Finally got a roku

[manlymatt83]

It's awesome. I'm a bit confused about all of the possible combinations... Netflix, Hulu Plus, Roku's service, Cinemanow (on my blu-ray player), Amazon....

What's the best combination? Some people recommend a monthly subscription to Netflix and Hulu Plus but I see Amazon also offers a monthly subscription to access movies.

I don't watch too much TV but I do watch it. Looks like Netflix has things like Family Guy but so does Hulu Plus.

Anyone an expert on which services are best in what combination? I will be canceling cable soon.

 

[Leros]

Netflix has the largest selection for a great price ($8/mo) . Get Netflix. You can buy/rent individual titles through Amazon.

 

[manlymatt83]

Netflix has the largest selection for a great price ($8/mo) . Get Netflix. You can buy/rent individual titles through Amazon.

Thanks. Is it worth it to get Hulu Plus too?

EDIT: My device only lets me use Hulu Plus on it, not regular Hulu. So to get *any* content at all from Hulu I need Hulu Plus.

 

[zinfamous]

Netflix has the largest selection for a great price ($8/mo) . Get Netflix. You can buy/rent individual titles through Amazon.

is that the same as their streaming service, which is free with Prime?

the selection through that service is dogshit.

 

[Pliablemoose]

You might want to give Hulu + a shot, but I use Netflix almost exclusively, I don't like the menu for Hulu or all the damn commercials (are there commercials on Hulu Plus?)

 

[Kaido]

Netflix has been the best for me. I've been paying for Hulu+ for like 2 months and hardly use it, think I'm going to cancel it and just stick with Netflix.

 

[DaveSimmons]

Hulu+ still has commercials. It has some good non-plus content like the full current season of some Fox shows (House, Bones) and other misc. (Criterion, ReGenesis) but it's missing a lot of Hulu content that is not licensed for "TV-connected" devices.

I watch Netflix a lot more. I might cancel Hulu+ soon and just buy/rent one or two shows from Amazon or PSN if I can't wait for them to show up at Netflix.

... and if I cancel my Cable I can come out ahead even if I pay for a bunch of individual shows.

 

[Nebor]

I have netflix and hulu +. I watch hulu + a lot more than netflix. I guess it just depends on your viewing habits.

 

[Krynj]

As a Boxee Box owner owner, I scoff at your purchase.

Not really though.

Netflix, Hulu+ and a good torrent site.

 

[manlymatt83]

As a Boxee Box owner owner, I scoff at your purchase.

Not really though.

Netflix, Hulu+ and a good torrent site.

Honestly, had I known there was an open source solution, I would have gone with that

 

[Lotheron]

Honestly, had I known there was an open source solution, I would have gone with that

There's also Apple TV 2 with XBMC, $99.

 

[manlymatt83]

OK, so here's what I decided:

1) Signed up for Netflix (streaming only) for $6.99. I actually used to use the $8.99 plan but didn't send a DVD back for over 6 months... so I know I don't need the DVD service

2) Signed up for a free trial of Amazon Prime and will probably keep it, which gives me the Amazon service for free. I ship a ton of stuff from Amazon, so it probably works out in the long run.

3) Signed up for a free trial of Hulu+ for a week. Will keep a close eye on this one... used a temporary credit card number so it can't auto-renew on me. Will see how I use it and may cancel if needed, keeping Netflix and Amazon only.

Still, I'm pretty excited. I really think this could be the end of cable for me. Sure, I like sports, but that's what bars are for.

 

[Humpy]

Almost every night when my wife is watching Netflix on the Roku in the living room I hear:

Silence, then: Awwww.... two dots!:|

 

[Via]

Still, I'm pretty excited. I really think this could be the end of cable for me. Sure, I like sports, but that's what bars are for.

The drinks and food destroy your profit margin.

 

[drebo]

Netflix is great on the Roku, as is Crackle.

Don't bother with Hulu Plus. Pay the $40 for the PlayOn channel and you can watch regular Hulu (among other things). With PlayOn, you can also stream from your computer to your roku.

My most used channels on my roku are Netflix, MLB.tv, PlayOn, Crackle, and Pandora.

 

[drebo]

Almost every night when my wife is watching Netflix on the Roku in the living room I hear:

Silence, then: Awwww.... two dots!:|

Meh, the HD works great for me on the roku Netflix channel and my Internet connection sucks dick right now.

 

[Humpy]

Meh, the HD works great for me on the roku Netflix channel and my Internet connection sucks dick right now.

Yeah, it's different for everyone. Your experience isn't universal. Check out the Roku forums, what internet connection or speed one has is mostly irrelevant. For some reason Netflix on the Roku can be flaky for some while others have no issues. Whether wireless or hardwired, high bandwidth connection or not, doesn't seem to matter.

I'm still happy with mine but HD is rare. We accept it for what it is.

 

[manlymatt83]

The drinks and food destroy your profit margin.

Not when you know the bartender.

 

[manlymatt83]

Netflix is great on the Roku, as is Crackle.

Don't bother with Hulu Plus. Pay the $40 for the PlayOn channel and you can watch regular Hulu (among other things). With PlayOn, you can also stream from your computer to your roku.

My most used channels on my roku are Netflix, MLB.tv, PlayOn, Crackle, and Pandora.

What's the difference between Hulu plus and regular Hulu?

 

[Kaido]

used a temporary credit card number so it can't auto-renew on me. Will see how I use it and may cancel if needed, keeping Netflix and Amazon only.

What are you using to generate temporary credit card numbers? Paypal nixed that service in the last year and I really miss it Was real handy on shady websites...

 

[manlymatt83]

Netflix is great on the Roku, as is Crackle.

Don't bother with Hulu Plus. Pay the $40 for the PlayOn channel and you can watch regular Hulu (among other things). With PlayOn, you can also stream from your computer to your roku.

My most used channels on my roku are Netflix, MLB.tv, PlayOn, Crackle, and Pandora.

Looks like in order to use playon, you need to run something on your local machine, no?

 

[manlymatt83]

What are you using to generate temporary credit card numbers? Paypal nixed that service in the last year and I really miss it Was real handy on shady websites...

Discover Card

 

[Leros]

Discover Card

My Citi Card (Mastercard or Visa) also lets me generate temporary numbers.

 

[Kaido]

What's the difference between Hulu plus and regular Hulu?

http://www.hulu.com/plus

$7.99 and you get HD, ability to watch on devices (not just your computer), all current season episodes (not limited to 5 like regular Hulu is), and hundreds of movies from the Criterion Collection (link). You still have to deal with commercials though, which is super lame. I mainly signed up for it to get Criterion because I'm minoring in film and wanted an easy way to watch/study so-called "important" films.

 

[Leros]

http://www.hulu.com/plus

$7.99 and you get HD, ability to watch on devices (not just your computer), all current season episodes (not limited to 5 like regular Hulu is), and hundreds of movies from the Criterion Collection (link). You still have to deal with commercials though, which is super lame. I mainly signed up for it to Criterion because I'm minoring in film and wanted an easy way to watch/study so-called "important" films.

Do you get episodes faster with Hulu Plus? You usually have to wait a week after it airs on TV to see a show on regular Hulu.