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So who's right about needing an RF tuner w/ a NEW 4K TV, Hawk4042C OR Sundaydrive00?
Meanwhile...since I might just browse Best Buy this week for TVs, so I already have a Roku Stick+ device, so if I got one of those smart TVs they call Amazon Fire or other streaming TVs, I could have capability for both Fire (or something else) & Roku access if I plug the (Roku) stick in the new TV, I assume right? So why get a Roku TV if I already have a Roku stick?
TIA.
You can use the stick on the old tv then, turn set on manually & just use the Roku remote to watch Roku channels only. FireTV is only useful really if you are a Amazon Prime subscriber.
I doubt the OP is going out to buy a used tv that is 15+ years old. An external tv tuner will not be necessary for a brand new smart tv.
There are two kinds of "TVs" being sold.
The first which has a built in RF turner.
And the others which don't have built in RF turners. Those are called "displays".
If the OP wants to receive OTA channels they need to have:
a tv with a built in RF tuner or external tv tuner connected to a display.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Forever Blue
Thank you Hawk4042C, txmusicgal, & Sundaydrive00.
So who's right about needing an RF tuner w/ a NEW 4K TV, Hawk4042C OR Sundaydrive00?
Meanwhile...since I might just browse Best Buy this week for TVs, so I already have a Roku Stick+ device, so if I got one of those smart TVs they call Amazon Fire or other streaming TVs, I could have capability for both Fire (or something else) & Roku access if I plug the (Roku) stick in the new TV, I assume right? So why get a Roku TV if I already have a Roku stick?
TIA.
If you have Roku Stick+, it should plug into HDMI slot in a new tv fine. An Amazon Fire TV will give you
access to Amazon Fire TV apps. There are apps that are free and some you pay for. That's why you need to link it to you Amazon Account. It doesn't need to be a Prime Account. Although a Prime Account offers access to more "paid channels / movies".
Meanwhile...since I might just browse Best Buy this week for TVs, so I already have a Roku Stick+ device, so if I got one of those smart TVs they call Amazon Fire or other streaming TVs, I could have capability for both Fire (or something else) & Roku access if I plug the (Roku) stick in the new TV, I assume right? So why get a Roku TV if I already have a Roku stick?
TIA.
I just recently (in mid-May) “cut the cord” from Dish. I was paying $100+ a month to get a 100+ channels, most of which I never watched; I only watched local and network news regularly. Dish was going to raise my rates $25 a month, and that’s when I decided I needed to make some changes.
This it what I ended up doing:
I got a Toshiba Fire TV for my bedroom and I LOVE it. And, yes, you can plug your Roku stick into it. I had one for a while when Peacock wasn’t available on Fire, but now it is, so I no longer use the Roku stick. All the HDMI ports show on the main screen, and you can name the one your stick is in “Roku.” All you have to do is toggle to it to switch over. (Though Fire and Roku pretty much do the same thing, so there’s probably really no need for both; it’d be one less remote to deal with. Regardless, it can be done.)
I hooked up a Mohu antenna (~$40, picked up 147 channels) so I can watch the news, though I noticed the other night all my local channels’ 11 PM news (live) were a choice on the main Fire screen (apparently a new feature), so I didn’t have to toggle to “antenna” to watch it. I have a feeling all showings of local and network news (not just 11 PM) are now available as a feature on the Fire TV. (I don’t watch much TV in my bedroom so I’m not sure.) I’m still going to keep the antenna in case there’s extended news coverage (earthquake, fires, disasters, etc.) that I may want to keep on continuously.
As far as streaming services, I already had Prime (for free shipping, lol), and use my son’s Netflix account from when he lived here (though I rarely find much that appeals to me).
I got the ad-free versions of the following services. I got the yearly subscriptions to all of them (except Hulu who doesn’t offer it for the non-live version) so I wouldn’t have to pay a bunch of bills monthly, plus they give you two months free for the yearly subscription.
Peacock $99.99/yr
HBO Max $149.99/yr
Disney+ $79.99/yr
Paramount+ $99.99/yr
Hulu $11.99/mo
Apple TV one year free from iPad purchase
There are also a bunch of other things that are on the main Fire screen that I think are free, but they don’t interest me. I know IMDb is all free, but has ads. I wish I could get rid of everything except my apps, but I don’t think that’s possible.
Anyway, even with all those streaming services I got, it’s less than what I would’ve paid for six months worth of Dish. Plus, now I have a bunch of stuff to watch.
I liked the remote for the Fire TV so much, I ended up upgrading two old Fire Sticks (on other TVs) to the 3rd generation Fire Stick which has a very similar remote. It controls everything on the TV (Sony) except the input; if I want to switch to antenna or the blue ray player, I need to use the TV remote, however to switch back to the Fire Stick, I just have to hit the Home button on the FS remote. I love the integration on the Fire TV (in my bedroom) so much I’m dying to get one for the living room, but the Sony still works perfectly so I’m having a hard time justifying the change, lol.
As far as buying a TV, I got mine from Amazon, but they came straight from Best Buy. They go on sale (BB’s sales) all the time, so make sure you don’t pay full price. For instance, the 32” TV I was thinking about getting was $199.99. I wasn’t sure I wanted a TV in my bedroom, so I put it on my wish list on Amazon. When I looked at it the very next day it was $149.99, so I took it as a sign and bought two! Since then (mid-May) it went down to $139.99 (a couple of weeks after I got mine), then down to $129.99 during Prime Days (the whole week), and it’s back to $139.99 again. (In between all the sales, it goes back up to $199.99. I might’ve missed some sales too.) It’s been on sale all this week, so I bet it’ll go back up to regular price tomorrow or Monday. (I don’t know Best Buy’s sales cycles.) I just looked, and I bought mine on May 3 which was a Monday, so that must be when their sales start.
The TV I’m eyeing to replace my 55” Sony is the 2021 55” Toshiba Fire TV. It’s regularly $519.99, on sale now for $409.99. I know it was on sale during the whole week of Prime Days, but can’t remember for how much - I do know they sold out.
I like the Fire TV so much, I know that’s all I’ll be getting in the future - no more regular smart TV with a Fire Stick for me. As far as Dish, I’d been overpaying them for so long my equipment was obsolete (I’d always turned down their free upgrade offers), and they didn’t even want it back, lol.
Since the OP asked about costs, I'll give a breakdown of our streaming costs.
I pay for AcornTV ($59.99) on an annual basis and recently added Britbox ($44.17 annual special deal includes tax.) That works out to a total of $8.68 monthly.
My husband is big on live tv and he wants every channel under the sun. His services are FuboTV for $65.98/month plus Peacock for $4.99/month. We are in the process of switching FuboTV over to Sling because FuboTV just dropped some of his main channels, but the price will be similar. I like that we can change streaming services at any time and are not locked into a contract. It makes it easy to change when the service changes the channels they are offering.
Current monthly charges:
AcornTV $5
Britbox $3.68
FuboTV $65.98
Peacock $4.99
TOTAL = $79.65
Compare this to a DISH bill of ours from 2018 that I recently found. DISH TV service with equipment was $126.00 Add that to the $4.17 AcornTV I was paying at that time (annual plan was $49.99 then), and our total TV entertainment in 2018 was $130.17 monthly. With more channels and entertainment from only streaming, we are saving $50 per month in 2021 compared to 2018.
We have had Roku boxes since they first came out so we did not have to buy anything new when we went streaming only. We only buy new boxes when old ones become outdated. We usually get more than 5 years per Roku box. New basic boxes are $29.99 but we have paid $19.99 when they are running a deal. You only need one box or stick per TV. I like that there is no monthly fee for the equipment. We have had great luck with Roku boxes and only need new ones when technology improves.
We did not have to upgrade our internet when we went to streaming only even though we only have DSL, and the internet charge remains $45 monthly.
Thanks for much Hefe, Hawk4042C, mom22j, & FreshTomato!
The FIre TV sounds terrific. I DO like what I'm seeing that Amazon Prime offers...so many great-looking shows & movies, so maybe a Fire TV is the way to go & then I still have my Roku to plug in (if I still need to).
But I can see myself trying most (if not all) streaming devices by a certain time, so I want the best TV to get it all at some point. I would like 4K for sure. I always leaned toward Samsung, but open to other good quality brands.
So is the whole QLED vs. OLED worth getting? I watched from some youtube videos that OLED is better.
Thanks for much Hefe, Hawk4042C, mom22j, & FreshTomato!
The FIre TV sounds terrific. I DO like what I'm seeing that Amazon Prime offers...so many great-looking shows & movies, so maybe a Fire TV is the way to go & then I still have my Roku to plug in (if I still need to).
But I can see myself trying most (if not all) streaming devices by a certain time, so I want the best TV to get it all at some point. I would like 4K for sure. I always leaned toward Samsung, but open to other good quality brands.
So is the whole QLED vs. OLED worth getting? I watched from some youtube videos that OLED is better.
As far as I can tell, Toshiba and Insignia (Best Buy’s brand) make Fire TVs, and TCL and Hisense make Roku TVs. I decided on the Toshiba because it was the only brand I was familiar with, plus it had some features that the others didn’t (can’t remember what they were now). I was also already familiar with Fire because of the Fire Sticks I had.
I know Toshiba’s larger Fire TVs are 4K; the other brands I listed probably are too. Samsung doesn’t make a dedicated Fire or Roku TV, but your Roku stick would be almost the same thing. Actually, it’d be exactly what you have now, lol.
I know the absolute BEST picture quality is important to some people, but it isn’t to me. I’m okay with something in the “very good” category. I’ve never even heard of QLED, lol.
Good luck in your search, Forever Blue!
Edit: Forever Blue, I just saw your thread about the Olympic Channel. It’s now free to install on your Roku stick. I just installed it on my Fire Stick to test it.
mom22j, thanks so very much again & I just saw what you said over in my Olympic thread. (Please see what I said there.) I need to see specifically what The Roku Channel offers before signing up for ANY main streaming service to see what they offer. It might be good enough to at least hold off from signing up so fast thus saving some money from having to sign up so fast.
In the meantime, I have to order a new TV remote for this Samsung HDTV I currently have because I couldn't find it & when they cut off my cable & I have to return their equipment (incl. the remote) I won't have a way to switch between inputs...unless I just buy a new TV real fast, ha!
Thanks again everyone! Please check back in this thread, I might have more streaming quesions. I'd think all this info I'm asking about is helping the OP too!
mom22j, thanks so very much again & I just saw what you said over in my Olympic thread. (Please see what I said there.) I need to see specifically what The Roku Channel offers before signing up for ANY main streaming service to see what they offer. It might be good enough to at least hold off from signing up so fast thus saving some money from having to sign up so fast.
In the meantime, I have to order a new TV remote for this Samsung HDTV I currently have because I couldn't find it & when they cut off my cable & I have to return their equipment (incl. the remote) I won't have a way to switch between inputs...unless I just buy a new TV real fast, ha!
Thanks again everyone! Please check back in this thread, I might have more streaming quesions. I'd think all this info I'm asking about is helping the OP too!
No problem, Forever Blue. I’ve been slowly learning about all this streaming stuff since May, so I’m happy to share what I’ve learned. I’m by no means an expert on it all.
I don’t know if this will be the same for you, but once I got rid of Dish and got the new 3rd Generation Fire Stick, my Sony now opens up on the Fire screen; I no longer have to toggle to the HDMI port it’s in. The new 3rd Gen remote looks almost exactly like the one for my Fire TV with volume control, mute, etc. which your Roku Stick remote should have too. (The older Fire remote didn’t have any of that.) The only time I need my TV remote is to switch to antenna or the blue ray player; other than that, my Fire remote controls the TV.
Apps with live channels plus video on demand: Roku TV, IMBD TV, Pluto TV. It is correct that you don't need a FireTV device to watch Prime Video, it is available on a Roku device. A FireTV device will essentially just duplicate what is on a Roku but with heavier Amazon marketing.
If you already have an Amazon account you will get a free tier of Prime movies & shows, there are also ones available for purchase but you can set up the Prime app to just show you the "free" tier that comes with membership.
And don't ignore Youtube (the free service) it has all sorts of programs including lots of old movies & tv shows once you learn how to search on it.
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