Locator: 50998ROKU.
Trying something new here in light of Fox buying Roku.
Only the queries, not the replies.
Query: Could Roku become a direct competitor with Apple's HomeHub. It all comes down to "matter," and "threads," doesn't it?
Abbreviated answer: yes.Query: Do you think the excitement of SpaceX drove Fox to acquire Roku?
Abbreviated answer: no, the timing was coincidental.
Query: But it seems I can get all of Fox on my current Spectrum ("home hub") set up. Is Roku for folks who don't yet have a "home hub."
Abbreviated answer: no, Roku adds much more functionality for both Fox and the consumer. This is the wave of the future. Roku is just one of many options.Query: Cable cutters. Even if one "cuts" the Spectrum cable, one still needs to get the "signal" into the home, and if one doesn't have a cable of some sort, then one uses a "signal" from a tower or a LEO satellite. I guess Spectrum will end up being a "middleman" between the signal from the tower / LEO satellite and the "home."
Abbreviated answer: "cable cutting" is a metonym. And, yes, Spectrum-like systems are simply "middlemen."
Query: If one buys a Roku unit for the "home hub," will Fox/Roku still charge a monthly fee, or is this all ad-supported?
Abbreviated answer: Roku is a one-time cost. Buy the "black box." No monthly charge to Roku but many, many monthly charges for each streaming application to which a consumer subscribes.Query: This is incredibly interesting. I apologize if I seem to be slow to catch on. It seems like Spectrum-like business models could be in a world of hurt, trying to convince folks to pay a monthly fee when Roku is free of monthly charges. Spectrum offers local networks for free (local NBC, CBS, ABC, Fox, for example, and even PBS). Will these now require a subscription of one switches to Roku?
Abbreviated answer: yes, local networks will require a subscription and may charge for it; perhaps not. Depends. The bigger problem for local networks: the way local networks are accessed now will simply go away.Query: Very, very interesting. Local networks in large markets (where streaming is readily available) could be the first casualties, followed by "old" Spectrum, and it will be a shootout among Apple, Amazon, Roku, etc, but Roku has a lot of catching up to do compared to Apple, Amazon, Google, etc.?
Abbreviated answer: yes, that is true. But Roku does not have a lot of "catching up" to do. It depends about what you are talking.Query: Yes, I would be curious what your thoughts are regarding an Apple TV to compete with Roku.
Abbreviated answer: depends.Query: Right now, it seems someone like me could try this. Keep Spectrum but add a "Roku TV" to the household. It would be a one-time cost. If one has an account with Netflix on the Spectrum system, one assumes one would have that same Netflix on the Roku TV?
Abbreviated answer: spot on.Query: Yes, what would be the TV brands to use with Roku?
Abbreviated answer: --.Query: It looks like, those "neighborhood geek squads" could start getting a lot more business setting up these various systems.
Abbreviated answer: absolutely correct, and growing in popularity.Query: Oh, one last thing. The "one piece of content" that will be most influential / most important driving all this: live sports. Second? Really, really good original programming.
Abbreviated answer: yes, this hinges on live sports. The one piece of content consumers won't access -- delayed sports. So sports is the hook; the add-ons pay for the service. There may be one exception: sports spectacles, like the UFC spectacle on the White House lawn.Query: You said earlier: Thread: This mesh technology creates a fast, reliable network where every smart device acts as a "node," routing data and extending your smart home's range. For Roku to rival an Apple TV or HomePod, Roku hardware will need to act as a Thread Border Router, effectively bridging smart devices to the internet.. ..... each device = a node and extends the range -- question: could a community -- say a Homeowners Association or an apartment complex use this technology? Perhaps they already have?
Abbreviated answer: yes. Can be done and is being done.
