Complete rookie question - streaming netflix on an old TV

[sonoferu]

My wife has had a mail-order netflix account for a long time and now is really wanting to do the streaming thing to the TV. The thing is I know almost nothing about what is needed, and never cared about that stuff so my first question is - will it work if I get the hardware for it and try to run it with our rather old TV.

We had a digital TV till it died last fall, and we got a free replacement from her sister - they had an old one in the garage. 27 inch GE, the picture is ok, but I havent been able to figure out how to get our DVD player to work with it. It works with a VCR, but not our DVD. I actually suspect it's so old it doesnt work with DVD's and may well not work with streaming netflix

We have a wireless home network so I hope streaming can go through that. I hate to think of running a cat 5 cable to the TV.

See how rookie my questions are?

I see stuff online about Roku - is that the way to go?

 

[Cpus]

You need a streaming box. Roku is probably the cheapest.

 

[Brainonska511]

Roku is probably the cheapest.

This. If you don't need 1080p, a Roku LT is ~$50.

Is the tv an old CRT tv? Does it have composite video connections available (red/white/yellow)? Does your VCR also have any inputs available that you could use to hook stuff into the tv?

 

[sonoferu]

Its a GE 27GT622. I guess its a CRT - it's fat and sticks out the back like an older TV

I got the VCR to work by trying things, and the solution was to feed the incoming cable into the VCR and then a coax cable to the TV. There also are red/yellow/white input jacks on back of the VCR - an old panasonic

On back of the tv there are 2 sets of input jacks - one red/yellow/white labeled "IN" and one pair of inputs labeled "S-VIDEO". thats it. The previous TV of ours had more stuff in the back.

I've thought of going to Craigslist and find a newer TV, that I would expect to be able to work with a Roku.

One of my biggest questions is will the whole thing work anyway? I worry that maybe the wireless router wont give the throughput I need [is throughput the word?] I really dont want to run a cable to the TV. I did my own home network years ago and it was a real task

 

[Brainonska511]

If you have a red/yellow/white input available on the tv, you can hook up a Roku (the Roku LT has red/yellow/white output).

As for the wireless, you can probably test that using a laptop. If you can stream with a laptop near that tv, then the Roku should be just fine, especially if you're doing web-streaming.

 

[sonoferu]

If you can stream with a laptop near that tv, then the Roku should be just fine, especially if you're doing web-streaming.

Meaning streaming a Netflix movie or just general streaming of anything, like a youtube or a PBS video or some such? My wife likes to watch Jon Stewart, does that count?

 

[sonoferu]

Actually I guess I could go on and get the Roku. try it and if it doesnt work with this old TV then a new one would be inevitable anyway