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Across the Fence:  Do You Have A Roku?  |
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MagnoliaWhisper
True Blue Farmgirl
2817 Posts
Heather
Haysville
Kansas
USA
2817 Posts |
 Posted - Mar 30 2013 : 11:13:18 PM
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I didn't care for Play on at first either. But, the more I explore it the more I do like it. Since it is a one time fee, I think we will get our money out of it-I like being able to keep up with Call the midwife on PBS, and such as that. But, I wouldn't want to pay a monthly fee for it like we do for Netflix. But, I am thinking with in a year or so the one time fee of it will probably be worth it. I've gotten to get caught up on things I liked on primetime that I wasn't able to get through our local channels (even with a good antenia where we live, it's just not enough to get the local channels) so like one of my favorite prime time shows was Amazing Race, and I've been able to get all caught up on this years season of it and such as that. So...I think we'll like it in the end. But, the first few days I kept telling my DH ok I think we better just ask for our money back! lol
http://www.heathersprairie.blogspot.com |
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Ninibini
True Blue Farmgirl
7577 Posts
Nini
Pennsylvania
USA
7577 Posts |
Posted - Apr 01 2013 : 09:17:51 AM
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Heather! You are SO right! After our son went to bed last night, my husband and I decided to play around with the Roku without being under the pressure of our technologically advanced son who for some reason was being very impatient with us while we tried to maneuver our way through the Roku on Satruday. WELL... We went to PlayOn just to see what they really did offer. There was a "download" available, so we let it run its course (not even two minutes, I don't think), and then TA-DA there were a TON of programs on there - and current ones, to boot!! We were thrilled to see that a couple of our favorite shows were available! I think maybe it was just a matter of waiting 24 hours for everything to update. It has soooo much more than it did the day before! I'm glad we waited and that we didn't cancel - I really like it now!
Here's the thing... We don't really WATCH that many television programs at all, but the ones we like, we LIKE and want to be able to see them. The cool thing is that we can now catch all sorts of programs (IF we want) that we were unable to watch before (for whatever reason), and they are available all the way back to the orginal episodes. There is also a vast array of programming available that we'll probably never watch, just like with Cable, but the thing is, with the Roku and PlayOn, we'll no longer be paying for programs we don't watch.
Further, I am loving Amazon Prime. If we decide to enroll in it after this 30 day trial period, it will only be $79 per year. Yes, that's a big chunk of change, BUT that averages out to be only $6.49 per month - a far cry less than what we had been paying for cable! (Not sure about other program channel costs like NetFlix or HuluPlus, but I'm sure it's a similar kind of thing.) One thing we really like about Amazon Prime are all the different television programs and movies they offer with the subscription are FREE... but if you would like to view a program or movie not offered for FREE, you have options! TV programs purchased episode-by-episode cost as little as $1.99 per episode, and the movies that you purchase are comparable in price to those offered by cable On Demand (...only the Amazon Prime purchases are yours to watch over and over and over! With cable OnDemand, you usually only have access to movies you pay for for a day or two.)
My hubby will also really like to have MLB. That's a lot pricier. We can go for the $24.99 per month, but the season lasts a long time, so it would be much less expensive for us to buy the annual subscription, which is $129.99 per year. Again, that's a big chunk of change, but when you average it out, it costs us only $10.84 per month (which, he earns, and if he wants it, he should have it, in my book). Now, when you consider that the baseball season runs 7 months, by buying the subscription we would be saving over $44 a year over 7 months of a monthly fee. Worth it. That's the beauty of the Roku - you can choose what you want to watch and not pay or pay for! You may not even want any of the extraneous stuff - that's okay!
BTW - in case you didn't catch it, girls, the PlayOn offers a $24.99 monthly payment OR two different one-time lifetime subscription levels on sale right now for $44.99 or $59.99 - one payment that you'll never have to make again. PlayOn really does offer quite a few programming options, it just took 24 hours for them to download before we got the real PlayOn experience. Definitely worth checking out! The only thing with PlayOn is that you have to have it running on your computer. If you have wireless connectivity, you won't need to physically wire your computer to your t.v. HOWEVER, you will need to be signed into your laptop and the program will have to be running with the PlayOn running. When it downloads, PlayOn pretty much takes care of all the set up for you. It will set itself up to be automatically running on your desktop when your computer is on. You can change that if you want, however. With Amazon Prime, if you have a wireless internet connection you don't need to have your computer up and running - it just streams from your wireless modem to your Roku.
As far as Steelers games, my foster son and daughter's mothers were here yesterday for Easter. They both have the digital boxes, and they both say they get a whole lot more channels than one would expect (more than just local), the pictures are crystal-clear, and that they do get every single Steelers game! They both said, however, that with our HDTV, we shouldn't need the box, nor would we probably need rabbit ears. Apparently there is some sort of wire/chord that you can purchase for the HDTV that will be fine and even less expensive than the rabbit ears. I mentioned that maybe we'd just take a ride down to Radio Shack to see what they recommend, but both ladies said that we could probably get the same information from the electronics dept. at Wally World and that the item would probably cost less there. Exciting news! We shall see!
I am amazed at how much more "peaceful" the house is withouth the cable box plugged into the tv. We cannot figure out why it is that way! It's also soooo wonderful not to have to watch a ton of commercials. There was one program we selected from the PlayOn last night that had a single pre-program advertisement, but it wasn't any inconvenience. As a matter of fact, my husband noticed how amazing it was that the commercial didn't "raise its voice and yell at" us, as happens on normal television. The other thing we like is that episodes of our favorite programs take up much less of our precious time without commercials! For example, a program on cable might take 30 minutes due to included commercials might only take 20 minutes total time using Roku because there are NO commercials! Oh - and yes, if you're wondering, you can pause, rewind or fast forward with the Roku - very convenient!
The network news programs are available. We didn't investigate them very much, but from what we saw, some of them are limited to segments. In other words, instead of the full program with pre-segment commentaries, they offer only the segments. For example, a report about student projects and interviews from a highlighted science fair would not have an anchorman explaining the upcoming segment; you would only click on the 40 second to 1 minute 40 second segment (however long it is) and see that report in detail. We thought that was a little weird, but this morning I was watching a network news program and timed the news report segments - that was pretty much the average time of each segment. So now instead of all the talking head stuff, all we have to do is go to the different news reports that interest us and watch the little segment they have produced. Not too shabby - so much less "noise." It's going to take a little getting used to, but I like that!
I keep asking my hubby what he thinks, and he says the same thing: It's going to take a little getting used to, but if we can get the local channels with a digital tuner/rabbit ears/whatever he will be thrilled. It's definitely going to save us money, and we definitely won't be deprived. It's just different, that's all. There's nothing wrong with different! :) Not everything is in HD, either... but all the programs are coming in clear for us, HD or standard t.v. With our cable, we do have HD service, but whenever we select a program that is not televised in HD, the program is usually distorted, and there is definitely a lag time when switching from the HD to standard channels. We do not experience this at all with the Roku. The only thing we see is that the standard channels do not span the entire screen - there are black "frame-like" spaces on either side of the picture, but not a problem at all with the picture itself!
Well, that's all for now. I hope I'm not boring you all, and that this is helping those of you who are interested to have a better picture of what you can expect. I'll post more as we know more, too. Please continue to do the same!!! :)
Hugs -
Nini
Farmgirl Sister #1974
God gave us two hands... one to help ourselves, and one to help others!
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Edited by - Ninibini on Apr 01 2013 09:29:24 AM |
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MagnoliaWhisper
True Blue Farmgirl
2817 Posts
Heather
Haysville
Kansas
USA
2817 Posts |
Posted - Apr 01 2013 : 10:04:25 AM
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I've been thinking about Amazon Prime for years, for the discounts on physical things I order-books, and such as that..well this may just push me over the edge in buying it! I buy a lot of stuff from Amazon, so it sounds like with this extra tv stuff now, it may just be the extra add in to make me buy it!
http://www.heathersprairie.blogspot.com |
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Ninibini
True Blue Farmgirl
7577 Posts
Nini
Pennsylvania
USA
7577 Posts |
Posted - Apr 01 2013 : 3:39:12 PM
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Got the digital antenna - works GREAT! Okay - but there are a few things you should know that I didn't know.
First, if you have one of those big ol' fashioned antennas on your roof, apparently you don't need anything more than antenna wires to run to your tv... We don't have ours anymore, so I just moved on to find out what our other options were.
They have both indoor, outdoor and indoor/outdoor antennas (antennae?) available. Depending upon where you live, you probably will find that an outdoor (or indoor/outdoor) antenna works best simply because they are outdoors and there will be less interference than when they are indoors. The representative told me you always want to put it outdoors on the north west side of your house, but I'm not sure if that's just a local thing for us. They pointed out that for many people in our area, the indoor antenna works just fine, and they actually get a lot more returns on the outdoor antenna models (not sure why - just that they do). We decided to try an indoor model. For the best reception, you want to selectan AMPLIFIED HDTV antenna because, well, the reception will be amplified, and you'll get better reception. Also, they said the more expensive flat antenna doesn't do as well as the old-fashioned one with the dog ears and knob-controlled round tuner, better known as the 180 degree rotating UHF loop. The prices at Radio Shack were surprisingly lower than the ones we found online, but just before making our purchase we ran over the Wally World to see what they had. What we found was that their boxes did not specify anything mentioned above - they were pretty much boxes with pictures and very little information. I asked two different clerks if they could help me with my decision, but neither knew any more than where they were located. One of the clerks, however, directed me to the digital receivers and insisted that THEY were better than the plain old antennas - as he put it, "they HAVE to be - they're more expensive, you know?" <Good Grief> My son and I looked at each other, thanked him, and when he walked away, we scooted ourselves right out of the store and back to Radio Shack. We spoke to a second clerk there who uses the model we actually decided on (under $35), and said they have no problem with it. This model also came with the cable it would need, where the more expensive flat models did not. We came home, took it out of the box, set the tv input to "air" and then watched as the tv found channels. We have more than adequate reception on both regular and HD channels, to include all the local channels, a few PBS channels, Ion, MeTV, Country TV, and actually 6 or 7 others, but I can't remember which ones off hand (My delightful son is watching a program and was too irritated to pause the program to review them with me... Sixteen - what a delightful age! In his defense, he's sick, and he DID hook everything up for me, so I suppose I'll cut him some slack today...). In any case, we're satisfied with what we're receiving, for sure! :)
Now, on the HDTV itself you have several different input options. Our antenna is set to the "TV" input, and the Roku is set to Input 5 or 7, can't remember which at the moment and don't want to bother Mr. Boogiesniffles to ask right now - hope you understand. In order to watch television on the antenna, we have to just switch the input to "TV," and if we prefer the Roku, we just switch the input to "Input 5" (or whichever one it is). This is definitely no big deal at all - I'm SO cool with it! And we will DEFINITELY get the Steelers games on the local stations, so my husband will be very, very relieved! LOL! I can't wait for him to get home so we can show him! Hopefully tonight he will give me his final cable termination stamp of approval!!! :)
I also want to let you know that we tried the PlayOn again a little while ago, and it is now showing the local station with the local news and weather. It features only clips of each news report and clips of the local weather, but it is completely up to date and timely. Again, I like choosing which ones really interest me!
Heather - I contacted Amazon today just to be sure that purchased movies and programs become part of our permanent collection. They were so helpful, I have to tell you! Basically, if you rent a video, you can watch it as many times as you want during the stated rental period. If you purchase it, it remains in your video library forever. TV episodes are purchase only, but they, too, become part of your library. Anything that is free with Prime streaming is free and available in the now for streaming now. We have made a few purchases through Amazon, but never signed up for Amazon Prime before because we did not really have need for it. Now we do - and I think it will be a very good thing! :)
BTW - while I was typing, hubby came home. Mr. Boogiesniffles showed him the reception with the digital antenna. I got a big wet one planted on my cheek and the thumbs up to cancel the cable and phone... Time to make a phone call! :) Just need to figure out which level of internet we really NEED... Wish me luck!
Hugs -
Nini
Farmgirl Sister #1974
God gave us two hands... one to help ourselves, and one to help others!
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Edited by - Ninibini on Apr 01 2013 3:45:35 PM |
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Bear5
True Blue Farmgirl
13055 Posts
Louisiana/Texas
USA
13055 Posts |
Posted - Apr 01 2013 : 5:42:57 PM
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Nini!!!! What wonderful knowledge you are passing on to us. I cannot thank you enough for this. I am checking this Roku out, but it is overwhelming me to no end. That's normal for me. I just have to read, re-read, and read again until I understand all this language stuff. LOL. You sure did some investigating on this. Thanks a million, Nini.
Marly
"It's only when we truly know and understand that we have a limited time on earth- and that we have no way of knowing when our time is up- that we will begin to live each day to the fullest, as if it was the only one we had." Elisabeth Kurler-Ross |
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rksmith
True Blue Farmgirl
858 Posts
Rachel
Clayton
GA
USA
858 Posts |
Posted - Apr 01 2013 : 7:04:51 PM
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If you have a Roku box you do not have to have PlayOn wired to the tv. We've got ours set up wireless via the Roku box and it works great, but you do have to have it downloaded to the computer and the computer has to be connected to the internet. I love the Amazon Prime--there are a good many shows and movies to watch for sure, and the free 2 day shipping on so many items is well worth it especially if you shop on Amazon alot (we do). Netflix & Hulu Plus are both 7.99 (might be 8.99) per month but that isn't too bad I think and combined with my Amazon Prime membership, the one time PlayOn membership and what I pay for Gaiam tv it is WAY cheaper than cable or dish and I get to watch stuff that I actually like to watch. If you haven't checked out Gaiam tv you should, it is 9 a month I think, but it has ALL of the Gaiam videos available to watch (I like their yoga & tai chi videos) as well as tons of other movies, documentaries and shows about health from a holistic perspective.
Rachel
Farmgirl Sister #2753
True enlightenment is nothing but the nature of one's own self being fully realised-- His Holiness the Dali Lama
www.madameapothecary.com |
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Ninibini
True Blue Farmgirl
7577 Posts
Nini
Pennsylvania
USA
7577 Posts |
Posted - Apr 01 2013 : 7:21:56 PM
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Marly - I'm going to try to do a clearer, step-by-step explanation to email to friends and family, so when I get that all typed up, I'll post it here to try and make it easier for anyone who's interested. It's really hard trying to figure it all out - and, to me, kind of unnerving. Everyone here was just so extremely helpful (by the way, THANK YOU, Rachel!!!), but I can see how you'd have to do a lot of reading and flipping around to get it straight. It really does seem overwhelming, doesn't it? I'm sorry! So, I definitely will post it all more clearly asap. We have a funeral tomorrow and a wake tomorrow night and then another funeral on Wednesday (Yeah - I know - eghads - hubby's aunt and son's buddy both passed over the weekend - SO sad!), so I may not get back to you all with this until the end of the week, but please sit tight - I WILL get it posted here for you as soon as I can! :)
Hugs -
Nini
Farmgirl Sister #1974
God gave us two hands... one to help ourselves, and one to help others!
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Ninibini
True Blue Farmgirl
7577 Posts
Nini
Pennsylvania
USA
7577 Posts |
Posted - Apr 03 2013 : 03:40:04 AM
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Hi girls -
Just a "quick" update:
We turned off our cable and phone services yesterday. I had butterflies! LOL! How WEIRD! They told me they couldn't turn off the services until we turned in the cable box, so we ran right out to do so. Then they told me we would see a credit against our bill this morning after the services were terminated. Well... phone line is still "live" and the bill hasn't been adjusted. Ugh. So I'll have to call at some point today and see what the issue is.
They did inform me that they could provide a basic cable service to us, and the way their "bundle" deal would work, the basic cable and internet connection combined would only cost us $3 and change more a month than if we only purchase the internet connection by itself. We opted not do to that. We like the antenna, to be honest. The picture is clear, and the only thing we're really watch on the local channels are the news, the national news and Jeopardy. Besides, as my husband said, their offer is only an introductory price for a limited time. The cost of the antenna was less expensive than a year of the addition of basic cable, and the price is going to go up in a matter of months. Not a good deal for us. Plus, should anything happen with the internet service (sometimes they do updates to their server at the weirdest times), we will still be able to get the news, which is very important to us in case there is any type of emergency or inclement weather event. We still cannot get over the clarity and quality of the picture through the antenna - it's as if we're hooked up to cable anyway!
As far as the level of service we'd need for the internet, I contacted Roku to see what we would really need. The Roku 3 requires "at least" 4 Mbps download speed by itself (higher Mbps requirement than the other models?), so they recommended that if we use other streaming devices with the internet (such as a computer, iPod, iPad, iPhone, another Roku, etc.), we opt for a level of internet service that offers higher than the 4 Mpbs download speed. Our internet service provider's lowest level of service is less than the 4 Mbps download speed, so we went up to the next level, which offers a 20 Mpbs download speed, which is more than adequate for our needs. The only thing is, the service at this level doubles in cost (they ARE, however, extending to us a $10 off per month credit for the first 12 months). Bummer, but we're still saving $140+ a month, so we'll have to deal. There is only one other internet provider in our area, and they only offer one level of internet service comparable to that of our current service provider, so we'll just stick with what we know for now.
As far as MLB.com, we decided NOT to get it. We didn't realize that the whole blackout thing would affect my hubby's ability to watch the games live. Is that something? SO, I felt really bad about it, but he said he doesn't mind one bit. He often ends up listening to them on the radio when he's working outside in the summer, anyway. Plus he's thrilled with the antenna/Roku as it is he can do without the extra cost of MLB.
Our son really wanted to give the 1 week free trial of HuluPlus a whirl, so we're trying it out. We - and he - think it's okay, but I'm not sure that for us it will be worth the $7.99 per month fee because Amazon offers more than enough for us. We'll see. It's pretty nice as far as having many, many television shows with all the seasons available. Some shows you can only watch through your computer, though. Eh. And their movie selection wasn't so hot, in my opinion. But I think if you're going with Hulu, you're probably looking for tv programs more than movies. To be honest, we discussed it as a family, and are thinking that once the novelty of the Roku wears off and we understand better how to maneuver our way around the channels, the last thing we want to do is spend hours flipping around and channel surfing to find something to watch on a Friday night. The whole point of this is to watch what we really want to watch and not to have to pay for a whole lot of programming we don't use, you know? So, for us, in my book, Amazon Prime is more than sufficient. We'll see.
We are finding that, like many of you have said, we're not missing the cable at all. AT ALL. Butterflies not necessary! :) Silly butterflies!
I called my mother yesterday to inform her that the home phone was disconnected and that she could reach us on our cell phone. She wondered why. When I told her what we had done, she said, "Send it to me! Send the information as soon as you can!" She explained that they, too, have been trying to figure out what to do about the cable situation. They have shared our feelings about it for a long while, and my stepdad has been wanting to just cancel the whole thing for a while now. Like us, though, they hesitated to do so because they like getting the news, they have a couple of programs they enjoy watching on a regular basis, and they like renting a movie every now and then. But my stepdad is already retired, and my mother has been putting it off until they know they can live within their retirement income, so cutting expenses is essential. I think if they can get local reception through a digital antenna, that would be more than adequate for most of their viewing needs, and they'd be thrilled.
So, that's it for now. Just wanted to let you know how it's going and about how the MLB blackouts will affect the ability to view the games live, so to us, it's not worth the purchase. :)
Heather - the fees and taxes on our bundled cable were insane! We would rent a movie maybe once or twice a month for a couple of dollars each, too. The two movies, fees and taxes would add an additional $48 per month to our basic bundle package cost! YES! Ridonkulous!!! That's almost $600 a year!!!
Shanda - we haven't experienced any issues with our WIFI and Roku at all, but I think it's because of the Mbps... And I have no idea what Mbps is, but the Roku customer service rep explained that you will need to increase the Mbps depending upon which other devices you will be connecting to the internet through your wireless modem. I hope that helps! I wish you blessings in your new home! :)
Hugs -
Nini
Farmgirl Sister #1974
God gave us two hands... one to help ourselves, and one to help others!
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Edited by - Ninibini on Apr 03 2013 03:45:08 AM |
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Ninibini
True Blue Farmgirl
7577 Posts
Nini
Pennsylvania
USA
7577 Posts |
Posted - Apr 07 2013 : 12:11:22 PM
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Okay - I just finished typing up everything, Marly - I'm going to start a new strain, though, just to make it easier... And just in case others thought, like a lot of us originally did, that the Roku was some sort of healthy diet/exercise thing. LOL! I tried, TRIED, to cut it down and clean it up a bit, but it was hard because there is so much to explain. So if you all would check out the new post on the Nifty Thrifty strain called "How To Save BIG Money On Cable" - http://www.maryjanesfarm.org/snitz/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=62939 - and add your comments, that'd be great! Hope it's helpful to everyone! :)
Hugs -
Nini
Farmgirl Sister #1974
God gave us two hands... one to help ourselves, and one to help others!
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Edited by - Ninibini on Apr 07 2013 12:40:07 PM |
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homsteddinmom
True Blue Farmgirl
441 Posts
Brandee
bullard
tx
USA
441 Posts |
Posted - Apr 08 2013 : 3:37:28 PM
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i seen that the play on has netflix and hulu plus listed, now does that mean that you wouldnt have to pay for that seperately?? I pay for netflix and huluplus. Also does it actually get all the channels that it says like cooking channel and cartoon network?? i would be interested as the play on is onsale right now~!
Homesteading Mom in East Texas. Raising chickens, Rabbits and goats here on my farm!
http://homesteddinmomsworld.blogspot.com |
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rksmith
True Blue Farmgirl
858 Posts
Rachel
Clayton
GA
USA
858 Posts |
Posted - Apr 08 2013 : 4:33:55 PM
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You'd still have to pay for the Netflix & Hulu Plus if you try to watch it on PlayOn. There are LOTS of channels on PlayOn but you won't get every single show that comes on and not all of the shows have every episode. I am still exploring the PlayOn channel (haven't had it too awfully long) but I do like it. There are some shows/episodes on there that I haven't yet found on the other Roku Channels.
Rachel
Farmgirl Sister #2753
True enlightenment is nothing but the nature of one's own self being fully realised-- His Holiness the Dali Lama
www.madameapothecary.com |
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Ninibini
True Blue Farmgirl
7577 Posts
Nini
Pennsylvania
USA
7577 Posts |
Posted - Apr 08 2013 : 4:46:35 PM
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Rachel is right, Brandee - you would still need to subscribe to watch programming on Netflix an HuluPlus. We didn't see many of the other channels pop up on our PlayOn until the next day, and I am not sure which ones were on there. I will try to check for you later on (guys are watching a movie right now), but I can tell you that yes, many of the ones listed were there. I think you have to go onto their website to the plug in channels and download fresh content http://www.playon.tv/channel-store/ before it shows up in your PlayOn, but once you do, it should be there. I haven't had a chance to really play around with it yet, but it really does have a lot to offer. I would like to use the PlayLater feature to record programming we cannot watch live, but, again, I haven't really had time to play with it and see how it all works. There are two things that our son really complains about with the PlayOn - 1) that you have to have your computer turned on and your PlayOn running, and 2) that the programs he has checked out are not in HD. Other than that, I think it's a very good value - pay the low lifetime fee once, and it's yours to use forever. I just don't know how often we'll really use it, that's all. I'm sure Heather will have more to add, though. She really seems like the expert - she has been extremely helpful to me in all of this! :) (THANK YOU, HEATHER!!!) Hugs - Nini
Farmgirl Sister #1974
God gave us two hands... one to help ourselves, and one to help others!
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MagnoliaWhisper
True Blue Farmgirl
2817 Posts
Heather
Haysville
Kansas
USA
2817 Posts |
Posted - Apr 09 2013 : 11:08:16 AM
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I haven't had it long enough to know a whole lot about it either.
My biggest complaint is also the pc having to be on.
Also it takes up a LOT of internet data, our internet sent us a email that we went over! lol This is the first month we have ever went over. They are not going to penalize us yet though.
As far as my guess is, you do not get ALL the shows on those channels, only what those channels offer for free streaming on their websites. Personally I find it a pain to go to each website to watch each show. I do find Play on easier in that sense, and getting to watch it on my tv versus the pc. So it is a better quality picture.
Every day Play on will have added things, as the day after the eps run on tv, they are usually uploaded to the sites, and then play on uploads them so you can watch them. We bought the play later, so we wouldnt' have to pay again later, but after reading about it, I am thinking we probably won't use play later much, but that's ok...it was only like 10 dollars extra and it was a one time fee...so if I ever change my mind about it, at least we have the option.
http://www.heathersprairie.blogspot.com |
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MagnoliaWhisper
True Blue Farmgirl
2817 Posts
Heather
Haysville
Kansas
USA
2817 Posts |
Posted - Apr 09 2013 : 11:09:58 AM
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oh and my husband showed me the astrics, any channel with asterics beside it in the list, means you have to buy your subscription to them seperately. Personally, I would NOT watch those channels through play on--too much data on the internet, and having to have the pc on...when if you just exit play on and watch those channels directly through roku you don't have to have the pc on and it doesn't suck so much data up.
http://www.heathersprairie.blogspot.com |
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homsteddinmom
True Blue Farmgirl
441 Posts
Brandee
bullard
tx
USA
441 Posts |
Posted - Apr 11 2013 : 06:05:14 AM
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I went ahead and purchased the lifetime since it was onsale for the one time 49.xx. I also subscribe both to netflix and hulu plus. Dh has been happy with it as he gets some of his man shows...lol
Homesteading Mom in East Texas. Raising chickens, Rabbits and goats here on my farm!
http://homesteddinmomsworld.blogspot.com |
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MagnoliaWhisper
True Blue Farmgirl
2817 Posts
Heather
Haysville
Kansas
USA
2817 Posts |
Posted - Apr 11 2013 : 09:02:19 AM
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Brandee, I'm wondering do you think with Playon, that you still need hulu...I'm keeping netflix, and am loving Amazon, but thinking with Playon I don't really need hulu...what do you think?
http://www.heathersprairie.blogspot.com |
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MagnoliaWhisper
True Blue Farmgirl
2817 Posts
Heather
Haysville
Kansas
USA
2817 Posts |
Posted - Apr 11 2013 : 09:11:15 AM
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Nini, when you talked to Amazon, do you know about buying seasons of shows? Do you know if it's 1.99 per a episode of a season, or 1.99 for the all the episodes for that season?
http://www.heathersprairie.blogspot.com |
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Ninibini
True Blue Farmgirl
7577 Posts
Nini
Pennsylvania
USA
7577 Posts |
Posted - Apr 11 2013 : 10:16:33 AM
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You know, Heather, that's not something I asked them, but it does look as though it costs $1.99 per program... It would be great to buy the season, though. :)
Farmgirl Sister #1974
God gave us two hands... one to help ourselves, and one to help others!
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MagnoliaWhisper
True Blue Farmgirl
2817 Posts
Heather
Haysville
Kansas
USA
2817 Posts |
Posted - Apr 11 2013 : 10:49:07 AM
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Awe ok, thanks. That's a little expensive...lol was hoping, cause there was a few shows not free for streaming...oh well. :)
http://www.heathersprairie.blogspot.com |
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Ninibini
True Blue Farmgirl
7577 Posts
Nini
Pennsylvania
USA
7577 Posts |
Posted - Apr 11 2013 : 12:33:47 PM
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Heather - how different is Netflix from the other two? Huluplus has an amazing number of programs available, but I don't like it nearly as much as our son does. I think they spend more time flipping through the programs than they do actually watching anything. I was thinking of trying the Netflix just to see, but if it's the same thing, I'm thinking of just dropping to Amazon Prime by itself. It seems that's pretty much the channel they keep going back to - and the programs I like to watch are on there, all commercial-free!
You know, I can't say it enough - it's just amazing as to how much more "peaceful" and "calm" it is in the house since we disconnected (and subsequently returned) the cable box... Not sure why it is that way, but we're thinking maybe the box itself had been generating some sort of noise that just wasn't registering with us. Whatever it was, we don't have it at all anymore. I just can't get over it. Love it. Just love it. :)
Hugs -
Nini
Farmgirl Sister #1974
God gave us two hands... one to help ourselves, and one to help others!
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MagnoliaWhisper
True Blue Farmgirl
2817 Posts
Heather
Haysville
Kansas
USA
2817 Posts |
Posted - Apr 11 2013 : 1:39:20 PM
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Netflix is more like Amazon, just a few different shows/movies. It's commercial free (completely!). I do though like Netflix layout better then Amazon, to me it's easier to find the genre of what you want to watch. Plus netflix kind of watches what you are watching and suggest things along the same lines. Like let's say you watch Leave it to Beaver, after a day or two they may come up with about 50 other shows you "may" like. Things like The Monsters, Andy Griffith, I Love Lucy, etc. If you watched say....Quincy ME then it may suggest Law & Order, Rockford Files, and so on....it breaks the featured shows down to more genres (movies too not just tv shows), and that kind of helps not have to scroll through so many, at least to me. I also like that Netflix keeps all the seasons together that they have. So like with Amazon I noticed when you are scrollling through their featured TV shows, it will say something like Hoarders season 2, and then you keep going and about 50 selections down the row it will say Hoarders season 3, and so on...where on Netflix it will just say Hoarders, you click on that and ALL the seasons that they have available are right there, you don't have to switch between seasons, and it's just numbers from 1 to what ever they have. Like there was like 120 eps of Monk you didn't have to go from one season to another, just pick Monk and then all 120 eps are right there...and so on. So I kind of like Netflix general set up better, but it could be just because Netflix was my first thing that I ever had for streaming and it's what I know best.
http://www.heathersprairie.blogspot.com |
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MagnoliaWhisper
True Blue Farmgirl
2817 Posts
Heather
Haysville
Kansas
USA
2817 Posts |
Posted - Apr 11 2013 : 1:42:04 PM
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oh and also EVERY THING that is shown on Neflix is "free" comes with your subscription, so I can trust my kids with it. On our smart TV, we can even edit it where it only shows our kids certain movies, but we don't have to worry about them purchasing anything! I won't be giving them access to Amazon Prime because I'm scared they will purchase a bunch of stuff. My 6 year old did purchase a bunch of stuff with her Kindle off Amazon! lol haha I didn't know. My MIL gave her the Kindle and I have never had one, I assumed my MIL had set it up with parental controls when it came to purchasing things, then my MIL calls us one day and says 6 y/o DD has just bought 70 dollars worth of movies....oops! lol I was able to put the parental controls on and we haven't had another problem. lol But....uhg I don't see that with Amazon on the TV though! lol haha (no parental controls that I can tell.).
http://www.heathersprairie.blogspot.com |
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Ninibini
True Blue Farmgirl
7577 Posts
Nini
Pennsylvania
USA
7577 Posts |
Posted - Apr 11 2013 : 3:04:13 PM
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LOL! Not really funny, but I did have a similar experience with my son and music - I totally understand how that shocker feels! Eghads!
Thanks for all the info, Heather - I'm thinking we might try the one week Netflix trial and see what it has to offer for the guys, and then decide which one we will keep, if either. I really appreciate your insight - you ROCK, farmgirl! ;)
Hugs -
Nini
Farmgirl Sister #1974
God gave us two hands... one to help ourselves, and one to help others!
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MagnoliaWhisper
True Blue Farmgirl
2817 Posts
Heather
Haysville
Kansas
USA
2817 Posts |
Posted - Apr 11 2013 : 3:19:05 PM
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no problem. Yeah I would take it's free trial. I personally like it better then hulu for being commercial free. I don't mind the commercials on PlayOn cause it was so cheap...and it's the tv shows that were just aired as soon as the night before. So that doesn't bother me. Kind of bothered by it though on Hulu when you are paying a monthly fee, and still have commercials. lol
http://www.heathersprairie.blogspot.com |
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rksmith
True Blue Farmgirl
858 Posts
Rachel
Clayton
GA
USA
858 Posts |
Posted - Apr 11 2013 : 6:08:42 PM
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The episodes on Amazon are per episode HOWEVER if you are on Amazon online alot of the shows will let you purchase by the season and add it to your library--what I am seriously considering with American Horror Story. With the Amazon Prime you set up a 5 digit PIN to order shows/movies and it won't let you purchase without that PIN code (which I like), so there shouldn't be any "accidental" purchases by the kids to worry about as long as you don't give them the code. One of the things I like about Hulu Plus--I've recently "discovered" Revolution, The Following, and Hannibal..I've gotten caught up on the episodes but when they are on tv (which we have no access to these days) they are available on Hulu Plus the next day. I don't mind the commercials so much since they are way less than what's on regular tv.
Rachel
Farmgirl Sister #2753
True enlightenment is nothing but the nature of one's own self being fully realised-- His Holiness the Dali Lama
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Across the Fence: Do You Have A Roku? |
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Do You Have A Roku?
