Compenstine Posted October 20, 2015 Posted October 20, 2015 (edited) I'm thinking about getting a Roku and adding a Sling account. Has anyone here ever used this or are using this? What are your thoughts... How does it work for you...? Edited October 21, 2015 by Tam Edited by request from Compenstine
Tam Posted October 21, 2015 Posted October 21, 2015 Sorry, no Roku, but we do use an Amazon Fire stick on our TV in the living room. That let's us watch all content on our Prime account as well as Hulu that we just added. Recently, Hulu started selling monthly subscriptions that shows no commercials. We've been very happy with these.
BirdDog Posted October 21, 2015 Posted October 21, 2015 I have a Roku. I use Hulu and Netlix on it. I never used Sling, but I worked with someone that used it on their Roku. They liked it. The Roku works well and has many options for adding other services. Some are free and some are paid. I have 2 smart televisions and prefer the Roku. Samsung has the best options for adding streaming channels. The Vizio sucks when it comes to choices for streaming and wants everything to be with Yahoo. Had I known this, I would have talked everyone out of the Vizio, it was a birthday gift for my dad.
Compenstine Posted October 21, 2015 Author Posted October 21, 2015 (edited) Hulu didn't play on our TV, it would buffer then stall and crash the movie and have to restart it. APITA. It worked great on my computer though. Sling will allow me to watch channels like AMC, History... and many others. We have Netflix and love it. We cut the Dish cord and are only streaming stuff to keep the bill down. Netflix is around $20 a month for us and our add-on's. Sling is also $20 per month.Crap we have a VIZIO Arrrggg Edited October 21, 2015 by Compenstine
BirdDog Posted October 21, 2015 Posted October 21, 2015 (edited) The Vizio is a good television. Great picture! The smart version has limited streaming applications than what Samsung offers. You can use a Roku on the Vizio. I don't have problems with my Hulu app on the Roku or Samsung. The app for my computer sucks and crashes. I use my browser instead. Edited October 21, 2015 by BirdDog
Compenstine Posted October 21, 2015 Author Posted October 21, 2015 The Roko I'm thing of getting is the ROKO 4, it has a quad processor built in to help with streaming. I just deleted all the yahoo crap and all the apps I didn't want or use. Then add back only what I use.... less clutter and no scrolling LOL Oh crap I just noticed a fat finger duel key punch in the title LOL Can you fix that for me please? Change "Anyomne" to "Anyone" Thanks
BirdDog Posted October 21, 2015 Posted October 21, 2015 I would get the Roku and give Sling a try. If you don't like it you can cancel. We have been thinking about getting rid of our provider, they just increased all the small charges about $1. It made our bill jump about $40 extra a month. After I am done with Halloween decorating, my next job is to investigate TV viewing options. I cut the cord years ago and was pretty happy with Netflix and the other free stuff found on my computer or Roku. My folks are another story, they just aren't in that frame of mind to cut the cord, a bit confusing for them. It will be a long road... lol
Compenstine Posted October 21, 2015 Author Posted October 21, 2015 Oh.... I'll get you my Pretty... and your little Roku too. Ahhhh hahaha Thanks Tam. I pulled the trigger on the Roku 4 unit. I think it is worth a shot. I can't cut my cable all the way I do need it for internet. I do get very basic channels too so I'm good with that. Tam 1
Earthling789 Posted October 21, 2015 Posted October 21, 2015 (edited) I have the Roku 3 and two Roku sticks... the sticks run off the MHL ports on my bedroom TVs, so you don't need USB hookups or external power... and they also are hidden completely behind the TV, so that is really nice! The Roku 3 is in the LR, and has almost completely eliminated our over-use of the Xbox to watch downloaded content from my media server... and I do appreciate the fact that the remote has a headphone hookup, so I can watch TV in the middle of the night without disturbing others... although it does eat batteries (yay for rechargeables!) I haven't use Sling, but have thought about adding it... we do use Hulu +, Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Crackle... as well as many of the free channels without issues. I've not paid for Satellite since 2007, and the only cable channels we have/use are the ones that come included with our Internet service, but I hate commercials (BIG TIME), so we watch 99.9% of things via streaming or download! Edited October 21, 2015 by Earthling789
Compenstine Posted October 21, 2015 Author Posted October 21, 2015 (edited) I just started the free 7 day trial of Sling and Yeah it is well worth it! It has almost everything we need. The only one I don't get of channels we watched is SyFy. For $25 mo I get:and added thisI can now watch Season 6 of Walking Dead and the newest one. Whooot! There is more you can get, but these suit us best.More Channels Edited October 21, 2015 by Compenstine
Compenstine Posted October 21, 2015 Author Posted October 21, 2015 I just found my first Con: You can only stream Sling on one device at any one time. That is a let down.
iQuit Posted October 21, 2015 Posted October 21, 2015 I used sling in the past on Roku 3 and was great experience as it eased my transition into cord cutting. But I ditched it when a friend showed me Kodi. Kodi does not work on Roku devices, as far as I know.Currently using diy htpc, MiniX Neo Z64W , and R3. I mainly use Amazon Prime and Kodi, but alternate every year between Netflix and Hulu Plus too.
BirdDog Posted October 21, 2015 Posted October 21, 2015 I just found my first Con: You can only stream Sling on one device at any one time. That is a let down.Hulu+ has the same limitations. It hasn't been a problem, because I am the only one that uses it right now.
iQuit Posted October 21, 2015 Posted October 21, 2015 Just saw a 50% off offer on Roku 3 with a new sling account. I think that is a better deal. There aren't that many 4k content yet to take advantage of it. By the time it becomes a media standard, there will be newer and cheaper gear.
Compenstine Posted October 21, 2015 Author Posted October 21, 2015 (edited) Kodi looks like a menu server so to speak, I'm sure with a HTPC it would be a nice feature. My problem is convincing the wife that hooking a PC up to the TV is a workable solution. We have a couple older TVs that are not smart TVs so I was going to do something like this for 1 of them. I have a few older PC's that would work good for DIY HTPC's.I saw the 50% offer after I had pulled the trigger on the R4 Edited October 21, 2015 by Compenstine
iQuit Posted October 21, 2015 Posted October 21, 2015 Kodi looks like a menu server so to speak, I'm sure with a HTPC it would be a nice feature. My problem is convincing the wife that hooking a PC up to the TV is a workable solution. We have a couple older TVs that are not smart TVs so I was going to do something like this for 1 of them. I have a few older PC's that would work good for DIY HTPC's.I saw the 50% offer after I had pulled the trigger on the R4 That's a bummer. But at least that is one less thing to buy later on.I was an early adopter when HDTV first came out, and regretted it later. It was a year and half later when HD content became mainstream. Kodi works with other Android or Windows media boxes just like MiniX devices. I first used Kodi with my gaming rig, and my wife hated the clutter in the living room too. haha She loves the small form factor of a minix device, and it is more efficient with power too.
Compenstine Posted October 21, 2015 Author Posted October 21, 2015 (edited) In order to get the 50% off you need to pay for 3 months of Sling in advance. I was going for the free USB Roku Device and called to see if I could add it.I choose the R4 because of the Quad-core processor more than the just the 4K Ultra HD support. It will help with streaming. My wife also like the remote finder, she is always loosing the damn thing. LOL Edited October 21, 2015 by Compenstine
jasonculp Posted October 22, 2015 Posted October 22, 2015 Kodi looks like a menu server so to speak, I'm sure with a HTPC it would be a nice feature. My problem is convincing the wife that hooking a PC up to the TV is a workable solution. We have a couple older TVs that are not smart TVs so I was going to do something like this for 1 of them. I have a few older PC's that would work good for DIY HTPC's.I saw the 50% offer after I had pulled the trigger on the R4 I have been trying to make the switch for quite a while now. I had decided to go with Kodi. I built HTPC a long time ago, using XMBC (kodi, before it was kodi), and loved it. I just couldn't get the family to adopt it. Back then it took 3 remotes and none of them talked together. Now days you can control the whole thing from your smart phone. I have been tinking about going back to it, I just have not wanted to spend the money. (of course I am spending nearly $200/month on DirectTV)
Earthling789 Posted October 22, 2015 Posted October 22, 2015 I have been trying to make the switch for quite a while now. I had decided to go with Kodi. I built HTPC a long time ago, using XMBC (kodi, before it was kodi), and loved it. I just couldn't get the family to adopt it. Back then it took 3 remotes and none of them talked together. Now days you can control the whole thing from your smart phone. I have been tinking about going back to it, I just have not wanted to spend the money. (of course I am spending nearly $200/month on DirectTV)I had DirectTV for 10 years or more... and was paying < $90/month for everything, including all movie channels... then they started the "frog in slowly warming water"... $95, $110, $125, $135, etc. until I was paying more than double for what I was getting just a few years earlier... the big whammy was when I reviewed my bank statements and realized I was paying them for 13 months of service per year... for the past 2 years!!! That was the day I decided to cut my cable/cords and move to streaming and downloading I still have to have a high-speed Internet connection for work... The cable company is the only game in town to provide that, and I get a few hundred channels included with my Internet package, but we rarely watch live TV... Streaming and downloading are our preferences because we hate commercials, and we'll never go back to paying for Satellite or Cable programming again!!
jasonculp Posted October 22, 2015 Posted October 22, 2015 I had DirectTV for 10 years or more... and was paying < $90/month for everything, including all movie channels... then they started the "frog in slowly warming water"... $95, $110, $125, $135, etc. until I was paying more than double for what I was getting just a few years earlier... the big whammy was when I reviewed my bank statements and realized I was paying them for 13 months of service per year... for the past 2 years!!! That was the day I decided to cut my cable/cords and move to streaming and downloading I still have to have a high-speed Internet connection for work... The cable company is the only game in town to provide that, and I get a few hundred channels included with my Internet package, but we rarely watch live TV... Streaming and downloading are our preferences because we hate commercials, and we'll never go back to paying for Satellite or Cable programming again!!I am still looking at it myself. The only hangup is Fox Sports Network. I can actually get by other than missing my football. It is only 1 team, and once a week. I would pay $10 - $20/game if I could order it on ppv. Even at 12 - 15 games it is only $300 compared to $2400/year. The download/streaming has allowed me to up with a lot of stuff, that isn't on my DVR. If I lower my package ANY on directv, I loose my games...I wish they would pass the a-la-cart congress was talking about.I am also looking at the Roku, or possibly Tivo OTA. I have also considered OpenELEC or even Kodi on a HTPC. I have just been so busy at work, Television hasn't been top priority, except for the games on Saturday.
Tam Posted October 22, 2015 Posted October 22, 2015 ...the big whammy was when I reviewed my bank statements and realized I was paying them for 13 months of service per year... for the past 2 years!!! Okay, I had to read this sentence twice and I still don't get how you do this. 'Splain it to me?
Earthling789 Posted October 22, 2015 Posted October 22, 2015 Okay, I had to read this sentence twice and I still don't get how you do this. 'Splain it to me? 13 months a year is simple when they pull the payment from your account every 4 weeks... 4 x 13 = 52They claimed they were pulling it on the 18th of the month every month, but tracking the payments, they were pulling it every 4th week, not on the 18th
Tam Posted October 22, 2015 Posted October 22, 2015 13 months a year is simple when they pull the payment from your account every 4 weeks... 4 x 13 = 52They claimed they were pulling it on the 18th of the month every month, but tracking the payments, they were pulling it every 4th week, not on the 18th That's sneaky!
Compenstine Posted October 23, 2015 Author Posted October 23, 2015 I just got my Roku today! I order it on Wed and got it today. I was shocked. At this point, only having it now since noon, Love It! Earthling789 and Tam 2
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