When I got mine, my kids explained it like a cookbook. Mine was the older version of Joy of Cooking (just the essentials) and theirs are the newer versions (lots of extras). When I get into it, it is like the chapters of the book. Many of the chapters are free (there is a listing) and some are fee based. We pay for netflix and Hulu and since I get HBO, we have HBO Go. But, there are many that are free. Once I click on the 'chapter', all the 'recipes (shows) that are available will appear. Then I can click on it to watch it. That is the basic. With some channels like Netflix, you can separate shows that each member wants to watch. So, when you click on your name, all the shows that you have selected to hold will appear. This is sort of a shortcut to your favorite series or movies (like bookmarking your favorite recipes. Once I made this connection in my not-tech-savvy brain, then it became a lot easier. Hope this helps.

Also, I should mention that my kids have all cancelled their cable. Between their Roku and a connection that hooks their laptops to their big screens (I'm not sure how that works), they have access to everything while only paying the very small Netflix and Hulu charges. They even project skype to the tv so we can all visit without looking at the tiny monitor on the laptop. One of my kids is still in college so she pays for Amazon prime (mostly for text books) and has all of us listed as users so that is included. Granted, they miss out on all the cable's foreign language channels and dozens of shopping channels, but they can live with it!

Now I have a question - what's the upside/downside/difference in Hulu, Roku, Chromecast, AppleTV and all of these types of devices?

We have Roku on every tv in the house, the stick and boxes. The stick is the easiest to install, just plug it in the tv. Once installed you will have a channel selection . A list of every channel available will be shown. Some require a fee some are free. The home screen is different on each model of Roku. So it may be hard for someone to tell you go to this or that when your screen may be different. How fast and how much buffering will be determined by your wi fi. Slow internet is not for Roku. Set up is a breeze. https://www.roku.com
The model I like the best is the Roku Premire for $80. There is one made for an older tv for $25. Lots to choose from.
Oh once bought there is no more fees or costs unless you want a paid for channel. You can take the Roku stick anywhere and plug into any tv with wi fi connection. Also you can have the remote for it on your phone! This comes in handy when you can't find the remote. LOL

Roku is a displayer of all the channels you can install. Smart TVs have a displayer built in. Google Play is another displayer. It's like a big computer screen. You click on the channel you want and it opens up showing you all the shows that are available on that channel. Even the paid channels let you browse to see if you like it or not. Amazon Prime and Netflix are my two of choice. Hulu is a channel you can access through any displayer. You can get HBO, Starz, Showtime, etc on the displayers. All paid channels are by the month. No long term commitment. Cancel anytime.

We have 3 Roku's (the "hockey puck" kind with an attached hdmi cable) in our house in New Hampshire, and also a Roku smart tv. In our condo in Florida, we have a Roku smart tv and also a Roku ("hockey puck" size) that is attached to a Vizio hdtv. They all run pretty flawlessly. Rarely do I have issues, but for the minimal times that the tvs have crashed, I simply unplug the Roku and then plug it back in and the problem is solved. I mention that I have two homes with Rokus because I am able to compare different internet providers and have found that the Rokus work great in both locations.

They are fairly intuitive to set up. You just follow the basic instructions and you'll be up and running in no time. During the registration process, you will be asked for a credit card number. You will also have to set up a Roku account online. If you have any problems, there is a customer service number you can call I believe.

I have Netflix, HuluPlus, HBOGo, and Sling. Those are my monthly subscription channels. And my husband has a subscription to NHL. I think he is billed yearly for that. Netflix cost me $11.99 and HuluPlus is similar. Sling is $20.00. Sling has a lot of offerings that mimick cable tv. Netflix has movies, series, documentaries, stand-up comedy, and they have offerings for children. Netflix is a great value. A lot of things that are included with Netflix for free, Amazon Prime charges extra for. I have tried Amazon Prime, but I think my needs are better met with the subscriptions that I have. However, I do like many things about Amazon Prime. We rent and buy movies through Amazon, and you don't need Prime to do that. I don't hear many people mention HuluPlus, but my family likes that a lot as well. We have had Roku and these subscriptions for about 7years. We got rid of cable about 5 years ago. I should mention that Sling crashes a lot, so we will be getting rid of that.

We also have subscriptions that we don't pay for, like Pandora ( for music), and PBS (I watch Sewing with Nancy on there), and numerous cooking channels. My husband must have been a meteorologist in a former life, and he watches Weatherbug. We also get Crackle, which I would recommend you check out.

One thing I love about my Rokus is that the controllers have headphone jacks, so I can watch tv without disturbing anyone. Overall, I think Rokus are a great product. I have used other devices that were supposed to stream Netflix, Hulu, etc., and all of them crashed. (Wii, Samsung blu-ray, Sony blue-ray, Vizio tv with apps, etc) Roku rarely crashes. Of course, it is only as good as your internet service, but barring issues with that, I think you'll be pleased if you buy one.