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How does Roku work?

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What is Roku?

Roku is a small device that connects to your home network and streams video to your TV directly from the internet. You get access to free entertainment channels and hundreds of videos. If you buy the Roku 2 XS, you can even play Angry Birds on your TV using their special remote control.

To use most models of Roku, you need a Cable Internet or DSL connection, and a wireless router. If you don't have a wireless router, you can connect to your internet connection directly with Roku 2 XS. You also need a TV (any TV will do!)

Roku is free to use, although some programming ("channels" from the Roku Channel Store) require subscriptions. Popular subscriptions include Netflix, Hulu Plus, and Amazon Instant (which is available with membership to Amazon Prime).

If you don't want to pay for anything, there is still plenty of free programming and free movies! Just like on TV, the content is supported by advertisements.

Contents at a Glance

Roku Poll Question
To use Roku, you need Cable Internet or...
Roku 2 XS 1080p Streaming Player
What does subscription to Roku cost?
Play Angry Birds on your TV with Roku
Roku is great for Grandma
The Cheapest Roku Player Model
Here's a Video that Shows Available Chan...
IR Remote Control for All Roku Models, i...

because I'm curious!

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To use Roku, you need Cable Internet or DSL

and a wireless router like this one

Medialink - Wireless N Router - 802.11n - 150 Mbps - 2.4 Ghz - NEW Design w/ Internal Antenna

Amazon Price: $49.99 (as of 06/01/2012)

A router divides up your internet connection, so that you can connect to the internet with more than one computer or device. This one also broadcasts the internet connection, which creates a home WiFi network. If you have a router like this, you can connect your Roku to the internet over the Wifi connection. (That means, no wires to run!) You may also be able to connect to your Wifi network with devices like smartphones, iPad, tablets, etc.

Roku 2 XS 1080p Streaming Player

No Wireless Router Required for this one!

Roku 2 XS 1080p Streaming Player

Amazon Price: $79.99 (as of 06/01/2012)

In addition to WiFi capability, this new Roku player has an ethernet port, which means you don't need a home WiFi network. This means you can plug it in directly with an ethernet cord. The ethernet cord could be from your cable or DSL modem or from a wired port on a router.

The ethernet port can be a good thing because it might make the quality of your streaming video better. However, it also means that you have to run an ethernet wire, which can be a pain.

What does subscription to Roku cost?

You can use Roku for Free.

There is no subscription to Roku. However, some channels cost money. Here's a list of popular ones:

Hulu Plus - $7.99/Month

Amazon Prime Instant Video - $79/Year

Netflix - $7.99/Month

Play Angry Birds on your TV with Roku

Use the Motion Sensing Remote Control to Fling the Birds!

Roku 2 Review - Angry Birds on Roku 2 XS: by davezatz | video info

39 ratings | 23,559 views

curated content from YouTube

Roku is great for Grandma

Roku is easy to use!

I think the Roku could be great for many older people, like my parents and grandparents. It doesn't require any computer or computer experience.

Facebook Photos - View your friends' photos! Grandma loves to see the photos, but without a computer, she has to wait for people to show them to her on their tablet, or wait for print-outs.
Watch Movies! Comcast on demand can be very confusing, mostly because if you pause a movie for too long, it goes into your saved programs area, which is difficult to find. I'm hoping that watching movies on Roku is easier!
Play Angry Birds! I showed her Angry Birds on my phone and I hardly could get my phone back!
Works with older TVs! No new HDTV required! Wow, this is a big plus for all kinds of folks... Even if you have an HDTV in your living room, maybe you have an old TV in your basement or bedroom?

The Cheapest Roku Player Model

Under $50!

Roku LT Streaming Player

Amazon Price: $78.99 (as of 06/01/2012)

For most people, this cheaper model would work fine!

Here's a Video that Shows Available Channels on Roku

ROKU Review. All Available ROKU Channels Demo: by ssherron1 | video info

195 ratings | 69,945 views

curated content from YouTube

IR Remote Control for All Roku Models, including the XS 2

This is an IR remote, so it won't eat up your batteries!

Roku Instant Replay Remote Control

Amazon Price: $19.99 (as of 06/01/2012)

Although most reviews of the Roku XS 2 Player are positive, the one frequently negative comment is about the included remote control. The remote control that comes with the Roku 2 XS is a gaming remote (similar to the Wii remote) and it eats up batteries. You need that remote for playing Angry Birds, but for everything else, this remote will work fine.

Will Roku Kill Cable TV?

Not as long as you are watching it over Cable internet! If enough people dump cable TV and switch to Roku, I'm sure the cable companies will charge more money for internet!

Google Fiber plus Roku might kill Cable TV... But not Roku alone.

Is Roku an Alternative to Cable TV?

Maybe Not....

I'm frustrated with cable TV because the price keeps going up. So when I first saw Roku, I got really excited. It looked like a good alternative to paying for cable or satellite TV. I thought I could pay for Amazon Prime, Hulu Plus, Netflix, and the Roku device, and still save a ton of money over cable.

However, a few things have stopped me from making the switch:

1) I have Comcast Home Internet which is not unlimited. It has a monthly bandwidth cap of 250GB. (Have Comcast? Check your data usage here.) Other companies, including Charter, and Cox, also have this cap. If I were to use Roku all of the time, I might go over this limit. I like to leave my TV on a lot... Most of the day. I listen to it in the background. This doesn't seem feasible with Roku, because of bandwidth requirements.

2) Much of the programming isn't live. I like to watch CNBC and you can watch video from CNBC on Roku, but it's not live programming. Instead, it's similar to what I can see if I visit the CNBC website. Fox News is also available on Roku, but it's not the same as their cable TV channel.

3) The quality of internet video is not the same high quality video that you can get from cable TV. Internet video is compressed. According to Roku's website, there is very little 1080P video available. And according to this article, even though you can watch 720 HD video, it won't look as good because of compression.