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Question

Roku or other replacement for cable TV

by Sep 26, 2015 10:05AM PDT

Hello. My mom has WOW cable. She doesn't really like the programing. She watches PBS, ESPN 1/2, Big-Ten Network, ABC/CBS/NBC, and some of the cable news networks like MSNBC and CNN. She said she heard people were getting "Roku" and other streaming services and saving money and tasked me with finding out how these services work. The problem is that I don't watch TV. She has a standard, $200 flat screen. My basic question is two-fold. One, is there a Roku or similar service that offers such programming for an affordable price? Two, if there is, do we need to have a fancier TV to use it? Thanks.

Discussion is locked

3 Posts
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Answer
Post from R. Proffitt (moderator)
by Sep 28, 2015 9:27AM PDT
"ESPN 1/2, Big-Ten Network, ABC/CBS/NBC, and cable news networks like MSNBC and CNN" are pretty much trying to avoid falling into an internet feed system.

There are many other alternatives such as PlutoTV which has many channels. Take a look around http://pluto.tv/guide/news

@tapa96 sorry about all your post being deleted. I revived this one.

-Lee
CNET Community
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Thanks Lee.
by r. proffitt Forum moderator Sep 28, 2015 9:39AM PDT

I was poking around to find that reply. Let's hope find something nice.

-> UPDATE: Our family uses the Amazon Fire TV a lot. It has PlutoTV and other channels via apps and more. We like it so much we pre-ordered the new Fire TV which you can get an idea of what it does at http://www.cnet.com/products/amazon-fire-tv-4k/

----> Amazon has updated this model to use a new video streaming encoding to use less bandwidth. That's a big deal besides putting Alexa into the box. We have the Amazon Echo as well.

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Answer
you do not need fancier tv
by Sep 28, 2015 9:44AM PDT

what you get depends on what type of ports are on the tv. You could most likely get what you want through the roku. Some channels may require a separate subscription. You can see what they offer

https://channelstore.roku.com/browse/movies-and-tv/popularity

I personally have a cheap computer on my tv so I stream everything including local news and weather. If you want some see what others are doing, go to the following cnet thread.

http://www.cnet.com/forums/discussions/i-want-to-cut-the-cable-tv-cord-whats-your-setup-like/

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