# Options for TV Subsciption Channels



## teleboli (Aug 19, 2009)

Can never seem to find anything to watch on the idiot box. Good ol' Bell.

I assume Rogers is pretty much the same.

I'm thinking of just getting a few subscription services. You know Netflix, Acorn etc.

I'm wondering what those in the know are into.

Areas of interest. 

- old movies. Nothing past 1980 

- British programming

- documentaries

Thanks in advance.

Oh, and teles. Lots of teles.


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## JBFairthorne (Oct 11, 2014)

Most services I’ve used, Netflix, Disney, Amazon Prime, Tubi (free) have a relatively easy method for canceling and/or restarting membership. There are a lot of original to channel options and some overlap of content. I tend to get Netflix for 3 months, cancel, Disney for a month, cancel, get Prime for a month or two and cancel, sign up for Netflix again etc. By the time you get back to any given service there’s lots of new content. It literally takes less than 2 minutes to re sign up for Netflix if I happen to see something I want to watch.


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## teleboli (Aug 19, 2009)

JBFairthorne said:


> Most services I’ve used, Netflix, Disney, Amazon Prime, Tubi (free) have a relatively easy method for canceling and/or restarting membership. There are a lot of original to channel options and some overlap of content. I tend to get Netflix for 3 months, cancel, Disney for a month, cancel, get Prime for a month or two and cancel, sign up for Netflix again etc. By the time you get back to any given service there’s lots of new content. It literally takes less than 2 minutes to re sign up for Netflix if I happen to see something I want to watch.


Thanks JB.

Would you say the entities you're tried well suit the criterion I mentioned?


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## JBFairthorne (Oct 11, 2014)

Maybe, maybe not. The point I’m trying to make is, try one for a month, then cancel and try something else.


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## JBFairthorne (Oct 11, 2014)

Another consideration might be an Android box


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## polyslax (May 15, 2020)

I think Netflix has the most BBC coverage, so you'll find a fair number of British shows. Lots of documentary programming on Netflix as well. Amazon Prime probably has the most music-related programming, concerts, documentaries etc. Crave is pretty weak in my opinion, haven't tried Disney. Curiosity Stream is a good deal for nature/science type documentaries and it costs me something like $14 for a year. Not sure where you can get your old flic fix.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

If one has a preference for UK content, then Britbox ( Home | BritBox ) may be for you. I can't say how it compares to Acorn, which is also primarily UK content.
We have a Roku tv and one of the free streaming options is a British-TV focussed service. Lots of older sitcoms and such. I find there are also older British/Irish/Scottish sitcoms on the (free) Roku channel as well. I'll watch Father Ted and Bridget & Eamon episodes now and then.


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## jimmythegeek (Apr 17, 2012)

I have Crave, Netflix and Prime. Crave is, as mentioned above, a bit weak and we likely won't be keeping it. Prime is your best bet for pre-1980 movies although even there the pickings are slim. I thibk Criterion has a subscription service but it's a bit pricey and the movies may not necessarily scratch your particular itch but they will be old.


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## knight_yyz (Mar 14, 2015)

Roku is another alternative . You can get access to everything mentioned above thru it, including cineplex, paramount+ disney+ etc... There is also a ton of free stuff but to be honest a lot of it is ancient television and b movies


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## Diablo (Dec 20, 2007)

If you ever order stuff on Amazon, I think Prime gives you their tv service. So, it’s a two-fer. Might be a way to dip your toes in the water.
we have prime, netflix and F1 channel subscriptions on our nvidia shield and Amazon fire stick devices, along with a few other apps like Tubi. We watch Youtube (free) a lot, and CBC GEM (free) gets you HNIC and a lot of other CBC stuff.PBS and CNBC have free apps too. 
Been 2 years since I cancelled the satellite plan.


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## teleboli (Aug 19, 2009)

Thanks to all for the replies.

That Roku sure has a lot of options. Of course it's an add on piece of hardware but seems worthwhile.


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## JBFairthorne (Oct 11, 2014)

I tried to setup the Roku for an elderly fella I know. He hard to put a CC number in to even access free stuff. We never got past that point.


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## knight_yyz (Mar 14, 2015)

My TV is a Sharp Roku, so it is built right in. You don't have to give them a credit card. They tried that on me. Just go to the website and register the device. But if you do decide to pay for a subscription you will have to provide one.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Factory Direct has been selling Roku TVs cheap for some time. TVs with Roku built in are easy to operate and I imagine a darn sight easier to operate than a Roku box. Before getting a Roku TV, I bought an Android media box to plug in to the TV, and it is a royal pain to operate. I'm sure it does a lot, but only with great difficulty.


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## knight_yyz (Mar 14, 2015)

I love that you can add PLEX with Roku as well


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## SWLABR (Nov 7, 2017)

We have an antennae for local, Prime for some stuff (I love Bridget & Eamon) and an Android for the rest. As mentioned, Prime is a free add-on if you have an Amazon Prime account. The Android needs "updating" every couple years. It's good for us. Can't watch much sports, but I share my Dad's DAZN (all perfectly legal) for EPL matches, and I go to bed so early, I wouldn't watch mid-week hockey anyway.


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## teleboli (Aug 19, 2009)

Well I'm kinda leaning toward a Roku TV now just for simplicity sake and based on responses.

The amount of programming on the Roku site is pretty impressive.


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## colchar (May 22, 2010)

If you want British stuff, both Britbox and AcornTV are essential. They are British services so have far more British content than anything like Netflix does.


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## colchar (May 22, 2010)

teleboli said:


> Well I'm kinda leaning toward a Roku TV now just for simplicity sake and based on responses.
> 
> The amount of programming on the Roku site is pretty impressive.



I have a couple of Roku boxes here. My main one was screwing up so my brother got me AppleTV. It is decent, but the interface on Roku is far, far better.


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## dtsaudio (Apr 15, 2009)

I have Rogers Ignite. With that you have access to Netflix, Prime, Tubi and a few other junk channels. You have to pay for the subscriptions to Netflix, and Prime. Prime is okay as it also allows access to Britbox and Acorn, but it limits tbe programming. Prime also makes you pay for extras like good movies. So it can be a money pit.
We also use a Roku. I got it because it has a dedicated remote. With that we watch Tubi, Filmrise (both free), and Acorn and Britbox.


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## colchar (May 22, 2010)

mhammer said:


> Factory Direct has been selling Roku TVs cheap for some time. TVs with Roku built in are easy to operate and I imagine a darn sight easier to operate than a Roku box.


They are no different from a Roku box. They use the same interface.


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## colchar (May 22, 2010)

mhammer said:


> If one has a preference for UK content, then Britbox ( Home | BritBox ) may be for you. I can't say how it compares to Acorn, which is also primarily UK content.


Basically two sides of the same coin - one is from BBC and the other from ITV. They each show their own stuff, or stuff they have licensed, but they also show the same shows with one having some seasons and the other having the rest (_Vera_ is one show that I know is split between the two).


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## colchar (May 22, 2010)

Not to take this in another direction, but have you considered boxes like the ones available at the link below? I keep meaning to stop by this store when I am in Georgetown, but am usually there after it has closed.

I am curious about their boxes and service, and might make the switch to them myself.




https://uprhomesystems.com/


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## Rollin Hand (Jul 12, 2012)

Isn't that basically an Android box?


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## colchar (May 22, 2010)

Rollin Hand said:


> Isn't that basically an Android box?



Oh I have no idea. Technology befuddles me.


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## Rollin Hand (Jul 12, 2012)

I am just unsure of the distinction between Kodi boxes and Android boxes.

FWIW, I use a Chromecast on my older TV, and my upstairs TV accepts casting as part of the package. Anything I can watch on my phone, I can watch on my TVs.


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## MetalTele79 (Jul 20, 2020)

You might as well sign up for Tubi. It's free because it is ad supported (about 3-4 breaks per film). They have lots of content but most of it is garbage. 

Netflix/Prime/Disney have some good exclusive content and as mentioned above, they usually have a free month at the start where you can try them out before deciding if you want to stick with them. 

I have a young kid so I ordered Disney+ and saved money by paying a single annual fee instead of monthly. A couple months ago they added content from STAR so there is lots of non-Disney/Pixar/StarWars/Marvel stuff now.

A note about Prime... It comes with Amazon Prime so if you shop on Amazon there is faster shipping and a lower threshold for free shipping. It also comes with Amazon Music but I have Spotify so I don't you that feature. The issue with Prime video is it has a ton of content but not all of it is free and it's not always clear what is included until you click on the title.


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## teleboli (Aug 19, 2009)

Thanks to all for the suggestions.

I think I've settled on Roku. The content is mind numbing and I can add 1 or 2 more services if needed. They're fairly cheap.

I'll also be replacing my dumb tv. I was surprised to see that only TCL, Sharp, RCA, Sanyo, Westinghouse and Hisense have the built in Roku platform. Unless I'm mistaken if you go with any other brand you'd need a Roku stick etc.

After some preliminary research I'm not overly impressed by the reviews of the manufactures above. A lot of performance/short life complaints.

I know I would not 'do well' with a tv that lasted a year and a half or similar.

Bring on the rabbit hole


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## Diablo (Dec 20, 2007)

make sure you have a good internet service as well, of course.


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## colchar (May 22, 2010)

teleboli said:


> Thanks to all for the suggestions.
> 
> I think I've settled on Roku. The content is mind numbing and I can add 1 or 2 more services if needed. They're fairly cheap.
> 
> ...



Do not buy a Samsung, they have ads imbedded in their software that you cannot turn off.

Just buy the TV you like best, and buy a Roku box or stick afterwards. They are less than $100 and can be found anywhere.


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## 2manyGuitars (Jul 6, 2009)

Whatever you do, subscribe to NordVPN for about 3 bucks a month. With it, I can tell Netflix I live in the US and I get a huge bump in the number of titles. You could tell it you live in the UK and probably get British programming not available in Canada. Same with other streaming options.


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## Diablo (Dec 20, 2007)

2manyGuitars said:


> Whatever you do, subscribe to NordVPN for about 3 bucks a month. With it, I can tell Netflix I live in the US and I get a huge bump in the number of titles. You could tell it you live in the UK and probably get British programming not available in Canada. Same with other streaming options.


They must’ve changed their technology, I had NordVPN a while back and neither prime or Netflix would work with it. It was annoying toggling it on and off all the time. I may sign up again on one of their big sales via Rakuten, if that’s the case.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

colchar said:


> Do not buy a Samsung, they have ads imbedded in their software that you cannot turn off.
> 
> Just buy the TV you like best, and buy a Roku box or stick afterwards. They are less than $100 and can be found anywhere.


Just note that, like much of the internet, when something seems free, the end-user is generally the product. So "free" services are generally interrupted by commercials that cannot be skipped over in any way. Youtube also inserts commercials, but at least provides a countdown to when the user can skip back to the content. Roku and Tubi, and some others I imagine, make you sit through the entire commercial, and usually several in a row. Not_ quite_ as bad as some broadcast channels (we've counter upwards of 10 commercials during a break), but it kinda makes one yearn for the days when George Burns and Gracie Fields might diverge from a sketch momentarily to talk about Eno fruit salts or Dutch Master cigars before drifting back to the funny part of the sketch.

And just to be clear, I'm talking about the Roku and Tubi *channels*, not the Roku *box*.


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## laristotle (Aug 29, 2019)

Download what you want via torrent, load it on a USB stick, plug into your TV or DVD player.


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## colchar (May 22, 2010)

mhammer said:


> Just note that, like much of the internet, when something seems free, the end-user is generally the product. So "free" services are generally interrupted by commercials that cannot be skipped over in any way. Youtube also inserts commercials, but at least provides a countdown to when the user can skip back to the content. Roku and Tubi, and some others I imagine, make you sit through the entire commercial, and usually several in a row. Not_ quite_ as bad as some broadcast channels (we've counter upwards of 10 commercials during a break), but it kinda makes one yearn for the days when George Burns and Gracie Fields might diverge from a sketch momentarily to talk about Eno fruit salts or Dutch Master cigars before drifting back to the funny part of the sketch.
> 
> And just to be clear, I'm talking about the Roku and Tubi *channels*, not the Roku *box*.



Who said anything about 'free'? I am talking about Sumsung embedding ads in their software and menus, ads that you cannot turn off and which track your viewing habits and preferences so that they can more accurately target ads to you. If you turn off tracking, you are stuck with whichever ads the software feels like displaying. It is part of the menu on the TV so you cannot avoid seeing the ads.

And this on a TV for which I have paid $1000+, so certainly not anything free. Samsung can go fuck itself, I will never buy another of their products again. Luckily, when I returned that TV a 65" Sony Brava that I had wanted was on sale for almost the same price as I had paid for the Samsung so I ended up with the TV I had originally wanted.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Glad that you could shed the Samsung for something less intrusive. We have our little RCA/Roku 32" and it suits us fine. Seems to be in the sweet spot between TVS that require some sort of external box for streaming, and current-issue "smart" TVs that try to weasel their way into one's life. My ideal TV is a 9" B&W, but there's other members of the family to contend with.

My comment about "free" was with reference to the ostensibly free streaming services one can access with media boxes and "smart" TVs.


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## knight_yyz (Mar 14, 2015)

laristotle said:


> Download what you want via torrent, load it on a USB stick, plug into your TV or DVD player.


That's what i do. I have not paid for cable in years. I get the threatening emails here and there but never had a problem. I only have the Roku because I needed a new TV and the Sharp Roku was the cheapest 65 inch TV at Best Buy. I had no idea Roku was a streaming service until I hooked up the TV and they asked me for my CC. But I found the way around that and just use all the free stuff. I do like the Roku though because iIcan watch live hockey on CBC which was impossible to do before. Now all my movies are on another computer and I use Plex, which is really cool because I can watch my movies anywhere in the world if I pay the fees. ( I don;t because I just watch them all at home) You can even send your friend the code and they can watch all your movies.


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## Jim DaddyO (Mar 20, 2009)

Why can't you find just a regular TV anymore? I don't want a "smart" one for the 2 times a month (maybe) I turn it on.


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## JBFairthorne (Oct 11, 2014)

Jim DaddyO said:


> Why can't you find just a regular TV anymore? I don't want a "smart" one for the 2 times a month (maybe) I turn it on.


You can. They’re usually the ultra cheap ones on the skid In the middle of the aisles at Walmart.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Once upon a time we watched Netflix through a Nintendo WII hooked up to the TV. But then Nintendo and Netflix ended the support for it. The thing is that so many people are skipping cable and relying on streaming over DSL that the "smartness" is the more indispensable aspect for many folks, and the tuner merely a nice to have. to

I'll note that most smart tvs also make it easy to watch Youtube, so even if there are no "regular" shows you feel compelled to watch, there's always Youtube on a big screen.


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## 2manyGuitars (Jul 6, 2009)

Diablo said:


> They must’ve changed their technology, I had NordVPN a while back and neither prime or Netflix would work with it. It was annoying toggling it on and off all the time. I may sign up again on one of their big sales via Rakuten, if that’s the case.


Yeah, I know at one point, if Netflix saw that you were using a VPN, it wouldn’t work.
Just got NordVPN a couple weeks ago and first thing I did was tried US Netflix. Waaaayy more shows and movies.


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## Diablo (Dec 20, 2007)

Jim DaddyO said:


> Why can't you find just a regular TV anymore? I don't want a "smart" one for the 2 times a month (maybe) I turn it on.


Dude, tvs are ridiculously cheap these days. you arent going to be saving much through a "smart-delete" option.


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## Jim DaddyO (Mar 20, 2009)

Diablo said:


> Dude, tvs are ridiculously cheap these days. you arent going to be saving much through a "smart-delete" option.


 Yeah, we bought some Roku thing for our guests. I have no clue how it works. I left the remote and the instructions in the guest lounge. For me, all I need is my Android box and something to hook it to. Right now that's a 52" RCA HD LED TV that is not smart. I prefer to watch TV when I watch it and not have it watching me right back.


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## Diablo (Dec 20, 2007)

Jim DaddyO said:


> Yeah, we bought some Roku thing for our guests. I have no clue how it works. I left the remote and the instructions in the guest lounge. For me, all I need is my Android box and something to hook it to. Right now that's a 52" RCA HD LED TV that is not smart. I prefer to watch TV when I watch it and not have it watching me right back.


My 50" Panasonic plasma is dumb too, wish it would die, but it wont. so it gets all its smarts externally via Nvidia Shield which is great all purpose android box with gaming capabilites (that I am not sophisticated enough or gaming-inclined enough to utilize...but its there.)
our RCA 42" bedroom and home gym tvs also predated smart tvs by a little, but are adequately run by Amazon firesticks.


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## Paul Running (Apr 12, 2020)

Jim DaddyO said:


> Yeah, we bought some Roku thing for our guests. I have no clue how it works. I left the remote and the instructions in the guest lounge. For me, all I need is my Android box and something to hook it to. Right now that's a 52" RCA HD LED TV that is not smart. I prefer to watch TV when I watch it and not have it watching me right back.


We have the Roku thing. The commercials can be annoying with their random interruptions, I use it when I become bored with Netflix.


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