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Our Direct TV bill is $125.00 a month, I'm not kidding.

Which route would you go? Chromecast or a Roku?

I am also thinking about dropping Vonage for a Ooma.

Our Direct TV bill is that much too...ouch! We don't have either of the Chromecast or Roku so I'm offering you nothing by being on here

I have both. Chromecast is limited, only offering Netflix, YouTube, Roku allows you to stream other things including amazon prime, and allows you to SEARCH for prime videos.

Costs more initially, but also has the advantage of older style hookups for old TVs. With chromecast you MUST have an HDMI connection.

@ DS

I guess that means I am asking the masses on behalf of both of us

We were looking at the Roku3.

I really just want to watch Dr. Who

I probably could swing buying both at first. I would really like HBO2Go? So I can start watching True Blood.

I figured I would have to get NetFlix and Hulu.

It's got to be cheaper!

My favorite option is a computer with your TV as monitor. You can watch Hulu without paying for Plus, and all of the network websites that offer free streaming in addition to Netflix, Amazon Prime, and any other streaming options you subscribe to.

Other more versatile alternatives are Blue Ray DVD players $50, or any modern gaming system. The Wii U is great because the controller is very easy to use as a remote.

I've looked into Roku and know a couple people who use them, but I really don't see any added value.

ETA: Amazon is also joining this market, but I haven't done any research yet because my needs are already pretty well covered.

[This message edited by Crescita at 3:35 PM, May 29th (Thursday)]

Our blu-ray streams Hulu, Netflix and many other video on demand.

I got MrH a Chromcast for Christmas. He loves it. Why? We don't use cable either so we stream from the station channels and various free sites. They're websites and Chromecaast streams websites...I'm watching Monk through Project Free TV on my TV right now in fact. For $35 shipped it was worth it. MrH loves it and got a second one for our second TV.

ETA- there are atill glitches now and then, but overall we've been happy with it since Christmas.

[This message edited by Holly-Isis at 3:39 PM, May 29th (Thursday)]

Is DS bumping her post count so she can qualify for the IT forum? MH has to be the toughest webmaster around....

imagoodwitch,

Who are you using for your ISP? I'd love to unbundle from Comcast, but their price for just web service was outrageous the last time I looked....

I built a relatively inexpensive home theater PC using an AMD APU (basically the processor and graphics processor rolled into one), an inexpensive SSD, 8 gigs of DDR3, a Blu-Ray drive and a very small Mini ITX case and motherboard. It cost more than a Roku up front but it's so much more versatile. I control it using a wireless Logitech keyboard with a built in track pad like the kind you'd have on a laptop.

[This message edited by h0peless at 6:17 PM, May 29th (Thursday)]

We have a Roku and love it.
As soon as my son leaves for school, we're cutting off cable completely and doing Roku with Hulu and Netflix.

I use a fifteen foot HDMI cable and stream everything from the computer. Yeah old school.

If you don't always watch the same TV, the roku is very portable. I carry mine to whatever room I'm working in.

We've had a Roku since 2010 or 2011. Haven't paid for any cable services since, we love it that much.

However, we recently bought a smart tv and a bluray player, and so far there haven't been any Roku channels that we can't live without (although I do kind of miss Angry Birds).

We only have two cable shows that he "have to" watch, Game of Thrones and Walking Dead, and we buy them cheaply on Amazon and them stream them. It's still much, much, MUCH less than cable or satellite, and we have those episodes forever (and we get to do marathons before the new season begins).

Netflix is awesome. It has more content right this instant than I could ever watch in a lifetime.

Honestly, no one should be paying for tv anymore.

I love my Roku

what exactly do you get with Roku? I have a blu ray and it has netflix and hulu built in. Does Roku have channels you can access without further cost? Can you get network tv through Roku?

what exactly do you get with Roku?

A box, and a remote. Mine came with Angry Birds (played like a Wii game with the remote) and we added many private channels (things like HGTV, a cult classics channel, a channel for old horror movies, etc.) So much private content. Here are a few lists:

http://streamfree.tv/apps/roku-private-channels/all/

http://mkvxstream.blogspot.com/2013/03/roku-private-channels-2013-roku-channel.html

I have a blu ray and it has netflix and hulu built in.

If you don't feel interested in any of the private channels, I'd just use your Blu Ray (if it also has Amazon).

Does Roku have channels you can access without further cost?

Yep, most of the ones on the lists above are free. There are some for pay, but I haven't added any.

Can you get network tv through Roku?

I have not see it. Maybe a private channel, but you will likely need a converter box and antenna (which we also have, but never use).

Want2Help already answered, but to clarify on the local channel- no.

You'd need an antenna (or maybe not if the channels come in clearly without it).
However, if you're like me, I usually don't watch my regular TV shows on the night they air.
So you can easily find them either online or through a service like Hulu, etc and watch them the next day insetad.

Thanks so much Want2help and Gabybaby.

I did find this list, and it has CBS and ABC...?

http://rokutv.blogspot.com/p/roku-tv-channels.html

My kids gave me Roku for Christmas a few years ago. It was seriously the best present ever. Lots of options, easy to use, cheap. Love it.

I also love my Roku. We have a Wii on the other TV and it's like night and day. The Wii takes FOREVER and is very sensitive when it comes to navigating Netflix/Amazon Prime. With the Roku, it's super easy and fast. I'm probably going to get a second one.