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Cutting the Cable --- or, um... Satellite!!!

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  • #91
    Originally posted by Littlejoe View Post
    CP, which model Roku did you go with and why? IOW, what are the advantages of using a Roku over just using your pc to stream?
    I went with the Roku 3 -- the most expensive -- because it has the fastest processor, and doesn't take "forever" to switch between Amazon Prime, for example, and Netflix. The response to netflix seems faster on my Roku than on my computer.

    I hadn't really checked into streaming on the computer, because I'm trying to make this as tech-friendly for Mrs CP as possible --- she just wants to click buttons and make things work.

    If it were just me, I probably would have gone with just PC streaming.
    The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him.

    Comment


    • #92
      You might end up needing faster internet if you have multiple people trying to stream video at the same time. I had 10mbps internet and still had a lot of buffering and stuff on netflix, with just me watching. I have 20mbps now and it is much smoother. The videos start faster and don't pause to buffer more like they used to sometimes.

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      • #93
        OK, just got off the phone with Julie from DirecTV --- as soon as you say you want to cancel, they send you to a "retention specialist" who speaks good Engresh.

        Julie was SUPER, and when I left the door open a tiny crack for keeping DirecTV with MUCH LOWER COSTS, she started dishing out the credits and discounts and programming....

        Apparently, the DirecTV SELECT programming is not advertised, but is available for people in my situation -- -I don't need a lot of sports, I don't WANT the "premium" channels with the extra nudity and profanity, so she suggested SELECT. She wasn't even aware that they had "channel listings" available online, but I found them here, and told her about it.

        By the time we got rid of my Whole Home DVR, and extra "Genies", and the special HD programming fees that go with that, we went from $140 a month to UNDER $50 a month, and I have enough credits that my next two bills are COVERED!



        So, Mrs CP gets to keep her Hallmark and Lifetime channels, AND she gains some other girly stuff she didn't have before for nearly a THIRD of what we were paying!
        The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him.

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        • #94
          Originally posted by Sparko View Post
          You might end up needing faster internet if you have multiple people trying to stream video at the same time. I had 10mbps internet and still had a lot of buffering and stuff on netflix, with just me watching. I have 20mbps now and it is much smoother. The videos start faster and don't pause to buffer more like they used to sometimes.
          Yeah, I thought about that, but it's very rare that we'll both be streaming when we're not together.
          The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him.

          Comment


          • #95
            Originally posted by Cow Poke View Post
            I went with the Roku 3 -- the most expensive -- because it has the fastest processor, and doesn't take "forever" to switch between Amazon Prime, for example, and Netflix. The response to netflix seems faster on my Roku than on my computer.

            I hadn't really checked into streaming on the computer, because I'm trying to make this as tech-friendly for Mrs CP as possible --- she just wants to click buttons and make things work.

            If it were just me, I probably would have gone with just PC streaming.
            The specs show it to be "Dual Band Wireless" Is the Roku wireless itself? Or do you use a LAN cable to connect it?
            "What has the Church gained if it is popular, but there is no conviction, no repentance, no power?" - A.W. Tozer

            "... there are two parties in Washington, the stupid party and the evil party, who occasionally get together and do something both stupid and evil, and this is called bipartisanship." - Everett Dirksen

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            • #96
              Originally posted by Littlejoe View Post
              The specs show it to be "Dual Band Wireless" Is the Roku wireless itself? Or do you use a LAN cable to connect it?
              The Roku 3 is wireless OR (wired) ethernet. So you can do either. In my office, I have it wired, because it's within 2 feet of my gigaswitch.

              Here is a comparison of the four available units.
              The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him.

              Comment


              • #97
                Originally posted by Cow Poke View Post
                The Roku 3 is wireless OR (wired) ethernet. So you can do either. In my office, I have it wired, because it's within 2 feet of my gigaswitch.

                Here is a comparison of the four available units.
                It looks like you have to hook one up for each TV? I was looking at that site earlier...but wasn't sure.
                "What has the Church gained if it is popular, but there is no conviction, no repentance, no power?" - A.W. Tozer

                "... there are two parties in Washington, the stupid party and the evil party, who occasionally get together and do something both stupid and evil, and this is called bipartisanship." - Everett Dirksen

                Comment


                • #98
                  Originally posted by Littlejoe View Post
                  It looks like you have to hook one up for each TV? I was looking at that site earlier...but wasn't sure.
                  There's probably a way to downsream to multiple TVs, but I'm guessing it's pretty much a one time cost per TV.... I'm using one in my living room, one in my office, and one in the master bedroom.... I have the DirecTV DVR wired so it shows up on ALL TVs.... When we first moved into this house, I wired ALL of the potential TV watching areas "home run" to a closet where I have a switchbox --- from that closet, I can feed either "free TV antenna" signal, or the output from the one DirecTV DVR....

                  Since I have an RF remote for the DVR, you can control it from any room, and don't have to be within line of sight to the DVR itself.

                  I'm now playing with Roku's iPhone app --- that seems MUCH BETTER at controlling the Rokus than the Roku remote.... The App found each of the three Rokus, and I had named them "Living Room", "Office", and "Master Bedroom", so I can select which Roku I want to control, then do everything from my iPhone!

                  It's pretty cool --- the ONLY thing the iPhone won't do that the remote will do --- you can plug the INCLUDED earphones into the Roku remote and control the volume so everybody else hears nothing. Like if your wife wanted to sleep, and you wanted to watch TV --- you hear it and she doesn't!
                  The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him.

                  Comment


                  • #99
                    AND, My panasonic TV has an iPhone App that lets me choose "source", volume, channel, etc.... so I don't even have to use my TV's remote... I use the Panasonic App on my iPhone to choose which input -- Cable/Satellite or Antenna or HMDI 1 (Roku) or HDMI 2 (BlueRay).

                    I was GOING to buy a Harmony 650 all-in-one remote, but I think I can do everything from my iPhone!
                    The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him.

                    Comment


                    • Just got my internet back...Lightening took out my modem thur. night...Thanks for the info CP!!!
                      "What has the Church gained if it is popular, but there is no conviction, no repentance, no power?" - A.W. Tozer

                      "... there are two parties in Washington, the stupid party and the evil party, who occasionally get together and do something both stupid and evil, and this is called bipartisanship." - Everett Dirksen

                      Comment


                      • Am I correct that all the alternatives are active (gotta search for the thing) streaming and not programming (turn it on and the channel handles what comes on when)?
                        "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose." - Jim Elliot

                        "Forgiveness is the way of love." Gary Chapman

                        My Personal Blog

                        My Novella blog (Current Novella Begins on 7/25/14)

                        Quill Sword

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                        • Originally posted by Teallaura View Post
                          Am I correct that all the alternatives are active (gotta search for the thing) streaming and not programming (turn it on and the channel handles what comes on when)?
                          If you have a tuner card or box, like HDhomerun, it can tune two or more channels at once. You plug it into your computer or network and then you can set up windows media center to control it. Media center also has a TV schedule built in and you can then program what shows you want to record, or you can watch something live.

                          Comment


                          • Okay, thanks!
                            "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose." - Jim Elliot

                            "Forgiveness is the way of love." Gary Chapman

                            My Personal Blog

                            My Novella blog (Current Novella Begins on 7/25/14)

                            Quill Sword

                            Comment


                            • My current DirecTV Bill.

                              directv.JPG
                              The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him.

                              Comment


                              • Mrs. CP is taking to the new arrangement SURPRISINGLY well... at first, she seemed to feel frustrated at the need to use the TV remote to change the input to "HDMI" or "Antenna" in order to use NON-DirecTV content, but she has become a pro at that....

                                She also seems to be mastering the Roku fairly well, and has learned that she can actually go online for Netflix and Amazon Prime to pre-select what she wants to watch, and add that to the "watch list". (It's a lot easier to do that on the computer than "on screen" on the TV)

                                As for DirecTV, she mainly watches shows on ABC, NBC and CBS --- all available for FREE over the attic antenna.

                                This is fun!
                                The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him.

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