Roku setup

[Huntsmen71]

I'm considering canceling my Xfinity cable and just keeping the high speed internet. Before I do that I want to make sure my Roku will work without a cable service.

[RokuDanny-R · Accepted solution]

@Huntsmen71 

Thanks for the inquiry.

Roku devices do not require a TV or cable subscription to work. However, please be aware that you will not have access to all channels available on a Roku device as some channels require an active TV or cable subscription.

Thanks,
Danny

[KHaze]

Thanks for the info.   How can we know ahead of time what we can get and what we will be losing?

Kathy Hazelett

[Sunny9]

How can I know in advance which channels I would still be able to get, eg Nat Geo Wild? If I drop xfinity cable tv do I lose dvr capability?

[MamaD79]

Everyone talks about how wonderful it is to "cut the cord" NOT so! As a 65-year-old woman who is disabled, TV is pretty much my only form of entertainment that I really enjoy. So by the time I get some kind of streaming service, plus internet to make sure that I get the channels that I really enjoy, it's going to cost about the same as cable. Sure if you want to watch seasons from way back in the beginning of your favorite shows, that you've already seen sure you can do that, I pretty much watch NATGEOWILD, TLC, Lifetime, Hallmark, GMAC, WETV and A&E. So when looking at the different options such as YouTube TV, Sling TV etc, none of them have all my channels, and yo be able to watch the shows that I enjoy, I will have to have more than one service that will actually cost even more than cable. Why can't an old lady just enjoy the last part of her life, doing what I enjoy? The cable/internet and all involved has made it very hard for us! I'm thinking screw "cutting the cord" it's not worth the hassle! I also bought a Roku Smart TV for myself last Christmas, thinking it would solve a lot of stupid issues, not happening ☹️

[Strega2]

There was a time when cutting the cord meant cutting a cord.  Ie: in 1985, when you got tired of paying for cable TV, you would disconnect/cancel/cut the cord.  Your $30 bill went to zero and you watched whatever your antenna could pick up for free.  The old cable cord was no longer in use, and could indeed be cut out if you liked.

Recently, some people say “cut the cord”, when they haven’t cut any cord at all.  Often, they have just stopped paying their cable company to supply content and simply pay someone else for content delivered on the same cord.  (This variation on “cut the cord” seems rather silly to me but people say it all the time.)

It’s not to surprising that if you use the second version, and you insist on exactly the same channels as you had before, then the price should be quite similar. Ie: same content, delivered on the same un-cut cord. Content still has to be paid for.  Cord still needs to be installed and maintained.  Makes sense that it would cost about the same.

But if you can be more flexible, then you can make streaming pretty much as cheap as you want.

Or, if the TV is your only form of entertainment anyway, you could go the opposite way, and use Roku to ADD additional content!

There are lots of ways to go with streaming.  It’s not one size fits all.