Hey Kids,
I'm considering buying a Roku box for my non-smart Samsung 42" TV. Currently, I have an Oppo BDP-103 Blu-Ray player attached to the TV using HDMI #2 (there are only two HDMI inputs on the Samsung). The Oppo has an HDMI input on it so I can attach the Roku box there. I've connected the Oppo to the interwebs using an ethernet cable because it has limited streaming capabilities baked into it. We'd like to open those capabilities up, hence the Roku box.
My question: Does the Roku box still need an internet connection of its own if it is connected to the Oppo via HDMI? Most of them only use a wi-fi connection which I'd rather not use. The only box they make with an ethernet connection also has a voice-activated remote option which I'd rather not have. Is there another brand available that is not all Googly? I'm looking for an ethernet compatible streaming box with no voice remote that does 4K and won't track my chocolate chip cookie consumption if you get my drift.
What are you scared of on the streaming services with cookies? Netflix/Youtube/Hulu/Prime pull all their data from your account
You can always set the DNS servers to use something other than your ISP or Google.
But, ultimately, it will resolve to something like cloudflair and AWS
You'll need to connect any that don't have the Ethernet port to the wifi. It won't connect thru the HDMI.
The voice activated remote also works thru wifi. You can buy non wifi remotes on Amazon for around 10$.
In reply to Grtechguy :
I consider it more than a little chilling when I'm having a frank and private conversation about our medical insurance with my wife. Then my wife opens her phone to find a million ads regarding medical insurance.
Jerry From LA said:
In reply to Grtechguy :
I consider it more than a little chilling when I'm having a frank and private conversation about our medical insurance with my wife. Then my wife opens her phone to find a million ads regarding medical insurance.
The Remote only listens when you push the microphone button. You can also use a non-microphone remote with the device along with the phone/tablet app to control the device.
Delete the Facebook, Google and similar apps from your phones/tablets. That's where most of that ad-related nonsense is coming from.
Get the one with an Ethernet connection and plug it directly into the TV. Plugging it into the Blue-ray may add unnecessary complications, but that depends, so don't be surprised if you have to switch inputs around.
Jerry From LA said:
In reply to Grtechguy :
I consider it more than a little chilling when I'm having a frank and private conversation about our medical insurance with my wife. Then my wife opens her phone to find a million ads regarding medical insurance.
Pretty sure your smartphones contain the mic that needs disabled. To me this intrusive advertising situation is the cost of having "free" email and/or Facebook, YouTube, Google photos, etc.
edit: I have roku ultra which was the only one available with Ethernet connection.
edit2: https://www.roku.com/products/roku-ultra?gclsrc=aw.ds&gclid=CjwKCAiAzrWOBhBjEiwAq85QZ2H78StRAbsAShpjhnhcwFCLOI2CfnSUePN4LUKoyN4QFT8APTCichoCf58QAvD_BwE
The mic was open because my wife used a Square for her business, which needs the mic open to work. She has since ditched the Square. If I go by your house and hear people talking through the windows, I'm not going to sneak up and listen to conversations that are none of my business. No one should be listening. Regarding the Ultra, it still seems to be available. I've been eyeballing it and would buy it in a minute if only for the voice command bullE36 M3.
I have de-Googled my phone to the greatest extent possible. I do not use Facebook with my phone. There is only one outside app on my phone, which I need for work. They want me to download a third-party app and I want them to send me a link to the desktop version. They don't want me to use it because they find it "clumsy" for the end-user. I told them I find their app intrusive and will deal with the clumsiness of the desktop version.
This is all off the topic. I'm trying to figure out the best solution to my problem, given the limitations I have imposed. The alternative is buying a "smart" TV and making it as stupid as possible, even if it means destroying the mic for which I will never have a use.
I think a roku ultra with a "voiceless" remote would do the trick then.
The other nice thing about the ultra (vs the cheaper versions) is it has some extra juice that allows channels to load faster. I hate having to wait for a channel to load and the ultra in my bedroom is a lot faster than the stick in my living room.
4K needs a pretty big pipe. The ethernet connection is just faster, period. Your last sentence is exactly the type of info I'm looking for. I see where simple remotes are pretty cheap too.
Firestick box? Do they still make those? Basically the Roku Ultra, but in firestick form without the voice remote.
In reply to Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) :
They only work as WiFi. I'm looking for an ethernet connection for speed, which is why the Ultra looks good..
One obstacle: Every streaming box I've looked at has its audio going out the HDMI cable. This would make sense if you use the TV sound or perhaps a sound bar. However, half of my audio setup is vintage gear. The only way to put an audio signal through my preamp is through the Oppo Blu-Ray/CD player using its HDMI input. Unfortunately, this can lead to an issue with the Oppo losing the HDMI handshake with the streaming box when the Oppo gets turned off. The streaming box would stay on perpetually. It might have to be rebooted if the Oppo can't see it when powering up. Are there any streaming setups with separate analog audio outs?
is Xfinity a thing where you live? they have a "flex" streaming box that has an ethernet port.
Also, Wifi5 is faster than most consumer-grade Ethernet connections. (typically max 1Gb). Your ISP and Modem will be your bandwidth bottleneck.
In reply to Jerry From LA :
Ah. Way back in the day I had a firestick box thing that was ethernet only. Wondered if they still made it.
Unless there is something very provocative about your existing 42" TV, Costco has a pretty nice 43" TV with 4K, built in streaming, all that happy hoodoo, for $349.
I was like you previously, clinging to my 15 year old Samsung Plasma like it was a life raft on the Titanic. In the last 6 months I picked up an 86" LG LCD for the basement to replace the hokey projector and a 65" LG Oled for the living room to replace the plasma.
Yeah, I've dropped $5k on TVs this year.
It was worth it.
In reply to 93gsxturbo :
That's still on the table, though we'd replace the 42" with something around 60" or so. My wife wants me to mount it on the wall but the screen is a little small for that. So our next TV would be bigger.
That would leave us with a perfectly functioning 42" TV. The Roku box would go with that one, creating a Roku-only unit elsewhere (maybe the garage) in the house. Or we could sell the 42" for whatever small sum it might generate. Or I could use it as a computer monitor for a home audio recording studio. This thread keeps generating ideas.
We thought we might buy the Roku and see how it likes being hooked up through the Oppo. If it requires rebooting every once in awhile, then we'd get a TV with all the good stuff (disabling as much as we can of the bad stuff) and figure out what to do with old set. my wife even posited the possibility of using it as a prop for her home staging business for clients who absolutely insist on having one.
Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) said:
In reply to Jerry From LA :
Ah. Way back in the day I had a firestick box thing that was ethernet only. Wondered if they still made it.
The ethernet Firestick may have morphed into the Ultra, which has an independent power supply, a simple remote with headphone jack, and can be voice activated.
93gsxturbo said:
Unless there is something very provocative about your existing 42" TV, Costco has a pretty nice 43" TV with 4K, built in streaming, all that happy hoodoo, for $349.
I was like you previously, clinging to my 15 year old Samsung Plasma like it was a life raft on the Titanic. In the last 6 months I picked up an 86" LG LCD for the basement to replace the hokey projector and a 65" LG Oled for the living room to replace the plasma.
Yeah, I've dropped $5k on TVs this year.
It was worth it.
except the built-in streaming solutions generally suck and rarely get updated. You'll still eventually want an external solution.
Jerry From LA said:
The mic was open because my wife used a Square for her business, which needs the mic open to work. She has since ditched the Square. If I go by your house and hear people talking through the windows, I'm not going to sneak up and listen to conversations that are none of my business. No one should be listening. Regarding the Ultra, it still seems to be available. I've been eyeballing it and would buy it in a minute if only for the voice command bullE36 M3.
I have de-Googled my phone to the greatest extent possible. I do not use Facebook with my phone. There is only one outside app on my phone, which I need for work. They want me to download a third-party app and I want them to send me a link to the desktop version. They don't want me to use it because they find it "clumsy" for the end-user. I told them I find their app intrusive and will deal with the clumsiness of the desktop version.
This is all off the topic. I'm trying to figure out the best solution to my problem, given the limitations I have imposed. The alternative is buying a "smart" TV and making it as stupid as possible, even if it means destroying the mic for which I will never have a use.
VOICE COMMAND ONLY WORKS WHEN YOU HIT THE SEARCH BUTTON!
I have one, the only time voice search is active is when you hit the search button. Period.
and you have to hold the remote to your mouth for it to hear. Buy an ultra and grab one of the programmable remotes from Logitech, use your tablet smart phones or similar to control it, or a more basic remote that doesn't have a mic.
The streaming bar has optical input, if that helps. Their really old devices had output in analog, but they aren't supported anymore, but the Roku 3 still works and has both analog and ethernet, it just won't do 4K.
