# Searching for a Set Top Box



## mikemyers (May 19, 2010)

I'm not sure this is the right forum in which to ask, but here goes. (If it should be elsewhere, maybe someone can advise where I can re-post.)

I will soon have both my DTV and OTA working smoothly. People have been suggesting I'm missing out on all sorts of content on the internet, so I'm slowly adding that. 

My 55" Sony has the Android setup to select internet shows to play - I already added Netflix, and am looking for the channel I can't remember the name of, that has all the ancient TV shows available (such as Highway Patrol, Man with a Camera, Sea Hunt....). 

A friend of mine bought a Element Ti4 from Amazon. I see that's now replaced with a Ti5. The review I read said how crude it was, but my friend loves it.

A huge number of write-ups recommend getting the Roku, which for me would be the new one that supports 4K. I've resisted that for years, but I'm now looking into it.

I'm not especially into Apple products, so I'm not sure I'd get the best use out of an Apple TV box. That's way down on my list, but my nephew showed one off to me, and for use with an iPhone it's pretty cool.


What I would very much like, is the ability to take the 10,000+ program sources that show up in the menu system, and cut it down to ONLY the ones that I'm likely to use. Any advice? .....or, I just get one each, and see which one I like using the most.....


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## phrelin (Jan 18, 2007)

mikemyers said:


> I'm not sure this is the right forum in which to ask, but here goes. (If it should be elsewhere, maybe someone can advise where I can re-post.)
> 
> I will soon have both my DTV and OTA working smoothly. People have been suggesting I'm missing out on all sorts of content on the internet, so I'm slowly adding that.
> 
> ...


When I switch over to my Roku only the sources I use show up - Netflix, Amazon, Acorn TV, and a few others. You do have to set that up. Each one of those Apps has its own interface and it took me awhile to get those Apps organized to show "My List" or whatever each calls it.


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## Rich (Feb 22, 2007)

mikemyers said:


> A huge number of write-ups recommend getting the Roku, which for me would be the new one that supports 4K. I've resisted that for years, but I'm now looking into it.
> 
> I'm not especially into Apple products, so I'm not sure I'd get the best use out of an Apple TV box. That's way down on my list, but my nephew showed one off to me, and for use with an iPhone it's pretty cool.


Before you jump on the Roku 4, you should read about all the problems with it.  _*AVS*_ has a dedicated thread about the R4 and it isn't pretty. I've had two of them and returned both.

The Apple TV 4 is the best streaming box I've ever owned and I've bought most of the streamers at one time or another. The R4 does sound better when you read positive reviews about it, but do well to read that thread (you'll have to search for "roku 4) on the link to AVS above and read some of those posts before you jump on one and for the love of God, don't buy one from Roku's website. Their return policy seems to be "wait as long as we possibly can before we return the money". And their tech support is terrible.

Simply put, I bought two R4s and returned both very quickly and bought one ATV4 and planned to return it as soon as I watched some of my son's iTunes purchased movies. Then I saw how good it was and kept it.

Rich


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## mikemyers (May 19, 2010)

Thanks for the tip - I went to the website, and read the first and last pages. It seems like the problems are being corrected (use a different HDMI cable, and various settings, and apparently don't program it to shut down after a period of non-use.)


I spent yesterday trying to get my living room setup working. I've got a Sony 40XBR7 television and a Blu-Ray DVD player with the set top box functionality built in.
It took well over an hour to successfully learn how to make my own 30 foot long Ethernet cable - building cables used to be trial and error, but last night I learned how to do it reliably. 
The tv is physically connected to the internet, but I still need to configure the settings.
The DVD player is connected and working - my test was whether or not I could get Netflix working, and that's done.
I bought one of the Roku 4 boxes from Best Buy, and will get a chance to play around with it starting tomorrow evening. I haven't even un-boxed it yet. 
This morning, after a long discussion with the tech people there, I bought one of the "Element Ti5" set top boxes. My friend thinks it's the greatest thing since sliced bread, and is very impressed. 
One of these boxes, not sure which one, will get moved into my living room. I've got a lot to learn.

The tv also has an input so it can be used as a computer monitor. That's one more thing I want to get connected. I'm curious as to whether I can do what I wanted to do many years ago, use a laptop as a set top box.


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## Wilf (Oct 15, 2008)

You might want to look into a Plex media server - a good way to stream ripped DVD/BR's to your TV and from other sources. More convenient than using a DVD player. Can also be used for pictures and music streaming as well.


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## trh (Nov 3, 2007)

Wilf said:


> You might want to look into a Plex media server - a good way to stream ripped DVD/BR's to your TV and from other sources. More convenient than using a DVD player. Can also be used for pictures and music streaming as well.


Plex certainly is a very nice media server. And most of the features and devices can be used for free. I think I spent $3 or $4 for a Ruku account (and it works simultaneously on multiple Roku's) and $2 for the Amazon Fire Stick app. I have almost 300 movies on my NAS that we can watch anywhere (although data caps will eventually stop us from streaming outside of our house).


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## B Newt (Aug 12, 2007)

Look into Stream Smart.. It gets everything and you don't pay for service.


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