GOOD MORNING, MRS SUN SPOTS: Being the great detective you are, I have another inquiry.

We received a Roku box for Christmas. This is connected to Netflix. After years of no cable and zero reception, this thing is amazing; you can watch wonderful movies and earlier episodes of many TV shows.

We have become totally hooked on “Downton Abbey,” but the problem is there are only seven episodes. We are wondering if there is a way to find out when they will be adding more episodes.

Thanks for the wonderful job you do. You are very much appreciated. — No Name via email

ANSWER: Sun Spots is a huge fan of Netflix. She especially likes the fact that there are no commercials.

However, there is a price for everything. With Netflix you have to wait until the studios release the show to DVD or for streaming (which is the technology your Roku enables). With some shows that can take a year, or longer. Sun Spots is still waiting for the last few seasons of “Law & Order.”

Currently, only the first season of “Downton” is available for streaming, but you can get the DVDs for seasons two and three through the mail. Netflix subscriptions are divided into DVD and streaming. Sun Spots gets both. The three-at-a-time DVD package is a great deal. You can sign up at Netflix.com.

Also, at video.pbs.org you can watch season three of “Downton” until March 3. Sun Spots frequently watches many of the great Masterpiece shows that way, but she doesn’t have good luck with streaming them during prime time. Perhaps their servers get overwhelmed. Try off hours for smoother viewing.

DEAR SUN SPOTS: I am hoping you, in your infinite wisdom, can be of assistance. I have a subscription to the magazine Budget Travel. I recently received an email from an independent company telling me my one-year subscription was being partially refunded due to the magazine going out of business.

I checked the magazine website (www.budgettravel.com) and found information indicating my subscription is in effect until March 1, 2020. Apparently I had renewed my subscription in two places, one directly with the magazine and one through an independent contract company.

I haven’t received a magazine since the fall of 2012. I have called phone numbers weekly with no results. The 800 number listed on the website (1-800-829-9121) gives information on the fall issue of the magazine and gives a number to call for any other information (646-695-6700).

This number allows a person to input an extension number or leave a message after entering 0. I have left numerous messages and have not received any reply. Is there any chance you would have any insider information or, perhaps, know any other way to find out information about this magazine? — Mary Jane Peaco, mjpeaco@comcast.net

ANSWER: Sun Spots found the following at skift.com:

“If you’ve been waiting for your next issue of Arthur Frommer’s Budget Travel magazine to arrive in the mail or at the newsstand, don’t hold your breath. The last print issue was September/October 2012, and there’s no firm commitment to publish future editions of the magazine.

“Responding to an inquiry by Skift, Budget Travel Media Relations head Amy Mironov Janish said, ‘Subscribers can enjoy the November/December issue online.’ Curiously, there is no mention of this issue online and thumbnails on the site of the most current issue are from September/October.

“Earlier in the day, Janish told consumer advocate Christopher Elliott in an email that despite the lag between physical issues, ‘We hope to see a return to the printed edition in 2013.’ Elliott emailed Janish after one of his readers forwarded him a subscription cancellation that read ‘The magazine has ceased publication.’

“Like many other magazines, the once-robust Budget Travel has faced dwindling ad pages over the last three years. After the Washington Post Co. sold the magazine to Fletcher Asset Management in December 2009, it continued its slow decline in ad pages that left the title looking more like an insert than a magazine.”

This does not bode well for the future of your subscription. You are unlikely to get a refund from Budget Travel, but the independent company may send you a refund. Alternatively, the independent company might offer a substitute subscription for another magazine. 

This column is for you, our readers. It is for your questions and comments. There are only two rules: You must write to the column and sign your name (we won’t use it if you ask us not to). Please include your phone number. Letters will not be returned or answered by mail, and telephone calls will not be accepted. Your letters will appear as quickly as space allows. Address them to Sun Spots, P.O. Box 4400, Lewiston, ME 04243-4400. Inquiries can also be emailed to sunspots@sunjournal.com.

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