Omgosh, Antenna!!!

[Tybee]

We bought a new Roku tv and an antenna (29 dollars at Walmart).

We live way out in rural area where even my cell phone reception is spotty. The nearest big city is an hour and half away.

We just attached the antenna to the new tv and we have 17 stations!!

Weirdly and sadly, no PBS.

But amazing free tv.

[Teacher Terry]

Glad you have some tv but I am totally addicted to my cable.

[razz]

I am just learning about Smart TV. Roku TV is new to me so now I have more to learn;) Please share your discoveries of its features that made you decide to use it.

I just signed up for cable internet and phone as the speed of my previous service just kept dropping both connection and speed on a daily basis. It is a lot pricier though.

[iris lilies]

We bought a new Roku tv and an antenna (29 dollars at Walmart).

We live way out in rural area where even my cell phone reception is spotty. The nearest big city is an hour and half away.

We just attached the antenna to the new tv and we have 17 stations!!

Weirdly and sadly, no PBS.

But amazing free tv.

We have multiple PBS stations with our antenna set up. I never watch TV anymore though so I don’t ever see them.

[Tradd]

Depending on what shows you want, a lot are streamed for a short time after airing on the PBS website.

[happystuff]

We also have a Roku stick and a Fire stick. Dh prefers the Roku while I prefer to watch tv on my laptop. I have tried to use an antenna, but, alas, we live in a valley and get absolutely nothing.

[SteveinMN]

We moved to an antenna maybe 10 years ago. The difference in the quality of the picture is amazing! We have an Apple TV and we've inherited MiL's fairly new Roku stick because she no longer needs it at her new LTC facility. Not going back to cable....

[JaneV2.0]

You could cobble together a pretty good alternative to cable with streaming services and a good antenna. I expect I'll go that route eventually.

[frugal-one]

We bought a new Roku tv and an antenna (29 dollars at Walmart).

We live way out in rural area where even my cell phone reception is spotty. The nearest big city is an hour and half away.

We just attached the antenna to the new tv and we have 17 stations!!

Weirdly and sadly, no PBS.

But amazing free tv.

Put the PBS app on your Roku. I don't get PBS through fubotv.com but watch PBS through the Roku app. It is nice because you can watch the episodes whenever you'd like... not just at the time it airs.

[Tybee]

Put the PBS app on your Roku. I don't get PBS through fubotv.com but watch PBS through the Roku app. It is nice because you can watch the episodes whenever you'd like... not just at the time it airs.

I will so try that!! I am dying to see All Creatures Great and Small again.

[Tybee]

Put the PBS app on your Roku. I don't get PBS through fubotv.com but watch PBS through the Roku app. It is nice because you can watch the episodes whenever you'd like... not just at the time it airs.

THANK YOU! Just did this last night and registered at PBS and last night watched The American Experience episode on eugenics.

There is an amazing amount of free tv on this Roku tv that I did not realize was there. I am now able to watch all kinds of things that I would have needed cable for previously.

[frugal-one]

Glad it worked for you Tybee! Let us know what other good things you find or enjoy.

[JaneV2.0]

I really should explore my Roku. I have a feeling there are treasures in there.

[ToomuchStuff]

Confused. Based on the title, I am wondering if somehow the Roku works with the antenna, yet my understanding is the Roku requires internet access?

[Tybee]

Confused. Based on the title, I am wondering if somehow the Roku works with the antenna, yet my understanding is the Roku requires internet access?

I don't know. We have never had a Roku tv, but we have had an antenna. At our last house, our antenna picked up 5 stations, PBS twice. That was with an old tv, not a Smart tv. I guess the Roku tv is a smart tv?

We hooked up the antenna and it went through a channel scan and said there were 17 channels. Maybe I will try another antenna hooked up to my old analog tv as an experiment. That would eliminate the internet.

[SteveinMN]

Confused. Based on the title, I am wondering if somehow the Roku works with the antenna, yet my understanding is the Roku requires internet access?
Broadcast stations can be received using an antenna. The Roku features are similar to an external Apple TV or a Chromecast stick or any number of competing "smart TVs" like Android, Tizen, Amazon Fire, etc., where they just build the functionality into the TV rather than an external device that has to be plugged in. The Roku features require Internet access. The TV still works fine for broadcast stations; the options offered by Roku require the Internet.

[SiouzQ.]

I'm chuckling because I have no IDEA what any of you are talking about...I haven't had a television in 15 years (?). We just stream things on the like Netflix, YouTube and Sundance TV on the laptop. I am actually perfectly satisfied with our set up. We were at Costco the other week and right when you walk in there's these HUGE display of HUGE screens and absolutely none of it appealed to me in the least.

[razz]

I'm chuckling because I have no IDEA what any of you are talking about...I haven't had a television in 15 years (?). We just stream things on the like Netflix, YouTube and Sundance TV on the laptop. I am actually perfectly satisfied with our set up. We were at Costco the other week and right when you walk in there's these HUGE display of HUGE screens and absolutely none of it appealed to me in the least.

We think alike, SQ. I do like my internet though.

[Tradd]

I went without a TV from 2003 to 2016. I have a 24” TV and a digital antenna I got at Target. Works just fine for me. I will stream some stuff online. My TV is not a smart TV and so I can’t steam anything on it. Laptop works just fine for that. Or even my larger smartphone. I’m fine with what I have. I only watch local news and PBS on actual TV.

[JaneV2.0]

Roku is a streaming device with lots of free offerings.

I didn't have a TV until CNN came along years ago. I don't have a microwave, a lawn mower, or a catamaran, though.

[GeorgeParker]

Maybe I will try another antenna hooked up to my old analog tv as an experiment. That would eliminate the internet.If your old tv is analog you won't get anything at all if you hook an antenna directly to it. All TV stations were required to go digital in 2009. The best way to be sure if your TV is analog or digital is by connecting the antenna directly to it and seeing what happens. If you get tv channels, it's digital. BUT receiving digital signals isn't the same thing as being a smart tv. A smart tv has basic computer functions built into it so it can download tv schedules, connect to the internet for streaming content, and secretly report everything you do to Big Brother.

[Tybee]

If your old tv is analog you won't get anything at all if you hook an antenna directly to it. All TV stations were required to go digital in 2009. The best way to be sure if your TV is analog or digital is by connecting the antenna directly to it and seeing what happens. If you get tv channels, it's digital. BUT receiving digital signals isn't the same thing as being a smart tv. A smart tv has basic computer functions built into it so it can download tv schedules, connect to the internet for streaming content, and secretly report everything you do to Big Brother.

Yeah, I have an ematic device that converts the analogue tv to digital; had those since digital came in all those years ago. We were very late digital tv adopters at our house. I misspoke; should have hooked up the ematic to the tv and the antenna.

[happystuff]

Went to see if my tax package was on sale yet or not in the store (it wasn't), but did see a Roku stick on sale for $24. Since our 1st generation Amazon Fire Stick is starting to putz out, I picked this up. Looking forward to seeing what will be available versus the Fire stick offerings.

[frugal-one]

Went to see if my tax package was on sale yet or not in the store (it wasn't), but did see a Roku stick on sale for $24. Since our 1st generation Amazon Fire Stick is starting to putz out, I picked this up. Looking forward to seeing what will be available versus the Fire stick offerings.

I think the medium priced Roku stick is much better. We have both and would not buy the cheap one again. It may not be a good comparison to the Fire stick.

[JaneV2.0]

Roku offers international news channels from France, Germany, the UK, and al Jazeera, among others--free of charge. I haven't seen that on the Fire stick. As al Jazeera is a personal favorite of mine, that's an incentive to crawl around behind the teevee to install my Roku.

[happystuff]

I think the medium priced Roku stick is much better. We have both and would not buy the cheap one again. It may not be a good comparison to the Fire stick.

Again, this was so easy to install and set up all my regular tv apps, plus some that Amazon wouldn't give me access. Am discovering the offerings of Roku TV, itself, and definitely am turning more Roku and less Amazon fire stick.

[JaneV2.0]

Again, this was so easy to install and set up all my regular tv apps, plus some that Amazon wouldn't give me access. Am discovering the offerings of Roku TV, itself, and definitely am turning more Roku and less Amazon fire stick.

I agree. I'm rarely interested in movies or most TV shows, but I enjoy documentaries and news. From what I've seen, Roku is ahead of Amazon in that regard. And it looks easy to hook up. Maybe today.