how many channels does roku get? what is aereo? im curious on that because i dont have cable either, just netflix and hulu. i would love just some basic local channels? plus i hear espn is on roku now also??? im so interested but so unknowledged. much appreciated.
Why is Roku better than Chromecast? I have been using Chromecast in high bitrate perfectly no problems.....
It was extremely easy... Plug Chromecast in the back of TV.... Set it for HDMI IN on TV and it reads your router automatically.... Then you go to pc you want to cast/stream into Chromecast and you install the Chromecast app.... Open up Chrome browser and that's it... You can cast almost anything with Chrome browser.... Rockets game? Just go to Ballstreams and stream game+casting it.... Hulu, Youtube, Netflix all have Chromecast support meaning that the device streams it straight from the provider without using the pc/laptop/notebook/phone... You can close the laptop or turn off notebook and it will continue to stream.... If you have videos/movies on hardrive you can stream those too... Just drag file into chrome browser and cast it to tv in HD..... My Tv is downstairs and I have casted everything from my PC and router upstairs roughly 35 feet away..... Perfect HD quality no complains....
Not sure of the exact number but there's a ton of channels on the roku itself. There's also private channels that you can add. You can check out http://streamfree.tv/apps/roku-private-channels/all/ for some but just google Roku + private channels. Once you find a private channel to add type the code in your Roku account online and then go to the Roku and do a system update, the new channel will appear then. Aereo (www.aereo.com/) is basically like plugging a Digital antenna into the back of your TV. Aereo gives you all of your local channels LIVE and a ton more niche channels (Kube TV, MeTV, etc). The plus with them is that you get a cloud based DVR service. The $8 service gives you 20 hours of storage and the $12 service, I believe gives you 80 hours of storage. Believe me, my wife is a Scandal watcher. If I didn't find out about Aereo, I wouldn't have ben able to dump the U-Verse lol. Check out a private channel called Playon (www.playon.tv/playon) also. It streams content from a ton of the cable channels plus ABC, NBC etc. You also get YouTube and TV.com and there's also a service called PlayLater that lets you pick any video from the web and have it streamed to your Roku. The only drawback if you want to call it that is that you have to install their software on your computer (and your computer has to be on to use the channel)
Holy ****. That sounds freaking amazing. Could you elaborate the "If you have videos/movies on hardrive you can stream those too... Just drag file into chrome browser and cast it to tv in HD" part. That REALLY caught my attention. So what do I exactly do? Man I have so many HD movies on my HD! This would be a dream come true! No buffering or lagging or anything? Even with 1-4GB movie video files? What do you mean "cast it to tv in hd"? Thanks buddy!
Yah yah I sure can... You literally just drag video/movie to browser..... No buffering or lag... The browser will literally play video and you just cast it to Chromecast....A lot of people don't know you can actually do this... I have not tried a 1gb movie or video but I have tried several HD files and they play perfectly... Actually I just tried a 1.64GB 1080P Video and there was no lag/buffer.... But then again all my files are mp4/H264.. I don't know if avi files are compatible with Chrome or if there is a way for the browser to play it.... I'm assuming your movies are either mkv or avi......
If you stream via the Chrome browser, like Salvy mentioned it goes through your PC/laptop and thus uses the PC's CPU. But if you got a newish PC, you shouldn't have a problem streaming an HD movie through the browser.
chromecast is basically a wireless hdmi cable that works with google chrome to put whats on your pc monitor onto your tv screen. you can stream your movies from pc to roku as well, i was using the playon channel to access folders on my pc.. however my bread and butter for video streaming has been xbox + tversity. i can watch 1080p movies and bs on the computer simultaneously since youre using a set top device to pull files from your pc via the router it doesnt use much of your cpu's resources.. there is also zero lag/buffer and i dont need to be near the pc to change movies... it also can stream to your phone/mp3 players/tablets...
Obviously there are multiple ways to stream something to your PC. I liked Chromecast because it was essentially $11 when I got it ($35 minus 3 free months of Netflix) and it's the size of a USB flash drive and simple to use. Not as robust as the other options (yet) but it's really simple. I have it on four TVs in my house (for less than $50) and I watched Skyfall (streamed from Netflix) yesterday on my 133" projector screen. Glorious and easily controlled via my mobile phone.
For all you Chromecast users: The newest Android update (4.4.1 Kitkat) began rolling out, and early rumors say that the code supports direct casting of your android screen. Being able to stream to your TV, directly from your phone, should be pretty awesome. No idea about quality or stuttering. Stay tuned
Chromecast Update: Now officially supports Plex! I'll check out the capabilities tomorrow, but I'm sure the quality will be better than casting a tab edit: nevermind, requires a paid plexpass membership for now... http://elan.plexapp.com/2013/12/06/plex-on-the-chromecast-its-official/
bought this little plug on ebay for $10 that hooks up to ipods/iphone/ipads it had an hdmi out.. hooked it up to an ipod touch... wow!! it works great. probably gonna packup my roku and take it back to best buy.. roku is great but $10 vs $40+tax..
For Boxee Box users: No need for Plex or Serviio crap!! Subscribe to SmartDNS Open Boxee Browser Sign into ballstream acct Launch fullscreen, and presto!
That's a good deal, I bought this from walmart for 20 when I signed up with BallStreams and it has worked awesome for 2 months now. Love that I can plug it into my television and still plug it into the wall so I don't lose a charge while watching the game on it. This has nothing to do with basketball but me and my wife use this on the iPad on MuchMovies.org also, all free HD movies and they have movies that just left theaters before they go to DVD...no sign up or anything. Got rid of my Movie Channels on Uverse and never rent on-demand because this website has EVERY movie ever created lol
Also, latest Roku device allows you to insert a USB key into it and display content from that key. Quite useful.
Could someone send me an invite code for ballstreams.com. I love watching the blazers play, but am stuck in Sandpoint, ID for a few months. I would really appreciate it. Thanks
