Roku 3 rocks!

Recently signed up again for Roku streaming media after a six year hiatus.  Have on the original first and second generation appliances and both continued to work with the exception of Netflix and Amazon.

This is because the writer uses a VPN router that terminates in Canada. You might think I Live in the Great White North if you checked my IP address whereas I actually live in FL.

Have the ability to bring up another VPN that terminates in the US, but I was still running into "unable to retrieve activation code messages on my LCD TV. Oddly, I could watch Netflix and Amazon video on my laptop just fine. 

Would also mention if have subscribed to Amazon Prime. It provides free shipping for most of you Amazon orders.  You also will be able to watch a lot of free movies. You can expect a charge to your Amazon account if you watch the newer releases.

I checked the Internet and one person said updating the Roku would fix the activation  problem. Doesn't that almost always work.

So I purchased a Roku 3. The Roku 3 is nearly identical to  Roku 2 except it has an Ethernet port. The Roku 2 only supports wireless connections,.

The Roku  looks like an over-sized hockey puck, but it is powerful. After connecting an HDMI cable to your LCD, LED or HDTV, plug it in and configure the the appliance for either Ethernet or wireless.

You will need a Roku pin to register generic applications in the Channel Store like WSJ Live. To register apps like Netflix and Amazon, you will need an an activation code from the TV that you will have to enter on the Amazon or Netflix web site, for example.

You may be able to use you out of country VPN if you change your domain name servers in your router of cable modem. See https://unlocator.com/.

With the Roku 3, you may be able to opt out of cable service altogether because you can access news, movies and TV shows. It is even has a game player and comes free with Angry Birds. Other low cost games can be purchased, too. 

The Roku controller can also be used as a game controller.

The Roku 3 has a standard 3.5mm audio jack.  You can use the ear buds the Roku comes with or plug in standard head phones.

This is great if you are heard of hearing or hearing disabled because you have blue tooth audio connection with the Roku appliance that mutes the TV audio. You can listen to all of the audio content that Roku provides including the Pandora streaming music service.

A closing comment, the lags that were common the the older Roku appliances are now gone. Videos no longer time out and have to restart. Rightardia was quite impressed with the latest in Roku technology.

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