I bought a Roku about 4 months ago. The same day they were for sale on Woot, Clark Howard was talking about what a great item they are. I came home and bought one immediately and I've LOVED it. As soon as the Olympics are over I'm DUMPING cable.

cengland0 wrote:Wouldn't you be able to get the same content regardless where you are in the world? It uses the internet which is the same all over the world -- except places like China (with the "great firewall of China"). Most countries do not filter internet content.

No, it's definitely NOT the same internet. Sites like Hulu, Netflix, and Amazon Prime have to pay licensing fees for all of those movies they have available for streaming. They do it on a regional basis (I'm sure you've heard of "region codes" on DVDs and such...) so those sites are NOT available everywhere. It really sucks.

I just moved to SE Asia a couple of months ago, and cannot use my Amazon Prime or Netflix accounts, so I have basically the same question as snydersteven:

If I have a relative set one of these up in the States, would I be able to stream Netflix from the Roku channel to myself here in the Philippines?

snowtao wrote: If I have Roku (and I do) can I just turn on a channel and let it run -- like I do now with the hugely expensive cable? Or do I have to stop every hour and tell it what to play next?

If you are watching just some regular channel on Roku like a news channel, it will just play and play and play.

If you are watching something like Netflix or some other channel that shows a specific "program" - say a movie or a tv episode - then when it gets to the end of that program yes you will need to select something else.

CowboyDann wrote:Woot you're back! I missed you!

Anways, A Roku Box made it so easy for me to drop cable. I'm now spending 8 dollars a month for Netflix and a little under $7 a month for Amazon Prime streaming. I also enjoy watching what nasa has to offer along with TED TV. There are a lot of good free stations and A Super Secret Woot Channel!
It's so nice to be able to take all my movies and play them on the TV without a problem at friends homes. Definitely would be in for one more if I didnt already have 2.

I agree, this stuff isnt hard, why do people pay for cable? I got my roku from the last roku woot (what was it two days ago?). With a roku in one room, WMC on a PC and XBOX as a WMC extender for the den, an antenna and USB tuner stick, its a sweet setup for 8 bucks a month! I got all the instructions at
CableCutterGuys

you sound very satisfied without cable.I am very interested in cutting the cable myself. Are you able to watch local channels? Is there anything that you miss?

CowboyDann wrote:Woot you're back! I missed you!

Anways, A Roku Box made it so easy for me to drop cable. I'm now spending 8 dollars a month for Netflix and a little under $7 a month for Amazon Prime streaming. I also enjoy watching what nasa has to offer along with TED TV. There are a lot of good free stations and A Super Secret Woot Channel!

It's so nice to be able to take all my movies and play them on the TV without a problem at friends homes. Definitely would be in for one more if I didnt already have 2.

princepapa wrote:I'm looking at dropping cable, and using a roku with hulu plus and Netflix. The problem is that I don't get good antenna reception at my house, and we watch a LOT of CBS shows (which aren't offered on hulu). Does anyone know of a way to watch CBS shows using roku (without waiting for them to be released on Netflix)?

Not that I know of. Even Hulu's pretty useless as a tv replacement (IMHO - I guess it depends on what you like to watch). I think a good way to describe it is that you shouldn't expect to get anything on Roku that you can't find somewhere on the net. It's really just for getting internet stuff on your tv without needing a computer. Even some of the stuff you can get on Hulu on your computer isn't available on Roku because it's a "TV device". I think it says on each program page whether or not it's available on a TV device.

I have a Roku with Netflix, but I kept basic cable to get network shows because since they shut down analog broadcast TV I only get one PBS station over the air. I have my computer set up to record shows then I use a Roku channel called Chaneru to watch them on the Roku (although it's not ideal because I have to wait for a program to finish, then run a conversion program).

I'm dropping cable right after the Tour de France finishes... or this summer's MLB season... no, make that after the NFL season and the Superbowl... but then there is NCAA Basketball... you know, March Madness... alright... I'll wait for the NBA playoffs... Oh geee... another TDF...

Did someone mention the Olympics...

woottoady wrote:I'm dropping cable right after the Tour de France finishes... or this summer's MLB season... no, make that after the NFL season and the Superbowl... but then there is NCAA Basketball... you know, March Madness... alright... I'll wait for the NBA playoffs... Oh geee... another TDF...

Did someone mention the Olympics...

lol, yeah, sports is pretty much where they get you.

So does this just offer online streaming, or does it offer streaming from my PC as well? And if it does, does it allow me to browse by directory or just by categories? I hate devices that don't allow directory browsing because none of my videos have category information.

evelyn5317 wrote:I bought one a couple of weeks ago. Now, I'm contemplating sending it back as they want me to submit my credit card number to keep on file in order to be able to use it. I'm not comfortable with that. Had I known that on the front end, I would not have purchased this product.

Someone suggested after I ordered that I should have just purchased a Blue-ray instead.

Any advice on the best device to have in order to get Netflix, Hulu and etc.?

After you have your account created and it is up and running, you can go online to your Roku account and take your credit card off the account. No biggie.

The Roku is great- I have one and absolutely love it.

That having been said, one caveat: I personally use very little on it that isn't also available on xbox live. If you're already a subscriber to that service and already using a lot of entertainment features you may or may not find much extra on the Roku without delving into private channels. (Not a clue about the PS3.)

I got it as a gift, though, and I find it's so simple, convenient, and fast that I use it first over the xbox every single time. (And my gf even more so than I.) I just might not have bought one myself, knowing what I know now about the overlap.

ThunderThighs wrote:Welcome back! FYI: this outage was caused by severe storms in the NE that took out the Amazon Web Services (AWS aka Cloud) and affected many websites such as NetFlix, Pinterest, Skype, and more.

You'd think a cloud service would be distributed enough to survive bad weather. I guess it's not that cloudy.

kozak65 wrote:you sound very satisfied without cable.I am very interested in cutting the cable myself. Are you able to watch local channels? Is there anything that you miss?

I bought this a month after we cut cable and after I finally got it figured out and all set up it worked great. I get to watch a lot of my Dodgers Games in HD.

As for things I miss, I was just talking about this with someone last week. Pawn Stars. I'm not much a TV person so I can do without a lot of things, but I love pawn stars and really miss that show. I still get dodgers games so I'm content

I already have a Roku, but I could use a 22" 1080p HDTV or Monitor with HDMI input for $99.

Can you hook me up with that, Woot?

ejeon wrote:If I have a relative set one of these up in the States, would I be able to stream Netflix from the Roku channel to myself here in the Philippines?

You can set up the Roku at the relative's home and use a Slingbox to watch it. The relative will need the bandwidth to both download and upload the video streams at the same time.

crachunek wrote:i am thinking of buying one of these but not sure how it would help get rid of my cable if you have to have subrscriptions, any advice?

For one thing, there's Pandora to listen to, Crackle to watch movies/TV shows (lots of which are on Netflix too) but they may require you to sit through a commercial or two every so often. There's a lot of weather, news and religious programming to choose from, too.

But let's say you have cable at $30/month. Nextflix streaming is only $8/month and Pandora, for a whole year is $32 or so. So, for a little over $10/month you get unlimited movies and TV shows from Netflix and access to every song ever with Pandora, with no commercials.

I have the most basic of cable packages ($13/month) and have both Pandora and Netflix subscriptions. I can also use the Netflix and Pandora subscriptions at work, in my bedroom, through my Wii etc. Roku is a great device if you're willing to give it a chance.

ackr wrote:I agree, this stuff isnt hard, why do people pay for cable?

I know this is a difficult concept, but maybe it's because everyone doesn't like the same things you do.

Check out the movies showing on TCM this weekend and show me where you can get them on your Roku. I'll wait.

wehrd1 wrote:I want to know this too.... What exactly would I need in order to drop cable, and save $150/mo.

In 'dummy speak' please

Hardware ?(other than Roku), subscriptions to streaming services? minimum internet specs for this to stream SMOOTHLY. I have wi-fi and I see this player has HDMI in case of crappy streaming. My internet speed is 54Mbps

Most of the stations that you would enjoy watching are paid stations at $5 - $10 a month. You have to register your Roku with a credit card on file. Some of the free stations are recorded news and religious stations.

As a result of this Roku and Woot have thousands of these "refurbished" units that were returned because folks did not want to pay or register their units with Roku.

Buyer Beware.

Will these work on old televisions that use cables not USB or those other connectors?
I have Amazon Prime and Netflix. Someone broke into my home and took the Wii that I used to connect with. I miss the movies, since I refuse to pay for cable.

I dumped my cable a couple of months back, and was all set to buy a HTPC (something like this) IdeaCentre Q180 - 31102CU I know the HTPC is a lot more money, but I get great OTA HD signals wo with WMP on a HTPC might be what I need. This is getting confusing. With the ROKU, would I have to switch between inputs if I want to watch the OTA channels? I do subscribe to HULU and Netflix, and have the apps built into my tv

jhmz wrote:are these things just for netflix and such? 'cause if can stream media from my computer (.avis, h264 mkv, all that good stuff) and play it on my tv i want one.

I use one with Plex to do exactly what you want. Media server through wireless router to Roku (not at 1080 res, though - use cabled networking for that.)

I already stream Netflix via my Blu-Ray (AND get cable) but I got a Roku anyway since I wanted a few shows I could find only through Amazon Instant Video.

Had to add an HDMI switcher (Woot! should sell these!) but in about an hour, everything was hooked up and ready to go.

One extra advantage: if a Netflix show is subtitled or closed captioned for the hearing impaired, the Roku will show them (all but a couple of Blu-Rays won't).

Definitely worth the price of purchase, even new.

snowtao wrote:Let me add a truly stupid question (cause it's a skill, and I have it!). If I have Roku (and I do) can I just turn on a channel and let it run -- like I do now with the hugely expensive cable? Or do I have to stop every hour and tell it what to play next? The TV is mainly on as background while I work and play on the computer -- but I DO like the "company" and occasionally I'll even turn my attention to the TV, more than just flicking a glance at the mirror I set up so I can see the screen without turning my head.

I WOULD like to drop cable TV, cause there's nothing on: really, how many times can you 'watch'(listen to) "Ancient Aliens" without your head exploding?!? But not if I have to babysit the TV to keep it making noise!

I've only had my Roku a short time but from what I can tell, no --- you can't just let it run. You choose a film or an episode of a show from a list (like you would from Netflix) and when it's over, it just stops. I usually use looping video DVDs for my background (mostly nature or 'ambient' visuals). But that means the same hour or so of stuff over and over again. That's probably not what you're looking for.

woottoady wrote:I'm dropping cable right after the Tour de France finishes... or this summer's MLB season... no, make that after the NFL season and the Superbowl... but then there is NCAA Basketball... you know, March Madness... alright... I'll wait for the NBA playoffs... Oh geee... another TDF...

Did someone mention the Olympics...

Ha! It's at times like this that I'm so glad I'm totally uninterested in sports!

guitarmonkey wrote:I use one with Plex to do exactly what you want. Media server through wireless router to Roku (not at 1080 res, though - use cabled networking for that.)

Second vote for Plex. I've been using a Roku since the last Woot sale, and Plex has been the solution to most of my PC streaming needs. Unfortunately there is an issue with flash and silverlight based content with Win XP, so I can't watch youtube for example. My only alternative is to use one of the Vista/7 machines and share content from my main XP system, which is quite dodgy. Or upgrade to 7. Still on the fence about that.

The version 2 model, also refurbished, is available at the Roku site for the same price. Oh yeah, they give you free shipping.
Shame on you, Woot!

davemillerot wrote:Bought it 6 months ago , connected it - spent a few minutes setting up channels , everything has worked perfectly - WHERE IS THE CHALLENGE IN THAT!!!

I don't say this often but the Internet and Roku is an almost unbelievable deal. 5 stars.

Dave:

I think I bought mine @ the same time and its quit on me - it connects to the "wireless" & "local" networks, but won't connect to the internet anymore.

Glad yours is working OK.

Why do they have some many "refurb" ones? How many of these things break?

I would love to get rid of my cable but I do have a question. My gf likes to watch things like the real house wives shows and that other garbage. I keep hearing about the "channels" you get on devices like these, can she watch shows like this off a roku ?

pkonold wrote:Why do they have some many "refurb" ones? How many of these things break?

Not so much broken but people who didn't know what they were getting into.

IE returned because their internet couldn't handle it or people who didn't know a majority of the channels (like Netflix, Hulu Plus, etc.) require paid subscriptions.

I have had one for 2 years, been recommending it to all my friends and I don't know anyone who has actually 'broke' one. Its such a simple device I don't think there is much to break.

It wasn't until I setup a local PlayOn server and I could add custom PlayOn channels did my Roku see its full potential. Non-standard streaming sites and Huku w/o Hulu Plus transformed my Roku experience.

This is either a Roku 2, or they have mislabeled it as 1080p. Roku XD is only 720p..... Can someone clarify?

highwyre237 wrote:http://www.roku.com/about/roku_coupons

Refurb 2XD straight from Roku for 59.99 free shipping.

I think this must be the same thing Woot is selling today. There is no such thing as a Roku XD 1080p. It's either a Roku 2 XD 1080p, or a Roku HD 720p. My guess is it must be the former.

rocque wrote:Will these work on old televisions that use cables not USB or those other connectors?
I have Amazon Prime and Netflix. Someone broke into my home and took the Wii that I used to connect with. I miss the movies, since I refuse to pay for cable.

If your TV has no video/audio in connectors then you'd need an RF modulator (which used to be very common, now I'm not sure where you'd get one but they must be out there somewhere).

majorwest wrote:Sheesh! Another Roku. If it ain't a Roku, it's a Roomba. Woot should change its name to Woombku.com.

Your forgot Dyson. woombkuyson.com

Breakz wrote:I would love to get rid of my cable but I do have a question. My gf likes to watch things like the real house wives shows and that other garbage. I keep hearing about the "channels" you get on devices like these, can she watch shows like this off a roku ?

No, she can't. I watch several current tv series (Fringe, Falling Skies, Walking Dead, etc) and the ONLY way I've found to see them is over cable. Well, I have to recant to a point, you CAN watch all, or most, of these with an Amazon subscription, but at $3 or so per ep, that starts to get really expensive.

mrellimist wrote:An almost 5 hour wait to finally check in and see... a Roku. Woot must have gotten like 10,000 of these things and can't get rid of them or something.

Yeah, I know - sick of these too. I mean I guess they are cool for someone who doesn't have a modern TV with this stuff built in, a Wii, an XBox or a PS3. Oh, or most any Blu-ray player that has this built in. But for the other 90% of us...

The product is a cool concept, it's just out at a bad time. Four years ago it would be useful, but now pretty obsolete.

cengland0 wrote:Wouldn't you be able to get the same content regardless where you are in the world? It uses the internet which is the same all over the world -- except places like China (with the "great firewall of China"). Most countries do not filter internet content.

The problem is the sites do block some countries. They look at the IP of the request to see if they will send you the movie, etc. I.e. I was in Iceland and Netflix was blocked. Message stated something like "only valid in the US"

Typically 54Mbps is your wireless network connection speed - not your internet connection speed. Run a (free) speed test to establish your download/upload speeds.

wehrd1 wrote:I want to know this too.... What exactly would I need in order to drop cable, and save $150/mo.

In 'dummy speak' please

Hardware ?(other than Roku), subscriptions to streaming services? minimum internet specs for this to stream SMOOTHLY. I have wi-fi and I see this player has HDMI in case of crappy streaming. My internet speed is 54Mbps

tonkatsu wrote:This is either a Roku 2, or they have mislabeled it as 1080p. Roku XD is only 720p..... Can someone clarify?

I was wondering the same thing

This more of a review of Woot then this product. But since the incident happened when I purchased the product I thought I share it here. Apparently attempting to cancel an order in less then 10 minutes is not fast enough for Woot. They claim that in less then ten minutes they were able to process my order. Package it. and ship it. (Mind you I order a camera yesterday that has yet to ship). This is only my second transaction on Woot and my last. So buyer beware.