Channels & viewing

[ILikeToWatch]

Ok.

1) I have a Roku device connected to my TV. Using that device, I can watch Roku content. It's a bunch of channels laid out like a more traditional hook-up- there's a bunch of channels, you can scroll through them and watch them. I don't recall if I'm logged in or not, but I'm not paying for the content. I have Netflix, Max, etc- but those are separate 'apps' that run on the Roku and I use those to watch content from those providers on my TV. I believe Roku calls those "premium channels".

2) When I'm on my computer, I can go to https://therokuchannel.roku.com/ and watch content. I can't tell if it is all the content, but looks like a lot of it is there. 

3) On my phone, I've installed the Roku App from the Google Play app store (Android) I presume there's one also for the iPhone. This app enables me to watch some content on my phone, without any option to hit 'cast' to send it to my TV. Some content, I can find on my phone app, but only 'play on Roku TV'. I've not figured out why some content is available to watch on the phone, why some must be sent to the TV, and why you can't just send anything to the TV to watch. Either it's the tech, or perhaps it's content rights issues.

If there's something I'm missing, some other way to watch the content, let me know.  

[ILikeToWatch]

it's not her fault that Roku confounds what we would traditionally call a channel with "The Roku Channel" which they use to mean something else, not one Channel, but multiple content streams.  I'm sorry- I've read your answers, I know you're trying to help, but it's just not very clear the way you describe it. 

[ILikeToWatch]

You wrote, "If I don’t have a TV in my room and I want to stream a channel through ROKU, can I do it on my Mac AirbookPro?" I think you mean to ask: "Can I watch Roku content on my Mac?" 

See this post. 

https://community.roku.com/t5/Channels-viewing/Can-I-watch-Roku-on-a-laptop-or-desktop-computer/m-p/...

The simple answer is that if you go to https://therokuchannel.roku.com much of Roku content is available there to watch, in your browser. 

[scriptatious]

You can plug your Roku straight into your computer monitor to watch it if your monitor has an hdmi input port. Or an hdmi input port on a laptop.

[atc98092]

Some of these responses are getting muddled. The plain answer: you cannot watch content from your Roku on a computer. The Roku player will only output its content via an HDMI cable to a compatible display. 

Much of the content found on a Roku device has some sort of web site availability as well. YouTube is of course a prime example, as well as Netflix, Prime Video and dozens more. Roku themselves offer The Roku Channel as a web site, on Roku devices as a channel/app, and on many other streaming platforms as well, including some Smart TVs. 

But there are also many, many channels/apps on Roku devices that can only be watched with a Roku. They will not offer a web site for viewing, and again there's no way to send the Roku stream to a computer or other device. It will only, only, display via an HDMI connection to a monitor/TV. 

[JessicaSaRenna]

Thank you for your answering. This was exactly what I was looking for because I had the same question about using my roku stick in my laptop. My HP gaming laptop has an HDMI port.

[atc98092]

@JessicaSaRenna your laptop HDMI port is output only, so you can connect your laptop to a larger screen. It will not work as an input for something like a Roku.

[JessicaSaRenna]

Oh okay. Because I watch my Amazon firestick on my laptop with the OBS app and the audio &video capture device attached, so I thought the Roku stick would work the same. 

[atc98092]

If you have a video capture device, that's a different story. You didn't mention you had an external connection. 🙂

If it works with your Fire TV device, then a Roku should work just as well. The biggest issue for most streaming devices is that they use HDCP encryption, which is not common on computer video capture cards. But since the Fire TV also uses HDCP, your Roku should work.

[fart2]

fart2 agrees