Roku? Is it worth it?

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Is it worth getting rid of Satellite and switching over to Roku?

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Based on your questions you do not understand what Roku is. Roku just lets you access TV/Movies over the Internet, you still need to subscribe to something like NetFlix, AmazonPrime or HuluPlus for any worth while content.

1) Cut cable/satellite
2) Get a digital antenna for about $50 to get your local ABC/CBS/NBC broadcasts
3) Subscribe to NetFlix for $8 = Older TV and Movies (Amazon Prime is an alternative to this with a similar catalog of TV and movies)
4) Subscribe to HuluPlus for $8 and get access to New and Previous seasons of current shows on the major broadcast and cable networks.

So for a $50 antenna, a $50 Roku, and $16 per month you can get about 90% of what you get now.

BUT, that 10% you're missing keeps most people locked in to cable.

You won't get ESPN or HBO. There is no way to get them without cable/satellite.

Now that you understand streaming TV better, is the Roku worth it? If you don't already have an XBox/PlayStation and you want to stream internet to your TV then the Roku and the Apple TV are the top choices. Unless you have Apple devices like an iPad/iPhone, you probably are better off with a Roku. If you do have iDevices and the ability to send the content of your screen to the TV is of interest to you, you should get an Apple TV.

You also wont get the shows right when they come out

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You won't get ESPN or HBO.

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and you wont get CBS broadcasting unless you watch it live....

that's why I built my own HTPC and record any shows that I like on CBS

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with roku getting WATCHESPN now, is that a good supplement to not having the espn channel itself?

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I've never tried it but they supposedly make you log in, so you can't watch ESPN if you don't get it via cable/satellite.

ahh that's true. that's how they get you

And get someone to hook you up with an HBO Go password if you cut your cable/satellite and lose HBO. That site could keep me entertained for years. They have everything on there, at least series-wise.

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$100 - Apple TV

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or get a Roku instead and use Plex which isn't broken every single time Roku decides to have an "update" (The last 3 or 4 updates to the Apple TV have destroyed Plex.. it's inexcusable!) , so if you aren't already locked into the apple fraemwork.. don't get locked into the Apple framework, and:

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If you're not all-in with Apple, the Roku 3 is the way to go. Historically, Roku gets new apps and services much faster than Apple TV, amassing over 750 channels to date. That admittedly includes a lot of filler content, but there's also some important services the Apple TV doesn't have, most notably Amazon Instant. Roku's new interface is a huge improvement and blazing fast on the Roku 3 hardware. And the remote with the built-in headphone jack is a truly great feature for those times when you want to stream without disturbing anyone else..

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oh yeah.. and you can get a Roku 2 XD which is just as good.. for $50 instead of $100

the only reason I would get a Roku 2 over Roku 3 is the NetFlix UI isnt getting updated so you dont have to deal with that bullshite autoplay feature on TV shows they now cram down our throats



*edit* or if I had to use older AV cables to plug into an older TV. Roku 3 only has HDMI output