Goodbye satellite.............Hello Roku!

I don't know about you but I've had it with my Dish satellite provider.  They've raised my bill continuously for the last 3 years.  I was getting local channels for $9.00 a month. (You'd have to have a huge aerial here to get over the mountains/hills and without an aerial you get static...that's it.  Even bunny ears won't help.  I can't even get radio without extreme static except in the car which is satellite and no cell phone reception either.)  Then they raised it to $16.00 as they said they had "no choice".   Then it went to $20.00 or the cost of their lowest package and they said "I had to" in order to continue to get local channels.  Last year they sent me a big, fancy, glossy "Thank You" for being such a good and long standing Dish customer (over 20 years, I think) and in that thank you card they told me they were raising my bill $5.00.  I called and they said "they had to" as programming rates went up.  I told them what the heck kind of thank you was that?  Also, it must have cost them an arm and a leg to send out that glossy, big, thank you card....couldn't they have saved that money and kept the rates down?  This year...same thing..."slam bam, thank you ma'am" we're raising your rates another $5.00!  So, I'd been hearing about this Roku where you can get t.v. through the internet...I decided to investigate.  I did my research and for about $100.00 investment I could get t.v on my t.v. using the internet and no monthly bills at all unless I choose to subscribe to certain channels...no packages....just what I wanted!  Goodbye Dish...I'm sorry but "I had to"! LOL!
  I went to my local Walmart and here's what I purchased.......

I bought the least expensive one for $48.00

I needed a wireless adapter because although I have a wireless router my new pc was not wireless (duh...I assumed any new pc you bought would be wireless capable nowadays....NOT!)  You may not need this if you are wireless already.  This cost me $39.97

This HDMI cable connects my Roku to my t.v. and you need an HD capable t.v. to use this cable.  I'm not sure what you need to get if your t.v. is not HD capable but just go to the Roku website and they will tell you all you need to do.  If there are technical terms or equipment you aren't familiar with just Google those terms and you will get all kinds of information explaining it to you from You Tube to Ehow to Wikipedia.  You can learn anything you want on the intenet if you just keep searching and reading until you understand it all and then you can make an informed decision.
I am not getting paid by anyone to promote Roku and there are other "streaming players" out there but this one seems to be the top choice right now from what I could see.  I have not canceled my Dish subscription yet as I want to experiment with Roku and find out what I can and cannot get.  One nice thing is, it won't go out when it rains (like satellite) unless you lose power! LOL!
I'm not sure there is any football on Roku but there is lots of sports...including baseball, hockey and soccer.  I haven't seen the Olympics on there though.  There is PBS but not live, it is recorded so you can go back and watch anything you've missed and lots more when you want to watch it!  And you can rewatch it whenever you want.  I need to see if Doc Martin is on there.  I know I saw Sherlock and Downton Abbey.  I watched Downton on Sunday night so I need to go see if that episode is out there now.  And Sherlock I haven't watched at all because I don't stay up that late.
I'm also a big fan of Hallmark channel and especially their new Canadian West series on Saturday nights.  I need to see if I can get that or if it's subscription. 
I guess what I'm trying to say is, do your research first, I figured I would try the Roku and see what it's like before I unsubscribe to Dish and then if I don't like it simply return the Roku and get my money back.  But I'm thinking this is exactly what I want, so far.  I may miss a few things but there is SO much out there....literally 1,000's of channels for free....that the Roku will pay for itself within 2 months for me.  I also like news, unbiased, about our country from other countries...like BBS and there are others without a political agenda to further.
I won't blog about this again other than to tell you if there are channels I particulary want to recommend or tell you about and vice-versa.  If you have one of these "live internet streaming" gadgets please let me know what your experience has been, channels you enjoy or programming you've found interesting.  I'm wondering if there are any specific craft or fiber related channels out there?  That would be truly awesome...and if there isn't why not?  How about a channel on cleaning house and de-cluttering....how-to and motivation is MY kind of reality T.V.
Happy Trails!