RoKu Boxes.........

Who's got one & how do you like it? I was thinking of getting one to stream my Netflix movies through it when they raise the rate for Dvd's Sept.1

I have had one for a little over a year. I use it just about every day and there is a lot of free stuff as well. I think it's money well spent.

http://www.roku-channels.com/

Sorry, but I have to ask, what is a RoKu box ? I figure it's what a RoKu comes in But then what is a RoKu ?

I have 2 of them, one wired downstairs on the big tv and a older model wireless one for the tv upstairs. I only have streaming netflix, $7.99 month. I had Hulu + trying to get the wife to use it so i could maybe drop cable, but she didn't use Hulu+ so i dropped it. There are hundreds of channels on Roku, some sucky but others are cool. Ustream is cool, never know what will be on there. There is a good forum to keep you up to date on a lot of stuff. http://forums.roku.com/index.php
I actually liked it better when they finally had a update to enable the usb port, so now i can copy jpg's from the digital camera and show them on the 42" tv. It will play movies in certain formats if you have your collection on a hard drive. Mine is the XDS i think and the older model i can't remember. They will do 1080p also but not much out there in that format yet.

My mother has one and loves it. Simple to set up.

You don't need one though if you have a Wii or other game console. Also a Blu-ray, Tivo or internet connected HD system will get you connected.

The only game console we have is a PS II & that isn't compatable...........

mikeandgerry wrote:My mother has one and loves it. Simple to set up.

You don't need one though if you have a Wii or other game console. Also a Blu-ray, Tivo or internet connected HD system will get you connected.

Yes, you do need one. Free channels are not available on those other networking boxes. If you are only using Netflix, then yes, but you are missing out on lots of free movies, documentaries, live streaming,etc,etc. Buy the cheap one,$59. Other models are $79,$99.
Go here to see the channel list.
http://www.roku-channels.com/home
Or here.
http://www.catastrophegirl.com/rokuchannellist.htm
Some of the channels you have to go to the web site to see what they are actually showing for free.
http://www.crackle.com/

AA130FIREMAN wrote:Sorry, but I have to ask, what is a RoKu box ? - - - I figure it's what a RoKu comes in --- But then what is a RoKu ? --

Learn something new every day! I never heard of it either.



So you buy one ... then you need to buy other stuff to make it work? Sounds like another monthly bill I can do without.

My daughter has one....loves it!

Your internet connection must be at least 1.5 Mb, and stable.
You will receive a better picture if you can download at a rate greater than 3 Mb.

With the newer Roku 2, make sure you check the specs. It connects to your TV via HDMI or composite cables only. Netflix's HDMI audio stream requires DD+ compatibility on the Roku2. You need a Wi-Fi capable router for the 2 lower end boxes.

I have had the original Roku for 2 years. Primarily for Netflix. Sometimes things slow down and/or lock up, but a power cycling of the Roku and the firewall resolve the problem, unless the problem is at the Netflix end. Most the time there is no problem.
With Roku/Netflix I rolled my cable down to basic, saving about $60 a month on Time Warner bills. I watch 500% more television.

For foxnews addicts, there is a foxnews channel on the Roku. It streams the live broadcast from 9am to 3pm. There are also clips of some of the evening shows. I don't think the big talking heads are available.
There is also the Russian TV channel for an alternative foxnews style of programing.

If you buy one, all you need is a internet connection to watch free stuff. You don't have to pay if you can find enough free channels to keep you happy. You can pay $7.99/month for Netflix unlimited movies, but there are other channels like cowboy and western which is like $1/month. If most cable channels were on here, you could only pay for the channels you watch, would put the cable companies out of business.

SMITTY wrote:

AA130FIREMAN wrote:Sorry, but I have to ask, what is a RoKu box ? - - - I figure it's what a RoKu comes in --- But then what is a RoKu ? --

Learn something new every day! I never heard of it either.



So you buy one ... then you need to buy other stuff to make it work? Sounds like another monthly bill I can do without.

I ended up buying one of these things (against my better judgement) to watch Glenn Beck's show that's now online only. Didn't know you need a wireless router to make it work. Strike 1.

So found a wireless router used on Amazon for not too much dough. It got here today. Spent most of the day trying to make it work. Strike 2 .... IT'S OUTTA HERE!!

*censored* this! My brother is buying them off me for what I paid. I knew it was a mistake trying to make electronics work for me!

Router seems to work fine - got online through it with the computer. Roku keeps giving me error codes. First one code, then another. No need to post ideas. I'm done with this shitbox. If I try one more thing I'll end up smashing it & losing all my money. I'm just venting ....

At least I can buy that coal scoop on eBay now!

I run the box downstairs wired into the router, upstairs i have a wireless one. Never run wireless when you can run wired. The newer models (Roku2)are mostly wireless only unless you buy the top model, which i just bought on sale for $85. If you had any problems, you should have joined the Roku forums at http://forums.roku.com/ they would have helped you out way better than any tech on the phone.

Why not chip in a bit more and get an lg blue ray player, or an xbox 360, or a wii, or tivo.
All these have netflix. The best implementation ive seen is xbox360.