Roku – Fire Your Cable TV
This summer, we were fed up with the expense and unreliable service of our cable TV provider.
Roku was the answer.
I’d read good things about Roku, so my husband & I bought the mid-range Roku box. (This was when Roku1 was available, and it was about $80). It’s available at Amazon.com, Best Buy, some BJs, etc.
Within hours of connecting it to our Internet service and our TV set (an old, analog-type TV), we called our cable TV company and told them to cancel our service.
We’re really glad we did.
My Roku review…
I love Roku. I miss a few cable TV shows — mostly sports, and a few shows on things like Showtime — but not enough to make it worth switching back to cable TV.
We have Netflix, so we’re able to see several (not all) Showtime series. They’re added later than they air on Showtime, of course, but I don’t mind waiting.
Also, several TV channels are adding at least some of their programming to Roku. If you’re a BYU-TV fan, it’s live on Roku.
Fox-TV fans can watch all-Conservative news, weekdays from 9 am to 3 pm, and Liberals can watch Free Speech TV — including Thom Hartmann’s The Big Picture — streaming live on Roku. There’s something for everyone!
BBC World News is also live on Roku, 24/7. RTE (Irish TV news) also streams live, 24/7, via Nowhere TV, a channel you can get free on Roku.
Hulu Plus is also available for Roku, so you can watch many popular TV shows there, too.
If you can’t live without your NBC Nightly News, you can still watch it nightly — about an hour and a half after the broadcast, free and commercial-free (except NBC’s ads for its own shows) — on Roku via Nowhere TV, or on the free NBC channel at Roku. (I know… this sounds confusing. It won’t be, once you see how Roku works.)
Roku is a one-time investment. Once it’s connected to the Internet (wireless or hard-wired to your router) and your TV, you don’t need to spend another cent to watch TV.
Sure, we have Netflix streaming to our Roku box, but that’s not necessary. There are lots & lots of free channels — movies, TV shows, and more — so you never need to pay for TV again.
Here are some useful links:
To stream directly to your TV without Roku – one among many options – http://jacksonlawnservice.com/internet_television
Roku info – http://www.roku.com/roku-products
(Note: You can use Wii and other devices to stream from the Internet to your TV, but Roku offers its own wide array of channels, and it makes the process a lot simpler. For me, simple is better. I love Roku!)
Nowhere TV – lots of free channels for Roku, and other devices: http://www.thenowhereman.com/roku/
You can also get Nowhere TV on your Roku via http://streamfree.tv/nowhere-tv/
While you’re there, check everything else listed at Streamfree.tv… the website is pretty diverse.
Start here – http://streamfree.tv/apps/roku-private-channels/live-streaming-channels/
That’s where we added BBC World News and a few other channels. All of them were free.
(If you’ve been wanting the Plum channel, get MummyBox… free via Roku: http://www.streamfree.tv/apps/roku-private-channels/live-streaming-channels/mummybox-113-thread.html? )
JustinTV – more free channels, but much lower screen quality, so some people don’t recommend this: http://www.justin.tv/directory/entertainment (also available through streamfree.tv) We like it to watch the Bison Frichee puppies in Florida, in the Pets section of JustinTV.
Also look for additional websites that list the Roku private channels (they’re generally free, but not necessarily listed at the Roku Channel Store screen).
For example:
http://www.fta-heaven.com/forums/showthread.php?312-Roku-Player-Private-Channel-Codes
There are also lots of low-cost, paid options … far less expensive than the most basic cable TV service. They provide many of your favorite shows direct to your TV screen. One popular option is PlayOn ($4.99/month) http://www.playon.tv/content-channels. However, it’s going from the network to the Internet, through a computer, and then through Roku… before it reaches your TV. In other words, the quality may not be what you had in mind. You can add it to your Roku with a plugin, and there are other streaming options as well.
If you’re using Roku outside the US, you can also get free, basic TV stations that you’re accustomed to in the US… things like ABC, CBS and NBC. However, I haven’t done that because — when you sign up — your IP number has to be outside of the US. You may also have to prove American citizenship, using a passport or a green card, in that other country. The most popular service for this is US TV Now.
Also, for the latest news (and lots of newbie questions) plus a fairly good private channels database, join http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/RokuDigitalVideoPlayer/database
Anyway, that’s enough to get you started if you’ve been looking at the steadily-climbing cost of cable TV, and wondering if there’s an alternative.
There are several great alternatives. We’re thrilled with Roku and would never go back to cable TV. We added Netflix to our Roku, but — other than that — we’re enjoying hundreds of great TV channels, free.
Roku Shopping Tips
If you’re buying a Roku, and Roku2 is the current model, you’ll want the top of the line model (linked below) if you want to hard-wire your Roku box using a cable connection from your computer router. It’s the only Roku model that isn’t exclusively for use with wifi.
We feel that we get a better, faster connection when the Roku is hard-wired to our computer set-up.
In addition, the top model of Roku has buttons that allow you more control over what you’re watching. Kind of like TiVO, I can pause a live program if I need to answer the phone and — on most Roku channels, so far — resume my viewing, later. I can also pause, fast forward and rewind my Netflix movies, etc. As I understand it, the other (less expensive) models of Roku2 don’t have those bells & whistles.
And frankly, for the amount you’re going to save when you cancel your cable TV service, it’s worth spending $30 (or so) more for the fanciest Roku2.
However, if you want to test this on a shoestring budget, you can get Roku models that cost far less. You’ll still get wonderful TV stations… but you’ll need to connect via wi-fi — which most people choose for their computers anyway — and you’ll have fewer options.
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