Got a Roku Ultra 4640LX! Now what?

[tcmtech]

Already topped out on my modern tech understandings just hooking up the HDMI and linking it to my primary laptop so now what do I do with it?

How's this thing work? local network links only or is all my video stuff going someplace else in the world then coming back to me, for who knows why, just to cross the room?

 

[crutschow]

Roku streams video from external internet sources.
Are you saying you are streaming it from your local receiver across the room?

 

[tcmtech]

My brother and some others have a large movie and show series archive system setup on their private servers so I will be using that mostly, but yes. So far I am just watching things I have on my one laptop through my flatscreen with it so I don't have to use the HDMI and audio extension cords.

It's feeling like greatly overhyped tech toy at this point.

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

It's feeling like greatly overhyped tech toy at this point.

I don't see why?, personally I much prefer the Firestick to the Roku, which I mostly use for watching off my home server - you can do the same with Roku as well. It's purely a link to your local network, but if that's all you're using it for you're not using much of it.

I use VLC on the Firestick, don't know if you can get it for Roku? (I couldn't for mine), and that plays anything - neither the Firestick, the Roku, or my Android 'SMART' TV would play various of the files, but VLC is great.

 

[tcmtech]

I'm mostly just finding it clunky to work with in how everything is operated and accessed at this point.

It just feels over simplified and compacted to the point of being less user friendly and I have not found any practical way to customize it to have what I want right up front on the primary home screen.

I don't like having to go through half a dozen or more sub screens to get to my movie files every time and so far I have yet to get to link to my brothers server as well which was the main point of having it.

The menu selections to do so do not exist where the online instructions show them to be.

 

[tcmtech]

Finally got it working fairly well. Had to do a full reset and then manually search for the Plex channel add on to make it work since it was not showing up in the channel addons selections screen. (Common issue according to the few forums I found on Roku related problems.)

It does what it supposed to but I already hate the messy clunky interfaces system for accessing the video files. I wish there was a way to switch it to a simple labeled folders and file layout rather than the stupid space consuming, and too often totally inaccurate, DVD cover photo type setup it has now.

The remote is stupid over simplified. It has 18 buttons of which 8 do absolutely nothing for me and I would love if they could at least be reprogrammed to serve other actual useful to me functions given how the limited number of others are so clunky to get anywhere with.

It has dedicated Netflix, Hulu, Sling, and Showtime direct access buttons that are worthless being I will not pay to subscription fees to use theri services plus there are a pair of 'A' and 'B' buttons that do nothing and the << and >> don't give me any workable backwards or forwards shuffling ability beyond jumping though minutes or more of the video at a time if they will allow me to shuffle at all.

C+ toy in my book. Impressive tech that's way too hobbled by retarded oversimplified user interface issues for my taste. Glad I didn't pay full price for mine.