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Ask Slashdot: Video Streaming For the Elderly?
First time accepted submitter ChrisC1234 writes "My grandparents are getting older and don't get out much anymore, and with the demise of video stores (and not even understanding what a RedBox is), they don't see movies anymore. They've got internet access, so I'm thinking of getting them a streaming appliance and a Netflix account. So I'm wondering what device is the easiest for elderly people to use. I'm thinking either a Roku or Apple TV, but open to other options. It just needs to be easy to navigate and support closed captioning. Has anyone else done this successfully?"
The Apple TV setup is simple and straightforward. Minimal controls mean less things to mess up. My grandparents are getting up there, and they rarely mess it up with Netflix Streaming.
I know that you didn't ask about which service to choose, but given their age perhaps the long library of older TV shows offered by Hulu might be a better choice. They've got many shows from the 50's that might appeal to them more.
No, nobody has ever set up a Roku successfully. Netflix is a fad.
WTF is up with these ask slashdot questions? If it's not "give me teh codez" then it's "I've got a leaky faucet, is that a thing that's fixable or do I need a new house".
Perhaps get them a TV with Netflix already built into it? Something like a Samsung?
I think the key is to set up the remote properly so they can access everything using a minimal number of remote controls, preferably just one. I think that's what confuses most people.. hell it even confuses me.
----- obSig
Both of my parents (born in 1940) have their own iPad with the Netflix app installed. That way they can watch whatever they want, at whatever volume they need, and not fight over what to watch.
I'm not a big fan of CE devices' approach to Netflix, not so much because of the Netflix angle but because of their firmware update angle. I still have a Samsung BD player with Netflix, but they don't update the firmware on it (at least, not the part that deals with Netflix) and so its capabilities are extremely limited.
I've got a PS3, XBox, AppleTV, Wii, the aforementioned Samsung BD player, and a Roku at home; through work, I have access to pretty much every other device that plays Netflix. I prefer (and, more importantly given who we're talking about here, my non-tech wife prefers) the AppleTV as a streaming device.
Yup, if my 3 year old can start her cartoons in Netflix on our Samsung TV, I'm sure your parents can do it.
Don't blame me, I voted for Kodos
I'm a great-grandfather so I suppose I'd qualify as 'elderly', though I have no idea what that word means and I don't like it. I have several streaming devices but only one that I'd recommend for people of any age who are technically challenged and that's the WD (Western Digital) TV Play. Much like the Roku and Apple TV, the WD is small, easy to set up and less expensive than the Roku and Apple; a big plus for us 'elderly' on fixed incomes. I'm currently using it on an older HD TV and it has never given me any problems and doesn't do any weird shit on its own; like my streaming blu ray player does. Oh, and did I tell you it runs imbedded Linux? How could you possibly go wrong?
Buy them Roku 3, and somewhere, anywhere, with a good internet connection, install Plex Media Server. It is amazing how transparent and how easy to use this solution is.
MythTV. A rule of thumb in setting up any system is to put yourself in the place of the user.
By the time you get it working, you'll be as old as they are now. (drrrTISH!!!)
Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
If you are interested in no fuss, get your elderly parent an iPad. They will love it with Netflix streaming because they can make it as close to their eyes as necessary for them, and they -- and they can get a good quality pair of headphones (with inductive coupling to the hearing aid, possibly) to make it eaisier for them to hear. And yes, the ipad app has captioning.
When they are more comfortable, they will download books and recipies, and love it because the paper won't take up much space in their home and they can enlarge the text to exactly what they want. They will be delighted when they figure out how best to do video chat with you (whether that might be Facetime or otherwise) for "free."
And for you, once her internet connection is up and running, the purchase will be a "painless" one for support... no need to configure the device for her, no need to "set the clock on the DVD player" or what have you... You will be free to have conversations about more important things for your life.
This is from a long time Linux geek whose 70+ year old mom is pleased as punch with her iPad. Even though I am a die-hard Linux guy & would rather have myself on the latest and greatest Linux-ish device -- her happiness & piece of mind is worth a lot to me. This makes her happy.
For not much more than the cost of a Pi (plus all the required accessories), if not the same cost, there are plenty of alternatives on the market that do a far better job.
I love tinkering with hardware and software as much as the next guy, but when I come home from work I enjoy the ease of use my WDTV Live provides. It's simple to use and supports Netflix along with various other streaming services. And the OP could even provide USB sticks now and again loaded with MKVs for his grandparents to view.
Backup not found: (A)bort (R)etry (P)anic
50s TV will be butchered on a broadcast station.
You would be better off buying DVDs and ripping them.
At least streaming services don't have to conform to some artificial notion of a schedule.
SciFi once tried running the uncut versions of Old Trek. That experiment seemed to end quickly as 60 minute shows turned into 90 minute shows. That's just how long the old episodes were once you took the original material added the modern amount of commercials to it.
Any prime time shows will be butchered to run in a non-prime time slot where the stations can run more ads.
A Pirate and a Puritan look the same on a balance sheet.
My kid loved MythTV when he was 3 years old. The young are not the users you have to worry about. Even the old aren't necessarily a problem.
It's the lazy/helpless types that are a problem and these come in all age groups. You may find an 80 year old that's much more adaptable to modern computing tech than some 60 year old.
The assumption that Granny can't handle tech is a stupid incorrect stereotype.
A Pirate and a Puritan look the same on a balance sheet.
Sony Releases New Stupid Piece Of Shit That Doesn't Fucking Work
Sony also makes some Blu-Ray players like the BDP-S3100 which is cheaper than a used PS3, but plays Blu-Ray discs (obviously) and streams Netflix (along with all the other on-line streaming services that PS3 handles).
The best device for elderly relatives to use is a younger relative. Admittedly they are plagued by unreliability issues, tend to borrow the car without asking, and expect a large inheritance. Still, it was an accepted mode of living not too long ago.