In general the channel lineup on the Roku is pretty worthless. Of course these are free because no one in their right mind would pay for them. The only channels worth watching are Netflix and Hulu both of which we have to pay for and they are available on most BD players now. So, what is the point of having the Roku player? It has nothing to offer that is particularly special and anything worth our time is a pay service anyway. I was expecting to cut my cable tv and save some money with this player but as it turns out this thing is only a electronic toy that makes it convenient to watch Netflix or Hulu. I really wanted to love this device but it only is a novelty.

Depends on what you like to watch. Most of my shows are available through Hulu+ so I am loving that. Also, I'm using Netflix to catch up on old seasons of shows that I wanted to watch but never did. For example, I am going through the first 2 seasons of Dexter now because I just never had time to watch it before and I don't have Showtime. Also plan to go through six seasons of Weeds after that. You should see my Netlix queue.

When it comes time for seasons 3 and 4 of Dexter, if it isn't on Netflix, I'll buy it via Amazon VOD. I've done this for Breaking Bad as well, and will certainly pay the per episode price on Amazon VOD if I don't have cable when the new season begins.

I'm a grad student, so I should be busy working on papers and such, and I have found since owning the Roku, I have wanted to watch more Netflix etc than before. Before, I usually had the TV on just to be watching something. But now I am watching stuff that I truly want to watch, and thus, will probably cancel cable in the near future and try not to watch my Roku too much.

Other than that, you have things such as Justin.tv if you are the type that likes to stream videos. It appears Justin.tv is starting to offer some higher quality streams, which is good, because a lot of times I stream basketball games that are not available in my area. Having this streaming option for my TV is great, especially if they improve the feeds.

There are other channels that are very specific in their programming, which some people enjoy.

There is also MLB and NHL programming (which costs) if you like those sports.

hsingmy3 wrote:

In general the channel lineup on the Roku is pretty worthless. Of course these are free because no one in their right mind would pay for them. The only channels worth watching are Netflix and Hulu both of which we have to pay for and they are available on most BD players now. So, what is the point of having the Roku player? It has nothing to offer that is particularly special and anything worth our time is a pay service anyway. I was expecting to cut my cable tv and save some money with this player but as it turns out this thing is only a electronic toy that makes it convenient to watch Netflix or Hulu. I really wanted to love this device but it only is a novelty.

Being America, you are always free to exercise your right of returnability

It allows me to watch Netflix and Hulu+ content on my tv, as well as rent or purchase movies and tv shows through Amazon VOD. All for less than what a BD player would cost, and with a much smaller footprint. It does exactly what it said it would, and exactly what I expected it to, so I'm very happy.

Since I bought it they have added a number of channels, many of which I find very interesting. I am now subscribed to MOG and can listen to just about any recording I want to right from my tv, along with several channels that provide public domain content, rss feeds, podcasts, etc.

If you can't find a use for the box, it's not the box's fault.

What did you expect for $60? Jeez louise. As for me, I am THRILLED with the device - it works as advertised, I have several private channels with decent content (from MAJOR providers, btw) and the ability to watch videos/photos/music from my own computer in the other room on the TV sealed the deal. Couldn't be happier.

Plus, I'm watching stuff I never thought I would - and it is more though provoking than watching The Worlds Drunkest blah blah blah I get on cable channels...

Hulu+ is a disappointment since it doesn't have all the content of Hulu (plus additional content) - if it had, I would have paid for it and seriously considered downgrading my satellite, even with ads. Just a few more channels on there and it would have changed TV (example, add comedy central, adult swim, diy, hgtv, sci, food, discovery, history - you would have an industry shakeup). That won't happen - but IF it did, that would be the paradigm shift you were expecting.

The power of the Roku is in the developer community. Again, most don't take the time to look at the private channel lineup (YouTube, JustinTV, etc.). You can find a good listing of these at: http://www.roku-channels.com/home.

I have found some really great content on YouTube of late, you can see some of my playlists at: http://youtube.com/user/TCGAZ/

I also heard that Amazon will be rolling out their own Netflix like service very soon.

I think ROKU is an excellent device to have--especially at the low price point. Its great to have more viewing options. Now while I dont share your enthusiasm with HULU+, the Netflix purchase is a better deal than purchasing Starz separately since Netflix has Starz play.

I like Drive-In and PUB-A-DUB for those B-movie sci-fi horror things similiar to items that are shown every week on creature features. They added Nuclear Blast and Roxwell , so a person that likes Hard Rock,like me,has some good viewing options.

They just added Al-Jazeera live streaming on the Newscaster and I was suprized to see live news streams from there on Roku. I also investigated BIGSTAR TV and plan to add that--I found a lot of eclectic and foreign films that I want to check out and always have the option to keep a subscription or drop it with no contract. A Month free of BIGSTAR and a free month of NETFLIX is a lot of movies to take advantage of just by owning a ROKU.

I just today learned about adding private channels, and the previous poster is correct about Amazon possibly launching a Netflix competitor which may or may not include HBO streaming rights. There was an old rumor about a channel called Frightology ( horror films) coming as well.

Dont forget having the AMAZON VOD--always good to have the choice to buy videos if you want as well.

My belief is getting an OTA indoor uhf/vhf antenna for local programming and adding a ROKU box puts you in excellent position to negoiate lower prices from your cable subscriber or to cut the cord and still have a lot of TV and a fraction of the price.

The future seems to be ..more and more streaming and the TV producers are going to push the envelope on what they provide which is a win-win for consumers.

Also remember that Roku is adding new channels all the time. This device is still fairly new so channels will be added continually. If you don't wish to watch a whole lot of free stuff or pay very little for a channel subscription, then by all means, don't buy one. Personally, this device is just plain cool!