Get a free Roku box when you buy a lifetime PlayOn license
Your $79.99 lifetime PlayOn subscription now comes with a shiny new Roku LT. That's two killer tools for cord-cutters in one reasonably priced bundle.
PlayOn slings TV shows from your Windows PC to various devices, such as tablets, smartphones, game consoles, and media center boxes, and the like.
It's a compelling solution for cord-cutters--folks seeking to dump their pricey cable-TV subscriptions.
Typically, PlayOn charges by the month or year ($4.99 and $39.99, respectively), but you can also pay $79.99 for a lifetime subscription to the service.
And right now, when you buy a lifetime PlayOn subscription, you'll get a free Roku LT streaming media box.
Given that the latter sells for $50, this is a pretty sweet deal. The Roku LT may be the entry-level box in the company's lineup, but it's still seriously awesome, able to stream a wealth of channels, including CNET TV, HBO Go, Hulu Plus, Pandora, and Netflix.
Of course, one could argue that owning a Roku box obviates the need for PlayOn, which streams a lot of the same services. Ah, but remember: PlayOn streams to lots of other devices, not just a single TV. What's more, PlayOn offers channels Roku doesn't, like CBS, PBS, TBS, Spike, and SyFy.
PlayOn also streams media stored on your PC, which is great for remotely tapping your personal library of movies and music. (Roku can do likewise, but there's a bit of hoop-jumping involved.)
Regardless of what you stream, you'll need the PlayOn server software, and you'll need to leave your PC running 24-7--the only real downside to the service. But it can connect to anything from an Android phone to a Kindle Fire to an Xbox 360. (Here's the full list of supported devices.)
I'm a big fan of PlayOn, and an even bigger fan of Roku boxes. Put the two together and I'm in media-streaming heaven. This is one seriously tempting bundle.
(In other Roku news, be sure to check out the just-released Roku app for Android.)