Problems with Roku HDTV?

Question

I bought a Roku HDTV today and went to install and activate it.  A guy moved into the apartment last night, and I told him the TV would be up and running today (it didn't have a tv).

So I enter the activation code and it says "You are limited to 20 devices per Roku account".  I guess this is my 21st Roku.  That seems right, since I have 23 places and nearly all of them have a Roku in my name.

What do?  I can't even watch normal cable tv on the Roku tv.  I have to enter the 4 letter password to activate it, and it won't let me change the input.

Ken Boone · Answer

I guess you are in the fortunate position that you have so many rentals that you are just gonna have to get a 2nd account!

Joe Splitrock · Answer

There are eight ways to get content on Roku TV:

1. Free channels. Some of these have movies, some have new, some have kids programming. This is hit or miss in my experience. There are hundreds of free channels, but only a few good ones.

2. Access with cable subscription. If you have a cable account, you can get access to the app version of the channel. For example if you had cable at home, you could log in using your cable account at your STR for many channels. This is fine if you have one STR, but could present problems for more. Check the terms of use too, because doing this could violate your cable tv agreement.

3. Subscription channels. These are services like Disney+, ESPN, Hulu, Netflix, Amazon Prime, HBO, etc. You pay a monthly fee and get a certain number of log ins. So for example, one account may allow three people logged in. You could share these across multiple properties, but you run the risk of someone not being able to log in.

4. Let guests supply their own login to subscription services. This can work fine for people who have services.

5. Add a cable service on the TV itself. Just plug the box into the HDMI port. No cord cutting cost savings here, but it does give flexibility for streaming options on the TV.

6. Get an online cable package like YouTube TV, Fubo or Sling. These are actual cable channels, but stream over the internet. You may need one account per property, but there could still be some savings by doing this. You can get full packages of traditional channels for under $50 a month.

7. There are apps you can download that give you access to just about any movie and TV imaginable, including new releases. These are illegal streaming channels, which is why people are not going to talk about it. Very often when someone says they have Roku and pay nothing, this is what they mean. I am not comfortable stealing copyrighted content in my business and I would not recommend this option.

8. Antenna to get over the air channels (OTA). This depends on location and signal strength, but if you have reception, the channels are crystal clear 1080 HD. Most any $100 antenna is good if you put it on the roof or attic.

You may recall that I recently got my first STR. We chose to skip cable and instead we have three streaming services and over the air. Disney+, Netflix and Prime are the streaming services we chose. Half our reviews have commented on how our streaming package is a luxury. Odds are good a guest doesn't have all three of these services, so they can binge watch series they have never seen during their stay. On our ROKU TV, it is very easy to use. We added and removed channels so that there is only about ten options, all good content. One remote control. Turn the TV on and you get to the home screen. Everything is right there. Only way we will ever get a support call on the TV is if someone messes with the passwords. I only have one property, so keep my feedback in that context. If you wanted to scale, it could get more complex.

Ken Boone · Answer

@John Underwood So the deal with Roku is that you can get all your mainstream apps, netflix, hulu, Amazon Prime, etc..  I let my customer's log in to their own accounts across those platforms.  Now if you want to have a cable tv experience with local channels then you are going to have to pay for a Roku app that has that.  For instance you can get service with ATT TV and add that as a channel on the Roku TV.  Of course you have to pay for that but I think you can get the local channels.  You might be able to provide local channels with YouTubeTV as well.  Where it really shines is when you have Roku TVs behind xfinity.  This is because xfinity has a roku channel that they don't charge for as long as you have a TV account on their service  at that location.  In this scenario you can purchase their TV service, but then you can load the app on say the 5 other Roku TVs throughout the rental and there is no charge for additional boxes or anything like that.

Robert Gilstrap · Answer

You just start a new account under a different email address.

Scott K. · Answer

Hmm. I charge up to $1200 a night but I don't give them cable at all. I just let them have access to the roku accounts where I pay for nothing. I've probably heard 2 people ask me how to use it after 100 bookings. No one has complained.

If you're looking for an easier/cheaper alternative to having your cable box by using the roku tv it's not great. There are a bunch of subscription services but I believe the problem is you'd have to log into your personal roku account and keep the paid channels there. You'd have to instruct guests how to use those paid channels. The main problem is all these streaming services are separate. Every news channel has it's own app. Every sports channel is separate. It's a real PITA. If you want to provide a premium service, keep the cable. I'd suggest dropping it altogether and letting guests fend for themselves.

As a millennial myself, none of us watch tv anymore. We all have our own paid streaming services that we can just log into on a guest roku account. If your clientele is older, then perhaps keep the cable box.

Jake Cohen · Answer

@John Underwood I use YouTube TV at one of my properties. I was using it at all of the properties but they have weird rules where you have to log in to your email on your phone in each location every so often. I eventually went back to a regular cable subscription except for the unit right by my house to avoid the issue. For ease of use cable is still the best in my opinion.

Carlos Gonzalez · Answer

@Paul Sandhu

Get another roku account. My portfolio of Roku stock will appreciate that.

Zachary Ray · Answer

Sounds like a first world problem Paul lol. Might have to get that second account started. Best of luck to you sir.

John Underwood · Answer

I have a cable box hooked up to a hdmi port that's not a problem.

I were to use a Roku TV I want to provide something equivalent to a hotel. I charge up to $600/night I want to know that a mellinial or grandma can turn on a football game or the evening news without calling me and if they have no online premium accounts of their own.

Or I want to pay for an online account to give guests a cable tv experience. If I can't confirm this can happen then I will keep satellite TV to ensure they can.

Robert Gilstrap · Answer

LOVE TCL Roku TV's because they don't get any simpler than that. My personal choice is a FireTV or stick due to the flexibility of adding virtually anything. We just download all the common apps on the TV (NEtflix, Hulu, Prime Video, Pandora, etc.) and guests bring their own logins, we don't provide any cable service. Only had one guest ever complain so I activated YouTubeTV for him.

If I were to provide something I would have to go the IPTV route. LOTS of options there for very little $$.

Problems with Roku HDTV?

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