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ROKU ??


Natasha

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I know this has been posted before but don't see where/how to search. Can anyone with actual user info   please tell me about ROKU --- what is it? How does it work?  What does it cost?  Getting close to the last straw with Telecable, but not prepared to pay for Shaw.  Thanks in advance.

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Roku is basically a way to turn a "not smart" tv into a "smart" tv. It lets you connect to the internet and then to other services like USTvNow, Netflix, etc. The Roku box is a one time purchase but the programming you get - again like USTvNow, Netflix, etc. - require a subscription and an associated fee.

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I have owned Roku's for years. You can buy one on Amazon.com or Amazon.com.mx. Sam's in Guad had them for a while.

You have to have a US credit card and address to sign up for a Roku account and US streaming services, like Netflix etc.

To sign up for US Netflix, Amazon Prime, etc you would also need a US credit card plus a VPN (virtual private network). I am not familiar with the requirements for a non-US Roku account or whether they are even possible. You need the Roku account to activate the device. I am sure you can find the information you need on the Roku website.

Netflix is clamping down on VPN users but it can be done. Other services' like Amazon, Sling, DirectvNow etc,  are more lenient and will work with more VPN's. If you live in that part of Ajijic/Chapala that  have good internet speeds (over 10 MBS, preferably faster) you will have no trouble streaming from the US. If not you might have a lot of buffering.

Most of this information is the same for the Amazon Fire Box or stick, but as I said before it's easier to stream Amazon US shows with a VPN. Show selection is more limited however.

You can also get Amazon and Netflix in Mexico. Programming is different and usually more limited. A Mexican credit card would then do the trick.

You can also stream from Claro Video and the Fox service through Telmex. They seem to have a big selection of current US TV shows and movies, but I am not sure if they are all available in English.

Finally you can buy a Android box (for sale in Sam's) or use a Fire Stick or Box and install Kodi. This is of questionable legality in the US ( as is streaming US services down here). I don't know if Mexico cares much about US copyright issues. You would not need a VPN and would have access to much more content than you would get from any US streaming service. There are many tutorials about Kodi on the net.

 

 

 

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12 hours ago, barcelonaman said:

Better buy amazon firestick/tv or even better an android box.available from mercado libre. 1100 pesos upwards for firestick.

I can install free apps for live us and uk channels and uptodate movies.

Roku is a pia.

Pm me for any advice.

 

Sent you a PM

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44 minutes ago, bedbug said:

I have owned Roku's for years. You can buy one on Amazon.com or Amazon.com.mx. Sam's in Guad had them for a while.

You have to have a US credit card and address to sign up for a Roku account and US streaming services, like Netflix etc

All excellent information.

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We have 3 Rokus and a fourth on the way to replace our oldest one. It still works but with the new streaming services coming out the processing power needed is increasing. The old one, for instance, takes close to 30 seconds to connect completely with one of the services we pay for. With a second router   that has a VPN now installed on it we have all the video we can consume. Netflix and Hulu seem to be very intense about searching out VPNs so I do have to switch servers from time to time. The Help desk usually directs me to one or the other to get back on line. For that reason I am not currently subscribing to either of those.  We use Sling, Fubotv, Amazon Prime with Starz add-on, PBS and get everything we enjoy watching and both Sling and Fubo have DVRs so we watch when we want. Sling Orange is $20/Mo, Fubo is $34.99 and we have Prime anyway and PBS is free (no OTA, just on demand streaming of lots of content). I also have PlutoTV which has free live streaming but rarely use it because of all the other stuff. Fubo has an incredible number of sports channels but so far no ESPN but Sling Orange fills that void. Fubo has A&E, Discovery and History for many of the shows we enjoy. My router is set to the NJ server so we get the NY feeds of CBS and NBC as well on Fubo (and Fox). Recently watched Taking Chance, a 2009 movie with Kevin Bacon which is especially appropriate around Veteran's Day. If you haven't seen it it's on Prime. Oh, also Roku has recently started their own channel and it's free with ads. Older movies but I enjoyed "In the Line of Fire" with Clint on the Roku Channel. A good VPN on your own router is the key to everything.  As I was typing this I got a pop-up from Cord Cutters News that may be of interest:

"

"For some time now we have heard that Amazon was considering a free ad-supported version of Amazon Prime Video. Now according to AdAge this free service is close to becoming a reality.

According to sources who spoke with AdAge Amazon is in talks with TV networks, movie studios, and other media companies about rights for a new free streaming service.

“Amazon is talking about giving content creators their own channels, and sharing ad revenue in exchange for a set number of hours of content each week,” says one of the executives, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss a project that Amazon has not announced."

Streaming video seems to be the coming method of distribution. Our Telmex internet here in PV sometimes delivers 10 down but more frequently 6-7 which is adequate most of the time for these old eyeballs. Forget 4K unless or until they can provide at least 20 down.

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3 minutes ago, RickS said:

Wow, pappy, with all of that content firepower, when do you and the Ms. have time to step out-of-doors!?!  :o

Yeah Rick, it's tough but somehow we find time to make that 10 minute trek down to the beach and stick our toes in the warm ocean water and maybe split an order of shrimp fajitas ($160 and HUGE with beans and guac) at La Langosta Loca and stroll around Old Town and say Hi to Dr. Garcia at his farmacia and catch up on any local gossip. While doing so our DVRs are recording stuff like Tiny House Hunting, House Hunters International, Kitchen Nightmares, Port Protection Alaska and maybe a movie for later. Then back to the condo with maybe a quick stop at Costco to pick up a steak to grill on the patio as we watch a cruise ship or two depart all lit up and sounding their horn. It's a tough life but someone has to do it and with no bugs at all we can leave everything wide open all day and night and when that land breeze starts up around midnight it's time to pull those covers all the way up.  ^_^

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1 hour ago, pappysmarket said:

Why sigh? You're in beautiful Western Colorado, one of the nicest places in the US. Enjoy!

Well, not quite western but you are right about its appeal. Winters are great for ski'rs but I quit that sport years ago when costs went haywire and lift-lines approached an hour wait.

Now it is somewhere warmer in the winter like..... sigh..... PV and surrounds.

 

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Yeah, $50 lift tickets, bones that don't heal as fast and long lift lines. When I lived in Bend I had a season pass to Mt. Bachelor and got so picky I never skied on weekends or holidays and eventually only after at least a foot of new snow. The "good ole days". Good thing I made some deposits in the memory bank 'cause those days are long over for me. And perhaps I'm being stupid about what lift tickets now cost. I saw a few days ago admission to Disneyland is now around $100 and before I moved to Bend I lived a mile from there and could go mid-week for less than $10. In San Diego I could go to the zoo whenever I wanted for free because I was in charge of the medical claims office of the company that had the Zoo's employees covered. But first I would have to listen to any complaints about our claims service, once in a while a compliment.

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20 hours ago, Natasha said:

I know this has been posted before but don't see where/how to search. Can anyone with actual user info   please tell me about ROKU --- what is it? How does it work?  What does it cost?  Getting close to the last straw with Telecable, but not prepared to pay for Shaw.  Thanks in advance.

https://www.theverge.com/2017/7/3/15913390/roku-sales-banned-mexico-hackers-piracy

Jul 3, 2017, 8:30am EDT

"Roku sales are banned in Mexico because pirates keep hacking the devices

Following a court ruling last week, Roku devices are now banned from being sold in Mexico. The decision comes cable provider Cablevisión, owned by media company Televisa, previously requested a court order to stop the sale of Roku devices in the country because hackers would use it to offer Roku owners pirated content from HBO, ESPN, and Televisa’s channels. Although Roku fought for a suspension of that order, the court’s decision last week upheld the ruling.

Hackers would sell pirated channels to users over WhatsApp

"Cablevisión cannot allow the content that it licenses from domestic and foreign companies to be illegally used," Cablevisión spokeswoman Maria Eugenia Zurita told Reuters. "We would also like Roku Inc to better supervise the use of its software so that it's not used inappropriately.” !

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Actually Roku does a pretty good job of keeping out the pirated stuff, they are constantly deleting the private channels that pop up on their open software. It's the Android boxes that are sold everywhere with Kodi that are by far the biggest pirates. In fact I just looked at a 55" Hisense TV at Costco in PV that has Roku built in for $9999 so somehow they are still selling in Mexico.

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The other thing is Roku gets updated and added to whereas many "smart" TVs don't.

We use a combination of downloaded stuff, NetFlix, Amazon, and some stuff on Roku.  Most of the commercial channels have too much commercial and not enough channel for us so we just don't bother with them.

There's a good reason the cable providers are losing subscribers at an increasing rate.  Streaming is a lot more versatile.  Who needs 300 channels, mostly ad laden garbage?  Streaming allows us to really pick and chose.

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Live in Vallarta in a rental and using my Apple TV on a HD tv - went a way for a week and landlord replaced the tv with  a brand new Hisense tv with built in roku - so we changed language, created a roku account but not for payments.  We’re Canadian but selected USA only to find no way to access USA services - you can try to download various apps but it comes up “not available in this region”.  As we have. Canadian Netflix that comes up but with less controls same with our premium Spotify - it loads the account but it’s a crappy interface.  So the Roku is useless and we have plugged the Apple TV back in.  We really would have liked to stream HBO for example even pirated ?.  Those Hisense Roku TVs must have been clearing out  as it’s rather useless as is - unless we are missing something in the settings.

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