Solving playback issues

[cranneberry]

I have several big TVs connected to Xfinity...I pay a monthly fee for each box.

i have a little TV next to my desk...I would like to have news on in the backgriund while I am working.

i have a Roku 3 that I use to connect one of my big TVs (not a smart TV) when I want to stream, such as Youtube or Netflix. 

i want to avoid paying for another xfinity box--it just isn't worth it. Is there a way to connect my Roku 3 to the small TV for viewing just a few channels, for free? If so, can you tell me exactly how to set it up, such as what cables I need?

Thanks in advance...

[cranneberry]

The TV is a Samsung LN22B460.

[atc98092]

Assuming your Samsung has an HDMI port, then there's no issue connecting a Roku player to it. The problem might be with the model Roku you have, as the two versions of Roku 3 are now almost ten and almost 12 years old. Looking at the Xfinity support page for Roku, they do support both models at this time. Just be aware that support for that old of a box might go away without notice. Of course, even the basic Roku Express can be bought new for a low price (currently on sale for $17.99). That would be far less expensive than paying rental fees for another cable box. 

Also, be aware your TV is a 720p display. The single HDMI port will accept a 1080i signal, but not 1080p. All Roku players support 720p over HDMI, so you should be OK. Just don't try to set it to 1080 in the Roku display settings menu.

[cranneberry]

Dan--thank you for responding.

I have plugged my Roku into elec power and into the HDMI recepticles on the TV and the Roku. My cable cord is plugged from the wall into ANT IN on the back of the TV. When I turn on the TV, I get snow and a message that says Weak or No Signal.

My Samsung remote does nothing...I have to turn on the TV with the xfinity remote. If I press TV Input, choices come up, including HDMI, but I cannot change it on either remote. 

Under Cable Without a Cable Box in my TV manual, it told me to plug the cable into ANT IN but maybe this is wrong? It doesn't seem logical to me that without a cable box, my TV would still be (somewhat) controlled by the xfinity remote.

Thanks...

[atc98092]

You won't get any TV channels until you can scan for active channels. Getting snow means it's on an analog TV channel (probably channel 2, as it's the first channel) and since there's no analog TV stations anymore you won't get anything until you scan the digital portion of the broadcast TV spectrum. 

It sounds like your Samsung remote isn't working correctly, perhaps bad batteries or they are installed incorrectly. To get to the Roku, you need to be able to change to the HDMI input. Maybe, perhaps, you can cycle through the different inputs with your Xfinity remote by pressing the input button multiple times. 

But you are really going to need a working remote for the TV to be able to get everything working. Odds are your cable box is attempting to output an analog signal (terrible way to display a digital signal) and the TV isn't on the correct channel. Most analog outputs on devices (cable TV box, VCR, etc.) usually output by default on channel 3, so you need to be able to change the channel on the TV. If your cable box has analog outputs (red/white RCA jacks for audio and yellow for video) that would be preferable to using an RF modulator sending it out on channel 3. But that still requires being able to change the input on the TV.

[cranneberry]

It works!

My Roku and TV remotes now have clean terminals and fresh batteries.

I followed your advice to cycle through the different inputs with the Xfinity remote by pressing the input button repeatedly, and that allowed me to set it to HDMI. The Roku popped up.

A bit of frustration...I discovered that the Roku remote must be very close to the Roku in order to work.

I still cannot get any channels when on Input=TV. (I don't know what you mean by "scan the digital portion of the broadcast TV spectrum"). The only channels are 3, 4 and 61, all with snow. But I think I will have enough channels through the Roku to satisfy me...I see that at least several of the streaming channels I subscribe to are available.

Now that the 2 remotes are working, I imagine I can put away the xfinity remote.

Thanks so much for your help!

[atc98092]

In the TV's settings menu, there will be a place to scan for local TV channels. You need to let it scan to find your local stations. It will scan analog and digital automatically. This is assuming you have an actual antenna connected to the TV, not just the cable box. If you have the cable box connected to the RF (antenna) port, then all you can get is whatever the cable box is sending out of the coax, which is likely going to look terrible without using an HDMI or at least the analog composite outputs I previously mentioned.

[cranneberry]

No settings menu item to scan channels. No antenna attached to TV, as I used to watch with a tiny cable box, which was somehow dropped from my account and I don't want it anymore due to cost.

Glad I have the Roku...it has lots of channels available, so I will leave it at that.

Thanks again...Happy Holidays!

[renojim]

@cranneberry, search the "Streaming Store" on your Roku for Xfinity and you should be able to add their streaming app.