Very Quick
"I was thinking of connecting my chromecast up and keeping both of them installed on my tv just so i would be able to use apps like Spotify, Soundcloud and maybe another one but in order to that, i would have to connect my chrome cast to another hdmi port but also plug the other end into a wall socket which i dont feel is necessary(My only USB TV port is now being used for the Roku connection) TRICK: If you download the Roku app on your current device or even an old smart phone you no longer use, you can listen to your tv with headphones that way."
"I was worried about not to be able to record my favorite shows anymore, but the cable guy said, don't worry, because everything is on-demand these days, even if it's not the same day, you might have to wait a day or two, but that's okay we can live with that."
"Hopefully in the meantime, firestick will come out with an upgrade that has volume and power so I don't have to babysit two remotes OR roku will fix their "upgrade" to the channel guide so it doesn't shut everything off."
"Without the long details I was FORCED to spend literally 30 minutes online just to "register" the device and I HAD NO CHOICE but to enter a credit or debit card with no option to skip or bypass and without this registration the stick will not work far as I could tell."
"The only other negative is that I can't control the volume on my receiver and the remote doesn't turn the TV power off, but I may just have to play with it some more."
"Youtube navigation is primo and even within the amazon prime video app you can sort out some of the unwanted recommendations (like filtering out rent/buy movies if you have a prime subscription and just want to see movies you can stream with your prime sub."
"The setup was spectacularly easy: (1)plug-in to power and TV; (2) answer questions [including WiFi network settings]; (3) wait for update installation; (4) answer more questions to configure TV control and Roku account; (5) wait for configuration update; and (6) use device."
Roku Streaming Stick | Portable, Power-Packed Player with Voice Remote with TV Power and Volume (Click to Compare Deals)
Quick
"However, Ii id end up receiving the same exact lot # that everyone had been saying was having troubles, I was so disappointed and wanted to return the stick immediately but of course I didnt because i wanted to test it out... Now to the functioning, I love that this remote comes with a HULU and NETFLIX button, as those are my two most watched PAID services along with Amazon Video/Prime and Youtube... I was thinking of connecting my chromecast up and keeping both of them installed on my tv just so i would be able to use apps like Spotify, Soundcloud and maybe another one but in order to that, i would have to connect my chrome cast to another hdmi port but also plug the other end into a wall socket which i dont feel is necessary(My only USB TV port is now being used for the Roku connection) TRICK: If you download the Roku app on your current device or even an old smart phone you no longer use, you can listen to your tv with headphones that way."
"I know whit long enough HDMI cables and RF remotes we could solve the problem after all nothing is impossible these days but everything is extra cost and again just because Spectrum cable decided to not to send signal in their antenna cables anymore..... The reason why the ROKU, because this is the one and only media stick which supports the Spectrum cable app and we can watch all the channels what they provide and we are paying for it already!... I was worried about not to be able to record my favorite shows anymore, but the cable guy said, don't worry, because everything is on-demand these days, even if it's not the same day, you might have to wait a day or two, but that's okay we can live with that."
"I hear there are some work arounds where you can sort of get it on your firestick but I'm not tech savvy enough to do any of it... However, I'm told that as soon as I drop my regular corded spectrum cable subscription I will have to pick only 10 steaming cable channels plus local for the same price as directv now which offers 50 channels plus a DVR... Hopefully in the meantime, firestick will come out with an upgrade that has volume and power so I don't have to babysit two remotes OR roku will fix their "upgrade" to the channel guide so it doesn't shut everything off."
"Without the long details I was FORCED to spend literally 30 minutes online just to "register" the device and I HAD NO CHOICE but to enter a credit or debit card with no option to skip or bypass and without this registration the stick will not work far as I could tell... Seems older tvs do not have this support for their HDMI or according to the stick mine did not... I say buy the better model with supposed longer range reception of wifi if you decide on a Roku stick and willing to jump the hoops needed before it works so have your computer close by."
"The only other negative is that I can't control the volume on my receiver and the remote doesn't turn the TV power off, but I may just have to play with it some more. I have had DirecTV for years, and I have finally decided to 'cut the cord' after they announced another price hike this month... I've only tried Youtube TV, which I really like, but since they don't support it at this time I'll give Hulu and Sling a try."
"I'll cut straight to most important positive aspect of the roku device and why I think it's better in my opinion, THE REMOTE: 1st (and most importantly, in my opinion), the roku stick comes with a remote that has a VOLUME BUTTON and a POWER BUTTON... I figure though that these buttons most likely help reduce the cost of the item for the consumer, so I'm not going to knock a star off just for this... Youtube navigation is primo and even within the amazon prime video app you can sort out some of the unwanted recommendations (like filtering out rent/buy movies if you have a prime subscription and just want to see movies you can stream with your prime sub."
"It also includes voice search and power/volume controls for the TV [which is why I got it for my grandma as she needs an all-in-one remote control]. The setup was spectacularly easy: (1)plug-in to power and TV; (2) answer questions [including WiFi network settings]; (3) wait for update installation; (4) answer more questions to configure TV control and Roku account; (5) wait for configuration update; and (6) use device... If the Spectrum app was better or the remote had channel number buttons, it might have rated 5 stars as it would have been even better for my grandma."
Less Quick
"However, Ii id end up receiving the same exact lot # that everyone had been saying was having troubles, I was so disappointed and wanted to return the stick immediately but of course I didnt because i wanted to test it out... I do like the voice search (WORKS GREAT, EVERYTIME for me) and there are literally so many FREE channels as well. Now to the functioning, I love that this remote comes with a HULU and NETFLIX button, as those are my two most watched PAID services along with Amazon Video/Prime and Youtube. I first checked out all of the apps and downloaded all the channels i wanted to at least start off with then it was time to test Netflix, i was dreading it so deeply... I thought hmmm, "its probably going to let me sign in but im not going to be able to watch anything, great" BUT IM HERE TO SAY, I got my Roku stick on 05/10/18 and the NETFLIX app works PERFECTLY and so does everything else really... THE ONLY grime i have with Roku, in general is that I figured i would be unable to listen to Apple Music of course but i cant even use my Spotify account, which i pay for because the app is not available on Roku, I was quite disappointed because with my chromecast, i used it every single day... I was thinking of connecting my chromecast up and keeping both of them installed on my tv just so i would be able to use apps like Spotify, Soundcloud and maybe another one but in order to that, i would have to connect my chrome cast to another hdmi port but also plug the other end into a wall socket which i dont feel is necessary(My only USB TV port is now being used for the Roku connection) TRICK: If you download the Roku app on your current device or even an old smart phone you no longer use, you can listen to your tv with headphones that way."
"Where we live, Time Warner Cable was taken over by Spectrum and recently they decided to go all digital so every TV in my home needs a cable box, which was a sudden surprise because we have 6 TV-s and we just did some remodeling recently and work extra hard to have the TV-s on the walls neatly. We did not wanted to have anything around them because the space is limited and after all what's the point to hang a TV on the wall nice and flat and then install a stupid cablebox somewhere sticking out 3 times more and collecting dust... I know whit long enough HDMI cables and RF remotes we could solve the problem after all nothing is impossible these days but everything is extra cost and again just because Spectrum cable decided to not to send signal in their antenna cables anymore..... The reason why the ROKU, because this is the one and only media stick which supports the Spectrum cable app and we can watch all the channels what they provide and we are paying for it already!... I was worried about not to be able to record my favorite shows anymore, but the cable guy said, don't worry, because everything is on-demand these days, even if it's not the same day, you might have to wait a day or two, but that's okay we can live with that... Our cable guy said the main reason why they go all digital, because in the old way, the TV signal eat up half of their bandwidth and this will help to speed up the internet as well so at the end it's a win-win situation for everyone... The available channels and contents are overwhelming, we still learning what is worth to watch, but the combination of Netflix and Spectrum and our own Google account, the possibilities are virtually endless."
"You just plug it in to the TV in an HDMI port and plug the other end in to either power (which I don't recommend) or into the USB port in your TV (recommended)... When I plugged it back in, I used the HDMI port that was on the back of the TV instead of the one that causes the device to lay parallel to the TV... The new roku update takes you to a black screen and completely shuts off your sound while you search for other programs to watch... I hear there are some work arounds where you can sort of get it on your firestick but I'm not tech savvy enough to do any of it... My preference would be to use the Roku with spectrum to have the best of both worlds which is volume buttons on the stick and a better channel guide experience on the app. However, I'm told that as soon as I drop my regular corded spectrum cable subscription I will have to pick only 10 steaming cable channels plus local for the same price as directv now which offers 50 channels plus a DVR... Hopefully in the meantime, firestick will come out with an upgrade that has volume and power so I don't have to babysit two remotes OR roku will fix their "upgrade" to the channel guide so it doesn't shut everything off."
"Without the long details I was FORCED to spend literally 30 minutes online just to "register" the device and I HAD NO CHOICE but to enter a credit or debit card with no option to skip or bypass and without this registration the stick will not work far as I could tell... Seems older tvs do not have this support for their HDMI or according to the stick mine did not... Once it connected was nice having Netflix and a few other things I watch online on the TV... I noticed the stick can get pretty warm and it has randomly rebooted itself a few times but not during a program......... I almost bought a firestick before I bought the adapter but did not want same error then end up same buying the adapter anyhow... Especially if I had known of the error but they claim ANY HDMI and that is clearly not the... I say buy the better model with supposed longer range reception of wifi if you decide on a Roku stick and willing to jump the hoops needed before it works so have your computer close by."
"* The only thing keeping me from giving this 5 stars right now is that it does not support YouTube TV... I didn't know this before I bought it and it was a letdown, but I did read that it should be coming to Roku very soon... I had a first gen Chromecast which had been giving me problems for a while, so it was down to this or the Amazon Firestick for me. I chose this over the Firestick because Amazon obviously does not work with google which I use frequently... The only other negative is that I can't control the volume on my receiver and the remote doesn't turn the TV power off, but I may just have to play with it some more. I have had DirecTV for years, and I have finally decided to 'cut the cord' after they announced another price hike this month... I've only tried Youtube TV, which I really like, but since they don't support it at this time I'll give Hulu and Sling a try."
"I'll cut straight to most important positive aspect of the roku device and why I think it's better in my opinion, THE REMOTE: 1st (and most importantly, in my opinion), the roku stick comes with a remote that has a VOLUME BUTTON and a POWER BUTTON. With chromecast and firestick you either have to control the volume with your TV remote or a phone app. Having these little buttons on the remote cuts out the unnecessary waste of time it takes to search for the lost TV remote and juggling remote inventory. It also cuts out having to use a phone app and making sure you actually have your phone on you and/or that your phone is charged... I figure though that these buttons most likely help reduce the cost of the item for the consumer, so I'm not going to knock a star off just for this... I used a chromecast for maybe 2 years and a firestick for about 1 year, and the Roku feels faster than both of them... Youtube navigation is primo and even within the amazon prime video app you can sort out some of the unwanted recommendations (like filtering out rent/buy movies if you have a prime subscription and just want to see movies you can stream with your prime sub."
"It also includes voice search and power/volume controls for the TV [which is why I got it for my grandma as she needs an all-in-one remote control]. The setup was spectacularly easy: (1)plug-in to power and TV; (2) answer questions [including WiFi network settings]; (3) wait for update installation; (4) answer more questions to configure TV control and Roku account; (5) wait for configuration update; and (6) use device... The app was also quite responsive when changing channels [I would say faster than the cable box], as was the cable guide. These are all miracles -- as you know if you have ever used the Spectrum app on any device from Android to Roku's... pretty standard, but better than the one on old devices from Roku and Blu-Ray players as you can support multiple user profiles... Tubi and PlutoTV are available as are most free and pay-use channels that are available elsewhere... If the Spectrum app was better or the remote had channel number buttons, it might have rated 5 stars as it would have been even better for my grandma."
