Roku

[e2x10]

Hi,

Anyone have luck using Roku in Chiang Mai?

Thanks

[smileplur]

I'm not in Chiang Mai, but I am using a Roku 3 in Bangkok. Why is it specific to Chiang Mai?

[e2x10]

It's not. That's just where I'll be going. If it works well I'll get one.

[Paul3456]

I use the Roku 3 in Pattaya. I brought it over from the US. The power plug says 110 only but it is really 110-240. It works great.

Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T using Tapatalk

[yankee99]

I use the Roku 3 in Pattaya. I brought it over from the US. The power plug says 110 only but it is really 110-240. It works great.

Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T using Tapatalk

I thought that was strange for the plug to be 120 only. How did you know it was 110/220?.

[Paul3456]

I searched on the internet and found many people were angry about it being 110 only. Somebody discovered that the plug was the same model as a pervious one that was labeled 110-240. Then someone took the risk and tried it in a 240 outlet and it worked. Search and you can read about it. Mine works fine in a 240 outlet.

Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk

[e2x10]

Thanks for the information, I'm in Brooklyn so I'll pick one up here

to take with me to CM.

Appreciate the message,

e

[SoloFlyer]

Anyone got a roku streaming stick? I clicked on a pre-order button when they were announced and now own it!

[CharlesHH]

Mislead by the Roku ads, I got one only to discover a continuing need to buy programming, at least the programs that a sane person would want. The free stuff is below garbage. What you buy is usually garbage too, but then a good movie comes along about once a yr.

Sum... Roku costs more money forever.

[Chicog]

Anyone got a roku streaming stick? I clicked on a pre-order button when they were announced and now own it!

Got one but haven't unboxed it yet.

Edited June 7, 2014 by Chicog

[smileplur]

Like I said, I am running a Roku 3 in Bangkok. I think it is the greatest little box ever created, and it changed the way I watch television and movies. I can see why media consumption is changing worldwide and cable companies are facing hard times with such fierce competition out there for a fraction of the price. I have only had my Roku for about a month. In addition, I still have True Visions - Gold Package (1,568 THB/month).

True Visions is pretty bad in terms of content. I have always enjoyed watching the news in the morning while I drink my coffee before anyone else is awake. I'm limited to CNN (International) and BBC here. They aren't the greatest by any stretch of the imagination, but it is better than nothing. CNN comes in HD, so I usually watch that in the mornings. While it isn't great, it does the job of keeping me informed of world news and events. If I want more detail about a story, I will look for more information online when time permits throughout the day. I like the simplicity of it. Simply hit 114 on the remote and you are ready to go. That's simple! Other than that, there is nothing remarkable about the programming at all. I like NCIS, but there is only so much Agent Gibbs a guy can stand to watch! The movie channels are fine in the beginning. Then, you begin to notice how many re-runs of the same movie they actually play. Paying 1,500 baht per month to watch the same movies over and over again doesn't sound like a very good idea to me. There are very few other options out there, and they seem to have worse content than True Visions. I just stayed with True Visions.

Not too long ago, True Visions called me and told me they were switching their name to "True Visions Group". They said they were going to give me a couple of free months of their platinum package and that nothing would change about their service, payment, prices, etc. That didn't turn out to be true at all. The content and channels were the same. My problems came with their billing. I'd always paid my bill by ATM. This suddenly became impossible with either UOB or Krungsri Banks. I don't know why, but the codes given by the ATM machine when searching didn't work. The codes displayed on the bill for ATM payment were also incorrect. I try to avoid paying bills at 7-11, but I will if I must. So, I went to try that. I found out that 2 7-11 stores didn't know how to do it. I ended up with "mai dai" at both. Thinking that something got lost in translation I went back to the second 7-11 I had visited with my wife. So, 7-11 still couldn't figure out how to process the payment on their system. We had to call Customer Service and put Customer Service from True Visions on the phone with the Cashier and then the Manager at 7-11 for about 30 minutes until they finally resolved the issue, took my money, and entered the payment correctly into their system. The next month, I went to 7-11 to pay after the ATMs failed me again. I got the same response. At that moment, I resolved to simply pay every other month. I would wait until they started to call me to ask me to pay. I proceed to complain about the difficulties of paying with whoever calls me. Then, I go pay the bill.

It's become quite the pain to deal with every month or every other month, depending on how you look at it. I wanted to test to Roku Box and make sure that it would work properly for a while before I did anything with True Visions. Obviously, I have the Roku up and running now, so I am going to call True Visions in a few minutes about "suspending" their service. I am going to make another post about this when I am finished writing this reply. I will tell True Visions that I will be travelling a lot for work, and I won't be at home enough to use their service. So, I want them to suspend it and call me when they have resolved whatever issues they are experiencing with their billing channels. I'm not ready to completely cut the cord with True Visions yet because Roku isn't always perfect itself.

I recently took my son back to the states to meet his family (He's one year old). While I was there, my mother showed me her newest gadget, a Roku 3. She claimed it could turn any TV into a virtual "Smart TV". I was skeptical until I read through the information booklet, read about it online, and finally saw her use the device on her TV. For some reason, she purchased two of these boxes. She intended to hook one up on the big screen TV, but she just never go around to doing it. She simply told me to take it back to Thailand and use it. She has a Netflix account. A Netflix account can have up to 4 users, so she added me to her account there. I was on vacation with my family in Thailand to visit my family in America. There were frequent visitors, and we were always busy. I didn't have time to think about geo-restrictions or any problems I might encounter when the time came to set it up in Thailand. I just threw it in my bag and brought it back with me.

What follows is my experience with the Roku Box and getting it work in Thailand:

Reading through the booklet, it clearly states that the plug is for 120V. It says "Power port - Connects your Roku player to a 120V AC power source with the included power adapter." This would be my first obstacle. That wasn't a big deal because I have a Japanese model X-Box. To run this, I need to use a transformer. Luckily, I had that on hand, and I don't use the X-Box too often. It wasn't a big deal to use the transformer primarily for the Roku, so that's what I did. I find it interesting that another poster here said that the power adapter could handle the 220V system here. It isn't something I am willing to test myself though. I am no expert in terms of electronics, so I am curious to know if another adapter that can handle the 220V input but has the same output would work. Do any of you know? I could make the trip to Panthip and fo find one that has the exact specifications I am looking for. I am not sure why Roku would go through the trouble of making two different boxes or adapters considering they are also sold in the UK. From an economics perspective, they would gain better economies of scale and greater profits if they made one uniform product that worked in all of the markets they served. Let me know if you think my proposed solution would work!

So, I plugged it in and followed the on-screen instructions. I did everything as I should have. Suddenly, I was up and running. The Roku logo was on my screen. I was connected to my WiFi at home. I must have done it! I was successful. So, I went to add channels only to find all of the channels my mother had back in the states weren't available in the Channel Store. I went to the Roku website and tried to add them through the site. That's when I encountered that dreaded message: "This content is not available in your area" or something to that effect. I was able to add the Youtube Channel which allowed me to stream Youtuve from my computer to my TV. I put on some tunes and started to read. I read page after page. I got more confused with every page I read. I didn't know anything about proxies, geographical restrictions, VPNs, or any of the other million technical terms or details that describe and need to be manipulated to make the Roku work in Thailand.

This didn't deter me. Despite being confused by reading so many pages, one thing was clear to me. There are people out there who live in Thailand who have made their Roku boxes work with content from the US. I knew that it was possible. I am not the most technically savvy person in the world, but I know how to operate a computer. I knew that I could figure it out even if it seemed overwhelming. As I continued reading, I discovered that most people who were successful in getting their Roku boxes to work seemed to have something in common. They all used a service called Unblock-us. There were a few who used different VPNs, but the vast majority of people running the box in Thailand used them. I had my wife reading about it in Thai, and that was also the service of choice on the Thai forums she was reading. So, I signed up for their free trial. I had gotten familiar with a lot of the terminology, so I wasn't phased by instructions like "Change the DNS settings on your router", etc. Thankfully, Unlock-US had pretty clear instructions.

I followed their instructions. That meant I needed to start over. I needed to do a factory reset on my box. I needed to us a different email address that hadn't been associated with Roku at all in the past. I needed to use a US based credit card attached to a US based home address. For those of you without a US card, my research indicates that Roku is mainly interested in the postal code (zip code) that you use when registering. Several websites demonstrate how to do this even if your billing address might be in Canada, Australia, or some other country by manipulating the numbers. The information is all out there. If you want US content, this part was critical.

I was done with the process of setting everything up. I had changed the DNS settings on my router because you cannot do it inside the Roku box. This means that all of my devices connected to that router can now stream Netflix and other content that is restricted to viewing in the United States. I can watch on my computer, iPad, iPhone, etc. They are all running through the same router for internet access. Suddenly, the user interface for Roku was entirely different. I had a million more options at my disposal. I had the ever so important Netflix at my disposal. I had Amazon Prime there. Hulu Plus was there. Free channels like Crackle were there too. I added CBS News and was streaming stories from 60 Minutes that aired the previous Sunday night in the states in moments. I found the golden ticket to media consumption in Thailand, as I hate consuming media through a computer screen!

It hasn't been perfect. True Internet uses what is called a 'transparent proxy', and the details about what this means and how they use it aren't clear to anyone. It means that once in a while, the DNS settings are somehow bypassed leaving your true location to be revealed to the Roku box. When this happens, you will get the dreaded message about geographical restrictions. From what I have read, this doesn't happen with other ISPs like 3BB or TOT. When it happens to me, I wait a couple of minutes and try again. Most of the time that is all I need to do. I don't experience any buffering once the program I have selected begins in Netflix. I have also read that this doesn't happen with Amazon Prime or Hulu Plus. I think it is just a problem with Netflix. I can also change my region to Canada and back to the US to solve the problem. I am running 15 mbps with True which gives me more than enough speed. This problem is insignificant for me and doesn't impact my viewing negatively enough for me to consider switching ISPs. That is my biggest problem with using the Roku box here in terms of technical problems. If I were just moving here or if I were setting up a new internet connection in a new residence, I would probably do my best to avoid using True for this reason.

It was mentioned, that Roku isn't free. Well, it is free to a point. If you are satisfied with the free offerings that don't have geographical restrictions, it is free. I have the Roku 3 which will accept USB drives and SD cards. I can play media I have downloaded from these sources as well. For whatever reason, the picture quality does look substantially better if I plug my USB stick into the Roku rather than plugging it into the TV directly or plug it into my DVD player. The DVD player produces a better picture quality than the TV does. The Roku box outperforms the DVD player. I don't know why give the source is exactly the same file, but that has been my experience.

So, you do have to pay if you want the premium content. However, you are going to pay less than you would for the True Visions Gold Package (1568 baht). I pay $4.99 per month for the VPN (Unblock-us). Netflix is $7.99 per month. I get Netflix for free. If you know someone in the states who has a Netflix account, they can have up to 4 users on an account. In my case, my mother added me to her account. Otherwise, my total cost would be $12.98 (about 415 baht at 32/$) which is significantly cheaper than True Visions. I get to watch what I want, when I want to watch it for a much cheaper price. I might add Hulu Plus for $7.99 which would bring me up to $20.97 (671 baht) which would give me a much better deal than True Visions for a fraction of the price. I would be saving 1,000 baht per month. I would only lose CNN in the morning with my coffee, but I can live with the CBS Evening News with my coffee.

In short, yes ... you have to pay money. Nothing is really free. However, you pay less. You get more. On Demand viewing is the way media consumption is heading. Geographical Restrictions are a bit bothersome, but with a little bit of research, they are easily overcome. In my opinion, this service just blows away anything else that is on offer in Thailand. There is no comparison whatsoever. You can come to your own conclusions, but I am more than pleased with this setup. The way I watch TV in Thailand has changed forever, and I certainly DO NOT want to go back!

That turned out to be quite long. I hope it was informative and didn't bore you to death with too many details. Good luck with whatever you decide.

Edited June 7, 2014 by smileplur

[Paul3456]

I use my Roku to watch MLB baseball games. I pay $125 per year for a subscription purchased on the MLB website and I can watch all games includung all playofff games and the World Series with no blackouts.

Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T using Tapatalk

[chmod777]

I have older model Roku 2 XD, and it gathered dust until recently - but now it gets a workout because:

- Roku upgraded even the older models to better software, streaming is much more reliable. I can actually watch live news without constant buffering.

- Roku added DLNA support

- Roku added Youtube

- PLEX has improved greatly, and it is fantastic on the Roku. I have ditched XBMC and gone all PLEX, check it out if you have lots of video and music files.

- More third party support, including things like Twonky beam - which lets you cast content to the TV from your phone or tablet. Cool stuff.

The "channels" are mostly garbage, but you can find a few good things in there - check out the private channels as well. That's where I get live news streams.

So now I have a Roku 3 on the way...

Edited June 8, 2014 by chmod777

[chmod777]

I use my Roku to watch MLB baseball games. I pay $125 per year for a subscription purchased on the MLB website and I can watch all games includung all playofff games and the World Series with no blackouts.

Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T using Tapatalk

How are the MLB streams for you?

No matter what device I use (Roku, PC, phone, tablet, Chromecast), I get frustrated with buffering. Very disappointing compared to NFL Gamepass, which is mostly rock solid - I think due to their use of servers in Japan.

[Paul3456]

I use my Roku to watch MLB baseball games. I pay $125 per year for a subscription purchased on the MLB website and I can watch all games includung all playofff games and the World Series with no blackouts.

Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T using Tapatalk

How are the MLB streams for you?

No matter what device I use (Roku, PC, phone, tablet, Chromecast), I get frustrated with buffering. Very disappointing compared to NFL Gamepass, which is mostly rock solid - I think due to their use of servers in Japan.

Last year I lived in Hua Hin and the condo complex I lived in didn't have strong wi-fi. There was constant buffering and the watching the games wasn't that good. I think if I had my own dedicated internet feed I would have been okay.

I moved to Pattaya last month and the community wi-fi is much stronger. I have very little buffering. When I do have it, it continues for several minutes and I suspect it is due to a neighbor trying to Skype or something. After awhile it goes away.

What do you pay for NFL Gamepass, and are you able to watch games once they have been completed, such as the next day or later in the week?

[telldem]

@Smileplur: Congrats, Record for longest post!

[chmod777]

I use my Roku to watch MLB baseball games. I pay $125 per year for a subscription purchased on the MLB website and I can watch all games includung all playofff games and the World Series with no blackouts.

Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T using Tapatalk

How are the MLB streams for you?

No matter what device I use (Roku, PC, phone, tablet, Chromecast), I get frustrated with buffering. Very disappointing compared to NFL Gamepass, which is mostly rock solid - I think due to their use of servers in Japan.

Last year I lived in Hua Hin and the condo complex I lived in didn't have strong wi-fi. There was constant buffering and the watching the games wasn't that good. I think if I had my own dedicated internet feed I would have been okay.

I moved to Pattaya last month and the community wi-fi is much stronger. I have very little buffering. When I do have it, it continues for several minutes and I suspect it is due to a neighbor trying to Skype or something. After awhile it goes away.

What do you pay for NFL Gamepass, and are you able to watch games once they have been completed, such as the next day or later in the week?

I am impressed you had that much success with shared connections, my ISP's crummy routing to the USA is probably to blame. I resort to watching the recap or condensed game more often than I would like.

NFL Gamepass is about $200 for a calendar year for the top package that includes EVERYTHING: live games (preseason, season, postseason), archive games (up to five years back), NFL Red Zone, and NFL Network 24/7 365 days a year. They have some cheaper packages as well, I think for $100 you only get to watch one team's games.

They may even have a Roku channel coming, but for now I can watch it through PLEX on the Roku. They don't support as many platforms as MLB.tv, but do a better job of delivering the content in my opinion.

[SoloFlyer]

^ but a good post.

How do you guys find it for mirroring device to tv?

[GinBoy2]

My 2 cents worth:

Have a Roku 2 & 3, both are 110/240V so no worries about that

You will need to purchase some geo masking DNS service. Many around, all cheap, mine $49/yr

Multiple channels available, agree many crap. I use it manly for Netflix, HuluPlus, PBS, MLB, Amazon, Vudu

CharlesHH, you're so cheap. HuluPlus $7.99/mth, Netflix $7.99/mth, you cant go to the movies for that!....just teasing

Mirroring, hmmm not so good IMO. PlayOn works, but I'd say is flawed

For true mirroring AppleTV is much better when paired with a Macbook

In general they work great, but TIT, and the Internet, regardless of your intra Thai speed can be pretty variable on the International connections. There are definitely times of the day when they, don't work so well.

One last point, buy it before you leave the States because they won't ship outside of the country, and the firmware needs to be specific.

[GinBoy2]

...and I should say, as I was writing the last post I was watching Sundays A's vs Orioles game on MLB via Roku. Way to go my A's good win

[Pinot]

Who's on the A's? They're my team too and I don't know anything about them. 1st place, huh?

What a great read here. It was exactly what I was interested in and I got some very entertaining posts.

I was just doing research on Chromecast. Heading home next month and going to get something.

Here is all I want to do...stream video from my downloaded files to the TV. I'm a Piratebay guy. And watch the Redzone channel.

[trajan]

I have an APPLE TV box (mainly to watch Netflix) and a MAIGE TV box (for all kind of TV channels and also movies/TV series on demand)

I will cancel my True Visions box soon (after the year pre-paid subscription expires)....

is there any added value to also get a ROKU 3 box?

[smileplur]

I have an APPLE TV box (mainly to watch Netflix) and a MAIGE TV box (for all kind of TV channels and also movies/TV series on demand)

I will cancel my True Visions box soon (after the year pre-paid subscription expires)....

is there any added value to also get a ROKU 3 box?

I have a Roku 3 which gives me plenty of entertainment options. I couldn't see why I would need Maige TV. I have the opposite question. I am wondering if there would be any added value if I get an Apple TV box. What does it do that Roku doesn't? The Roku Box kind of fell into my lap unexpectedly, and it has changed my TV viewing experience dramatically. I have True Visions on hold and intend to cancel when I get to my deposit amount! LoL!

How easy is it to use Apple TV with a service like unblock-us.com? Can you change the settings in the Apple TV box, or does it need to be done at the router level?

Personally, Netflix has enough for me. But, I am thinking of adding Hulu Plus in order to get some of the latest shows. I'd like to know more about Apple TV though.

[trajan]

I have an APPLE TV box (mainly to watch Netflix) and a MAIGE TV box (for all kind of TV channels and also movies/TV series on demand)

I will cancel my True Visions box soon (after the year pre-paid subscription expires)....

is there any added value to also get a ROKU 3 box?

I have a Roku 3 which gives me plenty of entertainment options. I couldn't see why I would need Maige TV. I have the opposite question. I am wondering if there would be any added value if I get an Apple TV box. What does it do that Roku doesn't? The Roku Box kind of fell into my lap unexpectedly, and it has changed my TV viewing experience dramatically. I have True Visions on hold and intend to cancel when I get to my deposit amount! LoL!

How easy is it to use Apple TV with a service like unblock-us.com? Can you change the settings in the Apple TV box, or does it need to be done at the router level?

Personally, Netflix has enough for me. But, I am thinking of adding Hulu Plus in order to get some of the latest shows. I'd like to know more about Apple TV though.

Apple TV box is super easy to use....just manually change the DNS setting in "settings" (no need to mess with your router box) since you are watching from Thailand.....

Maige TV box has more channels than TrueVisions Platinum....also has tons of on-demand TV shows and movies that Netflix/iTunes does not have...

sounds like I don't need a Roku 3 box .....

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

In the news today - Roku rolls out screen mirroring functionality in BETA via its Roku 3 and Roku stick devices, when used with SELECT Android devices including the recent Nexus line and Fire HDX and some Windows 8.1 tablets and laptops.

http://techcrunch.com/2014/10/02/roku-now-offers-screen-mirroring-for-android-and-windows-8-1-users/

http://blog.roku.com/

Here's their instruction page for setting up and using the feature:

http://support.roku.com/entries/56266670-How-do-I-enable-screen-mirroring-on-my-Roku-player-

And here's their list of supported device to mirror from:

http://support.roku.com/entries/56698214-Roku-screen-mirroring-compatible-devices

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Bought a Roku HDMI stick online on the cheap from the U.S. recently, and just got through today installing it at home. Works fine.

Some particulars:

--The stick came with a micro USB power cord/adapter, which is labeled for both 110 and 240 V electric. Where I'm using the stick at home, I have a 110V stepdown converter, so I just plugged the power cord into that outlet. Didn't try using it with a 220V outlet. The TV I'm using it with doesn't have its own powered USB jack, so I didn't have the option to power the Roku stick direct thru my TV.

--Didn't want to mess around with setting up the stick with a Thai IP location (and then having to reset it later for U.S. locations). So before installing the stick, I re-configured my home wifi router with a DNS redirector service (Unotelly), which works fine. So after reconfiguring my router, when I went to turn on the Roku stick, it came up with all the normal U.S. channels available.

--Using it with a True Online 18 Mbps cable internet connection, all of the channels I tried streamed fine, with the exception of ESPN, which seemed to have a lot of buffering in my initial trial of the stick. In my case, the Roku stick is plugged into a TV in my bedroom, and is connecting to my house wifi via my True Online Cisco home router in the adjoining living room. (BTW, to use the ESPN app, I had to authenticate it through a U.S. cable TV account ID and password).

--My first impression of the video programming content available through the mainstream FREE Roku channels is they tend to lean heavily toward short clips/segments, instead of offering the full versions of entire programs. And even where there is an entire program offered -- like the NBC Nightly News -- the icon for that program is buried under dozens and dozens of little 2-3 minute video clip segments, and really hard to find. In none of the Roku free video channels I tried were the full/entire program offerings visually separated out from the small clip offerings or easily distinguishable in any other way I could find initially.

--In the same manner, the CNBC app is labeled as live streaming. But when I went to use it, I could access only a list or a dozen or so short video clips. Couldn't see anything giving me access to a live stream of the CNBC channel.

--In fairness, I should add, I already have a Windows laptop connected to my bedroom TV, and already have long been using that to directly stream content like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, etc to my bedroom TV. So for me, thus far, the Roku stick isn't really adding that much extra content or added convenience. I could see being more appreciative of the Roku stick if I didn't already have most/all of the big name video content available for streaming via my connected laptop.

--I found it much more satisfying on the audio site of things, where I was able to link my Roku device with various accounts like Amazon Cloud music, Rdio, TuneIn Radio, and then stream all their content ongoing without having to order up a new content item every two or three minutes.

--As part of setting up the Roku stick, assuming you don't already have one, you have to use your computer or other Internet device to create a Roku account. And part of that requires providing Roku with a debit or credit card account to debit any charges you incur in ordering pay channels/services or online video rentals. But, they also have the option to link the Roku account to your Paypal account (though I only tried that with a U.S. Paypal account). I didn't try linking it with a Thai Paypal account.

Edited November 1, 2014 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[chmod777]

Check out "Nowhere TV" - it is a private channel, which just means it doesn't show up in the official Roku channel store. This channel has done a good job of seperating the wheat from the chaff. For example, under the "International" section you can find true live streams of CNN International, BBC, etc including CNBC Europe. This channel has is kept up to date, and is easy to navigate to find things like full episodes of Conan for example. You can find it at http://thenowhereman.com/roku/

If you google for Roku private channels, you will find that most are garbage (as are most of the "official" Roku channels), but there may be some that fit your interests. You can even make you own private channel, which sounds interesting https://www.roku.com/developer

The HTPC will runs rings around the Roku for flexibility, but in some cases I think the Roku beats it for quality. For example NFL Gamepass, MLB.tv, and others use browser plugins on the PC that can be glitchy.

Roku also is a great PLEX client if you are into setting up a media server at home.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

That's a good post, Chmod... Indeed, I spent a good part of the morning today wading through the hundreds of private channels for Roku shown on various website lists, and installing the ones I thought likely beneficial. Indeed, the Nowhere guy seems to have authored a number of different useful and popular apps for Roku, and I indeed have installed the one you suggested above

Here, meanwhile, are a couple of the private channel lists I found helpful, and they include the ability to look at the top picks in various categories like sports, news, etc, and then choose to install the ones you like:

http://mkvxstream.blogspot.com/2013/03/roku-private-channels-2013-roku-channel.html

http://mkvxstream.blogspot.com/2013/06/30-best-roku-channels.html

https://www.rokuchannels.tv/

http://www.freerokuchannels.com/list-free-roku-channels/

It's kind of odd, the difference between some of the official network TV apps and some of the private party ones providing similar content. Last night, I was looking thru the official CBS News app, and was totally dismayed. It starts off showing content by major programs like 60 Minutes, which was a good start. But then, when you choose 60 Minutes, instead of viewing an entire episode or at least an entire segment, you instead get a long list of disjointed, couple minute clip excerpts from a particular show. I was interested to watch a particular 60 Minutes segment on the nurses from the Texas Ebola hospital, but found that segment alone had been chopped up into two different video clip segments that together weren't even the entirety of that particular segment on that topic, and had none of the introduction or conclusion to the piece, so I'm not sure just how much of the overall piece was missing.

On the other hand, this morning, I believe it was thru the FilmOn app, I found that it contained, albeit in not so great video quality, pretty much the most recent full broadcasts of quite a few different news programs, including the NBC's Nightly News with Brian Williams, the Rachael Maddow Show from MSNBC, etc etc. I'm pretty sure the entire Maddow show is not available as a single piece on the official NBC News Roku app, and a lot of the other news programs aren't either. Again, just like the CBS News app, for some reason, NBC has chosen in large part to break everything up into very short video clips. Had the same impression of the NFL Now official app, where, not to be repetitive, instead of getting to watch a show, you only get to watch clip after clip. Not exactly much of a "lean back" experience. However, as you pointed out, there is still hope via some of the third-party, unofficial apps.

Had a couple other not so great impressions last night watching Roku in the bedroom late in the evening.

1. I discovered, something I hadn't thought about at all previously, that the remote control that comes with the Roku HDMI stick does not have any kind of lighting/back lighting on its keys. So in a darkened bedroom, you're pretty much fumbling around trying to give the right input to the Roku unit -- although perhaps that can/could be remedied by instead using one of the several smartphone or tablet apps that allow your mobile device to instead control the unit.

2. Also, getting all the apps set up on the device can be a bit of a pain, especially when it comes to typing. Basically, there seem to be two general ways that users are often asked to verify/authenticate/link their Roku apps, either just for the app itself or to link it with one's own account for that app's underlying account/service. Like -- just for illustration purposes as a hypothetical example -- installing the Spotify Roku app and then connecting the Roku app to one's personal Spotify account.

The first and easy way is after installing a Roku app, it displays a short code on your TV screen and you're asked to go to a website like Spotify dot com/Roku using your PC or other Internet device and enter that short code. That's quick and easy, especially since you're doing it on a PC or similar device. But the second and far less easy way that some Roku apps require is to log-in on the Roku app itself on your TV by typing in an email address, password and perhaps some other information -- which is painfully slow when you have to use the directional keys on the Roku remote and then the OK button each time to select one letter or number at a time via the on-screen menu in order to type the requested info. I ran into a couple apps that required that approach, and it almost made me want to tear my hair out.

Lastly, I noticed in going thru the newest apps lists for Roku that there now seems to be an official Google Play Roku app, which directly opens up people's Google Play content to direct streaming via their Roku devices (although I read that capability at least for now does NOT extent to Google's All Access Music Pass service). But it would include any video content someone has purchased thru Google Play and any purchased or uploaded music files one has stored on Google Music. That's a nice and very recent addition.

I guess I should add by saying, I'm not down on or attacking Roku as a device. I suspect a lot of people perhaps just use it to watch Netflix or Amazon movies on their TVs, something I already have been doing via my connected laptop. But for those folks, the issue about the abundance of countless tiny clips compared with the relative lack of entire programs might not matter. But I'd guess that more folks are probably inconvenienced by a Roku remote control that lacks any night lighting and apps that require horribly slow remote control-based log-in procedures. Just my 10 cents.

Edited November 2, 2014 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[chmod777]

Many of the flaws you list are the reason I ended up with a Roku in the first place - my Dad bought an XD unit, got frustrated and threw it in the closet. I relieved him of it on a visit a couple years ago, and it took me a while to figure out how to make good use of it.

Funny you should mention 60 Minutes because that is the exact show I started off with trying to watch before I gave up. It wouldn't be so bad if all the clips weren't out of order - you could just hit play all and at least get some idea of the story. Pretty worthless as is, but I guess CBS is now selling their own monthly subscription so the whole thing may disappear anyway.

A big Roku problem is that you find a channel with good stuff, up to date, etc - and then it just dies. It either doesn't get updated, or quits working. That is the reason I gave up on XBMC - too much trouble to fiddle around finding and updating the sources when I just want to sit there and watch TV without hassles. The Viewster channel is a good example - oddball content, but quite a bit of it - it just quit working on Roku for some reason, while it still works on the PC.

I've used media players, HTPC, XBMC, Chromecast, Android TV boxes, and "Smart TV" apps and found for my purposes Roku is the best option. I ended up buying a Roku 3 as well (and then a Roku 2 when the 3 had to get RMA'd). One thing I like is that they keep updating things, and the user interface (believe it or not) has improved - but is still pretty rough. I had to factory reset the 3 several times before returning it, and the hassles you mention with entering subscription information was huge PITA to keep repeating.

There are some pretty good apps that let you use your phone as a wifi remote, that is the best way to type into it when you have to.

Thanks a lot for mentioning the Google Play channel, I missed that news. Let's hope they keep adding new and better channels!

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

I had to factory reset the 3 several times before returning it, and the hassles you mention with entering subscription information was huge PITA to keep repeating.

That's an interesting, thought-provoking comment. I believe, my HDMI stick arrived with about 30 apps pre-installed. And then after deleting some of those and adding others, I ended up with about 50 apps in total, at least in the early going for testing and trying.

A lot of those have some form of verification / linking / registering. And then of course, I spent some time trying to organize the icons for the apps I have into some kind of logical groupings in my Roku display (like putting the movie, sports, news icons next to each other in groups).

And I guess while I'm fortunate I haven't had to factory reset or RMA my HDMI stick after two days use, your post makes me wonder: Is there anyway to backup one's Roku profile/apps/settings so it can be flash reinstalled if needed? Or is a factory reset or RMA going to require manually re-doing all the app installing / registering / organizing process?

Edited November 2, 2014 by TallGuyJohninBKK