Cris

One good thing about the roku is its size. I have a blu-ray player in the living (for Netflix and all the internet based services) and a roku in the bedroom because I didn't have room for a dvd player and I really didn't need two of them. They offers several "free" things to watch thru the roku, but a lot of it is a monthly service fee like Netflix.

BellaBoo

My DD bought a Roku for every tv in our house. We have had it for several years now. It's a one time buy so you aren't paying a monthly fee for the free channels. We have Netflix for $8 a month and Amazon Prime for $79 a year so we can watch all the movies and tv shows we want when we want. If you want to see the brand new releases, they are at Amazon for a rental fee. There are many free channels of every type of programming. You have to have wireless in your house. We bought a router antenna to boost the wireless all through the house and rarely have problems with the streaming. Oh you need a fairly new TV with the right connections. We still have cable for the reception of local programming but it's not needed for Roku. Roku site has all the info which model is best for you and the tv you have. It was super easy to connect. It took DH about 5 minutes and he had no idea what he was doing. LOL

junipergal

We have AppleTV and we do like it. The DH likes to fall asleep watching TV, so when it clicks off he gets upset sometimes. We also have the digital converter that way we can still watch the daily news and the network stations. You can get a digital converter that includes all your TVs.

NUBQ

This is really great information. I ordered the Roku yesterday, so I'll see if I can reduce cable to basic. That would be a great savings right there, I think. I'll miss my cable news channels tho. So good to get user reviews... I have A prime and can get Netflix. Thanks

gale

I think Roku does have some cable news. Also there are private channels. Do a google search of roku private channels and you should find a link that tells you more.

tenngal

I bought one so that netflix could stream movies to my TV, easy installation, but no luck. I understand that in our area, Comcast has it fixed where you can't use anything that they don't get paid for - I had already dropped HBO with them. So, I went back to Netflix DVD's.

gale

How can comcast control your wifi or internet content? That is scary. I've read about HBO Go not working for Comcast customers but have never heard of them being able to block streaming.

NUBQ

gale, there are 7 pages of 32 private channels , with most being free. I was slightly overwhelmed to see so much out there. Thanks for the info..

mommafank

We have Roku and love it. You may have to wait to see some shows but it is worth it. We have a digital antenna and you know if you are out of town or 2 things are on that you want to see----just pick up on the Roku later. It is so nice to no longer have the bill. Our satellite service went out every time the wind blew or a dark cloud formed so it was not worth the money. We watch so little that did not pay for itself.

debbiemarie

We got the Roku last Christmas, it's really good for streaming Netflix, the problem I find is that not everything on Netflix.com will stream on Roku, the selection is good at first, then after you have seen everything you want to see, new stuff takes a long time. If you have a Roku, you MUST watch Jim Gaffigan: Mr. Universe He is hilarious, I watched it 10 times and I still laugh when I watch it.