Just tried checking the search option to answer my question.....
We just purchased a Smart Tv and want to get rid of cable. Totally confused..... do we need to do Roku on each tv or do we not since we have a Smart tv? Know we can hook up an antennae for local stations. Ever heard of sling tv? As you can tell, totally in over my head. Any words of wisdom will be appreciated.
Just came across this:
http://cordcuttersnews.com/sfn-tv-a-...t-5-per-month/
Do you have the receipt for the Smart TV?
The most simple thing might be to return it. This would also save money.
UL... No one asked you what you thought would save money or YOUR snotty opinion for that matter.
Also following...
Dh and I are tired of paying $150+ for cable, Internet and phone. We are researching alternatives at this time.
Some people actually enjoy watching TV.
Originally Posted by frugal-one
That doesn't sound promising to me. That sounds as if they are charging you, to be a front end, for others sites. (Hulu, Youtube, CBS.com, etc)
No you don't need a Roku or even a smart tv, as you can use a computer and hdmi cable (or Raspberry PI, etc). It really depends on expectations, verses needs and costs.
The last time I heard of Sling, was by a person who spent part of his time in another country. He had a sling with dvr functions, and ran it through a vpn, so he could record one show and a bunch of sports, so he could watch them in the other country.
You also don't even need the tv (really a matter of what size you want to watch on). I forget the name of them, but there are boxes that have multiple tuners in them, and you can stream the video over your internal network to any computer screen.
Other options include dvd rentals from the library and purchasing new or used dvd's (you are behind a series, but don't deal with commercials, and depending on popularity, can be cost of one months cable to many months of cable, depending on series).
A Roku and a Smart tv are very similar in function. Smart tv's just aren't as upgradeable, (if a Roku is too out of date, I have seen them for around $50, if a tv is out of date, they cost more) I had this same issue with an old laptop, that had an embedded Linux distro. Embedded software, tends to just be a way to get you to buy new hardware more often, IMHO.
Edit: I came back because something was nagging me about your question. I reread it, and want to make sure you understand something. (not clear or I might be reading it wrong)
A smart tv, and a Roku are similar, in that they both will work on the device they are hooked to. You can move a Roku, but you can't use a smart tv, to remotely control another tv.
That may or may not be what you meant, but I thought it important to clarify.
Last edited by ToomuchStuff; 7-21-16 at 2:08pm.
Thanks TMS... Working today trying to find the Smart tv apps.... hehe.... May have found it but DH is on tv now. Hate this process! I am aware of various ways to get info (library videos, etc) ... question now is how to use this Smart Tv to the best advantage.
If you have a smart tv, you probably don't need a Roku for it.
You should be able to link various streaming services directly to the tv, once the tv is connected to the internet.
The question is, what streaming services do you want?
Hulu has current shows, although some may come out a week or so after they air, and some shows are available for a limited time. Netflix has a lot of shows/movies, but they come and go. And you usually only get hit movies for a month or so. Amazon Prime has a lot of shows for free, and if there's something that you really want to watch, you can just pay for that show/movie if it isn't in Prime. There are other streaming services out there. It mostly depends on what you want to watch--movies, current tv shows, older tv shows?
The only reason you might want a Roku (or Apple TV or Chromecast or Fire Stick or whatever) is because it offers you programming you can't get through your smart TV. But, aside from an extensive copy-protected Apple-format iTunes software collection [if you don't know what that is, it almost certainly does not apply to you], there's very little that's popular and available on only one device.
The benefits of going with a separate box for the "smarts" is that you get to move it around where you want it; you can use them on non-smart TVs; and most of them have better user interfaces than smart TVs (they're easier to operate). The companies that make outboard boxes are better about providing updates for them than smart TV makers are about updating the TVs. The disadvantages of a separate box are needing to buy another cable to connect each device; spending a little more for the combination of the box and a non-smart TV than for a smart TV alone; and -- probably -- clicking a few more buttons on the remote since most of the outboard boxes have their own remote controls/apps which are not duplicated on the TV remote.
Since we're almost exclusively an Apple house, we went for an Apple TV along with our antenna. The integration is just simpler and better. We have one for the main TV and we just received one as a gift for our basement TV. We went with Hulu largely because that's what DW chose; it has what she wants to watch and she watches far more than I do. *shrug*
One caveat for smart TVs and similar outboard devices is that much of the programming is behind some sort of gate. CBS has an on-demand app ("CBS All Access") but it runs some dollars a month; there is no free content. Some CBS content is carried on other services; some is "All Access" only. ABC's on-demand app requires that you "authenticate" your device/your use of the app by providing cable TV/dish subscription info -- even if you can get ABC programming free over the air. And, of course, you need high-speed Internet to make it all work since video moves a lot more data over the Internet than audio or text. We pay about $75 a month for Comcast's middle level of high-speed Internet and "limited basic" cable (essentially OTA channels, shopping, CSPANs, local access, etc.) -- all but $10 of that is the high-speed Internet. So go ahead and price out what you want to watch and then figure out the best way to get it.
Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome. - Booker T. Washington
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