Roku replacing DirecTV

[edro]

I got a Roku the other day in an attempt to quit DirecTV.
My DirecTV is $85/mo without any premium channels or DVR.
We mostly watch NBC/ABC/FOX, which we can get over-the-air HD.
The main thing we will miss is ESPN/Sports channels, so we will be limited to NBC/CBS/ABC/Fox over-the-air for that.

We got a Roku HD + HuluPlus 6 Months for $80.

So far, I really like the Roku/Hulu combo.
We can watch all of our favorite shows, all episodes, DVR like controls, reduced commercials, flawless streaming (so far), on demand movies, various other apps, etc.

We are going to test it out for another week or so before we drop DirecTV, but so far, it looks very promising.

We were worried that streaming everything over wifi might be a problem. Our router is in the basement so we are getting fair/poor wifi reception. We not have a single hiccup in streaming so far though. If we do, I will move the router to the same room. You can also get the $99 Roku which has an ethernet port on it.

I just thought I would share my experience for other who are thinking of dropping cable/satellite for a Roku type box.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

If you have media on a server that you want to play, you can install the free Plex Media Server and then add the Plex channel to your Roku for even more flexibility.

 

[master7045]

I am going to be getting a Roku for Xmas this year and am thinking about dropping DirecTV after that. We currently pay about $105/mo for Xtra Classic programming + Showtime & 1 DVR. I'm with the OP though and will miss my ESPN for MNF, TNT for basketball games as well as Baseball postseason stuff that is on TBS. My workaround is to install a Slingbox at my parents who still have cable and piggyback off of their subscription.

If you have media on a server that you want to play, you can install the free Plex Media Server and then add the Plex channel to your Roku for even more flexibility.

I've been messing with Plex for my Asus tab, and can't wait to get it going on the Roku. If you have this setup, how does it work for you?

 

[IndyColtsFan]

I've been messing with Plex for my Asus tab, and can't wait to get it going on the Roku. If you have this setup, how does it work for you?

It is slick. The one problem I am having is with my movie formats. Currently they're in ISO format and technically, Plex does not support those even though it will, in fact, work. The movie will mysteriously just stop at some point, so I need to try some other formats to see if that will solve the issue (I suspect it will).

 

[master7045]

Yeah I had the same problem at first. My library was mostly in ISO, so i've been working (very slowly) at re-ripping everything in MKV or converting the ISO to MKV. Unfortunately, streaming to the Xbox is very slow and stutters a lot. I'm looking forward to using it via the ROKU as I hear it works well.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

Yeah I had the same problem at first. My library was mostly in ISO, so i've been working (very slowly) at re-ripping everything in MKV or converting the ISO to MKV. Unfortunately, streaming to the Xbox is very slow and stutters a lot. I'm looking forward to using it via the ROKU as I hear it works well.

Well, at least on the Roku, it is really smooth. I tried watching a ripped (MKV) version of a movie last night rather than the ISO version, and it played fine and never stopped. So I'll need to start ripping my movies into MKV and hopefully I can get them done over the holidays (outside of the blu-ray movies).

I cannot get my Xbox to see any of my movies. It sees the Media server and when I select it, I see several folders (none corresponding to my libraries or collections, however) and no movies appear in the folders. Any tips? I'm obviously doing something wrong but the Plex site is worthless.

 

[master7045]

Hmm, where to start. The sharing in MSFT is horrible, so let's just get that out of the way. I went through the root of my shared folder and all subfolders and made sure sharing was enabled first and that the permissions were set to full control for everyone. In your network settings, I have my PC set to HOME and not work. I've read that having it on the homegroup helps, but I could never get it working correctly. Finally in advance sharing settings, enable all the shared stuff. Whats funny, is that this allows me to see my Plex server, but if I try to navigate via the xbox media player, I can't see my shared videos. Hopefully this helps.