watch episodes of TV shows from the network's Roku channel; it's really handy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 Do you only use Amazon prime? You don't use Hulu+ or Netflix. Those do stream in higher quality. I never use prime, so I don't know the quality they stream in. No, we don't pay for any subscription TV aside from the Prime. Buying a Prime membership made financial sense when our printer died and we found a better deal on a replacement on Amazon compared to the local in-store options. So the video streaming is just a nice bonus to having free shipping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erin Posted August 18, 2014 Author Share Posted August 18, 2014 OK, so I'm leaning in to Apple... We have no cable/satellite and while we do occasionally watch Prime, if needs be I can AirPlay through my iPhone or an iPod. (Currently my iPhone streams whatever we're watching and is hooked up to our ancient TV via the old yellow/white/red cable-input jobbies. Anything would be better than that! lol) BTW, the input on this thread has been great! I am SOOO far behind the curve on this, it's nice to get specifics and links and such. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted August 31, 2014 Share Posted August 31, 2014 FYI for anyone who is still debating the issue, Groupon has a deal on the Roku Streaming Stick that includes 2 months free of Hulu+: http://www.groupon.com/deals/gg-1-roku-streaming-stick-with-2-months-free-of-hulu-plus-1?utm_campaign=UserReferral&utm_medium=email&utm_source=uu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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