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caseyb1993
Legend 5
Legend 5

Opinions on Roku

Hi all, I saw the Roku devices in the Argos catalogue and am thinking of getting one.

 

Does anyone who owns one have any Pro's and Con's about the device?

 

Argos have a tempting deal on the Roku 3 so I'd like some opinions. 

 

HeartHeartHeart

I am not staff, I am a customer that likes to help,
so please click the Thank You/Thumbs Up button if I helped you out and maybe even accept it as a solution? 🙂
1 ACCEPTED SOLUTION
commanda6
Legend 5
Legend 5

Hi @caseyb1993

 

Sorry I didn't spot this topic earlier Smiley Sad

 

I am also a Roku user.  Smiley Happy

 

I have a Roku 3 4200EUA  (This version comes with a three month now TV entertainment pass Smiley Wink) Just make sure you buy the right one. It should specifically say if it comes with a now TV pass

 

The main extra apps that you get over the now TV box are

  • Cinema now
  • Sainsbury's entertainment on demand (video)
  • Netflix
  • Roku media player

It should be noted that both cinema  now and Sainsbury's entertainment on demand both support ultraviolet. In some respects they support ultraviolet better than flixster does. Between flixster cinema now and Sainsbury's entertainment on demand, you should be able to play all the movies that are in your ultraviolent library. This should include movies that have been purchased on blinkbox, which have ultraviolet rights included. Although blinkbox itself is not on Roku at the moment. You will still have major difficulty accessing a lot of your ultraviolet TV shows, though, although I don't quite understand the reasons why that is the case. I'm hoping blinkbox itself will eventually appear on Roku.

 

You can't get Amazon instant video on Roku in the UK, but it is available in the US. I live in hope that this will change at some point, but I don't think it willSmiley Sad

 

I will say that Roku provides a much better user experience than a smart TV typically does in my opinion

 

One more thing there is meant to be a Roku 4 in the works, so you may wish to wait and see what happens

 

Hope that helps Smiley Happy


I do not work for Now . I am simply a Now customer trying to help I am a Community Contributor This means that I know a lot about the service. But just like you I am still a customer. This means I cannot help you with issues that would involve looking into your account directly. A member of the now TV forum team or live chat will need to assist you with these issues.

View solution in original post

9 REPLIES 9
Anonymous User
Not applicable

@caseyb1993 you might want to give @Anonymous User a nudge on this one. He's a Roku user 🙂

 

Tom

caseyb1993
Legend 5
Legend 5

@Anonymous User I already did, he gave me good advice on which would be the best choice Smiley Wink

 

They just look so appealing Cat Surprised

 

I really wanted other peoples opinions too to see how good they really are Smiley Wink

I am not staff, I am a customer that likes to help,
so please click the Thank You/Thumbs Up button if I helped you out and maybe even accept it as a solution? 🙂
Anonymous User
Not applicable

@caseyb1993 I have the old LT, the purple one, which is basically the same as the original NOW TV Box. I bought it before we launched our box to get a feel for how it worked.

 

They're essentially a NOW TV Box, but with more apps and functionality (depending on the model). If those extra bits are of value to you, then I guess they're worth considering over a NOW TV Box.

 

Hopefully you'll get some views from other people too!

 

Cheers,

 

Tom

Anonymous User
Not applicable

@caseyb1993 suppose it depends what you plan to use it for.

The pros I can see are:

  • Netflix
  • Roku media player allowing USB playback
  • Plex
  • Remote which works over WiFi direct so no need for line of sight.

Cons

  • Huge price difference compared to the NOW TV black box which has practically the same spec (processor, ethernet, wifi 5Ghz).

As you can side load an old version of plex or USB playback and use a mobile as a remote, the only real pro is Netflix, unless you have something else within the channel store that you can't live without, but that's mainly 1000 rubbish apps streaming single video to niches.

commanda6
Legend 5
Legend 5

Hi @caseyb1993

 

Sorry I didn't spot this topic earlier Smiley Sad

 

I am also a Roku user.  Smiley Happy

 

I have a Roku 3 4200EUA  (This version comes with a three month now TV entertainment pass Smiley Wink) Just make sure you buy the right one. It should specifically say if it comes with a now TV pass

 

The main extra apps that you get over the now TV box are

  • Cinema now
  • Sainsbury's entertainment on demand (video)
  • Netflix
  • Roku media player

It should be noted that both cinema  now and Sainsbury's entertainment on demand both support ultraviolet. In some respects they support ultraviolet better than flixster does. Between flixster cinema now and Sainsbury's entertainment on demand, you should be able to play all the movies that are in your ultraviolent library. This should include movies that have been purchased on blinkbox, which have ultraviolet rights included. Although blinkbox itself is not on Roku at the moment. You will still have major difficulty accessing a lot of your ultraviolet TV shows, though, although I don't quite understand the reasons why that is the case. I'm hoping blinkbox itself will eventually appear on Roku.

 

You can't get Amazon instant video on Roku in the UK, but it is available in the US. I live in hope that this will change at some point, but I don't think it willSmiley Sad

 

I will say that Roku provides a much better user experience than a smart TV typically does in my opinion

 

One more thing there is meant to be a Roku 4 in the works, so you may wish to wait and see what happens

 

Hope that helps Smiley Happy


I do not work for Now . I am simply a Now customer trying to help I am a Community Contributor This means that I know a lot about the service. But just like you I am still a customer. This means I cannot help you with issues that would involve looking into your account directly. A member of the now TV forum team or live chat will need to assist you with these issues.
caseyb1993
Legend 5
Legend 5

@commanda6 sorry I replied late, Zumba keeps you busy!

 

I had no clue that sainsbury's did on demand Woman Surprised

*clicks sign up*

 

My bluray player and PS3 have amazon instant video and also netflix, however I need to buy a dongle to connect the bluray player to the internet. The can make wifi connect to phones and laptops but not to a bluray player? 

Also my WiiU claims I have A.I.V but it's not on the system yet the e-shop says I have it, hmmmmmmmm Smiley Mad

 

I am tempted to get a Roku 2 as Argos slashed the price a little. (I am unsure at the minute if the deal I saw is still available).

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am not staff, I am a customer that likes to help,
so please click the Thank You/Thumbs Up button if I helped you out and maybe even accept it as a solution? 🙂
SeeMoreDigital
Legend 5
Legend 5

From what I understand non of Roku's products offer a 50Hz video output setting. Which means all the UK television catch-up services look wrong/odd Smiley Surprised

Anonymous User
Not applicable

As you say, Rokus are 60Hz but I've not noticed this to be a problem in nearly 3 years of usage.

 

Be interesting to see what Roku 4 will be like

 

http://masterherald.com/roku-4-expected-to-keep-lead-in-streaming-devices-market-amid-improved-featu...

commanda6
Legend 5
Legend 5

Hi @caseyb1993

 

I forgot to mention that you can also get Google play movies and TV on Roku as well. It took me awhile to determine if HD playback was supported On Roku. Google can sometimes be a bit funny about what devices support HD. After doing some digging, I found that HD is supported on Roku. Smiley Happy

 

https://support.google.com/googleplay/answer/2528768?hl=en

 

Since  I found this out I have started using Google play more often

 


I do not work for Now . I am simply a Now customer trying to help I am a Community Contributor This means that I know a lot about the service. But just like you I am still a customer. This means I cannot help you with issues that would involve looking into your account directly. A member of the now TV forum team or live chat will need to assist you with these issues.