Roku, Now What?

[Ohighway]

Hmm, interesting. I wonder how they do it? Even with the now or soon to be defunct 3D TVs, one needed glasses and the pic quality is horrible anyway.

Eh...whatever. Looked great on my 2D TV is all I can tell you.


I mentioned it as the OP wanted to know what type of programming was available and at what cost. I thought it was worthy of mention as Crackle is free, and as this is an audio forum, the OP might be interested in music related programs.

 

[dewdude]

I wish I knew more about a Roku actually did...I guess Ill go out after work and pick one up and see what it does audio wise. I do know I can recommend a really good DLNA UPnP server for Windows.


3d is no linger the red/blue BS. They use polarized lenses or shutter glasses.

The movie is fimed with two cameras; that should be a no-brainer. In a theater; its projected with two projectors. One has light polarized one direction; the other uses the opposite direction. The glasses are just polarized lenses; doing what the red/blue glasses do...seperating the images.

Similar process with blu-ray.

I should note that while 3D TVs may be outdated; I really don't think they're going to be made obsolete. The TV is merely a display device; and whas going to maybe change is how it displays 3D. 3D blu-ray or whatever the cable/satellite is pumping out? That's somewhat standardized in the HDMI spec. Its basically sending two images rapidly or sendinging vertically squeezed images. The TV just flips between the two.

There's two display technologies on the market. Active and passive. Active 3D is the expensive one. Your display is outputting at least 120hz refresh; and it rapid switches between the two images. The glasses are LCD shutters; and basically all they do is switch each eye "on and off" in sync with the TV...usually using IR signals. Persistance of vision translates this in to a 60hz signal in each eye. This isn't new either; I remember seeing similar setups for the PC in the late 90s.

The other technology is called passive or "Theater3D". This uses fixed polarization in the glasses and the TV switches polarization of the TV or each scan-line. But; in exchange for cheaper glasses; you get lousy 3D.

The thing people are talking about with 3D being "defunct" is lenticular displays. You *may* have seen this before. Some DVDs came packaged with a lenticular 3d card as artwork. I've seen these things in Arbys lately. And if you've seen the Nintendo 3DS; same technology. Basically the screen is designed to filter light at a slight angle; this translates in to sending indvidual images to each eye.

This doesn't require glasses; which people love; but it makes for lousy 3d. If you think viewing angles of LCD are already too narrow; lenticular displays currently cut it down to maybe one spot on the couch. You also suffer a resolution loss.

They haven't gotten these things ready for the living room; so were still a ways out.

However; a change in display technology doesn't change the format; nor is it going to make a glasses display obsolete...or at least unusable.

The 3D Blu-Rays use just one camera feed for 2D.

Sent from my SPH-M910 using Tapatalk 2

 

[dumptruck]

The 3DS screen is actually parallax barrier rather than lenticular. 3D isn't going anywhere. Loads of research going on. Here are some more 3D display categories for your googling:

 

[dewdude]

You're right. I just can't remember parallax barrier.

Sent from my SPH-M910 using Tapatalk 2

 

[withmusic]

The 3DS screen is actually parallax barrier rather than lenticular. 3D isn't going anywhere. Loads of research going on. Here are some more 3D display categories for your googling:

LOL!!! That reads like my eye glass prescription.:lmao: I have narrow canal glaucoma.

 

[withmusic]

Eh...whatever. Looked great on my 2D TV is all I can tell you.


I mentioned it as the OP wanted to know what type of programming was available and at what cost. I thought it was worthy of mention as Crackle is free, and as this is an audio forum, the OP might be interested in music related programs.

I'm not doubting your experience, I was just wondering how they do it so it looks right on a normal TV. Crackle is a highly recommended free channel.

 

[withmusic]

Just had my final non-tech question answered about the Roku and I am picking one up in a few weeks for sure. I also got word from Roku that I have everything set to go and I should have a nice experience with it. I'm running cable internet at the highest tier, my wireless router is on the list of compatible routers. I'm going to run the audio through the HT receiver. I don't expect or need surround sound because the things I watch are well before that invention or don't require it.

 

[Redikilowatt]

I have been following this thread with interest . . . lots of good info :yes:

An Apple TV or Roku will possibly be my next purchase. The biggest fear is that whatever choice one makes it boils down to content access that can change. Licensing agreements between content provider and device maker determine what you can access and cost. Seems likely that free content will disappear over time except for OTA. Apparently manufacturing cheap but capable hardware and software is doable. However, everyone wants to make money from content control. Reportedly Apple will be introducing a new Apple TV device and an Apple television this year. I figure the product will be ready long before licensing agreements are hammered out

Roger

 

[chodad]

I'm considering just using the digital out from the TV to a DAC which in theory should work just fine

.

Just got a Roku and that's what I'm doing ... using a SuperPro Dac and it's a nice upgrade.

 

[withmusic]

I have been following this thread with interest . . . lots of good info :yes:

An Apple TV or Roku will possibly be my next purchase. The biggest fear is that whatever choice one makes it boils down to content access that can change. Licensing agreements between content provider and device maker determine what you can access and cost. Seems likely that free content will disappear over time except for OTA. Apparently manufacturing cheap but capable hardware and software is doable. However, everyone wants to make money from content control. Reportedly Apple will be introducing a new Apple TV device and an Apple television this year. I figure the product will be ready long before licensing agreements are hammered out

Roger

Well, that's the case with any video or audio service, be it Netflix, HULU, Amazon, MOG, Pandora, you name it.

 

[sxty8goats]

I have been following this thread with interest . . . lots of good info :yes:

An Apple TV or Roku will possibly be my next purchase. The biggest fear is that whatever choice one makes it boils down to content access that can change. Licensing agreements between content provider and device maker determine what you can access and cost. Seems likely that free content will disappear over time except for OTA. Apparently manufacturing cheap but capable hardware and software is doable. However, everyone wants to make money from content control. Reportedly Apple will be introducing a new Apple TV device and an Apple television this year. I figure the product will be ready long before licensing agreements are hammered out

Roger

Apple TV can play a limited number of formats if you are using it to stream files you have saved from your computer or external hard drive. Roku plays a few more. But... If you are techie and do a bit of research you can find out how to hack the Apple TV to run XBMP which plays just about any format.

In the same group of devices is the WDTV-Live by Western Digital. I use one to stream files to my TV in HD w/ surround. When I bought it a while back it was the one that played the widest variety of formats w/o hacking.

For Netflix, Hulu+ and Amazon Video I still use my xBox360. I just like the interface better.

Also.... I have a Sony Blueray player that will stream files from a connected HD, Play Netflix, Huly+ and Amazon Video. A bunch of other channels too. So if you are shy a few HDMI input ports on your HT Receiver, you may want to look at a mid-priced Blueray player that is "Smart" and skip the media tank.

 

[musichal]

I've been using ROKU for two years, mostly for Netflix, Pandora, and TuneIn. Netflix is the only subscription plan I purchase. Started out with Hulu+ also, but cancelled it due to commercials and the fact that they duplicate a lot of Netflix offerings, where there are no commercials. I have DSL with only 6mega-whatevers and typically have a 15-second load time for movies which come in at 'highest' quality by far most of the time; occasionally will have a brief reload buffer during a movie, but that is not the norm. For sporting events, local news and current TV shows, I simply go OTA - that's mostly for sports at this house. ROKU does also offer sports packages, but I've never subscribed to one. I actually enjoy MLB on AM radio, but maybe you have to be a certain age or something to appreciate baseball that way.

I love my ROKU. I get a lot for my $8/mo Netflix fee. I was so tired of paying car-payment size fees to Cable and Sat companies which, IME, don't appreciate your business enough to show up on the day scheduled for installation, and God help you if you have any problems subsequently. They aren't worthy of my money, obviously YMMV.

Like everyone else, I think Netflix should improve their streaming content. I have not used the amazon service because I'm a cheapskate. I have discovered a lot of BBC, Australian, and Canadian TV shows I like via Netflix, in addition to American fare which I often missed episodes of when they were current. Of course, it's also nice to watch a past TV series in its entirety from start to finish which allows you to follow the 'long story' as well as the episodic one.

In two years, I have experienced far less down time with ROKU then has ever been my experience with Cable and Sat. Down time is rare, and when it has happened has been very brief, with the notable exception of Netfix's recent problem, which was not confined to ROKU only, and which lasted a few hours. Was it New Year's? Once every four or five months it'll lock up on me, requiring a ten-second unplug reset, no biggie. About that same frequency, I'll have to reset my modem/router and have learned intuitively to tell the difference between the need for a ROKU reset and a Modem one, but couldn't articulate it at all. Either way, it amounts to a two or three minute interuption every few months.

I have two ROKUs, and the wife and I sometimes use them simultaneously without problems; it is the primary source for our TV viewing, but if you're hooked on watching the latest TV shows and newest movie selections, it may not be your cup of tea - depends on whether having that is worth the price you must pay. We decided it isn't for us.

 

[withmusic]

I've been using ROKU for two years, mostly for Netflix, Pandora, and TuneIn. Netflix is the only subscription plan I purchase. Started out with Hulu+ also, but cancelled it due to commercials and the fact that they duplicate a lot of Netflix offerings, where there are no commercials. I have DSL with only 6mega-whatevers and typically have a 15-second load time for movies which come in at 'highest' quality by far most of the time; occasionally will have a brief reload buffer during a movie, but that is not the norm. For sporting events, local news and current TV shows, I simply go OTA - that's mostly for sports at this house. ROKU does also offer sports packages, but I've never subscribed to one. I actually enjoy MLB on AM radio, but maybe you have to be a certain age or something to appreciate baseball that way.

I love my ROKU. I get a lot for my $8/mo Netflix fee. I was so tired of paying car-payment size fees to Cable and Sat companies which, IME, don't appreciate your business enough to show up on the day scheduled for installation, and God help you if you have any problems subsequently. They aren't worthy of my money, obviously YMMV.

Like everyone else, I think Netflix should improve their streaming content. I have not used the amazon service because I'm a cheapskate. I have discovered a lot of BBC, Australian, and Canadian TV shows I like via Netflix, in addition to American fare which I often missed episodes of when they were current. Of course, it's also nice to watch a past TV series in its entirety from start to finish which allows you to follow the 'long story' as well as the episodic one.

In two years, I have experienced far less down time with ROKU then has ever been my experience with Cable and Sat. Down time is rare, and when it has happened has been very brief, with the notable exception of Netfix's recent problem, which was not confined to ROKU only, and which lasted a few hours. Was it New Year's? Once every four or five months it'll lock up on me, requiring a ten-second unplug reset, no biggie. About that same frequency, I'll have to reset my modem/router and have learned intuitively to tell the difference between the need for a ROKU reset and a Modem one, but couldn't articulate it at all. Either way, it amounts to a two or three minute interuption every few months.

I have two ROKUs, and the wife and I sometimes use them simultaneously without problems; it is the primary source for our TV viewing, but if you're hooked on watching the latest TV shows and newest movie selections, it may not be your cup of tea - depends on whether having that is worth the price you must pay. We decided it isn't for us.

Nice write-up.:thmbsp: What I have been uncovering (and I don't have a Roku yet, but ordering the TOTL model in the next day or two since it's on sale) is how many people who write bad reviews are basing their experience on either issues with Netflix or the fact that they have slow DSL or trying to run it with dial up internet or something or just plain did not read or understand the instructions. (Side note: Yes, for some reason Comcast is giving their customers grief when they try to hook up Rokus and being familiar with Comcast, I'm not surprised, they are the worst of the worst). I'm with TW cable for internet thank goodness.....for now.
Sure, I like the interface on the AppleTV better, but there is much more content and free stuff on the Roku, so I'll live with the "not as nice interface".
I've checked this thing out 9 ways to Sunday and everything is a go. I have all the right models of network gear and broadband cable internet and my wireless router is just caddy-corner, one wall behind the TV, so connectivity should be a non-issue.

 

[Dr Tinear]

I bought a top-of-the-line Roku as a Christmas present for my wife. The Roku's user interface is good, picture quality on our 50" plasma set is excellent, and it's been working over our 3 Mb/S DSL connection without buffering or loading delays. That last point is a pleasant surprise, though I'm still looking seriously at upgrading to a faster cable Internet connection. We tried PlayOn as a means of viewing ESPN content with the Roku, but neither my PC nor my DSL were fast enough for PlayOn to work efficiently. We also discovered that the games we wanted to see on ESPN were cable-only and that most of the streamable ESPN content was talking heads discussing sports rather than actual sports events. We got a refund from PlayOn and are planning to keep Netflix and Hulu+.

 

[withmusic]

I bought a top-of-the-line Roku as a Christmas present for my wife. The Roku's user interface is good, picture quality on our 50" plasma set is excellent, and it's been working over our 3 Mb/S DSL connection without buffering or loading delays. That last point is a pleasant surprise, though I'm still looking seriously at upgrading to a faster cable Internet connection. We tried PlayOn as a means of viewing ESPN content with the Roku, but neither my PC nor my DSL were fast enough for PlayOn to work efficiently. We also discovered that the games we wanted to see on ESPN were cable-only and that most of the streamable ESPN content was talking heads discussing sports rather than actual sports events. We got a refund from PlayOn and are planning to keep Netflix and Hulu+.

That DSL performance is more than surprising! You must live near a repeater signal boosting station or something. I once had Comcast and it would barely give me perfomance on the PC, but not enough to have any devices like a Roku or Squeezebox.
I'm getting the TOTL model for the Ethernet port as redundancy. I wish the next lowest model had that port because I have no interest in that pissed off birds thing.
I looked into HULU+ and didn't like it. I found almost nothing to watch on it and found the free HULU to be better. I don't mind the ads on HULU, they are short and not every 5 minutes like on regular TV. I am eventually going to go Netflix for the Roku. (I want to cruise around and see what's free first.
I also want to do something about getting YouTube on the Roku. I'm also looking into transmitting the PC to the TV via Roku.

 

[withmusic]

Was going to get my Roku from Roku direct, but they are not trust-worthy and are playing games with the pricing. I can get it cheaper from Target. I recommend not buying anything direct from Roku.

 

[Redikilowatt]

Another potential entry into the game is Aereo.
They are doing a test service in New York and may expand, dependent upon court rulings.

Linky

Roger

 

[dewdude]

Another potential entry into the game is Aereo.
They are doing a test service in New York and may expand, dependent upon court rulings.

Linky

Roger

I'm not sure how to classify this.

It *sounds* like they're basically giving the customer OTA broadcasts in the area over the internet. I'm willing to bet the tiny antenna is just "for show"....to satisfy the placeshifting requirement.

The legality? That's a complicated matter.

There is a service out in California; A2BTV. They're essentially (if still around) running hosted Slingboxes. For about $99/month and a setup fee; you've given a Slingbox; a cable box; an account with the local TW provider; and the datacenter space. You then stream the cable box over the internet. Its been deemed legal (unless they got to it) because; essentially; its *your* hardware on *your* cable account on *your* box. All they essentially do is provide you the data center space and bandwidth. When I wanted to test drive Slingbox; I actually asked for one of their demo accounts; since it seemed to be in the configuration Id have it.

Long story short; it worked amazingly....and I now own a Slingbox.

Another company tried this with DVD. They had thousands of DVDs; a robot to load them in to a player; and slingbox hardware. Technically; this is the same man-in-the-middle attack as A2B. It all sounded like the legal loophole. You had only so many DVDs of each movie; and a disc was physcally being played back in a player. However; the movie industry stepped in and said this type of placeshifting wasn't legal.

There's been *several* controversies over placeshifting. While it was once legal, I think by example they've outlawed it....or trying to close the holes.



Sent from my SPH-M910 using Tapatalk 2

 

[andruw000]

i've been using a roku since its inception. i have the first version and have not upgraded since then. i absolutely love it. i use netflix, amazon, crackle, pandora, and plex.

now regarding the content from these channels:

netflix: as mentioned previously, netflix lacks a number of the big-budget films. if you're only interested in blockbusters, redbox would be a better choice. however, if you truly love film, netflix has a great selection of documentaries and independent films. you can also find a number of criterion collection films streaming as well.

amazon: a better selection than netflix regarding big-budget films. but, you have to pay $50 upfront for the year, as opposed to a small monthly fee like netflix. in addition to the streaming, amazon prime also gives you free two-day shipping. so, if you shop a lot from amazon, you'll easily make up that $50 well before your annual subscription runs out.

crackle: does not update it's content often. film content and quality is average. the commercials are a pain, but at least the channel is free. i use this channel least.

pandora: internet radio...great playlists and selections. i've discovered countless new artists using pandora.

plex: probably the best reason to purchase a roku over appletv. plex is a free media server that allows you to stream any content from your computer wirelessly. so, if you're a big torrent'er, plex is a must.

finally, a great website to see what's available to stream through any of these services is called canistreamit.com. search the film you're interested in and it will tell you where it's available to stream, rent, buy, etc.

 

[withmusic]

i've been using a roku since its inception. i have the first version and have not upgraded since then. i absolutely love it. i use netflix, amazon, crackle, pandora, and plex.

now regarding the content from these channels:

netflix: as mentioned previously, netflix lacks a number of the big-budget films. if you're only interested in blockbusters, redbox would be a better choice. however, if you truly love film, netflix has a great selection of documentaries and independent films. you can also find a number of criterion collection films streaming as well.

amazon: a better selection than netflix regarding big-budget films. but, you have to pay $50 upfront for the year, as opposed to a small monthly fee like netflix. in addition to the streaming, amazon prime also gives you free two-day shipping. so, if you shop a lot from amazon, you'll easily make up that $50 well before your annual subscription runs out.

crackle: does not update it's content often. film content and quality is average. the commercials are a pain, but at least the channel is free. i use this channel least.

pandora: internet radio...great playlists and selections. i've discovered countless new artists using pandora.

plex: probably the best reason to purchase a roku over appletv. plex is a free media server that allows you to stream any content from your computer wirelessly. so, if you're a big torrent'er, plex is a must.

finally, a great website to see what's available to stream through any of these services is called canistreamit.com. search the film you're interested in and it will tell you where it's available to stream, rent, buy, etc.

Good info:thmbsp:
Netflix also has classic TV series from a by-gone era through today. I'm not much for movies, but love documentaries and old classic stuff, so Netflix is good for me personally.

Amazon might have good selection of movies, but it is silly to me to pay for every little thing I want to watch as opposed to just buying the DVD. Plus the extra $50 per year thing (I think it's actually $75 unless they recently lowered it) just to get stuff you order in two days is like buying extra protection covereage for a cable at Best Buy. If I can't wait 5 days for something I order from amazon to arrive I have no business visiting the site. Shopping a lot at Amazon does NOT make up or get the extra $50 to pay for itself. It's just an extra $50.

Crackle and ads: I have not looked at Crackle yet, but if the ads are like HULU ads then there is nothing to worry about. A max one minute ad 2 or 3 times during a movie or show is a very far cry from regular TV. Regular TV: 30 minute show=20 minutes of ads = 10 minute show. No thank you.

Pandora is a hoot, I like it for discovery. It's also on everything I have now, it just comes with everything. I won't be listening to music on the Roku though, doesn't have a decent dac.

I do need to look into that Plex thing:yes::thmbsp: