Hooking up a tv to an antenna and Roku without cable

[walkr2]

Ok everybody! Put your thinking caps on! I need help hooking these things together. Anybody have a few minutes? TIA

[Friends just call me Ross]

You can get by without cable.  We don't have cable or a satellite dish.

But you will need Wi-Fi.  Roku gets its

channels from the Internet.

We got Hulu's TV package, with live network TV shows and sporting events.

Now all we watch is Roku.

[dove]

What do you use to record shows? Don't you need cable and a dvr for that..?

[walkr2]

What do you use to record shows? Don't you need cable and a dvr for that..?

I have WIFI and all that but I wanted to hook this little gadget up where there's no cable hookup! It's going in the kitchen. Thanks!

[Friends just call me Ross]

8 hours ago, Dove said:

What do you use to record shows? Don't you need cable and a dvr for that..?

Hulu let's you record your shows.

You just have to remember to delete them to make room to record more.

[Shawnster]

We've not had cable since 2009.  

 

We use a Roku and Internet for all our programming.  I had an antenna but couldn't get it to work.  I did not, however, try those smaller indoor models like the photo above.

 

They should be pretty easy to install.  Just plug and play, basically.  Roku has various apps that are supposed to integrate with the antenna so you can watch your OTA (over the air) programming through the Roku app.  You'll have to google for more information as I've not tried that route yet.

[walkr2]

We've not had cable since 2009.  
 
We use a Roku and Internet for all our programming.  I had an antenna but couldn't get it to work.  I did not, however, try those smaller indoor models like the photo above.
 
They should be pretty easy to install.  Just plug and play, basically.  Roku has various apps that are supposed to integrate with the antenna so you can watch your OTA (over the air) programming through the Roku app.  You'll have to google for more information as I've not tried that route yet.

Ty Shawnster!

[Manwithnoname]

Ok,.  Ex-tv engineer here.....   ( In other words probably out of date but never mind.)

 

First thing to get in mind is that you are dealing with 2 completely separate technology's here.

 

You can view  broadcast pictures through the antenna or cable.

The programs are only picked up by the antenna or cable and doesnt need wifi to work.

 

You can view the internet version of some broadcast channels plus extra online content such as jw broadcasting through the Roku.

The programs and channels are only picked up through the internet and doesnt need an antenna or cable to work.

 

There is no link between the 2 systems.

( Except the tv which is just the way to view them)

So to use the Roku you only need the tv and Roku connected together by HDMI.

No antenna/ cable connection needed. Just wifi.

 

If you also want to watch or record broadcast programmes you need the antenna/ cable.  ( Dependant on country. I'm in UK.)

 

- that's the simple version.

With extra hardware it's possible to record broadcast programs using the Roku as an interface, and a few other neat tricks, but I wouldn't worry about that if your still struggling to work out what plugs in where!

Edited April 26, 2018 by Manwithnoname
Extra info

[Jarred]

Ok everybody! Put your thinking caps on! I need help hooking these things together. Anybody have a few minutes? TIA

This device let's you watch and record (with additional hardware) ota on multiple devices.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

[walkr2]

On 4/26/2018 at 6:36 PM, Manwithnoname said:

Ok,.  Ex-tv engineer here.....   ( In other words probably out of date but never mind.)

 

First thing to get in mind is that you are dealing with 2 completely separate technology's here.

 

You can view  broadcast pictures through the antenna or cable.

The programs are only picked up by the antenna or cable and doesnt need wifi to work.

 

You can view the internet version of some broadcast channels plus extra online content such as jw broadcasting through the Roku.

The programs and channels are only picked up through the internet and doesnt need an antenna or cable to work.

 

There is no link between the 2 systems.

( Except the tv which is just the way to view them)

So to use the Roku you only need the tv and Roku connected together by HDMI.

No antenna/ cable connection needed. Just wifi.

 

If you also want to watch or record broadcast programmes you need the antenna/ cable.  ( Dependant on country. I'm in UK.)

 

- that's the simple version.

With extra hardware it's possible to record broadcast programs using the Roku as an interface, and a few other neat tricks, but I wouldn't worry about that if your still struggling to work out what plugs in where!

 

That is great information brother! I was under the impression that I wouldn't get any TV channels without one or the other of the antennas! So, I'll start out with just plugging in the Roku to the TV.  Will let you know if I'm successful.😁

[trottigy]

You'll still need a way for the Roku device to connect the the internet. A lot of people get their internet access from their cable provider.

[Qapla]

Since she is posting on the forum, I would guess she has Internet access - but, yes, the Roku will most definitely need to be able to access the Internet for it to work.

 

Also, keep in mind that most "local" stations will not be available on Roku. The Roku has apps/channels that must be used to watch the content for that particular provider ... like Netflix, YouTube and JWBroadcasting.

 

However, you must also remember that not all those channels are "free" content. Even on Roku, just because a channel exits does not mean that the content is free. Netfilx is a good example. Without a Netflix account, the Netflix channel will not work.

 

Also, channels like The History Channel (and many others) may have free content but it will not be the "live" broadcasts. It will be selected archived content - often not including the "current" season of a program.

Edited April 29, 2018 by Qapla

[Stavro]

6 minutes ago, Qapla said:

Since she is posting on the forum, I would guess she has Internet access - but, yes, the Roku will most definitely need to be able to access the Internet for it to work.

A lot of people who get rid of cable will switch to mobile data plans. It's fairly cheap to get wifi over cellular, though the connection and costs are virtually always unsuitable for video streaming.

[walkr2]

You'll still need a way for the Roku device to connect the the internet. A lot of people get their internet access from their cable provider.

Very true, but I don’t have an outlet in the kitchen for cable hook up. I was hoping to use Roku and a general antenna!

Thanks very much!

[Jarred]

This doesn't work with Roku, but with Amazon fire stick: https://getchannels.com/

JW broadcasting also works on fire stick. Just a thought. Been told that Roku is not friendly to supporting OTA because it does not have good MPEG2 support.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

[Shawnster]

On 4/30/2018 at 3:23 PM, walkr2 said:

 

 

Very true, but I don’t have an outlet in the kitchen for cable hook up. I was hoping to use Roku and a general antenna!

Thanks very much!

 

 

Roku works on wifi