Why Roku matters more than ever

[ImpulsE69]

To answer some of your questions:
Yes, you can stream from your tablet to Chromecast but the big advantage of Chromecast is having it stream from your computer but control it via a tablet or phone.

No, Chromecast can't mirror your desktop, a feature that I would definitely welcome. However, its a little known fact that you can play your mp4 format stored movies via the Chrome browser in a full screen that looks just like a media player like VLC, though without the added features of a VLC type player.

Chromecasts huge advantage is that its a full feature browser and you can use it to choose what service you want. If you want Netflix or Pandora, or virtually any online service you can play it in Chromecast. Most cable companies let you stream virtually all content you have available from your cable plan via the web anyway nowadays. And you can purchase movies not just from your cable company but from Prime if you like, I believe.

Outside of some customized app you might have on a set top box you can do everything thru Chrome you can from the box.

I don't see controlling anything from a phone or tablet as a "great" thing. I see it as an option, and that is cool, but you can do that with Roku as well, it's just not necessary. I HATE using my phone or tablet as a controller. There is something to be said about having buttons to push and not having to look at your screen to get it done.

I haven't tried Chromecast, but the features I've seen don't sway me to try it at this time. As many people will say XBMC is probably the "best" option to do all this, but there is also something to be said for simplicity if you aren't the only one using it.

 

[Childs]

The elephant in the room is torrents. I have a computer repair business and the number of people I see who are torrenting movies and tv shows is staggering. For those people Chromecast is best because it allows the streaming of stored mp4's played in the Chrome browser.

I'm not getting into the morality, just pointing out for a large number of people the Chromecast might be the best device.

Thats what Plex is for. I wasnt that impressed with the Fire TV until I installed Plex on it, and it is by far the best Plex device I have ever used.

 

[techs]

Thats what Plex is for. I wasnt that impressed with the Fire TV until I installed Plex on it, and it is by far the best Plex device I have ever used.

I don't understand how that works. Does the Plex software install on the Fire? Is it an app for devices like Roku, Fire, etc?

 

[Childs]

I don't understand how that works. Does the Plex software install on the Fire? Is it an app for devices like Roku, Fire, etc?

You install the Plex Media Server on a PC/Mac/NAS, and it looks at all your media and gets metadata, poster art, etc. Then you install the Plex app on your TV, streaming box, phone, tablet, or use a web browser, and you see your movies with all the metadata and poster art. Its like your personal Netflix for the movies you have. The backend (Plex Media Server) will then serve up the movie you want, and transcode it on the fly if the file isnt natively supported on the device you are watching it from.

I have used Plex on the Roku 3 and 2 XS, and its better by far on the Fire TV. A whole page of like 12 movies with all the poster art loads up instantly. I could navigate 250 movies in seconds, seeing every poster and title. The Fire TV is really fast in general. Movies from Prime start playing as soon as you click play. No buffering at all. The UI just needs a little work, and I'm not getting HD videos with the Youtube app, but I will keep it and hope it gets refined over time.

 

[Kaido]

Thats what Plex is for. I wasnt that impressed with the Fire TV until I installed Plex on it, and it is by far the best Plex device I have ever used.

Why is it the best Plex device? Fast GUI?

 

[techs]

You install the Plex Media Server on a PC/Mac/NAS, and it looks at all your media and gets metadata, poster art, etc. Then you install the Plex app on your TV, streaming box, phone, tablet, or use a web browser, and you see your movies with all the metadata and poster art. Its like your personal Netflix for the movies you have. The backend (Plex Media Server) will then serve up the movie you want, and transcode it on the fly if the file isnt natively supported on the device you are watching it from.

I have used Plex on the Roku 3 and 2 XS, and its better by far on the Fire TV. A whole page of like 12 movies with all the poster art loads up instantly. I could navigate 250 movies in seconds, seeing every poster and title. The Fire TV is really fast in general. Movies from Prime start playing as soon as you click play. No buffering at all. The UI just needs a little work, and I'm not getting HD videos with the Youtube app, but I will keep it and hope it gets refined over time.

Ok, that explains it pretty well. Thanks. Just one more question, for Chromecast does it actually install onto the Chromecast or just cast in the Chrome browser.

 

[Zorro]

Roku = 65" Led = Free Porn = Win

 

[phucheneh]

The only thing that I understand less than why anyone buys a Roku (unless they don't have a Blu-ray player or a game console), is why in the hell anyone would pay for an Amazon or Apple device. Paying for the 'privilege' of letting one of those companies be the exclusive taker of the vast sums of money that their individually-priced content costs...right...

 

[techs]

Ok, the game just got larger.
Google plans to introduce its own set top device to compete with Fire:
http://www.theverge.com/2014/4/5/5584604/this-is-android-tv

Exclusive: this is Android TV

Google's plans for the living room come into focus with a simple TV interface, apps, and games

According to documents obtained exclusively by The Verge, Google is about to launch a renewed assault on your television set called Android TV. Major video app providers are building for the platform right now. Android TV may sound like a semantic difference — after all, Google TV was based on Android — but it’s something very different. Android TV is no longer a crazy attempt to turn your TV into a bigger, more powerful smartphone. "Android TV is an entertainment interface, not a computing platform," writes Google. "It’s all about finding and enjoying content with the least amount of friction." It will be "cinematic, fun, fluid, and fast."

What does that all mean? It means that Android TV will look and feel a lot more like the rest of the set top boxes on the market, including Apple TV, Amazon’s Fire TV, and Roku

 

[zerocool84]

Ok, the game just got larger.
Google plans to introduce its own set top device to compete with Fire:
http://www.theverge.com/2014/4/5/5584604/this-is-android-tv

Exclusive: this is Android TV

Google's plans for the living room come into focus with a simple TV interface, apps, and games

According to documents obtained exclusively by The Verge, Google is about to launch a renewed assault on your television set called Android TV. Major video app providers are building for the platform right now. Android TV may sound like a semantic difference — after all, Google TV was based on Android — but it’s something very different. Android TV is no longer a crazy attempt to turn your TV into a bigger, more powerful smartphone. "Android TV is an entertainment interface, not a computing platform," writes Google. "It’s all about finding and enjoying content with the least amount of friction." It will be "cinematic, fun, fluid, and fast."

What does that all mean? It means that Android TV will look and feel a lot more like the rest of the set top boxes on the market, including Apple TV, Amazon’s Fire TV, and Roku

Yes, just another set top box because nothing is ever going to change the way we watch TV any time soon. The network and cable companies will never relinquish the control they have over how we watch their content.

 

[Childs]

Why is it the best Plex device? Fast GUI?

Yeah, its fast, an you can load a whole page of movies at a time, instead of just a row that you navigate horizontally. I might capture some footage to show the speed difference between a Roku. The speed difference is substantial, especially when you have a lot of movies.

Ok, that explains it pretty well. Thanks. Just one more question, for Chromecast does it actually install onto the Chromecast or just cast in the Chrome browser.

I dont have a Chromecast, but from what I understand Chromecast is just a receiver, and you are sending the contents of your Chrome browser to your TV via the receiver. Kinda like Apple's Air Play.

 

[ImpulsE69]

The only thing that I understand less than why anyone buys a Roku (unless they don't have a Blu-ray player or a game console), is why in the hell anyone would pay for an Amazon or Apple device. Paying for the 'privilege' of letting one of those companies be the exclusive taker of the vast sums of money that their individually-priced content costs...right...

The simplest generic answer on the Roku is that it does more than any blu-ray or game console. I'll just leave it at that.

Blu-Ray player apps are attrocious, and well, I don't imagine my wife would appreciate not being able to watch tv while I game.

 

[Capt Caveman]

Don't know if it's been mentioned yet but someone will eventualy buy Roku, so it won't matter.

 

[Childs]

Why is it the best Plex device? Fast GUI?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jNEaxTsF5M

Its pretty fast. You can browse over 1200 movies in around 30 sec.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

The only thing that I understand less than why anyone buys a Roku (unless they don't have a Blu-ray player or a game console),

It isn't hard to understand at all. Roku > just about everything else in terms of a streaming box IMO. If you have 3 or 4 TVs and want to connect them all to Netflix, Amazon Video, HBO Go, and many other channels, the Roku is one of the cheapest and best ways to do that.

is why in the hell anyone would pay for an Amazon or Apple device. Paying for the 'privilege' of letting one of those companies be the exclusive taker of the vast sums of money that their individually-priced content costs...right...

Uh, you do know that both Amazon and Apple give you access to OTHER content that they don't own, right?

 

[IndyColtsFan]

Don't know if it's been mentioned yet but someone will eventualy by Roku, so it won't matter.

Absolutely and I'm surprised it hasn't already happened.

 

[stormkroe]

Cough cough ouya/xbmc cough
Smooth?

 

[raasco]

I actually use my Samsung Smart TV for streaming more than my PS3/4, XBOX and Apple TV. Netflix, Amazon and HBOGO work great. I don't have my blurays ripped to a central location yet, so I can't judge xbmc yet.

 

[techs]

You install the Plex Media Server on a PC/Mac/NAS, and it looks at all your media and gets metadata, poster art, etc. Then you install the Plex app on your TV, streaming box, phone, tablet, or use a web browser, and you see your movies with all the metadata and poster art. Its like your personal Netflix for the movies you have. The backend (Plex Media Server) will then serve up the movie you want, and transcode it on the fly if the file isnt natively supported on the device you are watching it from.

I have used Plex on the Roku 3 and 2 XS, and its better by far on the Fire TV. A whole page of like 12 movies with all the poster art loads up instantly. I could navigate 250 movies in seconds, seeing every poster and title. The Fire TV is really fast in general. Movies from Prime start playing as soon as you click play. No buffering at all. The UI just needs a little work, and I'm not getting HD videos with the Youtube app, but I will keep it and hope it gets refined over time.

Thanks, Childs. I installed Plex and I really like it.

 

[Childs]

Thanks, Childs. I installed Plex and I really like it.

If you need something to rename your media, check out FileBot. It can look at the release name and rename it to the actual name, and you can use a template to create folders. So the 8.3 naming scheme some files are released in can be renamed to "[TITLE] ([YEAR])/[TITLE].avi". Good naming schemes improves Plex Media Server identification. FileBot requires Java, but there are other utilities that do the same thing.

 

[SP33Demon]

eventually it will be all on the phone, you stream from your phone to the TV via some high bandwidth bluetooth link or whatever. that was my point.

This, exactly this. I already stream Netflix via min-HDMI off my phone at my friend's house, with a 15ft cable plugged into his TV. 15' cable cost? $10. Roku? A lot more than that. Plus a cable is way more portable than a Roku box. I also can run vudu, pandora, and other apps from my phone through the TV.

Soon wifi speeds will be faster and mirroring will be even more viable wirelessly and 4G will improve. Processing speeds will improve on phones and HDX streaming won't even be a problem.

All in all, I prefer to use a tablet or notebook to steam my shit to the TV so I can also surf the web. Like the article mentioned, most dedicated streamers will limit you in content. Also trying to type URL's on those remotes one letter at a time = the suck.

Roku (and dedicated streamers) are on deathwatch IMO.

 

[techs]

If you need something to rename your media, check out FileBot. It can look at the release name and rename it to the actual name, and you can use a template to create folders. So the 8.3 naming scheme some files are released in can be renamed to "[TITLE] ([YEAR])/[TITLE].avi". Good naming schemes improves Plex Media Server identification. FileBot requires Java, but there are other utilities that do the same thing.

I might just use that. Some of my tv show episodes are showing with bizarre names.

 

[raildogg]

LOL, so instead of pledging your loyalty to Amazon, you pledge it to Roku? Wonderful.

 

[ImpulsE69]

LOL, so instead of pledging your loyalty to Amazon, you pledge it to Roku? Wonderful.

I think "loyalty" is a bit of an exaggeration. As said, at some point I imagine phones will do all this. Of course, I personally have no interest in that ultimately. The people going on about that seem to be younger single people. Their use case is completely different than the people looking for streaming devices. Ultimately, for most people streaming devices are all about local content, not internet streaming.

 

[zerocool84]

I think "loyalty" is a bit of an exaggeration. As said, at some point I imagine phones will do all this. Of course, I personally have no interest in that ultimately. The people going on about that seem to be younger single people. Their use case is completely different than the people looking for streaming devices. Ultimately, for most people streaming devices are all about local content, not internet streaming.

What local content do most people have other than pictures and videos they took? The average person isn't going to stream local stored movies, the average person is going to stream movies.