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Thread: ROKU & High Speed internet questions - Please help if you know.

  1. #16
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    Quote Originally Posted by Yonak Hawkins View Post
    glenn, what service do you use to stream live TV ? Do you get most of the things offered on cable ?
    I'm not Glenn, but a few months ago, I was investigating this to determine if that was the direction we wanted to go. Note that these services change over time and some are affected by geography. Hulu Plus for about $40 a month had all the networks for live TV (including CBS at the time) and a good representation of typical "cable" channels. It's also compatible with most streaming devices. YouTubeTV also had a good selection, but was limited to certain devices and was missing CBS. It also has geography restrictions for the networks. PlayStation Vue had a good selection, but, well...it's focused on PlayStation as the device. ATT's DirectTVNow is very similar to regular DirectTV in content. Etc. You really need to look at each of the services to determine what's available to you on that service in your area as well as overall.

    In the end, I chose to just keep the "LocalTV" option from Verizon FiOS without set top boxes and do the $6 a month subscription to CBS Now so we'd have access to recorded versions of Colbert to watch at times better for us, rather than late night. OTA actually worked great...except for the one channel that I watch each and every morning that was "geography challenged on Low-VHF", so staying with the "triple play" was actually the least expensive option to get what we actually watch. My girls have their own streaming accounts that they pay for...they refuse to share because of how bookmarked locations in shows get lost when someone else decides to watch the same content.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  2. #17
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    Sep 2010
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    Just as a point of reference, we have U-verse service with a mighty 2 mbs. That's right, two. It can run our Roku box without any problem BUT the television is an old CRT model, not high definition. It does tie up the connection for any other use. Hi-def will need more speed, 200 mbs is plenty.

    We also have a smart TV, we don't use both on a network connection at the same time. The smart TV is set for lo-def to lower the data rate.

    A smart TV is used in place of a Roku box but the Roku has a choice of of channels that our smart TV can't match.

    We have Netflix, used to have Hulu Plus but dumped them as no one watched it. My wife uses it a lot, I for the most part use that modern wireless tech called an antenna. No network connections at all, it's really quite advanced...

    -Tom

  3. #18
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    Don't discount your weight as a long-term DISH customer, none of the TV/internet providers want to lose customers in today's highly competitive market. I have AT&T Uverse service for landline, DSL and their max plan on TV, my monthly bill would be well over $300/month at their standard rates. I just call in yearly and threaten to leave, the CS rep magically finds a way cut my bill back to $200.

    "The squeaky wheel gets the grease", just make some noise and see what happens. Worst case is you have to switch and get an introductory price on a bundle from the cable provider but that's not likely to happen, selecting the menu option for canceling service takes you to a higher level in the CS tree and you get to talk to people who can actually do something for you. Go on the DISH website, see what they're offering new customers and ask for the same deal. There'll be some dickering but these reps get scored on customer retention, losing you directly effects their paycheck at review time. They'll do whatever they can to keep you as a customer.

    Roku is nice but it depends on what you watch. The most popular network shows are available but there's a time delay. Cable networks like A&E, Discovery, etc. may have their own Roku channels but the number of programs they offer are limited. Your best bet for live network broadcast without a provider plan is an HDTV antenna if you're in an area with a good selection of local stations. It just depends on what you(or your sister in this case) want to watch. And there's always a subscription option for Netflix, HBO Go, Showtime Now, etc. if she's a movie buff. If you're an Amazon Prime member you get a lot of free stuff with your membership as well.

    Just like everything else, you pays your money and takes your choice.

  4. #19
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    Bill - your advice to get squeaky with DISH is spot on. I went through this curve with them when I cancelled for myself. At that time I told them I was going with a roof top antenna and Netflix - which I did, with absolutely no regrets. On the phone with DISH, as you said, I was bumped up to supervisor of sales level and spoke several times with a very professional and friendly DISH rep. Every time we talked the price got lower. Finally, AFTER I had said my goodbyes, she called back and made me such a sweet deal that I honestly had to reconsider . "They'll do whatever they can to keep you as a customer." EXACTLY!

    The thing with this tactic is that you have to be ready to QUIT -not just fold 'em but walk away (at least as far as the DISH rep will believe you). I asked my sister if she could stand to be without her TV for a few days to a week but this made her shudder . I understand, so I backed off. Still, I will have another chat with the DISH I quit department and see what happens.

    Good advice for others though.
    "... for when we become in heart completely poor, we at once are the treasurers & disbursers of enormous riches."
    WQJudge

  5. #20
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    Quote Originally Posted by Robin Dobbie View Post
    I would consider committing immoral acts for 200mbps.(not really) 4 or 5 megabits is plenty for one person, as long as the connection is stable....
    I agree with all the above. We have DSL at 5 mb, Roku with Netflix and Amazon Prime and TV with a homemade antenna. It's not great but for the price, you can't beat it. I hear we could now get 10 mb for the same price - I'm having trouble getting excited about that. At 5mb, Roku will sometimes stall briefly when first loading a show but otherwise OK. There's no apparent conflict sharing the bandwidth with our computers. The TV with external antenna is sometimes marginal depending on the channel and the weather.

    We have or have tried Netflix, Hulu, Amazon and some others on the Roku. Every one is miserable to browse. It can be difficult to find something to watch unless you are easily satisfied and haven't already seen much of it. Browsing is easier on a computer, at least with Netflix, where you can get around with the mouse and add to your list.

  6. #21
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    I know this will shock some folks but here goes...get a set of old rabbit ears for over the air tv if your sister lives within about 30-50 miles of a major city. We combine over the air with Amazon Prime and Netflix on a Roku for our viewing needs (for less than $20/month). There is also a more a la carte service called Sling that carries cable channels over Roku, etc. Service starts at about $20/month.

  7. #22
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    Mar 2003
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    Monroe, MI
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    I'll probably get slammed for suggesting this, but Santa brought us a pair of Apple TV's to replace our Roku Sticks that are a few years old. The kid wanted one so she can put her iPad screen on the TV in her den and since it probably means we'll buy some content from Apple, I wanted the same on the main TV. I'm really glad we did as the apps are way more responsive than the comparable apps on any Roku, smart TV, or Blu Ray player in our house. The Roku was the best of what we had so I'll demote them to my office and the master bedroom where we currently (rarely) use the smart TV functions.

    You don't need any other Apple device in the house but if there's an iPhone or iPad, you can use them as the remote and you can type on the device instead of the PAINFULLY slow on-TV keyboards all devices like this use. You can do this with Roku too, but the remote app hasn't been the best (particularly because its impossible to tell the 2 devices in our house apart--just shows the serial numbers!) Its been crash prone and laggy as well.

    We ditched DirecTV over the summer and are using a combination of Netfix and Amazon Prime plus a Tivo box for recording off the air to watch on our schedule, commercial-free.


  8. #23
    How is that different from my Samsung TV and using the key board on my smart phone, or even the wireless blue tooth keyboard I keep with each smart TV? Do you still need high speed internet or do you use your phone/tablet as a hot spot? Can you cruise the internet with just the TV and a keyboard? So far I see no difference than what I have been doing for three years on a Samsung smart tv.

  9. #24
    But do you still need high speed internet service? Does the Roku replace the internet service for streaming? My high speed internet includes the first tier cable. So I get the cable for free with the internet service. What is the advantage of Roku if you still need high speed internet? I have two TV's hooked to cable and two on antenna, but they are all smart TV's capable of casting from my phone or computer.

  10. #25
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    Quote Originally Posted by Perry Hilbert Jr View Post
    But do you still need high speed internet service? Does the Roku replace the internet service for streaming? My high speed internet includes the first tier cable. So I get the cable for free with the internet service. What is the advantage of Roku if you still need high speed internet? I have two TV's hooked to cable and two on antenna, but they are all smart TV's capable of casting from my phone or computer.
    Biggest advantage of streaming is it is all on demand programming. Pause it, rewind, start over, on your schedule.
    .

  11. #26
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    Quote Originally Posted by Pat Barry View Post
    Biggest advantage of streaming is it is all on demand programming. Pause it, rewind, start over, on your schedule.
    .
    Streaming also can include live TV...There are a number of available sources you can subscribe to that essentially duplicate a "cable" lineup, including local channels.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  12. #27
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    Quote Originally Posted by Perry Hilbert Jr View Post
    How is that different from my Samsung TV and using the key board on my smart phone, or even the wireless blue tooth keyboard I keep with each smart TV? Do you still need high speed internet or do you use your phone/tablet as a hot spot? Can you cruise the internet with just the TV and a keyboard? So far I see no difference than what I have been doing for three years on a Samsung smart tv.
    There is native integration between AppleTV and Apple devices and for those of us who use the latter, that can be a convenient advantage. The apps on a TV like your Samsung do provide similar service, but age of the TV makes a difference. The Samsung in our master bedroom which is about four years old is loathsomely slow when using on-board apps. The brand new Samsung SmartTVs that I gave my daughters for Christmas are much faster in that respect, but they are not as responsive as the 4th generation AppleTV I have in our master bedroom.

    And yes, you still need high speed Internet if you want your content to come in that way instead of over a wireless carrier's expensive and generally heavily capped service. My Internet service through Verizon FiOS is 150mbps/150mbs which is considerably faster than any cell phone data will provide. With multiple people streaming, it doesn't noticeably affect anything else on the home network, too.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

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