Can Roku Replace Cable TV?

Yes, you can get Roku in Canada. Unfortunately, it would be the ultimate waste of monies.. HULU is not working in Canada at all, and Netflix has a very limited selection available over here… You would be better off with WDTV or PatriotBox..

Gotta have my Live NFL and you can't get it with any of these devices

I have had Roku for about a year now I guess. I did give up cable. I also have Apple TV and an internet ready blu ray disc player. I would say Roku and Apple TV are the best of all the various options out there right now. Especially for the cost. But, things are happening so quickly in this arena, who knows what will be available this time next year.

Giving up cable is definately a personal choice. I don't miss it. I didn't necessarily give it up to save $$. I really got irritated with how the cable companies treat their customers and wanted to play with the new technology. So, giving up the monthly cable bill helped me justify the new equipment. I will say that cable is easier in some ways.

Also, as I do more and more streaming, I have run up against my monthly allowance. :( I really never realized I had one before. It's only happened once. I'm currently with AT&T. I guess I'm going to have to change to Comcast because they give you a higher allowance. I hate Comcast. Of course, I hate AT&T too. Oh well.

Roku sounds like nothing more than a convenience item. I can do all that with my laptop. It's just a little more hassle. There is little to watch on tv anyway so just skip it and go the Internet route. Watch tv on your terms.

I got my Roku several years ago and have always been very happy with the little box. I stream content over my home wireless network to my TV. Sometimes it seems a little slow, but I think that is my internet provider as I live in rural Montana. I use a DSL system and on the whole Roku works great. Mostly I stream via NetFlix but have also use Amazon. I don't think it will replace my cable because in my location I get no TV without cable.

I've had the first iteration of Roku for a couple of years or so, and I love it; here's why. It's easy to set up. It's portable: the model I got has plugs for high def TVs and regular TVs, so if you want to watch something in another room, take your Roku with you. If you want to take your Roku on vacation (to somewhere where there's an Internet connection), it's easy to do: just don't forget all of the plugs and especially the remote! I've used it for Netflix and for an occasional Amazon movie. The quality of audio and video is average and above, and (if I'm remembering correctly) there's a digital audio plug, too. Earlier this year, they were promoting the Roku 2, but the differences (even smaller unit, a more-ambitious remote that can put in subtitles, and a free copy of Angry BIrds) and no TV that needs a Netflix connection at the moment weren't compelling enough for me to buy one. As for reliability, very good, once in awhile Netflix doesn't work, but often if you try again, it works. You also must periodically check to see if there was a software upgrade, for you get no notification. The biggest beef for me is with non-Netflix movie titles, which are a jumbled mess, and the "search" function doesn't seem to work properly. But, since I rarely access those selections, it hasn't been a huge issue for me.

Yes, the Roku2, great, however, it is still not DLNA compliant. Although it has a USB port to attach the HD containing the Movies, Pictures and Music, that attached HD is not directly addressable via a Browser as a direct storage device on the network, therefore, no data can be edited on it. The Roku needs to have a Roku3 to be functioning more like a Boxee but with the Roku interface, Boxee has the most unfriendly UI.

My wife and I are getting ready to cancel our cable? We bought a cheap refurbished compact tower desktop with an HDMI port, plus a wireless keyboard with integrated touch pad (to substitute for the mouse). We can stream all of our regular shows from Canadian network TV 24 hours after original broadcast. Plus do other computer tasks, on the big screen. Still sorting out live streams for sports events.

Will ROKU work with TIVO?
Can I run ROKU to two different TV's with different stations

What happens with the Bandwith? does it stutter, stall and hesitate?

Any free program guides anywhere?

I think internet providers will start charging according to your GB usage. My DSL provider ATT is in bed with Dish. They want to bundle services. These providers will control the cost and therefore future of WIFI streaming..this is why I don't get excited about media streaming.

Two comments to add:

1 - For those asking about access outside the US, one solution is to use a Proxy Service or a VPN Service to redirect your access to Hulu, etc so you are redirected to a US IP address regardless of where you are in the world. More education on the topic at: http://www.vpncompanyreviews.com/

2 - ISP capacity caps are an issue even on land-lines. My son was laid up with a broken elbow for a month and watched Netflix about 4 hours a day for a month. We got a letter from our ISP warning us that we had gone 100 GB (yes, 100GB) over our 250 GB monthly limit. Thankfully they gave us a warning at first - now we're a bit more careful in our Netflix habits.

I think the quality of the internet access you have does definitely affect this choice. We get cable internet of the highest speed available in our area plus any turbo/boost whatever. We pay more than I want to and on principle I refuse to get the bundle (don't need the phone and don't want the TV part) even though it would only cost me a few bucks more than the internet alone. Anyhow, our download speed runs between 6 and 25 MBPS depending on time of day, etc. But it is usually at least 10-12. We also keep our router updated. At any given time, we have at least 3 devices in the house on the internet and sometimes as many as 6 (xbox, multiple PCs and Roku). We have a need for speed! We don't seem to have a limit because we would surely go over it if we did. Most of the time, I would guess 80%, our Roku streams without interruption. About another 10% there are little lags that aren't bad. Then about 10% of the time, there are enough interruptions to prove aggravating and inconvenient. I would definitely consider use and what service you have available.

I replaced my cable/sat box (DirecTV) with a TiVo premier. I'm able to get all the local channels in HD for free with a standard OTA antenna (and pretty good quality too!). The TiVo premier also has Netflix, Hulo, Amazon, Blockbuster, and YouTube built right in. And through the use of a free program (Streambaby ~ http://code.google.com/p/streambaby/)I am able to stream my archived DVDs from my computer to the TiVo and keep my discs clean and secure! Yes TiVo has a monthly fee (12.99-19.99) but for local HD with DVR capabilities it's well worth it.

I have had my Roku player for two years and have been exceptionally happy with it. One caveat, however, is Roku's customer service practices.

Like many other businesses, Roku's customer service call center is in India. I was sent a wrong part for an entirely different product after ordering an additional power cord for my Roku player. I spent more than four hours over the phone battling them all the way to their top guy with no satisfaction and no information for stateside help. The top man told me that he did not have a U.S. number for Roku.

Eventually, I was able to locate Roku's warehouse in CA on my own and found a sympathetic ear who made the situation right. Don't necessarily expect a positive outcome, however, with Roku's customer service if they are still using foreign outsourced customer service.

We bought the ROKU box for $ 79,05 and have been trying it out. We get the important channels we always watch + more BUT, we are wondering if any of the cable news channels can be watched LIVE. We have to find a solution to our $ 95 just Cox Cable TV for 2 sets.

Thank you!
Sigrid in Scottsdale

I have another question:

How does TIVO compare with ROKU? Do they both do the same thing?

Thanks again

We have a Roku setup along with Dish Network and a projector, so that we can project the images on a 4 x 6 foot roll up screen in our living room. We have not replaced cable, we have replaced having a TV set. It's fabulous. When we watch movies via Betflix, it's like being in a movie theater, except more comfortable. Our Roku system is hard wired to a computer in another room (wires through the floor to the basement and back up, so they are invisible.)
When the screen is not used, it rolls up behind a valence over a picture window and is invisible.

I've had the old (I believe it's) Roku HD for perhaps a few years now, and I love it. It was/is incredibly easy to set up and use, and in some ways, it's even better than the Roku 2. It offers up to 1080P; HTML, composite, and component outputs; optical connection; but is about the size of two paperback books. Still, it can easily be moved from one TV to another, they can be older TVs or newer TVs. I can take it on vacation and, where they have an Internet connection, watch Netflix or other streaming via the Roku box, provided I remember the remote (I forgot it once). The remote is smaller than the Roku 2's, so I lose track of it often, and it does not offer subtitles or games. On the other hand, one doesn't have to pay an extra $10 for cables to attach to non-HTML TVs, which you do from the Roku 2, which many of us have and which all places I've vacationed to have.
I haven't replaced cable yet, but have entered the "moderately thinking" phase, and am moderately following the developments of Amazon and other Netflix competitors (Amazon is available on the Roku and works great), and I've read about the old-fashioned HDTV antennae for receiving the "basic" channels. I agree with Gwen re: Roku's customer service: it's dismal, they speak a different language, and they're slow. Fortunately, I've only used it for product inquiry questions, and it cost them due to their sale being over before they got back to me!

Ive been using Roku for the last 6 months, fantastic is all I can say. It dose a lot of thing that are not mention. It has a underground following, just google add-in's for Roku. There are several programs that run on your home computer Playon being one of them, it has plugins that allow you to watch live streaming content from several sources and yes I have 4 Roku's and have dropped to basic cable.

Just got a Roku and it works well with our old TV with the exception of a background humming noise. Strangely, it gives the same noise with a newer model TV. Is there anything I can do to eliminate the noise?