Roku 4

[Snake Doctor]

Does anyone have the Roku 4? I am thinking about getting one, since I was trying to stream something via my DVD player and couldn't. It wasn't updated enough, which I found interesting.

Another reason I am thinking about getting one, it would be a trial run to do away with Directv/cable. So how much do you guys spend on Netflix, Hulu, amazon and all of the other sites that charge for streaming? What else to you use other Roku?

I am a big football fan, so how would I get my football fix in the fall?

 

[yromj]

I don't have a 4 but I do have two Rokus. I use them for Netflix and Amazon Prime, primarily. I have used ESPN3 for live sports occasionally and it does work very well. However, ESPN3 requires you to have a subscription to a provider; therefore, that won't help you cut the cord. My total monthly cost is less than $20 for the subscription services.

IMHO, a Roku is the best $100 piece of gear you can add to a system. (Other contenders: AppleTV, BD player but I think the Roku trumps them.)

John

 

[Haywood]

I do not have a Roku 4 yet, but I have two Roku 3 boxes, a Roku TV and no cable TV. I subscribe to Netflix ($9), Amazon ($8.25), Hulu ($12 ad-free), Funimation ($5 anime channel for my daughter), Drama Fever and Viki ($5/each mostly Asian television dramas for my wife). I use a Tablo quad-tuner off-the-air DVR for broadcast TV. My total monthly programming expense is under $45. I also pay $4 for VOIP phone service from Ooma and $50 for 75Mbps symmetrical internet through FiOS. That puts me at about $100/mo for the equivalent of a basic triple-play bundle, but it is actually a vastly better deal.

We watch what we want when we want to and watch almost no ads at all. We have full DVR functionality in every room without going broke paying for cable boxes. We also get access to a ton of niche programming that isn't even available on cable. Note that 1/3 of my programming expense is Drama Fever, Viki and Funimation. Those are all things the vast majority of users do not need. You would probably be very happy with Netflix, Amazon and Hulu. Then there is the fact that I'd pay for Amazon just for the free shipping, so I'm not really paying extra for the streaming at all. I am also getting faster internet than I would get with a $100 triple-play package. Cable cannot begin to compete with the programming we have at anywhere near this price point.

 

[Snake Doctor]

I do not have a Roku 4 yet, but I have two Roku 3 boxes, a Roku TV and no cable TV. I subscribe to Netflix ($9), Amazon ($8.25), Hulu ($12 ad-free), Funimation ($5 anime channel for my daughter), Drama Fever and Viki ($5/each mostly Asian television dramas for my wife). I use a Tablo quad-tuner off-the-air DVR for broadcast TV. My total monthly programming expense is under $45. I also pay $4 for VOIP phone service from Ooma and $50 for 75Mbps symmetrical internet through FiOS. That puts me at about $100/mo for the equivalent of a basic triple-play bundle, but it is actually a vastly better deal.

We watch what we want when we want to and watch almost no ads at all. We have full DVR functionality in every room without going broke paying for cable boxes. We also get access to a ton of niche programming that isn't even available on cable. Note that 1/3 of my programming expense is Drama Fever, Viki and Funimation. Those are all things the vast majority of users do not need. You would probably be very happy with Netflix, Amazon and Hulu. Then there is the fact that I'd pay for Amazon just for the free shipping, so I'm not really paying extra for the streaming at all. I am also getting faster internet than I would get with a $100 triple-play package. Cable cannot begin to compete with the programming we have at anywhere near this price point.

Haywood, that is outstanding!! Would you explain the full DVR functionality in every room, but I think I read that you have 2 Roku's. So does that mean you have two rooms with DVR's and TV?

 

[Haywood]

I have a Roku 3 in my living room that is also shared with the TV in my kitchen. I have another Roku 3 in my family room downstairs and I have a Roku TV in my master bedroom. The DVR is headless. It does not directly connect to any TV. It is a little box that connects to an antenna, an external hard drive and my router. I can access the DVR via Roku box, iOS, Android or web browser on a PC. The cool thing is that any mobile device can access it from anyplace with internet access once it has been paired. There are some trade-offs. The first is that it transcodes everything to H264, so the picture quality is more comparable to cable TV than to a direct OTA feed to a TV. The second is that it down-mixes the audio to two channel, though they have promised to add 5.1 AC3 support.

 

[Snake Doctor]

I have a Roku 3 in my living room that is also shared with the TV in my kitchen. I have another Roku 3 in my family room downstairs and I have a Roku TV in my master bedroom. The DVR is headless. It does not directly connect to any TV. It is a little box that connects to an antenna, an external hard drive and my router. I can access the DVR via Roku box, iOS, Android or web browser on a PC. The cool thing is that any mobile device can access it from anyplace with internet access once it has been paired. There are some trade-offs. The first is that it transcodes everything to H264, so the picture quality is more comparable to cable TV than to a direct OTA feed to a TV. The second is that it down-mixes the audio to two channel, though they have promised to add 5.1 AC3 support.

Okay, you convinced me, I am getting the Roku 4. What about recording, can you record shows off of it?

 

[mzpro5]

I have a Roku 3 in my living room that is also shared with the TV in my kitchen. I have another Roku 3 in my family room downstairs and I have a Roku TV in my master bedroom. The DVR is headless. It does not directly connect to any TV. It is a little box that connects to an antenna, an external hard drive and my router. I can access the DVR via Roku box, iOS, Android or web browser on a PC. The cool thing is that any mobile device can access it from anyplace with internet access once it has been paired. There are some trade-offs. The first is that it transcodes everything to H264, so the picture quality is more comparable to cable TV than to a direct OTA feed to a TV. The second is that it down-mixes the audio to two channel, though they have promised to add 5.1 AC3 support.

Okay, you convinced me, I am getting the Roku 4. What about recording, can you record shows off of it?

I would consider going with the Roku 3 rather than the 4. There have been many not so good reviews, problems with fan noise, performance issues, freeze ups and other issues. Check here:

http://www.amazon.com/Roku-Streamin...iewpoints=1&sortBy=bySubmissionDateDescending

Also maybe Barney will chime in, I think he got a 4 for his BD.

 

[Haywood]

I'm avoiding the Roku 4 and even steering clear of UHD displays for another year. There is simply too much in flux. Unless my current display quits on me, I'm waiting it out. The Roku 4 is plagued with issues that should be fixable with firmware updates, but I'm guessing that will take a few more months.

 

[Barney]

My wife got me a Roku 4 for my birthday. I just got it hooked up yesterday with my new Samsung 50" SUHD. Haven't got to play with it much though. If you don't have a 4K TV you don't need to spend the extra bucks for the 4.
If your TV is a smart tv or you have a bluray player with the apps you really don't need a Roku if you just want Netflex and Amazon Prime Video and others.
We got the Roku 4 because we have a 4K TV, can't stand our Google Chromcast when we stream a DCI competition etc, and it has alot more program apps like Crunchyroll which my son loves.

 

[PaulyT]

Yeah I just got a Roku (actually arrived just this morning), decided to go with 3 mainly because I don't have a 4k tv and didn't want to pay the extra $$. Just got the 3 set up, so far so good - I have surround sound from netflix, and a much better netflix player than my old sony bdp which was randomly pausing the video (but not audio) while watching netflix; these two things were my main reason for getting the roku.

Only hitch is the last free hdmi port on my 885 doesn't seem to be working, I remember having issues with that port before. So gotta unplug one of the other devices for now...

 

[PaulyT]

Well... and of course the roku's remote is RF so I can't use my harmony with it, which is moderately annoying. But oh well, it's still worth it for these other reasons.

 

[PaulyT]

Oh crap, I'm a moron! After googling around a bit, I found that the roku 3 DOES have an IR receiver even if its remote isn't ir (I guess it's wifi rather than rf?). Plugged it into the harmony software and voila, it works just fine. Sweet!

 

[Haywood]

Oh crap, I'm a moron! After googling around a bit, I found that the roku 3 DOES have an IR receiver even if its remote isn't ir (I guess it's wifi rather than rf?). Plugged it into the harmony software and voila, it works just fine. Sweet!

Yup. It is pretty neat. The Roku remote uses WiFi direct, the mobile app controls it via IP over the network and it can accept IR commands as well. I use one of the newer Harmony remotes with a base station and a couple emitters.

 

[yromj]

Yeah, I'm glad you caught that Pauly, otherwise, I was going to make fun of you. The Roku is one of the easiest devices to control via IR despite the fact that the eye is right in the curved corner. I use my URC remote to control both the Rokus w/ great success.

John

 

[Snake Doctor]

Okay, I just hooked up my Roku 4, that was a very easy task. My question, is most everything you can download or play on the Roku for pay? I thought you could access lots of free channels.

How do you know if you are paying for a service? I have Netflix, that is great and I enjoy it. However, the Roku is showing Hulu, HBO, Showtime and I don't want to pay for them. I guess they could be a free trial?

Does anyone know?

 

[Batman]

You won't be able to watch anything on those apps unless you register and open an account for each first. So you can open the apps but you won't be able to watch anything and therefore won't be charged. Netflix will require you login with your Netflix credentials and as long as you're not exceeding your alloted devices based on your subscription you shouldn't be charged for that either.

 

[Snake Doctor]

You won't be able to watch anything on those apps unless you register and open an account for each first. So you can open the apps but you won't be able to watch anything and therefore won't be charged. Netflix will require you login with your Netflix credentials and as long as you're not exceeding your alloted devices based on your subscription you shouldn't be charged for that either.

I logged in, registered without any issues. What bothered me was Hulu, HBO, Showtime all appeared in the menu. Sometimes, I am not patient enough....this was one of those times. I think all is well.

I think all is well? I think all is well!! LOL

 

[Haywood]

Okay, I just hooked up my Roku 4, that was a very easy task. My question, is most everything you can download or play on the Roku for pay? I thought you could access lots of free channels.

How do you know if you are paying for a service? I have Netflix, that is great and I enjoy it. However, the Roku is showing Hulu, HBO, Showtime and I don't want to pay for them. I guess they could be a free trial?

Does anyone know?

Companies pay Roku to stick those apps on there by default. You can remove them very easily. If you are not a subscriber and try to use the app, it will put a code on the screen and then tell you to go to a web page, log into your account and enter the code. You cannot accidentally subscribe to anything.

There is some good quality free content on Roku, but there is a limited amount of it and it is mostly ad supported. Crackle, Vevo, YouTube, PBS, PBS Kids, Smithsonian, TED Talks, Nowhere TV, C/Net and a few others come to mind. There is also a ton of religious and other niche content. The bulk of the good stuff costs money. I personally subscribe to Netflix, Amazon, Hulu (ad free), DramaFever, Funimation and Viki (those last three are mainly for my wife and daughter). We mostly watch content from our Tablo DVR, Plex Media Server, Vudu movie library, Netflix, Amazon and Hulu. We also use Pandora and Spotify.

 

[Barney]

Snake Dr, are you getting 5.1 audio with your Roku 4 ? Reason I ask, with The Man in the High Castle on Amazon I'm getting 2.1 audio although the info of the show has 5.1.
If you are getting 5.1 audio on anything, please let me know what show (Netflix or Amazon).
I'm using my HDMI ARC connection for audio between my TV and av receiver and connecting my Roku 4 HDMI to my SUHD that supports 4K HDCP 2.2 . I know that HDMI ARC doesn't support lossless newer audio codecs but does support compressed 5.1 ( DD, DD+, DTS).
My Marantz SR5009 does pass through 4K HDCP 2.2 video. If I have to, I will buy a powered HDMI splitter and connect one output to my Marantz (for audio) and the other output to my SUHD. Or guys, could I just connect my Roku 4 and Marantz with a optical cable for 5.1 audio ?
Just trying to see if how I have it connected now if it works.

 

[yromj]

Barney, I guess you're out of HDMI inputs on the receiver? In that case I would check for any settings in the TV which would stop 5.1 from being sent via ARC (such as downmix, etc.). If that doesn't work, then an optical cable should work just fine, except for lossless formats.

John

EDIT: I just noticed that you were considering running HDMI to the receiver for audio, so why not just connect the Roku directly? You said the Marantz passes 4k, right?