Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Now that I have Roku Express set up on my smart TV I would like to do PBS streaming. It looks like there is free PBS streaming which you can do via Roku. To activate I will need to set up a PBS channel via Roku. I got to the point via Roku where it says to activate it gave me a code and told me to go on line to PBS.org and enter the code or create a PBS account to do so. I cancelled at that point because I am not sure if it will impact setting up PBS Passport.
I also want to set up PBS Passport which would require setting up a PBS account and donating $60 to my PBS station. As I understand it that will give me one year access to additional PBS content.
So, the question is what do I do first? Should I go on line and set up a PBS account and donate $60 before I set up the PBS channel via Roku? Or should I set up the PBS channel on Roku and to activate create a PBS account via Roku? If I then want to set up PBS Passport would the annual Passport donation be tracked and paid via Roku subscriptions?
I am trying to figure out if it makes a difference when it comes to the PBS Passport subscription. If I go thru Roku will it track my yearly PBS Passport subscription and automatically renew and/or allow me to cancel via the Roku? Or is PBS Passport subscription and or cancellation only done via PBS.org?
I would like to get this right the first time and I am just not sure if Roku will track the Passport subscription and if it would make a difference as to what to do first.
If you are signed in with an account that does not have the Passport benefit, either because you have not yet activated your benefit or your benefit is active with a different account, you can follow the below steps to switch your login account on the PBS Video channel.
What?????
If I was you I would first setup a PBS account which is free, there is link in upper left to sign in which will open dialog box with link to create an account.
Go back to ROKU and go through the setup you already did to activate it using your shiny new PBS account.
At this point you should have access to non passport content, presumably it's the same thing available through their site.
Then open the Roku app. There will be the activation box that comes up and it will prompt you to go to PBS.org/activate like it already told you. Enterthe code. Bing bang boom. It really is that simple.
I started out by going on line setting up a free PBS.org account where it assigned my local PBS station. (Be advised to next go to your email account and look for an email from PBS to confirm your request for an account. Once you confirm the PBS account via the link in the email, it is activated.)
Next I went to my TV and to the PBS link that I had started the day before (but, had stopped when it got to the point where it gave me a code - and I was not sure what to do next). The code was still there, but, had expired, so I clicked on a link to request a new code. Wrote down the code and went back on line to PBS.org/activate and entered the code.
Once I confirmed that I could now access the PBS channel for its free content and it was set up for my local PBS station
I went back on line and logged in to my PBS.org account which was already set up with my local PBS station. I selected DONATE , selected $60 and entered my credit card information and it allowed me to immediately activate PASSPORT for my local PBS station.
So, you arrange payment (donation) directly thru PBS.org and it is not done thru Roku.
Went back to the TV to verify I could now also access the PASSPORT content as well as the free content.
So, set up a PBS.org account first to identify your local PBS station and free content, then set up your Roku streaming PBS channel for free content and get an activation code. Go back on line to PBS.org/activate. Once that is done you can go to PBS.org account to donate to your local PBS station $60 to get PASSPORT access for 12 months.
Not sure if a different sequence would make any difference, but, there was one tutorial I read about PBS and Roku where it went into a long explanation about what to if there was a conflict with your local PBS channel on the TV and your PBS.org account. Very confusing and fortunately the sequence I followed avoided the issues described in the tutorial.
FWIW for anyone who stumbles on this thread later, there are still quite a few episodes of shows to view on the Roku PBS channel without a Passport. But the catalog of shows is much bigger with a Passport.
FWIW for anyone who stumbles on this thread later, there are still quite a few episodes of shows to view on the Roku PBS channel without a Passport. But the catalog of shows is much bigger with a Passport.
I would assume whatever is available on tbe Roku out of the box is same thing available on their site. To view those shows on their site doesn't require any sign up. There is substantial amount of content.
There is little blue logo on anything that requires PBS membership, these are older episodes or older series. For shows like American Experience the most recent shows are available and they rotate in older episodes.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
