DragonFaerie Posted December 15, 2014 Share Posted December 15, 2014 I have been eyeballing the Roku stick in an effort to cut way back on my DirecTV bill. But I'm having trouble understanding how the whole channel thing works. We have Netflix and Amazon Prime Instant Streaming, and I'd be open to Hulu Plus maybe, though I don't really know anything about that. But from what I can tell, there are quite a few channels that I would not be able to get through any of these services, specifically things like the Discovery channels, the Travel Channel, and Destination America. Am I missing something? Is there some way to stream those channels using Roku? Can Roku stream via any website, such as Discovery.com? How does all this work? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reflections Posted December 15, 2014 Share Posted December 15, 2014 Yes, not everything streams with a roku or any other such device. But things are changing and more channels are offering their programs online or through roku. Honestly, it's a different view point. Either you like cable and watching what's on when it's on or you watch what you want when you want and have too look for stuff you want to watch if it's not readily available. We cut the cord for 2 plus years. We got cable when we moved across country, but frankly, I'm having trouble justifying it. We just don't watch that much television. These sites may help you. http://www.playon.tv/channels http://www.tomsguide.com/us/add-private-channel-roku-3,news-18248.html https://www.roku.com/whats-on Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted December 15, 2014 Share Posted December 15, 2014 Once you live without channels for a while you stop caring about current programs. If I haven't seen it, it's new to me, and Amazon and Netflix has loads of shows I've yet to watch. I'd have a very hard time going back to watching shows at a certain time or sitting through commercials. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lionfamily1999 Posted December 15, 2014 Share Posted December 15, 2014 We have basic basic cable. We get our internet and phone service through them and it costs the same whether we have basic basic or not, so why not :p That said, we use our roku and wii more than we use the cable. There are a lot of good channels on roku and once you start choosing them, what and when you watch tv, it's really really hard to get back into relying on networks and waiting for your show and slogging through endless commercials. I will say, Hulu has commercials, very repetitive commercials, and you can't get every show on there. We have Hulu, but every single month we debate on dropping it. Since it's only a few dollars a month, it isn't pressing, but it can get annoying watching the same commercial over and over and over and over and over again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
albeto. Posted December 15, 2014 Share Posted December 15, 2014 Once you live without channels for a while you stop caring about current programs. If I haven't seen it, it's new to me, and Amazon and Netflix has loads of shows I've yet to watch. I'd have a very hard time going back to watching shows at a certain time or sitting through commercials. This is my experience as well. And... when a new-to-us show is offered, we get to binge watch the episodes back to back as much as time allows. We do this as a family as well as individually. I don't miss cable at all, and while I don't have Ruku, we do use Netflix, Hulu Plus, and Amazon Prime which work well enough for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OneStepAtATime Posted December 15, 2014 Share Posted December 15, 2014 This is my experience as well. And... when a new-to-us show is offered, we get to binge watch the episodes back to back as much as time allows. We do this as a family as well as individually. I don't miss cable at all, and while I don't have Ruku, Netflix, Hulu Plus, and Amazon Prime work well enough for us. Yep. Although we do have Ruku. But yeah, we watch new to us shows and those are just as good if not better than new, new shows. We can watch when convenient, watch multiple episodes if we so choose, etc. An added benefit is that we don't start a series that looks promising only to have it cancelled mid-season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted December 15, 2014 Share Posted December 15, 2014 We have a computer that is dedicated to the TV, so we don't need Roku or anything like that. If we want to watch something on National Geographic, we go to nationalgeographic.com and watch. We can also watch all of the network shows if we want by going to each network's website, but we wait until our favorites are on Netflix, and then binge-watch. :-) As KunkFuPand says, if we haven't seen it, it's new to us. We do have Netflix--one DVD at a time and streaming. We're getting the Mentalist, Person of Interest, 24, and NCIS on DVD; we have streamed Bones, Black List, and Grey's Anatomy. You cannot beat streaming, or DVDs; I am so spoiled now--NO commercials, no fast-forwarding through commercials, just watch my shows. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamaraby Posted December 15, 2014 Share Posted December 15, 2014 This is my experience as well. And... when a new-to-us show is offered, we get to binge watch the episodes back to back as much as time allows. We do this as a family as well as individually. I don't miss cable at all, and while I don't have Ruku, we do use Netflix, Hulu Plus, and Amazon Prime which work well enough for us. Ditto here. Tbh, with a dh who works shift work, I tend to forget to watch TV when he's not at home. Then we can watch in one night when he's home, the three shows we're interested in that are currently airing. My kids are so used to wtaching what they want to watch, sometimes I wonder what they'll think of the "watch at this time with commercials" model. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DragonFaerie Posted December 15, 2014 Author Share Posted December 15, 2014 I tend to have the TV on as background noise while I'm online or whatever. We also have DVR, so the shows we like get recorded and we can watch them whenever we want (and we fast forward the commercials). Does Roku have some means of notification when new episodes of favorite shows are available? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jann in TX Posted December 15, 2014 Share Posted December 15, 2014 We live in the boonies and get our network stations via an inexpensive antenna-- quality is BETTER than what we had with Dish/DirectTV. We use a computer to record-- so we watch with no commercials! We also have Netflix and Amazon Prime-- so more than enough to watch. The first few months were the hardest-- but I LOVE saving over $100 each month!!! Its been a few years and ZERO regrets! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OH_Homeschooler Posted December 15, 2014 Share Posted December 15, 2014 Hulu Plus is getting Discovery Content on January 1! I recently considered dropping Hulu Plus but I reconsidered, since it really is convenient to have for keeping up to date with recent network shows. http://variety.com/2014/digital/news/discovery-inks-first-deal-with-hulu-which-lands-deadliest-catch-exclusive-svod-rights-1201374721/ I agree with previous posters, you do miss certain types of programming at first but you get used to it, especially when you consider how much money you're saving. And it seems the streaming services are getting more of my favorite stuff all the time. As far as notifications of new shows, I don't know if you can get that through Roku directly, although they do have some ads for new shows within certain channels (just not usually the ones you might be interested in). This is based on my Roku 1 box, so there may have been upgrades. But generally, you will have links to your channels such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, etc. Then when you open a channel you will see your list. Hulu Plus has a Queued Episodes feature, so I know if I want to see the latest Daily Show (to which I subscribe on Hulu) I can go into Hulu Plus on the Roku, then go to my Queued Episodes to find it. I manage most of my accounts online (such as searching Netflix and updating my list order), and just use my Roku to view content. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DragonFaerie Posted December 15, 2014 Author Share Posted December 15, 2014 Hulu Plus is getting Discovery Content on January 1! I recently considered dropping Hulu Plus but I reconsidered, since it really is convenient to have for keeping up to date with recent network shows. http://variety.com/2014/digital/news/discovery-inks-first-deal-with-hulu-which-lands-deadliest-catch-exclusive-svod-rights-1201374721/ I agree with previous posters, you do miss certain types of programming at first but you get used to it, especially when you consider how much money you're saving. And it seems the streaming services are getting more of my favorite stuff all the time. As far as notifications of new shows, I don't know if you can get that through Roku directly, although they do have some ads for new shows within certain channels (just not usually the ones you might be interested in). This is based on my Roku 1 box, so there may have been upgrades. But generally, you will have links to your channels such as Netflix, Amazon Prime, etc. Then when you open a channel you will see your list. Hulu Plus has a Queued Episodes feature, so I know if I want to see the latest Daily Show (to which I subscribe on Hulu) I can go into Hulu Plus on the Roku, then go to my Queued Episodes to find it. I manage most of my accounts online (such as searching Netflix and updating my list order), and just use my Roku to view content. Okay, I think I understand. It sounds like Hulu lets you keep a list of shows you like and it will put the new episodes of those shows into a list for you, right? So in that regard, it does sort of work like a DVR? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OH_Homeschooler Posted December 15, 2014 Share Posted December 15, 2014 Okay, I think I understand. It sounds like Hulu lets you keep a list of shows you like and it will put the new episodes of those shows into a list for you, right? So in that regard, it does sort of work like a DVR? Yes! :) You could always start an account with Hulu Plus now and see if that would meet your needs if you were to cut out DirecTV. I think they have a free trial period. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted December 15, 2014 Share Posted December 15, 2014 Once you live without channels for a while you stop caring about current programs. If I haven't seen it, it's new to me, and Amazon and Netflix has loads of shows I've yet to watch. I'd have a very hard time going back to watching shows at a certain time or sitting through commercials. Yes. And on the few occasions that we do watch something on broadcast tv (we have a digital antenna) I get annoyed that I can't just pause to do something or talk about what's happening on the show. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DragonFaerie Posted December 15, 2014 Author Share Posted December 15, 2014 I think I'm still under contract with DirecTV, but I'm thinking I could drop my package down to the cheapest one they have and "make up" the missed channels with Hulu Plus and Roku. I do still want the network channels so I can watch football and such. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foxbridgeacademy Posted December 16, 2014 Share Posted December 16, 2014 What we do is use our X-boxes to stream Hulu, Netflix and Amazon. If it's not on those (included in the price) then I can decide if I want to pay for a season of say "Big Bang Theory" for $35.00. You get to a point where if it's not included in the subscription of the big three then it's not even worth worrying about. I will also buy a month long subscription to Acorn TV when it has a show I want to watch (British TV) I also watch the PBS app on the Xbox for Sherlock and other stuff (they have the new Downtown Abbey). We do have cable right now but I don't count it as such. We have the bare minimum(local used to be broadcast only) and only watch it if the weather is going to be bad(2 times in the last year). The only reason we have it is that it actually lowers our internet/phone bill by $10 per month. We haven't had real cable since 2009. You can do it but it does take some time to adjust. I really missed it for awhile but I have found that I watch a lot less junk now then I used to. ETA: you would want Hulu Plus and if you watch CBS shows you're going to have to get their paid app too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lionfamily1999 Posted December 16, 2014 Share Posted December 16, 2014 I think you can still open a free hulu account, but it only streams to a pc and a lot of content is not available. If you start there, you can check out how the queue works and everything and if you like it you can upgrade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Kate Posted December 16, 2014 Share Posted December 16, 2014 What we do is use our X-boxes to stream Hulu, Netflix and Amazon. If it's not on those (included in the price) then I can decide if I want to pay for a season of say "Big Bang Theory" for $35.00. You get to a point where if it's not included in the subscription of the big three then it's not even worth worrying about. I will also buy a month long subscription to Acorn TV when it has a show I want to watch (British TV) I also watch the PBS app on the Xbox for Sherlock and other stuff (they have the new Downtown Abbey). We do have cable right now but I don't count it as such. We have the bare minimum(local used to be broadcast only) and only watch it if the weather is going to be bad(2 times in the last year). The only reason we have it is that it actually lowers our internet/phone bill by $10 per month. We haven't had real cable since 2009. You can do it but it does take some time to adjust. I really missed it for awhile but I have found that I watch a lot less junk now then I used to. ETA: you would want Hulu Plus and if you watch CBS shows you're going to have to get their paid app too. Not to hijack, but paid CBS app? We have a Roku and subscribe to Netflix, Hulu Plus, and Amazon Prime (and have for four years now). Is there a cbs app for the roku??? I didn't know about this! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foxbridgeacademy Posted December 16, 2014 Share Posted December 16, 2014 Not to hijack, but paid CBS app? We have a Roku and subscribe to Netflix, Hulu Plus, and Amazon Prime (and have for four years now). Is there a cbs app for the roku??? I didn't know about this! Not on those devices yet, I think. I should have clarified that the CBS app (AFAIK) is only on computer and tablets. I'm trying it out but will probably cancel it. ETA:CBS app not really worth it IMO. You can only get this seasons shows (or stuff from the 80's/90's) the amount od ads is crazy.... worse then live TV and I have to pay for it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted December 16, 2014 Share Posted December 16, 2014 CBS irritates me. They've done everything they can to avoid being a 21st century network. When they finally decide to stop fighting it, they join in a way that turns all but the most diehard fans of the network off. BBT and NCIS are probably their biggest draws. Even so, I'm not going to pay to watch broadcast tv. I'll wait for reruns or syndication. There are too many choices these days for anyone to stay loyal to a particular network or show. The PTB at CBS need to understand this or they will be the network version of Sears and KMart. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southern Ivy Posted December 16, 2014 Share Posted December 16, 2014 CBS irritates me. They've done everything they can to avoid being a 21st century network. When they finally decide to stop fighting it, they join in a way that turns all but the most diehard fans of the network off. BBT and NCIS are probably their biggest draws. Even so, I'm not going to pay to watch broadcast tv. I'll wait for reruns or syndication. There are too many choices these days for anyone to stay loyal to a particular network or show. The PTB at CBS need to understand this or they will be the network version of Sears and KMart. THIS! I would love to watch BBT and NCIS, but I'm not going to pay for an extra subscription just for those shows. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamaraby Posted December 16, 2014 Share Posted December 16, 2014 We watch NCiS on the app one week and one day after the episode airs. There was a brief moment when the app would Airplay neatly, but we're back to Airplay with mirrorng which brings about odd skipping. CBS really is annoying. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alessandra Posted December 16, 2014 Share Posted December 16, 2014 We use Roku for Netflix, Amazon Prime, various free apps like CBS News etc. We use Apple TV for you tube and for mirroring from computer. What I miss is Aero TV, which gave us broadcast networks, watch record 2 shows at a time, $8 month. But SCOTUS decided against them, copyright issues. Live news is important to me, and I wish there were a way to get it without paying cable $$$$$. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OH_Homeschooler Posted December 16, 2014 Share Posted December 16, 2014 CBS irritates me. They've done everything they can to avoid being a 21st century network. When they finally decide to stop fighting it, they join in a way that turns all but the most diehard fans of the network off. BBT and NCIS are probably their biggest draws. Even so, I'm not going to pay to watch broadcast tv. I'll wait for reruns or syndication. There are too many choices these days for anyone to stay loyal to a particular network or show. The PTB at CBS need to understand this or they will be the network version of Sears and KMart. Me too! One of the shows I really miss is 48 Hours Mystery but I'd much rather skip that than deal with CBS streaming options. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boscopup Posted December 16, 2014 Share Posted December 16, 2014 We love our Roku. Dropped cable earlier this year and don't miss it at all. DH paid for Walking Dead on Amazon so he could watch that at the normal time, but otherwise we mostly watch shows that are older and we just haven't seen them before. For network stations, we have a digital antenna, so I still record NCIS, Bones, and other current shows. Our digital antenna signal is better than our old cable signal. We still have cable internet. We just dropped cable tv. With the amount we're saving each month, we figured we could buy any content we really miss (like Walking Dead). I mostly use Netflix. I love the profiles (each family member has their own queue) and no commercials. We've watched a few things on Hulu Plus, and I agree that it's the SAME commercial over and over again, but at least they're short and not very frequent. There are some channels on Roku that you can activate while you have cable/satellite service, such as Animal Planet and such. DH activated all those right before we cut cable, and they still work for now. After Walking Dead, I make DH go to the Cute Kittens channel on Animal Planet to wipe zombies out of my mind before going to sleep. :D One thing that annoys me about Hulu is that you can't get Hulu Free on your Roku or other streaming device, and some of their shows are on the free side but not the Plus side. You would think that Plus would get you the free content also, but it doesn't. Still have to use the computer for that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DragonFaerie Posted December 16, 2014 Author Share Posted December 16, 2014 Thanks so much for all the info! I think my mom is giving us Roku for Christmas, so what I can do is try that out for a while and see how we do weaning off of satellite before I drop DirecTV (whenever my contract is up). I was using the DVD player to watch Netflix, but that has died and can't seem to find our internet anymore. Ah, well, it was old. And it does still play DVDs. So if nothing else, I'll be able to watch Netflix and Amazon stuff with the Roku. And then I can try out the Hulu Plus trial and see how we like that, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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