tz2001
11 de junio de 2018
Great streaming even on slow connection
Here are my experiences with the 2017 Streaming Stick+ Roku.First let me specify my setup. I have a slow 2.4 (typically) Mbps Internet connection. Previously I was using a Panasonic BMP110 Blu-Ray player for what little streaming I did. That was mainly used for trying out the Vudu free movies. It was marginal; with my slow connection, sometimes it would work pretty well, and sometimes it would complain and give up intermittently.I have a Yamaha VX-477 Receiver.And it all feeds into a 2011 Panasonic Plasma TV.Setup:It probably isn’t very important, but the remote uses AAA batteries, not AA. I slapped in a couple of Eneloops and it’s happy.I see people complaining about having to give credit card information to activate their Roku. This is not necessary. Go to the page made for this option: my dot roku dot com/signup/nocc, and you can create a Roku account without entering any credit card or PayPal information. I know, because I did it.If you’re wondering about using the Roku with an A/V receiver, that works. I plugged the stick into one of the HDMI inputs on my Yamaha, and it works just fine. 4K wouldn’t cut it, because my receiver doesn’t really support it. But my TV isn’t 4K anyway, so that isn’t a problem.Some people are complaining about HDCP errors. This is probably because they’re trying to use 4K video on a TV that doesn’t support HDCP 2.2. My five year old TV works just fine, because it’s only 1080p. If you want to see 4K video, make sure your TV really supports HDCP2.2. And you need an HDMI connection that also supports HDCP 2.2. On some TVs that’s only one port.If 1080p24 is important to you, Roku says only the 4K devices can do it. I had to turn it off; when the movie would break for commercials, the receiver usually flaked out. I would have to switch HDMI inputs on the receiver, then switch back to the original. The guide says the screen may flash black; mine mainly went to snow, and wouldn’t recover. So I’m doing without 1080p24. It might work better for people who plug it directly into the TV; I didn’t try that.The specs talk about 802.11ac, but it works just fine on my old router without ac.To set this thing up, look at the Quick Start Guide, or just go to the Roku page about your specific device. Basically I just plugged the stick into an HDMI input, plugged the power adapter into my UPS, and connected the cables. It started right up.I haven’t tried different models, so I can’t offer a comparison. But the Streaming Stick+ works great.First you have to pick a wireless network, and provide the password. Then the stick downloads the latest firmware.When it restarted, mine didn’t connect the first time, even though it indicated it still remembered the password. After sitting for a while with a spinning wheel, it finally gave a 014.40 error, and suggested some alternatives. I just unplugged the power cable and plugged it back in. It restarted, and everything was fine.It will go through a few screens, and give you a four letter code. Go back to the page you end up at after creating your account online, or the page they refer you to. Enter the code, and you’re all set. You can select some channel options. Your stick is now busy setting up channels.And things seem to be working great. It does fine showing a movie in standard definition. It has trouble with the commercials; I wonder if they’re a higher definition. But it gets over it quickly.Things like rewind and fast forward are far better than on my old Blu-Ray player.So far I’m just using things that are free. Look around online at the Roku site, and you can see what’s available.So in summary:This thing works surprisingly well with a slow connection. You don’t get 4K video, but it looks pretty good in old-fashioned 1080p (which is probably really a lot less, as in standard def upscaled to 1080).It works plugged into a receiver that then separates out the audio, and passes the video on to the TV.It works with old routers that don’t have 802.11ac. And it works with new routers that have 5GHz ac.You can create an account without providing any credit card information.I recommend this device to anyone that needs a streaming connection.Ver másVer menos
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