# Which Roku(or other box) should I get for my needs? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 12, 2019, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-roku-or-other-box-should-i-get-for-my-needs/843345 "2019-11-12T19:19:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2019, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-roku-or-other-box-should-i-get-for-my-needs/843345/21 "2019-11-15T13:59:59Z")
Goddammit. I just ordered a streaming stick+ for $50 from Amazon, so I can watch Disney+. So now do I just install it and buy the ultra in a few weeks, and return the stick? And **ftg** , forget it, that ship has sailed. If you want a name brand TV of any reasonable size, it will be smart. And it’s not extra electronics, just extra software anyway. And even once the apps go obsolete (like my 4 year old LG not getting Disney+ on it’s own), the TV is still perfectly usable for everything else. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2019, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-roku-or-other-box-should-i-get-for-my-needs/843345/22 "2019-11-15T16:10:31Z")
As long as TVs have HDMI ports, they should still be usable even without the “smart” portion working. I bought a smart TV because it was the cheapest/best option. I just never gave it the wifi password and instead plugged in my Roku to the HDMI port. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2019, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-roku-or-other-box-should-i-get-for-my-needs/843345/23 "2019-11-15T16:23:16Z")
It seems like nowadays many of the Blu-Ray/DVD players for sale have “smart” capabilities: they can use apps to access streaming services, just like a smart TV. Do these have enough functionality that they rival a Roku box? ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2019, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-roku-or-other-box-should-i-get-for-my-needs/843345/24 "2019-11-15T16:46:31Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > It seems like nowadays many of the Blu-Ray/DVD players for sale have “smart” capabilities: they can use apps to access streaming services, just like a smart TV. Do these have enough functionality that they rival a Roku box? IME they’re no better, and possibly worse, than the smart TV apps. It depends on the age of the equipment too. A brand new Blu-Ray will have better functionality than a 3 year old smart TV. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2019, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-roku-or-other-box-should-i-get-for-my-needs/843345/25 "2019-11-15T17:50:46Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Do these have enough functionality that they rival a Roku box? No. They typically have extremely limited selections for their channels/apps, and are rarely updated. Frankly, I don’t know why Roku hasn’t gotten into the DVD/BR player business - or at least licensed their software. It would make perfect sense. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2019, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-roku-or-other-box-should-i-get-for-my-needs/843345/26 "2019-11-15T19:40:55Z")
I can confirm that Roku 2 has Disney+. I didn’t get any email from them about obsolescence, but I’ll check the spam filters. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2019, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-roku-or-other-box-should-i-get-for-my-needs/843345/27 "2019-11-16T20:13:28Z")
My 2018 Roku Ultra is running Disney+ right now. I paid $60 for it(Amazon Renewed) and it seems to be streaming fine. ---
**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2019, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-roku-or-other-box-should-i-get-for-my-needs/843345/28 "2019-11-17T03:41:29Z")
> [@jasg](#): > > In a reddit thread last year, a [YouTube engineer stated](https://www.reddit.com/r/youtubetv/comments/9f1tu2/moar_vizio_smartcast_support_launching/) that he considers Smart TVs to have a three to four year life before the app code advances beyond the capabilities of the Smart TV. After that, he recommends an external device. Update : I just bought a 2019 D-series Vizio smart television. Comparing YouTube TV startup and channel acquisition times with a gen 4 Apple TV HD (2015j shows that the Apple TV HD is four times faster. Smart TVs don’t seem to have very powerful processors. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2019, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-roku-or-other-box-should-i-get-for-my-needs/843345/29 "2019-11-17T03:45:24Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > I can confirm that Roku 2 has Disney+. I didn’t get any email from them about obsolescence, but I’ll check the spam filters. Roku’s model numbering scheme is kind of screwed up. There are several different models called Roku 2. It’s better to use the four digit model number if you want to be precise about which device you have. ---
**Author:** ![newme](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e0b2c6/32.png) [@newme](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/newme)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2019, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-roku-or-other-box-should-i-get-for-my-needs/843345/30 "2019-11-17T14:35:35Z")
> [@](#): > > We have a Roku 2, and got this email from Roku last week: > Dear Roku customer, > Thanks for being a longtime Roku streamer. We see that you own a classic Roku player that’s many generations behind our newest devices. We’re reaching out to let you know that, as of November 15th, this Roku player will no longer receive new software updates. > **What does this mean?** > You can continue to enjoy this classic Roku player and stream your currently available channels. However, this Roku player will no longer receive new features, updates to existing channels, or support for new channels like Apple TV and support for the Apple TV+\* premium streaming service. You may also potentially lose existing channels if our partners decide to update their channel in the future. Just checked, our Roku 2 is the 3100X, from 2011. We can not get Disney + (not that we want it). > **[Disney+ is Not Available on Some Older Roku Players (Here Are The Roku...](https://cordcuttersnews.com/disney-is-not-available-on-some-older-roku-players-here-are-the-roku-players-roku-tvs-disney-supports/)** > > Disney+ launched today but some older Roku owners found out that their Roku players are not supported. The good news is that the Roku’s that are not supported are Roku Players made in 2011 and before. If you are wondering if your Roku player is... ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2019, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-roku-or-other-box-should-i-get-for-my-needs/843345/31 "2019-11-17T21:43:40Z")
> [@markn\_1](#): > > Roku’s model numbering scheme is kind of screwed up. There are several different models called Roku 2. It’s better to use the four digit model number if you want to be precise about which device you have. Okay, 4210X on bottom/4210R on the Amazon order (apparently the same thing, letter just designates where it was bought). Bought June 2015. I guess that’s still on the [current updates list](https://www.cordcuttersnews.com/roku-is-ending-support-for-older-models/) so I’ll keep it for awhile. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2019, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-roku-or-other-box-should-i-get-for-my-needs/843345/32 "2019-11-18T13:34:23Z")
FWIW, I got a new Roku Streaming Stick+ over the weekend. It’s mostly fine, but has one big problem - it claims that it does Dolby Digital pass-through to HDMI, and allows that configuration in the settings, but it actually only ever sends PCM. It’s definitely the stick - I’ve tried a cable box and blu ray player in the same HDMI port, they both pass through Dolby Digital just fine through the TV and out HDMI ARC to my surround sound system. I even tried exactly the same content - watched the same Netflix movie on all 3 devices, only the Roku wouldn’t send Dolby Digital. It makes the surround sound pretty crappy - no 5.1, just stereo. I’m going to try a Firestick when they go on sale next week, and if works better, back goes the Roku. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2019, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-roku-or-other-box-should-i-get-for-my-needs/843345/33 "2019-11-18T16:21:53Z")
Does your TV support HDMI 1.3 and Dolby Digital Plus? I believe that if the source is DD+, the Roku will just pass it through and will output DD+. It doesn’t downconvert to DD like some devices do. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2019, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-roku-or-other-box-should-i-get-for-my-needs/843345/34 "2019-11-18T17:03:41Z")
It’s an LG 60UF7300, purchased in Nov. 2015. Just under the 2016 limit where it would have been able to run Disney+ by itself. It supports HDR, so it must be at least HDMI 2.0a, right? I don’t know if it can handle Dolby Digital Plus. I did try a Netflix movie on the TV app itself, which did correctly communicate with the surround sound and played the audio I was expecting (5.1). So is it possible that the TV could decode & output Dolby Digital Plus from it’s own internal Netflix app, but wouldn’t accept it from the Roku for the exact same content? Do any other Roku devices downconvert, if that is the issue? I just ordered a fire stick 4k, if that doesn’t work I’m willing to keep going down this rabbit hole - I really, really, like my surround sound. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2019, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-roku-or-other-box-should-i-get-for-my-needs/843345/35 "2019-11-18T17:39:29Z")
Hmm, here’s the [specs](https://www.lg.com/us/tvs/lg-60UF7300-4k-uhd-led-tv?bvstate=pg:2/ct:q) for my TV. In the audio section, it says it supports Dolby Digital, but in the USB section it says AC3 and EAC3 - EAC3 is DD+, right? ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2019, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-roku-or-other-box-should-i-get-for-my-needs/843345/36 "2019-11-18T22:33:21Z")
Yes, EAC3 is the same as DD+. I’m not sure about your TV, the specs are not completely clear. A literal reading would indicate that it only supports DD+ on USB and not over HDMI. That seems somewhat strange but not impossible. One thing to try is on the Roku, go to Settings-\>Audio-\>HDMI. It should say “Auto detect”. If you select that item, at the bottom of the screen it will show you what kind of audio the Roku is detecting that your TV is capable of. Also in the Audio menu, make sure that “Audio Mode” is set to Auto and not Stereo. After a little more research, I believe that the current Ultra is capable of down-converting from DD+ to DD, but I’m waiting for a response from someone more knowledgable in that area to confirm. Of course it’s twice the price of the Streaming Stick+ so you may not want to go that route in any case. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2019, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-roku-or-other-box-should-i-get-for-my-needs/843345/37 "2019-11-18T22:47:05Z")
Bah, looks like I was right the first time. None of the current Roku models do DD down-conversion, but a few older models did. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2019, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-roku-or-other-box-should-i-get-for-my-needs/843345/38 "2019-11-19T00:54:02Z")
Thanks for the research markn+. I did set Audio-\>HDMI to Auto Detect, and it displayed “Dolby Digital” and showed the 5 speakers. And Audio Mode is set to Auto as well. For a test, I tried MIB II on Netflix. It came out in 2002. From what I could find, the spec for DD+ came out in 2005, so I’d expect MIB II to only be DD. On my STB, and the TV app, when I picked the movie, it showed “HD 5.1” on the title screen. When I played it, the TV indicated that it was receiving a Dolby Digital signal and transmitted a Dolby Digital signal via ARC to the surround sound system, and it sounded as I’d expect, dialog out the center speaker, etc. When I selected the same movie on the Roku, it only displayed “HD” on the title screen. When I played it, the TV indicated it was receiving PCM audio, and the surround sound system was definitely getting stereo at most - the dialogue was coming out of both front speakers equally, etc. So there are 2 possibilities - MIB II was resampled at some point to DD+ audio. My cable box Netflix app (FIOS) is downsampling the DD+ to DD. The TV Netflix app does the same thing. But the Roku doesn’t, and the TV can only accept DD audio via HDMI, so the Roku is sending PCM. Or, MIB II is natively DD audio, the cable box and TV are handling DD audio correctly, but the Roku can’t successfully handshake with the HDMI to send the DD audio. I’ll test with some other movies as well. Also, I’m getting an amazon fire stick 4k later this week. If that sends over the DD audio to the surround sound, that’s all I need and I’ll keep that. If that doesn’t, I’ll try the Ultra anyway - it’s supposed to go on sale on Black Friday for $50. Thanks again. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2019, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-roku-or-other-box-should-i-get-for-my-needs/843345/39 "2019-11-19T13:59:10Z")
So FWIW, I tested all these movies on Netflix, and got the same result - TV app and STB app showed the movie as “HD 5.1”, TV indicated it was receiving DD audio, audio was actually 5.1. The Roku only displayed “HD” TV indicated it was receiving PCM, audio was stereo only: Taxi Driver (1976) Rocky 2 (1979) Blow (2001) I guess it’s possible they’ve all been remastered to Dolby Digital Plus, but it seems unlikely, IMHO. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-roku-or-other-box-should-i-get-for-my-needs/843345.md?page=1)