Hulu, Roku, Amazon Fire Stick etc etc etc

[redsoxluvr]

I am the first to admit that I am a TV neophyte. Most days, I am lucky to get my hands on the remote.
I keep seeing the DirectTV bill go up and I am fed up. How do these services work? I literally have no idea.
All I know is that I am tired of crappy satellite service and would like to save some money in the process.

I tried to ask the guy at Best Buy and he looked at me like I was from another planet.

[Sue B]

We just have netFlix and a ChromeCast for each TV. Ds controls it from his tablet, works fine for us. I have no idea how Roku and the like works.

[Kyra's Mom]

I have an Amazon Fire stick. You need to have Amazon Prime ($10.99/month) to stream Amazon Prime TV. I also stream Hulu through the Amazon stick. Hulu is a subscription is $7.99/month and slightly more if you want to ditch the commercials.
Of course, Amazon Prime has other pluses--music streaming, books and of course free 2-day shipping . More than enough programs and movies for to entertain me. I have to have Wi-Fi to support these.

$19/month for TV is much better than satellite or cable. I'm not home very much and it is so nice to just dial up what I want to watch when I want to watch it. Not to mention NOT paying half a month's horse board payment for something I don't use much at all:P . I have been cable less for about 3 years now.

Susan

[Racetrackreject]

You have to have good, consistent internet service with unlimited or a very high limit of data available for any of these services to work and not be costly.

If you have the above, they are all very simple. You can either have a smartv or a box like Roku or the Fire Stick and connect your accounts to that television for viewing. It sounds complicated but it's really simple.

I have both a Smartv and a Fire Stick. For the Smartv, you just turn it on, make sure it is connected to your wifi and add you accounts through the menu screen. For the Fire Stick, it's pretty much the same. You connect it to your television and go into the menu to set up wifi and add your accounts.

I did a trial Hulu account but found that I never really watched it. I have Amazon Prime and that is probably what I use the most for watching free prime television series and movies. I also have a Starz online account and I use my SO's Netflix. I pay, I think, $100 for prime per year and $6.99/month for Starz, SO pays for Netflix, and my Fire Stick was purchased last year for $24.99 on Prime Day. I also just saw that ABC will be making their television app free and you will be able to watch a lot of their content for free now. The other networks generally charge or you have to use a login from you cable provider.

I haven't had cable for years and I really like being able to choose what I want to watch, be it every season of The Good Wife (all but the latest is free with Prime) or rent a new release movie to watch.

[piedmontfields]

FYI, we have Roku and while it works fine, the interface is *terrible*. However, it does work with Amazon Prime. Roku is a cheap experiment, but as Racetrackreject points out, you need a real data plan/service.

We are thinking of trying out Apple TV since it has a better interface (and we have apple dollars to spend). But that doesn't work with Prime.

I'm not great at putting energy into this. I frankly miss DVDs from Netflix---that was more my speed!

[Racetrackreject]

We are thinking of trying out Apple TV since it has a better interface (and we have apple dollars to spend). But that doesn't work with Prime.

Maybe just try a SmarTv? I have a cheapo Vizio one that I bought off of Amazon and it has worked really well. I've had it over a year now. Full disclosure- I did send back the first one because I thought something was wrong with it, but the same thing happened with the new one. That's when I found out that I needed a wifi range extender in my house. Once I added that, everything has been great.

[PaulaO]

I have cable, and a Roku stick. The Roku (and Amazon Firestick and Google Chromecast) plugs into an HDMI port on your TV and you sync it with your Internet. There are free stations available via Roku but most of the good ones cost. I have Amazon Prime for $99 a year. (Netflix and Hulu are also streaming/on demand services). I also subscribe to Acorn TV ($50 a year) and it features British TV shows. However, there is a lot that is not available via these sticks/streaming/smart tvs, such as local stations. I'm addicted to Turner Classic Movies which is only available via cable/satellite. Do your homework carefully. I find these sticks, etc a good supplement to cable, but I won't get rid of my cable because there are many things exclusive to it.

[Woost2]

Thanks for the topic. I'm also confused. Have never had cable. We do have it at the cottage and there is absolutely nothing to watch on 200 channels. Still using rabbit ears which work fine for local channels and the PBS three. BIL gave me a Roku but the cord is iffy. I'm doing a Netflx trial on my computer so if I can get the Roku working, I'll probably stick with that for the TV.

[PaulaO]

The only cord on a Roku is a cord to plug into the wall (I'm guessing to power it).

Streaming services cost. I'm guessing the average is $10 a month, so if you get a handful (Netflix, etc) you can easily ramp up your cost to what you pay for cable. I'm not anti/pro anything, just saying there is no magickal way to have entertainment for free, unless you cut everything and just do local.

I toy with the idea of getting just basic cable for the local stations, but there are a handful of stations that are available only with cable and I WOULD DIE without them. Not really, I'm just feeling dramatic.

[Sunshine2Me]

I'm guessing these solutions wouldn't work for me? I live in the sticks, and my internet is provided via a Verizon mifi whereby I have 5GB of data a month. My DH must have the "Golf Channel" so I am currently paying TOO MUCH in satellite TV to get those specific channels. I'm guessing I can't get a golf channel via Hulu or Roku or ???

[PaulaO]

Roku and/or Hulu would not be good choices if you don't have good Internet. And no, you can't get the Golf Channel via any streaming service.

[redsoxluvr]

OK, so how exactly do the streaming services work? So you basically need a TV that is wifi compatible, then whatever service? Can you get local channels on them?

[PaulaO]

You need a TV that has an HDMI port. You plug the Roku/Fire Stick/Google Chrome into the HDMI port. That syncs with your Wifi. Your tv does not have to be Wifi compatible. You put your tv on the correct input for the HDMI (mine is HDMI2), and you choose assorted streaming services (Amazon Prime, Netflix, etc) from there. As far as I know, local channels are not streaming services, but national broadcasts are. So I could watch Big Bang Theory on my Roku via the CBS streaming, but I cannot watch my local CBS news.

[Woost2]

... but I cannot watch my local CBS news.

Which is the reason to have an antenna if there is any hope to get local channels on it. I only get the regulars. I'm flabbergasted at what my SIL gets on her antenna at cabin in Michigan. Tons of channels from MI and Chicago and N. Indiana. The PBS choices alone are staggering.

[PaulaO]

If you really want to slash your tv bill, install an antenna (or have one installed) in your attic or on your roof. Get a digital TV (they are all digital nowadays) and you are in business. Check this website for potential channels https://transition.fcc.gov/mb/engineering/dtvmaps/ Won't cost a thing beyond the cost of the antenna

[piedmontfields]

Free wireless TV rocks! In rural eastern TN, we got 3 PBS channels with free wireless. And that was with rabbit ears. We could also get the major networks, mostly (CBS was sketchy).

[myleetlepony]

I get Chicago local news on my Roku using the News On app. It streams channel 7. I also subscribe to Sling, which also live casts NBC and Fox, including their newscasts.

[KathyK]

... but I cannot watch my local CBS news.

Which is the reason to have an antenna if there is any hope to get local channels on it. I only get the regulars. I'm flabbergasted at what my SIL gets on her antenna at cabin in Michigan. Tons of channels from MI and Chicago and N. Indiana. The PBS choices alone are staggering.

What kind of antenna does she have? Mine is ok, but I'm constantly adjusting both the position of the "base" and the rabbit ears to get different channels.

[PaulaO]

MLP, thanks for the tip on News On.

[Sunshine2Me]

I would love to do an antenna, as I don't watch that much TV, however (unfortunately) my DH is addicted to TV. I had rabbit ears when I first moved in (cheapy ones if it makes a difference) and got about 3 channels, and it was fine as DH had not moved down from our previous home yet. I live directly across from a grain elevator, which may block signal. I wonder if I got a better antenna if I'd get more channels.

[PaulaO]

S2M, check out the link in my reply above. It should tell you what broadcast stations you would get with different antenna.

[Woost2]

... but I cannot watch my local CBS news.

Which is the reason to have an antenna if there is any hope to get local channels on it. I only get the regulars. I'm flabbergasted at what my SIL gets on her antenna at cabin in Michigan. Tons of channels from MI and Chicago and N. Indiana. The PBS choices alone are staggering.

What kind of antenna does she have? Mine is ok, but I'm constantly adjusting both the position of the "base" and the rabbit ears to get different channels.

I don't know exactly but I'll be up there next week and will look.

[KathyK]

Thank you!

[no.stirrups]

I have a Roku. When I bought it (I think at Best Buy) I was asked whether I had HDMI or USB connection, it can work with either. There is also a power cord. I use it almost exclusively to watch Netflix, occasionally to stream music via Pandora. As rarely as I watch TV it is plenty for me. I pay less than $10 per month.

I am not tech savvy at all. I brought it home, plugged in the power, and attached the HDMI to the TV. It prompted me to enter my wifi password, and then to choose some channels from an extensive menu, some free and some paid. I had then to enter my Netflix password and I was set. Now, finally, there is always something on!

[Racetrackreject]

I have a digital antenna as well. I can get Fox, NBC, CBS (sporadically), ABC, MeTV, COZI, and something called Grit with the outside antenna. MeTV and COZI play old shows like Gunsmoke and Andy Griffith and MASH.