inherit
Sierra One
105802
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Nov 19, 2012 10:38:38 GMT -8
Michelangelo "Spike" Scarlatti
Dead To The World
6,224
June 2007
burbee34
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Post by Michelangelo "Spike" Scarlatti on Oct 6, 2019 17:57:41 GMT -8
OK, so I am totally clueless on what these stick things are that so many online swear is better than cable. So I ask anyone that comments on this post only post helpful stuff. I google stuff on both the Amazon fire stick and the Roku one. I still stand here clueless on what exactly these things do and how to use them and all that? Like I said I have been reading comments (mainly on the cable's Facebook page from other customers that got a stick and dumped their cable since it's rubbish.) A few of my things I wonder about these sticks are:1) How do they work if you don't have cable? (I read from some of these people when they were telling others that want to get rid of their cable service that all you need is internet and you get all the channels except the pay channels - HBO, etc) 2) Do you use the sticks directly on the TV itself or what? (I am confused when that part comes in where to use the sticks. Told you I am clueless at this stick stuff. ) Any info and explanations on these things would be gratefully appreciated. Just try to kind of dumb it down for someone that is not tech savvy. P.S. I also read that the Roku is easier for someone like me. I read that the Amazon fire stick has a more complicated remote or something.
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180565
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Mar 28, 2024 11:47:23 GMT -8
User 180565 is taking donation
I forgot you were a person
10,420
June 2012
keenk
Pink Stars
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Post by User 180565 is taking donation on Oct 6, 2019 18:08:42 GMT -8
Now days most newer HDTVs have most of these functions built in, I personally use an nvidia shield which is a higher end android set top box. Basically a box that makes your tv look and act like a smartphone minus the calling. It's super nice because I can load any android apps directly on my tv, well most any. It's actually how i watch nfl, youtube, netflix etc...
But basically you just connect to the internet on a TV through your settings menu and start to enjoy. I'd recommend an android set top box over firesticks or whatever. Might be a bit more expensive but the freedom and tricks as well as emulation gaming make it so much nicer and worth it.
Too add sling tv is the most logical choice for most people just because it's cheaper and easier. They're all the same at the end of the day tbh.
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Dec 1, 2022 19:14:11 GMT -8
Crimson wolf
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February 2008
fairyprinces
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Post by Crimson wolf on Oct 7, 2019 2:10:03 GMT -8
My husband, I don’t have a fire stick or roku stick because now roku is an app you can download on your television. You can actually buy a roku tv, all you have to do is connect to internet download the app then boom. You can watch Netflix YouTube, listen to pandora Spotify etc. that’s what we have anyways.
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Aug 7, 2018 7:44:43 GMT -8
Caajscot (John)
Life goes on
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April 2015
caajscot
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Post by Caajscot (John) on Oct 7, 2019 3:04:40 GMT -8
Our son and daughter have a Fire Stick but we don't, maybe because of me and the wife being old fuddy-duddies we just stick with the old way by cable lol.
Sometimes our son will pay a visit and bring his Fire Stick with him to watch something we can't get on cable and all he does is plug it into the tv and then tune it in with a hand control he has and that's it all ready to use.
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Aug 30, 2022 7:55:29 GMT -8
endo
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May 2010
endo69
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Post by endo on Oct 7, 2019 12:26:43 GMT -8
We use a Roku. We were tired of paying the prices cable in our area was charging. We pay for internet now, Philo, and Hulu. Philo is basically Sling TV only cheaper, we pay $16 a month, and Hulu is only $5.99.
It's essentially streaming all the shows you watch over your internet connection via whatever box, stick or gaming system you choose. We have more to watch than we ever did with cable and the nice thing is that a lot more of it is what we actually want to watch and for a lot less money. We're saving a little over $100 a month compared to what we were paying with cable, and we watch more.
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118452
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Dec 1, 2022 19:14:11 GMT -8
Crimson wolf
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February 2008
fairyprinces
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Post by Crimson wolf on Oct 7, 2019 18:18:38 GMT -8
We get local channels like fox etc with the help of a digital antenna, with our internet we can watch Netflix roku television. We even have the CW, I just watched the first episode of bat woman today.
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#e61919
Support Staff
224482
0
Member is Online
1
Mar 28, 2024 16:07:05 GMT -8
Scott
23,131
August 2015
socalso
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Post by Scott on Oct 8, 2019 11:28:31 GMT -8
Michelangelo "Spike" Scarlatti, the Amazon Fire Stick is a small device roughly the size of a flash drive that plugs into a TVs HDMI port. The Fire Stick enables any TV to stream content over WiFi such as Netflix, YouTube, Hulu, Pandora, HBO go, etc. Chromecast, Fire Stick, Roku are all basically ways to 'stream' shows over your wifi network. You still need to have and pay for (if applicable) accounts with the services you wish to stream - like Netflix or Hulu. The pros and cons are mostly dependent on what you like to watch and the plan you have for your internet. Is what you watch available in the services you can stream? Does your internet have a monthly data limit? Most are probably sufficient for average viewing. However if you stream 4K shows on Netflix that could eat up the data usage pretty quick. I've cut the 'cable' as they say about 4 years ago. I use either my PlayStation 3 or just my laptop to stream (both connected to my HDTV). I subscribe to Netflix, Hulu, PrimeTV, and CBS All Access. I used to have either satellite or cable with a DVR, so my viewing habits did change some and initially I did lose access to some shows I used to watch, but over time more and more channels seam to be available for streaming. You do lose access to your local broadcasting, such as local news and such, unless you live in a city or close to a broadcast network where you can use a digital antenna. You can also use both methods of TV service. You could keep basic cable for your local stations and supplement with a streaming option for all your non-local broadcast needs.
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Aug 30, 2022 7:55:29 GMT -8
endo
1,694
May 2010
endo69
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Post by endo on Oct 8, 2019 12:03:49 GMT -8
You do lose access to your local broadcasting, such as local news and such, unless you live in a city or close to a broadcast network where you can use a digital antenna. You can also use both methods of TV service. You could keep basic cable for your local stations and supplement with a streaming option for all your non-local broadcast needs. We use the free Roku channel Locast.org for our local broadcast channels. It's only available in certain cities right now, you can check their website to see which cities it's available in.
And, while it is technically "free", it does nag you for donations. But, that stops after signing up to donate $5 a month. It's well worth it for us as we live in a pretty rural area and the channels we were getting with our digital antenna were hit or miss. We get all local channels with it as well as sub-channels like MeTV, Comet, Buzzer, Grit etc. all in HD. It's a pretty decent setup if it's in your area.
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inherit
Sierra One
105802
0
Nov 19, 2012 10:38:38 GMT -8
Michelangelo "Spike" Scarlatti
Dead To The World
6,224
June 2007
burbee34
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Post by Michelangelo "Spike" Scarlatti on Oct 15, 2019 9:33:08 GMT -8
User 180565 is taking donation That is the thing, I am not sure what sort of TV this is. I mean I know the name and it has some stuff to plug stuff in the back and such. But I have no idea if it's HDTV or not. My mom does most of the watching on the actual TV itself, I prefer watching stuff online. So this doesn't bother me. But I can't stand having her not being able to find stuff on the limited channels we have. She never really finds stuff to watch anymore. Crimson wolfNot really wanting to buy a new TV since the one my mom has is still fairly new. Caajscot (John)Well, if the cable wasn't so outragously pricey over here I would be like we are good with what we have. My mom had to cut down on the channels we had before which were basic channels it was costing her way too much to pay for each month. So we got this other deal which is cheaper but nothing really to choose from. We have some basic channels the local ones that is and some cable channels and total we have like 20 something channels and nothing really to watch. We had to pick and choose the channels for this package deal and we didn't even get half of what we wanted. We miss stuff like the Travel channel and Freeform (formerly Family channel) and there are other channels we miss too. So that is why we are leaning towards getting some stick if it's possible. Just don't know enough about what the TV needs in the back (if it needs anything special for these stick things.) endoIs Roku hard to use when you aren't a tech savvy person? Crimson wolfIs digital antenna something you need to put on your roof or is that something that can be inside the house? (Sorry, I am not smart with tech stuff so no clue what this is really.) ScottSo far as I know my cable/internet company doesn't charge for data usage (if it did I would not be able to use the internet after like 2 days. I use tons of data when I get online. Most of the time I run in the 30s or more for GB usage.) OK, again with the digital antenna? What is that? Does it go on the roof or is that something that can be inside the house? If it goes on the roof that wouldn't be an option for me since the place I live in I rent and we aren't allowed to have stuff on the roof. OK, here's a question you might be able to answer. How do I know what to look for on the back of the TV so I know if I can use a stick on the TV? What is an HDMI port?
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inherit
180565
0
Mar 28, 2024 11:47:23 GMT -8
User 180565 is taking donation
I forgot you were a person
10,420
June 2012
keenk
Pink Stars
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Post by User 180565 is taking donation on Oct 15, 2019 10:16:38 GMT -8
User 180565 is taking donation That is the thing, I am not sure what sort of TV this is. I mean I know the name and it has some stuff to plug stuff in the back and such. But I have no idea if it's HDTV or not. My mom does most of the watching on the actual TV itself, I prefer watching stuff online. So this doesn't bother me. But I can't stand having her not being able to find stuff on the limited channels we have. She never really finds stuff to watch anymore. Crimson wolfNot really wanting to buy a new TV since the one my mom has is still fairly new. Caajscot (John)Well, if the cable wasn't so outragously pricey over here I would be like we are good with what we have. My mom had to cut down on the channels we had before which were basic channels it was costing her way too much to pay for each month. So we got this other deal which is cheaper but nothing really to choose from. We have some basic channels the local ones that is and some cable channels and total we have like 20 something channels and nothing really to watch. We had to pick and choose the channels for this package deal and we didn't even get half of what we wanted. We miss stuff like the Travel channel and Freeform (formerly Family channel) and there are other channels we miss too. So that is why we are leaning towards getting some stick if it's possible. Just don't know enough about what the TV needs in the back (if it needs anything special for these stick things.) endoIs Roku hard to use when you aren't a tech savvy person? Crimson wolfIs digital antenna something you need to put on your roof or is that something that can be inside the house? (Sorry, I am not smart with tech stuff so no clue what this is really.) ScottSo far as I know my cable/internet company doesn't charge for data usage (if it did I would not be able to use the internet after like 2 days. I use tons of data when I get online. Most of the time I run in the 30s or more for GB usage.) OK, again with the digital antenna? What is that? Does it go on the roof or is that something that can be inside the house? If it goes on the roof that wouldn't be an option for me since the place I live in I rent and we aren't allowed to have stuff on the roof. OK, here's a question you might be able to answer. How do I know what to look for on the back of the TV so I know if I can use a stick on the TV? What is an HDMI port? If you look on the back there should be a label that shows the serial number you can look that up or send a pic of the barcode here.
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#e61919
Support Staff
224482
0
Member is Online
1
Mar 28, 2024 16:07:05 GMT -8
Scott
23,131
August 2015
socalso
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Post by Scott on Oct 15, 2019 10:56:15 GMT -8
Michelangelo "Spike" Scarlatti , a digital antenna is used inside the house. For an example, just do a amazon search for "digital tv antenna". Most are around the $20 range. Depending on the TV, the HDMI ports are generally labeled as such. Although the quantity and placement can vary. A web search for the make and model of your TV should reveal what options are available to you.
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154107
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Aug 30, 2022 7:55:29 GMT -8
endo
1,694
May 2010
endo69
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Post by endo on Oct 16, 2019 20:30:04 GMT -8
endo Is Roku hard to use when you aren't a tech savvy person?
No, very easy to use. It walks you through connecting it to the internet then you go to the channel store and add the ones you want. Of course, Netflix, Hulu, HBO etc. require subscriptions, but there are a lot of really good free channels to choose from too.
Some of my favorites are Tubi, Pluto, Comet and FrightPix which are all free, but there's a bunch more depending on what you like. The Roku channel is pretty sweet too.
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inherit
Sierra One
105802
0
Nov 19, 2012 10:38:38 GMT -8
Michelangelo "Spike" Scarlatti
Dead To The World
6,224
June 2007
burbee34
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Post by Michelangelo "Spike" Scarlatti on Oct 19, 2019 10:43:44 GMT -8
endo Is Roku hard to use when you aren't a tech savvy person?
No, very easy to use. It walks you through connecting it to the internet then you go to the channel store and add the ones you want. Of course, Netflix, Hulu, HBO etc. require subscriptions, but there are a lot of really good free channels to choose from too.
Some of my favorites are Tubi, Pluto, Comet and FrightPix which are all free, but there's a bunch more depending on what you like. The Roku channel is pretty sweet too.
This actually does sound easy. I need to convince my mom that this is way better than the few channels we are paying so much for through cable.
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154107
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Aug 30, 2022 7:55:29 GMT -8
endo
1,694
May 2010
endo69
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Post by endo on Oct 19, 2019 18:07:32 GMT -8
That's why we got rid of cable. Way too much money for channels we were never watching. Honestly, we watch so much more of just what we want now than we ever have. It took us a little bit to get used to it, but ditching cable has worked great for us. Now, if I could only find a cheaper, reliable ISP in our area. But, for the speed we get, I can't complain too much.
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inherit
Sierra One
105802
0
Nov 19, 2012 10:38:38 GMT -8
Michelangelo "Spike" Scarlatti
Dead To The World
6,224
June 2007
burbee34
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Post by Michelangelo "Spike" Scarlatti on Oct 29, 2019 12:36:32 GMT -8
That's why we got rid of cable. Way too much money for channels we were never watching. Honestly, we watch so much more of just what we want now than we ever have. It took us a little bit to get used to it, but ditching cable has worked great for us. Now, if I could only find a cheaper, reliable ISP in our area. But, for the speed we get, I can't complain too much. Funny. The same thing here really. We went with the cheapest package for cable which is only like 20 and the local channels, plus a billion random music channels. And the internet costs us way more. But we don't have anything good here. The internet company I have is good because they don't charge by GB like I heard some do. If that was the case I wouldn't be able to keep the internet going long. I used to try this other place in town but they were charging by the GB usage and I always ran out before the end of the month so I gave up with them. But I can't complain since I do get pretty decent internet service. Sometimes not so much.
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