Very Quick
"Basically I just plugged the stick into an HDMI input, plugged the power adapter into my UPS, and connected the cables."
"So back to what I was saying - why I would never put the Roku on a TV I use heavily - because: 1) no voice remote option - no way to manually enter a channel number - so you're scrolling to get to channels which can be kinda cumbersome* 2) no way to schedule a recording - you can view recordings now (I guess they won that lawsuit sling TV had against them) - but not schedule them."
"-- After getting these issues figured out, except for the slow app load times, there's nothing wrong with Roku at all--it's the best $60 or $70 you'll ever spend."
"Assuming your TV stops providing power to the USB when turned-off, the Stick+ will have to go through the boot-up sequence and then connect to your wireless before you can do anything with it each time you turn on your TV."
"I even read the Roku website and blog that says the following: Background Just like your smartphone has an app store for installing new applications, you can access the Roku Channel Store on your Roku streaming player or Roku TV to add new channels ."
"At least with the Amazon Fire TV Stick, I know Amazon will stand behind their product and that I will be able to talk to an actual human being on the phone if ever I experience a problem with my device."
"If you sync it to your tv you can turn off the tv without tv remote and even control the volume (volume controls are on the side) so makes it easier versus using two remotes."
Roku Streaming Stick+ | 4K/HDR/HD Streaming Player with 4X The Wireless Range & Voice Remote with TV Power and Volume (Click to Compare Deals)
Quick
"Go to the page made for this option: my dot roku dot com/signup/nocc, and you can create a Roku account without entering any credit card or PayPal information... Basically I just plugged the stick into an HDMI input, plugged the power adapter into my UPS, and connected the cables... You don t get 4K video, but it looks pretty good in old-fashioned 1080p (which is probably really a lot less, as in standard def upscaled to 1080)."
"I'd read an article about how some enterprising folks were using Roku and the Comcast app - which is free, right now - but it's in beta stage - to save on cable rental fees... So back to what I was saying - why I would never put the Roku on a TV I use heavily - because: 1) no voice remote option - no way to manually enter a channel number - so you're scrolling to get to channels which can be kinda cumbersome* 2) no way to schedule a recording - you can view recordings now (I guess they won that lawsuit sling TV had against them) - but not schedule them. 3) You cannot pause or rewind Live TV and I do that (A LOT) So I plan to order a two more for the other TV's, and I'll wind up purchasing another Samsung TV for the fifth television - because unlike most Smart TV's - Samsung actually has a full-on browser - so you can surf / go to any website and just login / view."
"I have used Chromecast for years, and there have been so many issues with it but it generally worked well enough... 4) It's pretty annoying how every time you want to use an app for the first time that requires your TV cable subscription info, you have to go to your phone or PC/laptop and go to some link to get access... -- After getting these issues figured out, except for the slow app load times, there's nothing wrong with Roku at all--it's the best $60 or $70 you'll ever spend."
"Unfortunately, the cooling fan in one of my Roku 4s (The 4 was the only Roku model to ever have one) has begun to make the dreaded "grinding" noise in recent weeks, so I decided to try replace it with a stick+... Assuming your TV stops providing power to the USB when turned-off, the Stick+ will have to go through the boot-up sequence and then connect to your wireless before you can do anything with it each time you turn on your TV... This Stick+ is much cheaper, provides basically the same UI/playback performance, and also has a remote that will make having to juggle your Roku and TV remotes a thing of the past."
"I even read the Roku website and blog that says the following: Background Just like your smartphone has an app store for installing new applications, you can access the Roku Channel Store on your Roku streaming player or Roku TV to add new channels ... In addition, some cable/satellite companies are creating Roku streaming channels that allow you to access all or most of the channels you get through your cable subscription without having a separate cable box (e... The only way to actually get what was advertised is to not buy the Roku stick, but, rather, to buy a Roku TV with an antenna slot that allows live and local broadcast TV to be processed via the Roku TV system, including pause and replay."
"These problems with the remote and the Advanced Wireless Receiver (both items covered by Roku's One-Year Warranty) have persisted for weeks... They are behaving very much like a company that is about to go bankrupt and can only hide and cower from irate, dissatisfied customers... At least with the Amazon Fire TV Stick, I know Amazon will stand behind their product and that I will be able to talk to an actual human being on the phone if ever I experience a problem with my device."
"What is also nice is the fact its not a box, its a stick that goes into a hdmi port (rather then hdmi cable connecting the two) so less clutter on the shelf... If you sync it to your tv you can turn off the tv without tv remote and even control the volume (volume controls are on the side) so makes it easier versus using two remotes... Id do some research before buying to make sure your tv has the right hdmi ports or else you spent more money on the same thing as a cheap model for non 4k tvs."
Less Quick
"It was marginal; with my slow connection, sometimes it would work pretty well, and sometimes it would complain and give up intermittently... Go to the page made for this option: my dot roku dot com/signup/nocc, and you can create a Roku account without entering any credit card or PayPal information... This is probably because they re trying to use 4K video on a TV that doesn t support HDCP 2... If you want to see 4K video, make sure your TV really supports HDCP2... Basically I just plugged the stick into an HDMI input, plugged the power adapter into my UPS, and connected the cables... When it restarted, mine didn t connect the first time, even though it indicated it still remembered the password... You don t get 4K video, but it looks pretty good in old-fashioned 1080p (which is probably really a lot less, as in standard def upscaled to 1080)."
"I should also note - when it happens - I'm pretty much sitting in front of TV with my laptop - connected to wifi - and my laptop connection is fine / untroubled... I'd read an article about how some enterprising folks were using Roku and the Comcast app - which is free, right now - but it's in beta stage - to save on cable rental fees... When I entered my network password, initially, it accepted it, and a message appeared on the screen letting me know that the system needed to re-start to complete the installation... So I just continued working (I was parked on the couch with my laptop before starting the process) and re-tried the password every 15 minutes or so, and magically, all of a sudden it accepted the password and I finished the set-up... The TV I tried out with today is only a 42 inch - so the massive tiles (for channels) make it difficult to quickly scroll through and get to the channels you want... So back to what I was saying - why I would never put the Roku on a TV I use heavily - because: 1) no voice remote option - no way to manually enter a channel number - so you're scrolling to get to channels which can be kinda cumbersome* 2) no way to schedule a recording - you can view recordings now (I guess they won that lawsuit sling TV had against them) - but not schedule them. 3) You cannot pause or rewind Live TV and I do that (A LOT) So I plan to order a two more for the other TV's, and I'll wind up purchasing another Samsung TV for the fifth television - because unlike most Smart TV's - Samsung actually has a full-on browser - so you can surf / go to any website and just login / view."
"I have used Chromecast for years, and there have been so many issues with it but it generally worked well enough. But since football season started, I have been especially frustrated with a lack of smooth streaming, and I knew I couldn't go through a whole football season struggling with streaming issues... A few problems, though, most of which have been fixed/worked around at this time: 1) The BTN2Go app does not play live TV... If you want to watch CBS and CBS Sports Network games, it's pretty hard to do so because Roku does not have the actual CBS Sports app... I spent hours on Saturday trying to figure out how I can get around this issue and finally figured out how to mirror my laptop screen to Roku... 4) It's pretty annoying how every time you want to use an app for the first time that requires your TV cable subscription info, you have to go to your phone or PC/laptop and go to some link to get access... -- After getting these issues figured out, except for the slow app load times, there's nothing wrong with Roku at all--it's the best $60 or $70 you'll ever spend."
"* I'm a long-time Roku user, having purchased devices from every generation throughout Roku's evolution... While I've only had it for a couple of days now, this might be the best Roku I've seen from a value perspective... Unfortunately, the cooling fan in one of my Roku 4s (The 4 was the only Roku model to ever have one) has begun to make the dreaded "grinding" noise in recent weeks, so I decided to try replace it with a stick+... The Stick+, with its quad-core processor, HEVC support, and 4K capabilities convinced me that the gap may have finally been closed... I had two walls between the Stick+ and my router, but was easily streaming 16mbps local media through Plex... Assuming your TV stops providing power to the USB when turned-off, the Stick+ will have to go through the boot-up sequence and then connect to your wireless before you can do anything with it each time you turn on your TV... This Stick+ is much cheaper, provides basically the same UI/playback performance, and also has a remote that will make having to juggle your Roku and TV remotes a thing of the past."
"I did fairly extensive research before deciding to buy the Roku Streaming Stick+, comparing it to Apple TV, Playstation Vue, Amazon Fire and others. I even read the Roku website and blog that says the following: Background Just like your smartphone has an app store for installing new applications, you can access the Roku Channel Store on your Roku streaming player or Roku TV to add new channels ... Although some channels must be purchased or require a paid subscription, many others allow you to watch movies and TV shows for free... There are many channels that offer movies and TV shows including popular choices like Netflix, Google Play, Vudu, FandangoNOW and Hulu... In addition, some cable/satellite companies are creating Roku streaming channels that allow you to access all or most of the channels you get through your cable subscription without having a separate cable box (e... The only way to actually get what was advertised is to not buy the Roku stick, but, rather, to buy a Roku TV with an antenna slot that allows live and local broadcast TV to be processed via the Roku TV system, including pause and replay... The only reason I'm still giving Roku 2 stars is because, in its own right, with all the caveats I've mentioned, it's not too bad."
"Sometimes, I have to to unplug and re-plug the Advanced Wireless Receiver as many as a dozen times before it will work..... These problems with the remote and the Advanced Wireless Receiver (both items covered by Roku's One-Year Warranty) have persisted for weeks... The Roku worked perfectly for months and I have not introduced any new devices with Bluetooth into the room... Thus far, they have acknowledged my emails with "Your request has been updated... I have tried calling Roku's toll-free customer number, but over several hours it has been a constant busy signal... They are behaving very much like a company that is about to go bankrupt and can only hide and cower from irate, dissatisfied customers... At least with the Amazon Fire TV Stick, I know Amazon will stand behind their product and that I will be able to talk to an actual human being on the phone if ever I experience a problem with my device."
"So I knew it was time for a new Roku player (had a gen 1 so didn't look good even on 4k)... 2 hdmi outlets or else at best would be 1080p and I couldn't find anything in the manual and behind the tv to say it did... What is also nice is the fact its not a box, its a stick that goes into a hdmi port (rather then hdmi cable connecting the two) so less clutter on the shelf... It is your typical Roku player, has the same apps as the first gen plus any 4k apps (there is a section for it). Also some of the apps (Netflix, hulu) looks completely different then their older model counterparts so had to get used to it... If you sync it to your tv you can turn off the tv without tv remote and even control the volume (volume controls are on the side) so makes it easier versus using two remotes... Id do some research before buying to make sure your tv has the right hdmi ports or else you spent more money on the same thing as a cheap model for non 4k tvs."
