Getting Started - Setup & How-to

[Caleb227]

Hi there, so I have an older roku.  It visibly looks like the current 4k model, probably the one before that.  not the generation that stopped working lately.

That said I saw promotional info from Roku saying you can watch HD TV through Roku..  this is great.  I could get an HD antenna, however I just wanted to be sure this isn't something that only applies to TVs with Roku built into the TV..  will my outboard Roku using a single HDMI cable be able to access the remote antenna somehow?  I have a 52" Samsung.  It's a little older..  smart device.  However I still use my Roku with it because it's not smart enough to have the Roku app installed on it.  

Thanks,

Caleb

[atc98092 · Accepted solution]

Yes, you can watch TV using a Roku device. However, that doesn't mean you can connect an antenna to it and receive over the air (OTA) TV. Only a Roku TV has a TV tuner. What that promotion likely meant is you can access TV content on a Roku through various channels. And depending on where you live, there is a new service that offers local OTA channels with excellent quality. The catch is they aren't in all markets yet. The channel is called Locast. It requires creating a free account on their website (locast.org).

[Caleb227]

I see, that's good to know.  I kinda figured that might be the catch.  It wasn't clear at the time, but that's good to hear.  I will check out lowcast.  I'm in the Boston area, so hopefully that's a big enough city to have some streaming support of over the air channels.  I suppose worse case I can still get HD channels but it's just a different TV mode.. I'm not a big fan of that.. Would much rather stay in the Eco-sphere of Roku.