spatel99 wrote:i saw something about newer TVs not having composite video ports...i will be scooting to Costco or Amazon and buying a new 37"-42" TV (Philips, Panasonic, LG, Vizio, Sony, etc.)...are the chances high that this Roku version will NOT work with one of these TVs? i realize i'm not providing any model numbers or anything here, which makes my question kinda inane, huh? thanks in advance for any help, wooters!

anything you buy today should have HDMI ports and you'll use one to connect the Roku. Get a TV with LOTS of HDMI ports. and don't let the store overcharge you for HDMI cables, just order them online from any computer etailer.

yes they do.

worldwidewebfeet wrote:"Watch major sports" is advertising artistic license. For Roku's complete "sports" channels.

http://www.roku.com/roku-channel-store#3

So they have a lot of sports options, but no NFL. Unfortunately, no NFL means no cutting the cable for me.

Love the product's premise but until I can watch my hometown team's baseball games, it's too difficult for me to buy one and pull the plug on my dish.

marklwood wrote:I was wondering if the remote is IR or RF. I would like to just attach it to the back of the TV to keep the clean look.

IR

I'd choose PlayOn over any other software streamer. I use it and have never regretted it. It feeds everything from my shared folders to my Roku, no problems. It also allows me to stream Hulu/Netflix/whatever to anything else in the house on DLNA... such as my phones, my ipad, the roku, the xbox, etc. Everything I have just about supports it. It decodes AVi/DIVX/MP4/XVID/younameit and feeds it out awesomely.

And the benefit to PlayOn is that yes, you get Hulu on the Roku... But Playon feeds on it as a PC, so you don't get the 'web only' restriction on TV shows.

granilithe wrote:My father has this exact model, he pretty much uses it non-stop. He originally bought it to use for Netflix and MLB.TV (except when they black-out the damn Cubs games *shakes fist in air*)

blacking out the Cubs games would be a deal-breaker for me. Does he live in the Chicago area or something?

Anyway, I've had a Roku box for years now, and I love it! I'm thinking of getting an upgraded one.

so you CAN use this with YouTube? It's not officially on the list & that's what I'd miss, I think.

Another +1 for Plex. Running 2 of these one on an older 32" CRT and couldn't live without the pair. If you already have a PC running all the time anyway, install Plex and stream your content to the Roku.

Plex + Roku + Netflix and we were able to cut the cord.

Dianrez wrote:This is for people interested in closed captions. I bought this Roku at Wal-Mart last fall and tried it on a new Vizio TV. It installed easily (provided you know the password to your router.) It pulls in Vudu, Hulu, Netflix, TED, and a great number of other video services beautifully.

However, I took it back for a refund. Most of these services do not provide closed captions, which is a prerequisite for me. Very few CC programs were available, mostly TED. It does not stream ABC, NBC or CBS TV series episodes at all, which have captions.

It depends on the source whether or not you can get captions, and is not the fault of the Roku device. At this time the availability of streaming CC isn't worth buying the Roku.

I believe that for closed captioning you will need the Roku2. It is not supported on first generation models. We have both. Netflix is hit or miss on subtitles but you will need the Roku2 for function to work. All said, we have two units and love them both. I actually prefer the older remote sold with this unit better than the new remote. Roku2 also has games (Angry Birds, Pac-man and such) ability that we have never used.

shythai wrote:Will I be able to control the Roku with my Logitech Harmony One remote?

Not sure about that...and not sure anyone has mentioned it...but if you have an iphone...roku has an app you can use to control multiple machines in house.

I've got two Rokus. Love em both. Great with Netflix and Pandora. Plug and play

Several people asked if Netflix works when out of the United States. The short answer is: No. You will just get a screen saying that they are sorry, but Netflix is not available at your location. HOWEVER, there are "workarounds". When one subscribes to Netflix, you are also allowed to stream to your computer. For example, When I am in Mexico I use an "anomizer" on my laptop such as hotspot.com (there are numerous others)which fools Netflix into thinking I am in the United States. Then I connect the HDMI port on my laptop to a flatscreen TV and watch Netflix as if I was at home. I don't know how this relates to RUKU, but it does address the is Netflix available question.

I believe you can use the same or similar "workarounds" to get the MLB.TV feeds of your home team's game. They have been working for me with a Boxee and I'm guessing they would work with the Roku as well.

For a powerline adapter I used something similar to this but with 1 port. It worked great. Netgear RB-XE104 85Mbps Wall-Plugged 4-Port Powerline Ethernet Adapter - 4-Ports, 85Mbps, Recertified

Youtube works but you run it through Playon.

shythai wrote:Will I be able to control the Roku with my Logitech Harmony One remote?

Yes, it is listed under "DVD -> DVD" as the device type.

Confirmed here: http://myremotesetup.com/easyzapper/New/Main.asp?WebProcessAction=Start&ReturnUrl=%2FEasyZapper%2F.%2FNew%2FProcSpice%2Flanding.asp&ClassId=PrSpice.ProcSpice&RelativePath=ProcSpice%2F

dschneider wrote:So they have a lot of sports options, but no NFL. Unfortunately, no NFL means no cutting the cable for me.

Err... you don't have a neighborhood bar running the games? Hint: use your cable money to buy cold beer on tap.

Works for me!

The Roku XD is awesome! I picked one up a little over a month ago to watch the MLS season on my TV with the MLS Live channel. Video quality is great. If you live out of market of the sports teams that you want to watch, then the sports channels are a steal. Definitely worth it.

I recently bought the Roku 2 XS Angry Bird Edition from Target for $99.99. I will be buying more Roku boxes and getting rid of cable (my household has 5 people in it).

Mine is hooked up to a K11 projector at 1080 via hdmi. It has a USB port as well.

I use a 32GB flash drive to keep movies on and use the USB channel/app to play them. Converted them to the .mp4 (only one supported, doesn't play .avi files). The 32GB flash drive is a very small one so it doesn't stick out from the hockey puck sized unit.

Also YES you can stream from your computer to the Roku over your LAN. Check out the Plex app and install a quick little server on your PC and you can stream anything from music to movies to photos. So you don't need the USB port if you want to stream from your PC. Also this app plays a LOT more formats than just .MP4, and it's free.

I chose the following to replace cable. Amazon Prime (calculated monthly), Netflix, and Hulu Plus. Total monthly cost is $26 for almost 100k programs to watch.

Also I installed a 32GB MicroSD card in my Roku as it seems to speed up the unit.

Also WiFi on the Roku is spotty that is true. However the unit I have has ethernet (which I recommend).

This unit offered by woot might be an older unit but I think still worth it as an extra unit in the house. I would recommend spending a bit more and getting something more up-to-date, but you may not need everything that the Roku 2 XS offers. I like the red version but I can live with black. (lol)

YouTube IS supported. Check out the free channel/app RateRix. While not the slickest interface design it does allow you to watch nearly all youtube videos and you can save your favorite YT channels and your own.

You cannot get 1080p HD with the component cables that come with this. And if this is the only cables it accepts, the best you will get is 720p.

Somebody better fix this or a lot of pissed off people will pee on you.

Now I made a mistake, misread the cables. It comes with composite not component cables. Composite cables will only get you 480p at best.

NOT HD by any means, ED TV, which means enhanced definition.

WARNING -

Think twice before you buy,some Wooter doesn't know what they are talking about

This unit being sold by Woot has HDMI which means it supports 1080p. I don't think anyone should expect 1080p with composite cables.

LOL! FB sharing this awesome Roku deal is BORKED... it posts a vacuum cleaner deal. Ha!

Just a heads up for everyone,Radio Shack if they have this unit in stock is on clearance for $28.97 I just picked one up two weeks ago. More than likely it won't be on the shelf. Just ask the rep if they have part no 1601252 in stock. Do not call the rep answering the phone will probably snag it for themselves. If they don't have it in stock ask if any stores nearby have it in stock

captaincode wrote:LOL! FB sharing this awesome Roku deal is BORKED... it posts a vacuum cleaner deal. Ha!

It's a FB caching issue, sorry about that!

metalhead15 wrote:Is it possible to watch NHL playoffs through this? or get local news?

If you pay extra for their NHL Channel then my guess is yes you can get the NHL. (though sometimes playoffs are excluded from such deals)

As for OTA I doubt it. The concept is you have this plugged into one HDMI port and your OTA antenna plugged into that port and your TV decodes the HDMI OTA signal (just like cable ready TVs had a cable tuner).

Unfortunately in the DC area, many of the local market games are ONLY on cable channels like MASN or CSN. I find it frustrating to no end that I pay taxes to pay for these teams buildings but yet can't watch the games on free TV.

Decided to pull my second woot trigger! Can those of you tech-savvy people help the rest of us out?! I have never heard of playon before, so I'm trying to figure out what it is/benefits, etc. I already have a netflix and amazon prime subscription, so I am excited to use the roku for that. Would subscriping to playon premium be worth my money? why? Thanks in advance, fellow wooters!

aaacccchhh8719 wrote:Would my boyfriend like this to stream sports from his computer onto our bigscreen?

No. This little box, for all its outstanding virtues, does not do that.

curtise wrote:What are the little blue Roku tab things hanging off the box and the remote? Are they fabric tags like on the back of clothing? Are they plastic tabs? Are they removable?

The one on the remote in particular looks like it would get in the way of use.

-=C=-

It's Illegal to remove those tags just like with mattresses.

jimberkas wrote:This will definitely work on any newer TV. It has HDMI connection which is what you'll want to use on the new TV. This roku has composite and HDMI connection. Composite is for older TV's without HDMI.

thank you!

davedoy wrote:anything you buy today should have HDMI ports and you'll use one to connect the Roku. Get a TV with LOTS of HDMI ports. and don't let the store overcharge you for HDMI cables, just order them online from any computer etailer.

thank you for the clarification!

okay Wooters, one more question. i have a MacbookPro at home...any comments on this Roku vs. AppleTV?

spatel99 wrote:okay Wooters, one more question. i have a MacbookPro at home...any comments on this Roku vs. AppleTV?

i'm not down with locking myself into the apple ecosystem. plus it's cheaper.

Component cables (RCA) will NEVER get you 1080p! Use the HDMI cable and IF the program you are streaming is broadcast in 1080p, then you might get 1080i. And - don't get your HDMI cable from the big-box stores or radio shack. You can go with ebay --- but (LITTLE KNOWN SECRET) HOME DEPOT is the way to go.

Component cables (RCA) will NEVER get you 1080p! Use the HDMI cable and IF the program you are streaming is broadcast in 1080p, then you might get 1080i. And - don't get your HDMI cable from the big-box stores or radio shack. You can go with ebay --- but (LITTLE KNOWN SECRET) HOME DEPOT is the way to go.

novastarj wrote:No. This little box, for all its outstanding virtues, does not do that.

Well...it can stream sports that you have streaming subscriptions to like MLB.tv, NHL Game Center Live, and MLS Live.

Got one last time you guys offered it...and we're SO happy we did. Does everything we wanted it to do. But it's also a dust magnet, so keep it clean.

vlvideo wrote:Got one last time you guys offered it...and we're SO happy we did. Does everything we wanted it to do. But it's also a dust magnet, so keep it clean.

Wipe all of your electronics with a used dryer sheet, periodically. Or get a maid.

spatel99 wrote:okay Wooters, one more question. i have a MacbookPro at home...any comments on this Roku vs. AppleTV?

'Just say NO' to any APPLE media subscriptions. They are COUNTING on you to do everything APPLE once you buy an APPLE. Then - they will OWN YOU!