TCL Roku tales (and, how much is my old TV worth?)

My kid wanted a TV to exercise outside with YouTubby videos, so on a big sale at Target (-5% using RedCard) I got a TCL 43S425. Nice! The Roku TV part is a very different OS from the old TV* so I can see there will be a learning curve however it seems very flexible. Any hints/comments about the Roku OS, let fly!

(*Vizio M60-C3. How much is this thing worth?!? I tried looking on Craigslist to compare, but people are wanting ridiculous money for their TVs, more than new ones, they are on crack. The Vizio works fine, cosmetically fine. I'm gonna Craigslist it ($300?!?!?) or sell to in-laws ($200?!?!?)).

One nice feature is a 2 month free subscription to Philo TV which is internet based, no cable or satellite. This was recommended by @MilMascaras @leemelone @stanley00, so thanks folks. I finally hooked that up and VOILÁ pretty much the channels we watch. After the 2 months, $20 up to 3 streams, instead of the $130 I've been forking out to DIRECT$$TV.

So to save the money, I replaced the main TV with a 55S525. So far, so good, though I just unboxed it, screwed the feet in, and connected a crummy little (I do mean LITTLE, like 9" long) rabbit ears. I think it needs a better antenna**-at least some channels are visible. I haven't put my contact lenses in, and the 43" is outside under a tree but still with glare, so I can't comment about the picture yet.

**I need something indoor, ideally with a stand, to stick behind the TV. No outdoor or attic antenna for now-probably later but that is a long story I won't get into now.

 

Hmmm...isn't there some kind of a Roku-compatible remote that has a full keyboard? I hate poking left/right/up/down

 

Get the app for your phone(if you have one) to control Roku at least it’ll give you a keyboard to make searching easier.

 

Hi. And welcome to the RokuTV world.

As for the remote, well I just ended up preferring the Roku minimalism compared to cable/satellite remotes with 60 little buttons… as an old song once mentioned: “500 channels and nothing on…” And the Roku app for smartphone is pretty great 'Remote' too ...

I’m glad Philo had the main channels you most wanted. As for Rabbit ears. thats a tough one, as most of the reviews are based on their individual geography, and a persons review from Phoenix or Idaho is meaningless in LA…Too many people opine: “the one I got is great!” Many of LAs OTA (over the air) channels reside at/near the Low VHF bands, and most modern indoor antennas don’t cover the Low VHF frequencies anymore. The old adage is “as many elements as possible on the antenna, with the widest Low VHF, VHF and UHF bandwidth as possible, mounted as highly as possible, and pointed as accurately as possible”

And finally, after 9 years of Roku usage, I have made a master list of the best Free channels based on my trials and errors. Now when I set up friends and family, I have expertly narrowed down my recommendations for a full channel lineup of FREE channels. I hate paying for anything *other than* our family-wide shared subscriptions to AmznPrime Video, Hulu and Netflix (and in your case Philo)

I set up my home screen so that my top dozen or so choices are prominently arranged at the top of the home page, and all the other channels sectionalized and arranged below them in alphabetical A-Z order. (too many crappy channels are monthly subscription after free trial, and I advise against them... the whole purpose of the Roku is to see how much you can get free)...

Here are my well researched recommendations for the top choices:

Roku Player Setup Optimized

{- - - Main Channels at Top of Home Screen - - - }
Amazon Prime Video
Hulu
Netflix

*Philo (cuz you mention you got it)
PlutoTV
Roku Channel
Stirr
Xumo
YouTube

{- - - Music Channels at Middle of Home Screen - - - }
Pandora
SomaFM
Spotify
TuneIn (allows you to tune internet radio channels as 'guest', without creating an account)

{- - - All Other Channels at Bottom'ish of Home Screen, A-Z'ish - - - }

ABCNews CBSNews NBCNews
Comedy Central
Cnet
Crackle
Crunchyroll
CW
Filmrise
Google Play ?
HayStack
HGTV
History

Hoopla (uses LA Public Library card as membership)
Kanopy(uses LA Public Library card as membership)
KCET
Locast (Local OTA Channels!) [nags every 15 minutes though]
LocalBTV (?)[beta rollout]
Midnight Pulp
Nat Geo TV
NewsOn
PBS
Popcornflix
RedBullTV
Rolling Stone
Shout
SnagFilms
TED
Tubi
Vevo
VRV
VUDU (best free with Ads choices, and 'Rental Store' for Blockbusters)
Whisky A Go Go
Wired
WSJ

{Free Customized Theme and Free Classic Aquarium Screensaver}
Fireworks Theme
Aquatic Life Screensaver (free)

** this list is a text file I carry on my Notes app on my phone, cut and pasted **

 

I have 2 Hi Sense TVs which also use the Roku interface. Roku is awesome. The AppleTV app now works on Roku which opens up a lot of options for tv and movies.

 

This main reason I won't buy roku their remote sucks..

 

I have no issue using the Roku remote. I fight it works better than the Amazon Fire Stick remote and my Samsung TV remote.

 

The physical remote or the app remote?

 

Welcome to the world of Roku. I hope you don't expect to be able to stream HBO.

 

Or Peacock currently. Although negotiations are still ongoing for both apparently.

 

I don't give a rat's bottom about HBO, but why do you say that?

 

The one Roku negatives so far is:
- You cannot store your favorite antenna channels to the home page
- Nor to the top of the antenna program guide
- ...which is supposed to happen "automatically" but does not seem to be (and I much prefer to control it myself)
So far I am going in and "hiding" most of the 120-some channels here

 

Why NBCUniversal's Peacock is not available on Roku and Amazon Fire TV — Business Insider

 

I just bought a TCL 8 Series with Roku. I’m getting HBOMax through Hulu until the Max app is available.

 

Then you won't want to see this article about the TCL 8 series being half off at Best Buy:

TCL's huge 8-series TVs are half off right now for savings up to $1,500

 

Luckily I got my 65” TV when they were half off last month.