I got 2 SMART TV sets and 3 no SMART TV sets, how do I get the 5 connected to ROKU, smart tv sets have ROKU app, do they need the stick as well? Or just for the dumb older HD sets?
My Samsung smart TV is too old to have the Roku TV app, but I suspect it only gives you access to The Roku channel, which does include a bunch of streaming channels. If you want to access other channels available on Roku for which your smart TV has no app, you'll need to connect a Roku device to the TV.
I really don't know how the Roku channel/app works on a non-Roku device. Do you create a Roku account? Can you access premium/paid content through it? If you do, can you view that content on another device via that channel/app? Obviously I need to learn more about third party devices and the Roku channel/app.
All that being said, the Roku channel/app on a non-Roku device is very different than actually having a Roku device. I believe you can only link a Roku device to a Roku account via the website. If you're only interested in The Roku Channel it seems like you don't necessarily need a Roku device for each TV. There's other streamers out there that have the app.
If you're interested in the myriad of other channels/apps that a Roku device gives you access to then you'll need a Roku device for each TV.