Roku HD Player
by Roku, Inc.
|
Our Price: $69.99 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: Home Theater See more product details |
|---|
Customers in the UK,
Buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Roku HD Player
Customer Review: Movie lovers rejoice!!
Summary: 5 Stars
A few months back when my husband had started talking about the Roku box, I admittedly thought it would be a big waste of money. We aren't TV watchers and thus have lived on basic cable for years, but we do have our dedicated "movie nights" where we routinely enjoy watching movies together. We've had Netflix for about 6 years now and we've never gone back to traditional rentals. I thought our unlimited DVD rentals from Netflix was all we needed. It can't get any easier than picking a movie and having it show up at your door two days later, right?
I was wrong. ;)
Since we have jumped on the Roku bandwagon, I've gotten a lot of questions from others around me who are now considering the purchase. I find there is a lot of confusion about what exactly the Roku does, so here we go. The Roku box streams media (movies, TV series, podcasts, music, etc) to your TV in real time. You don't need a Netflix subscription for it to work, but it hugely enhances the enjoyment of the Roku box as it is undoubtedly the most popular feature of the device. With your basic unlimited Netflix subscription (beginning at $8.99/mo or $7.99/mo if you only want the Starz Play streaming media with no DVD option) you have unlimited access to watching streaming videos on your TV at any time of day or night. All you need is a TV (of any kind, new or old) and an internet connection. Cable or DSL is required for good performance of the streaming media. I wouldn't try this on dial-up. You can set it up via traditional ethernet cables or set it up on your wireless network in minutes.
One thing I've noticed in talking with people is that a lot of people may already have a compatible streaming device in their home and not realize it. If you own a PS3, Xbox 360 or Tivo, you can stream Netflix to your TV and you do not need to buy the Roku. Rumors of it coming to the Wii are on the horizon but are not confirmed, to my knowledge. Also, some select Blu-ray players and internet connected HD TVs are compatible as well. Check with Netflix for more information. Again, you do not need to buy the Roku if you already have one of these devices in your home!
The other main feature of the Roku is the ability to stream Amazon on-demand. If you have ever purchased a movie on Pay-per-view, Amazon on-demand will seem instantly familiar. You can rent movies digitally and stream them to your Roku (or other compatible device) any time for a fraction of the cost of your typical Pay-per-view movie. Amazon's digital rentals range in price from $0.99 to $3.99 for newer releases. Each rental has a specific rental time. Some you can enjoy and watch as many times as you like for a full 7 days and others for 24 hours. You also have the option to purchase media this way which is usually the same price or less than what you would pay for the DVD. This allows you to stream it any time and as many times as you like until the end of time. Without taking up shelf space! Pretty nice. You are also able to download it to your PC and/or portable media device for enjoyment on the go. You can download it as many times as you like. As long as you have your Amazon account, Amazon will remember what titles you have purchased and you will have access to it forever. It works just like Amazon's MP3 downloads.
The lesser known features of the Roku include instant access to 12 additional channels which include (in addition to Netflix and Amazon on-demand), MLB.com, MotionBox, MediaFly, Blip.TV, Twit.TV, Facebook Photos, Revision3, Frame Channel, Flickr, Mobile Tribe, and my absolute favorite, Pandora. If you have an account at Pandora.com, it takes seconds to link it to your Roku and start enjoying your music channels instantly. The Roku also supports different Pandora accounts if you have the need. Being able to listen to Pandora on our beautiful surround sound setup any time of the day or night is blissful. My 4-year-old's favorite feature, aside from the plethora of children's titles available on Netflix instant play, is the MediaFly channel which streams 5,000+ audio and video podcasts. Among them, two of my son's favorite video podcasts, Ultra Kawaii and Sesame Street. You have the ability to add your favorites to a list that you can quickly access at any time. My husband is in love with the Twit.TV channel which streams all of their internet shows, including This Week in Tech. The Flickr channel also has a really neat feature that showcases random artistic photos and is actually quite interesting to watch and is never the same. There is really something for everyone in this growing library of channels and it is far more than I expected from the Roku.
Being the new spokesperson for Roku (I kid ;), I also hear a lot of concerns of TVs not being compatible with the Roku. No one should be concerned with this because the Roku ships with all cables needed to hook up to any TV, new or old. If you don't have an HD TV, you might be purchasing the SD version which will connect to any TV with the standard red, white and yellow cables. If you do own an HD TV, you will receive both an HDMI cable and the standard red, white and yellow, just in case. The same goes for the HD-XR version. As far as compatibility goes, there should be no reason that everyone can't have a Roku box, regardless of their type of TV.
In the same vein as the prior concern, there seems to be worry from the less than tech savvy movie lovers out there, fearing setup will be complicated and frustrating. Not so. Roku is able to hook up to your router via a standard ethernet cable or link seamlessly with your existing wireless network in a matter of minutes. Anyone can set this up and avoid frustration completely. It's very straightforward and simple and the onscreen prompts will guide you the entire time.
Now that we know what the Roku can do, I'm sure you want to know, does it actually DO them? Absolutely, YES! Obviously with the SD version, you will be viewing in SD, but the HD and HD-XR Rokus stream HD beautifully. We read some reviews that recommended using the wired ethernet connection to avoid hiccups during viewing, but we have had none whatsoever with our wireless network running on a cable internet connection. I would suggest trying the wireless first as it takes only minutes to do and requires no additional hardware, and if you have problems (which I tend to doubt) you can go the ethernet route. It should not be necessary as long as the Roku is within reasonable range of your router. Keep this in mind when choosing where to set up your Roku.
Navigation of the Roku menus is extremely simple and intuitive. There are your four directional buttons, select, home, and your standard fast forward, rewind and pause/play. I love the simplicity of this remote as our remote collection contains numerous remotes with countless confusing buttons that I have never even used. Don't be fooled by it's looks, however, because this remote is all you need to quickly and effectively access all of the Roku's features. I also wanted to point out that if you lose your remote and you have an iPhone or iPod touch, you can download an app that acts as a remote for your Roku. Sweet!!
Last but not least, you need to carefully consider which Roku you purchase. As nice as it would be to have an all-in-one box which includes all features at one price, currently you have to choose from three versions: the SD, HD and HD-XR. To put it plainly, they ALL have the same exact features. The only difference being the SD is limited to streaming only SD content, the HD can stream all HD and SD content, and the HD-XR can stream all HD and SD content and also includes an as of yet unused USB port (maybe for an external hard drive in the future?) and the ability to link with your "N" network. Given that the price difference is marginal, I would probably grab the next best up from what you are currently needing. If you have any intention at all at any point in the near or distant future to buy an HD TV, get the HD version. It's $20 more and you will spend much more than that getting a new box if you ever do get a new TV. Also, if you are at all enticed by the possibility of having an external hard drive to play all your own media, get the HD-XR. It's not been said what they intend to do with this USB port, but I think it seems fairly obvious what their plans are for it. You may not want to invest the money in a feature that is not yet supported, however. I do think it's a bit cheap to charge $30 more for a feature that should have been standard on all versions, but it is what it is.
In the end, if you love movies and like to save money, you will not be disappointed with the Roku. You will never have to visit a rental store or buy a pay-per-view rental ever again! And you may even save a nice chunk of change from canceling some channels that will now become obsolete with your new toy. If you are at all on the fence, rest assured that you will get your money's worth from this device. It's worth every penny.
Customer Review: No OFF Switch? What's Up With THAT?!?!
Summary: 4 Stars
The Roku HD Player is good and I hope the next generation will be even better. It's a nice supplement to our DirecTV satellite service and our normal Netflix subscription. Our AT&T DSL service is based on older fiber optic + IFDL technology. It's advertised as "up to 1.5Mbps down", but I've tested it and it's usually more like 650Kbps or about half the speed it was 10 years ago. Your DSL speed WILL IMPACT your experience with the Roku HD Player.
PROS:
* The unit is easy to connect to your TV and activate through your PC. DSL (either wired or wireless) in, HDMI out. Hard to mess this part up.
* Access to over 12,000 (at this time) tv shows and movies in the Netflix content library. For those times when "nothing's on worth watching", switch over to Roku and pick something from your queue. This is WHY you buy Roku...Additional "on-demand" content, no additional charge (Netflix).
* Neflix and Pandora are FREE. Others probably are too, but these are the two services we use. Complete TV series are available on demand. For example, put "Man v. Food: Season 1" in your queue you can watch ANY of 18 episodes in Roku.
* Unobtrusive little black box and simple remote control.
* Decent performance 90% of the time on our DSL...Sometimes excellent quality, sometimes not so good.
CONS:
* If you've had satellite or cable tv with some premium movie channels for the past few years, you're not going to find much in the way of NEW movies through Netflix. With the exception of the Starz Play selections, most are old B-movies or old retreads from the pre-2000s. This is good if you "missed" something you always wanted to watch. But once you use those up...
* There's NO OFF SWITCH and this is an unnecessary inconvenience! I purchased a 3 Port Smart HDMI Switch so I could run HDMI cables from our DVR, DVD Player and Roku HD Player. It works by hooking the (normally) most used device to "1", then as other devices are powered on, it automatically senses this and switches over to the new device. Turn the device off when through and it switches back to your primary device. When Roku arrived, I found out there is no OFF switch anywhere...Not on the unit or the remote. So to switch from DirecTV to Roku requires sticking my head under the entertainment console and manually switching the "automatic" switch. Ditto when switching back to DirecTV. This is just a DESIGN FLAW in my opinion. I don't care what kind of electronic device we're talking about...They should ALL have an off switch! Just try telling your wife, "If you want to watch Roku and I'm not home, just stick your head under here and see this thing with the red light on it? Just push this button until..." See what I mean?
* In setup, you choose your display from "HD or 4:3 or 16:9". I thought this meant everything would be displayed in "HD format" when selecting HD. Nope. Still not there yet I guess. You get a mixture of tv shows and movie displays ranging from black bars on the sides, black bars across the top, true full screen and even black bars across the top, bottom and sides! In other words, just like regular "High Definition TV". Even selecting display at 16:9 and setting your TV to "wide" won't convert 4:3 content to 16:9. I see this as another design flaw.
* There are 4 levels of quality and you'll see what quality your DSL connection is producing when loading a show from Netflix. It will either be 1,2,3 or 4. So far, none of ours have been either 1 or 4. They've all been either 2 or 3 with 3 being very good quality without interruptions and 2 being more like a pixelating Internet video with borderline acceptable quality. This also means there will be frequent "buffering" interruptions that say, "loading...please wait". Nothing quite like getting into a movie and seeing this pop up a half dozen times during it! Some may see this as a DSL-only problem, but it reflects our experience with the Roku either way.
* Personally, I think $100 for this unit is overpriced. I'd say $50 is a fair price. I did justify the $100 price by the FREE content available through Netflix. If an additional Netflix "fee" is ever added for the Roku, I won't continue to use it.
I wrote this review about our first week with Roku back in February, but never posted it. Since then, I can honestly say we've switched over to Roku maybe 2-3 times in the past 3-1/2 months. It's a novel idea...But I've already seen pretty much every movie I want to see in the Netflix library over the last 30 years. So there's not really any compelling reason to switch to Roku since we have a DirecTV HD DVR and there's already not enough time to watch everything we record to it. Unfortunately, if a Netflix movie is not part of the "streaming library", then you can't Roku it....And that's why it gets limited use in our home.
Customer Review: Great Product, Average Purchasing Experience
Summary: 4 Stars
If you have made it this far into the reviews here you have a pretty good idea by now how awesome most people find the Roku DVP. I won't disagree with these opinions as I too find it to be a very nice addition to my home theater. There are a few points that I would like to specifically mention both positive and negative that might contribute in some small way to the information presented by previous reviewers.
The positive:
- I am experiencing vastly improved video quality compared to streaming through my Xbox 360 which was my device of choice for Netflix until today. My network setup (wired) and internet connection (2Mb/s down speed) have not changed so at this point I am going to attribute the improvement to the HDMI connection of the Roku vs. the component connection I was using with the Xbox.
- Speaking of Xbox being freed from the monthly fee for Xbox Live Gold is a major benefit and unless you have other uses for this service (I don't) the Roku is a great option to free yourself from yet another monthly nickle and dime attack on your wallet.
- Setup has been described by one professional reviewer as easy enough for a child to complete and while I did not have the confidence to entrust the process to my 4 year old that reviewer was not far off in his estimation of the ease of setup. Instructions are clear though frankly if you have even the slightest technological ability connecting this to your home theater is so intuitive you probably won't need the instructions.
The negative:
- The shipping charges for this product are ridiculous. If you purchase from here at Amazon your Roku is going to ship directly from the manufacturer and I assume the same will hold true for any place else you may choose to purchase it from. I was charged $14.99 by Roku to handle (assume this is where most of the money goes) and ship a box that weighs no more than 2lbs. I could tolerate this if the shipping had been swift but it took over a week to get here. I realize this may be a small, or even inconsequential, point for many people but if I am going to be subjected to these kinds of shipping charges in this day and age of widespread free or greatly reduced shipping costs then I expect a more expedited delivery process.
- Incredibly poor packing. The shipping is slow and expensive but this ultimately is a bitter pill I can swallow but when I arrived home to see my Roku sitting in nothing but its retail packaging with a shipping label slapped on it I was both panicked and infuriated. The box was only moderately damaged and the unit ultimately worked fine but there is no acceptable excuse for shipping an electronic product in this manner especially given the amount of money paid for shipping. Ultimately there is not a thing you can do about this and you will just have to accept that your Roku, should you order one, will be banging and bumping its way across the country to you for a week or so (for those on the East Coast) and may or may not arrive intact and operational.
- The setup process requires the unit to restart itself several times which is not a big deal but the startup process is slow. I didn't time it but it was at least a minute every time. This may seem a minor point but having previously dealt with a very slow to boot first generation Toshiba HD DVD player (smart move huh?) I know how frustrating this can get over time. I do not know yet if the Roku has to completely restart itself when it awakes from its powered down state so hopefully this will not be an ongoing annoyance.
- No power off option. While the technical data states that the Roku uses a peak of 5 watts and only 3 in sleep mode it is still ridiculous in my opinion to have a device in these environmentally conscious times that we live in that continues to suck power when not in use. While the Roku is hardly the worst offender in this particular respect it is still something that could have been easily addressed and would hardly add to the production costs in a significant way (the money saved on shipping materials should cover it nicely).
- Lack of direct access to the Netflix queue. I don't think this is Roku's fault so I am not going to hold them accountable but adding a browser to any of the devices that stream Netflix to allow PC-free queue selection and editing needs to be a priority for Netflix and/or the equipment manufacturers.
Overall the Roku is a fantastic product and I am glad I made this purchase. Should you purchase one and actually have it survive the shipping process you will probably find yourself as pleased as I am. I knocked one star off my rating due to the aforementioned shipping issues. Normally I don't do this since shipping is beyond the maker's control but since this unit shipped directly from Roku they are going to have to eat that star.
Customer Review: I like the Roku player, but it's not for everyone...
Summary: 4 Stars
I bought the Roku player a couple months ago since I canceled my cable (couldn't afford it anymore). My idea was that since I already had a Netflix subscription and couldn't afford cable anymore, I'd get the Roku for the $99 and have a sort of "pseudo-cable" (i.e. stuff I can watch instantly on my TV). Overall I'd have to say that this has worked out pretty well.
Back when I had cable, I only ever watched about five channels total, but I paid $50 a month for it. These channels consist of Discovery, History channel, National Geographic, Animal Planet, and HGTV (yes, some might see these as dull channels, but I like them). Since I don't have a fancy Tivo or anything, I always had the problem of wanting to watch certain shows, like Mythbusters, and never catching it at the right time because I'd either forget when it was coming on or have some prior obligation at that time. So, getting a Roku made perfect sense to me since I could choose exactly when to watch the shows and not have to pay the $50 a month for cable. In fact, I've even decided that I never want cable again since I don't really miss it now.
There are a few drawbacks though. Firstly, the Netflix content available in Watch-it-now is rather lacking. This isn't a problem with the device itself, but it does factor in the decision to get one since having the Roku is worthless if there's nothing you want to watch on it. Of course, now that Amazon's video downloads can be used with the Roku, that really widens the selection (I haven't tried Amazon yet, so I don't know how well their download service works). However, if judged solely on the Watch-it-now content on Netflix, the library is really limited. Thankfully, it has all the stuff I'd want--nature documentaries, and shows like Survivorman and Mythbusters. Unfortunately, about all that's available is nature documentaries and really old movies that have 2 star ratings. So, I could easily see how someone who doesn't share my taste in tv shows and movies might be dissapointed. On the bright side, Netflix seems to be adding new stuff all the time. I just recently saw Ratatouie on there, and its fairly new. So, maybe with time their selection will widen considerably!
One of the other drawbacks is that occasionally while watching, the movie will stop and reload at a lower picture quality. The reloading takes several seconds and breaks up the viewing experience. Thankfully, this doesn't happen very often. In fact, it only happened regulary while watching the tv series "Rough Science" for some reason. I don't know why, but I haven't really had the buffering/reloading problem since watching that series (and it's been a couple months since).
The only other complaint that I have is that fast forwarding and rewinding are a bit of a pain. Every time you want to go back to an old scene or forward to a new one, the Roku takes you to a scene selection style menu of scene picture thumbnails, and you must select the one you want. Then, it reloads again just like when you first started the movie. This is somewhat annoying since DVDs can skip effortlessly forward and backward. I suppose this occurs due to the constant streaming. I'm rather patient so this issue doesn't bother me excessively, but I thought I'd mention it in case someone reading this is nitpicky about that sort of thing.
Other than that, I've had no issues with the Roku and I'm quite happy with it. Unlike other reviewers, I had no trouble with installation (took me 10 minutes; most of it spent struggling with my hideous array of computer wires). Picture quality looks fine to me (just like cable) and things I add to my Netflix list always appear instantly in the Roku (no waiting!).
So, overall, I would recommend this device to:
1. someone who is already using Netflix for movie rentals (just $99 to enjoy those watch-it-nows on your TV!)
2. someone who doesn't already have a Tivo or other such device
3. someone who doesn't mind the limited selection or buying movies from Amazon to make up for the limited Netflix selection
4. someone who hates having to watch movies on their computer (I get neck strain when I sit in front of the computer for too long)
If you meet these criteria, I think you'd enjoy the Roku. Either way, paying $99 one time and then $15 a month for the Netflix subscription beats the heck out of cable for me. I'll never go back to cable again! Woo hoo!!!
Customer Review: Compare prices of all the Roku offerings and evaluate your needs prior to making a purchase
Summary: 5 Stars
First let me say I own two Roku HD's and LOVE them! NetFlix and Roku are a marriage made in heaven as far as I'm concerned, and they are saving me tons of money and treks to the video store. The picture, ease of use, wireless capabilities, quality of video content... everything is great!
But it's important to understand the differences between the 3 Roku offerings so you can make an informed decision on your purchase. It does seem odd that Roku has simply not put out one device at one price for everyone with all the bells and whistles, but for now, you have to choose one... based upon your needs and budget.
THE DIFFERENCES IN ROKU PLAYERS:
Roku HD Player is capable of wired or wireless hook-up, but not at the fastest speed available from a 'N' wireless network. HD content streams to this device flawlessly (if the content is available and your home network is sending a proper signal), despite not being 'N' network ready.
That being said, Roku came out with Roku HD-XR Player which WILL stream the fastest 'N' network standard, provided the rest of your home network is also working with the same standard. That being said, this device is not at all necessary if you don't have all the devices on your home network using the 'N' standard, because the speed will only go as fast as the device with the slowest connection which is probably the 'B or G' standard. It also has a usb port, although 'why' is not clear. Perhaps for future firmware upgrades or expansion? Firmware can be achieved through the wired or wireless Internet connection, so this is a bit of a mystery as of yet.
The third device is available, the Roku SD, which streams in standard definition. It is not capable of providing HD content or surround sound audio like the other two, and does not have a HDMI connection. It only supports the red/yellow/white (composite video and audio) connections, but it will connect wirelessly or can be hardwired to the internet, working on a 'B or G' network. The Roku SD is about twenty bucks less than the Roku HD, but it seems like an offering worth ignoring based on the lack of upgrade-ability alone.
All the Roku offerings will give you years of enjoyment by boosting your NetFlix subscription, streaming Amazon On Demand media and boosting your viewing library. The questions you should ask yourself prior to purchasing this great device are "Do I want to spend more money for a 'n' network ready device?"
MY CONCLUSION:
I'm very happy I chose to by 2 Roku HD's for my home. The quality of the streaming video on my 'G' network is perfect; using both standard and HD content. I didn't buy the XR version because the HD serves my needs at a lower price point.
The quality of the device and the Netflix and Amazon On Demand services are wonderful and I've enjoyed a whole new world in home entertainment since this pairing. Evaluate your needs and buy accordingly. While the Roku products are not media storage devices or DVR's, they can give you a tremendous boost in your enjoyment of NetFlix and expand your viewing library. You'll never lack for something good to watch on TV again!
NOTE: If you have 2 or more Roku products on your home network, be prepared for bumps in the streaming video if you're all watching shows at the same time!
Roku HD Player Specifications: (Per the Roku website)
Networking
Wi-Fi (802.11B/G) with WEP, WPA, and WPA2 support
10/100 Ethernet (RJ-45)
Video Outputs
Composite video (480i)
S-Video (480i)
Component video (Y/Pb/Pr - 720p/480p)
HDMI (720p/480p)
Video Modes
16:9 High Definition (HD)
16:9 anamorphic
4:3 standard
Audio Output
Stereo (L/R RCA)
Digital Optical (Toslink - Stereo/Surround)
Digital over HDMI (Stereo/Surround)
Remote Control
NEC protocol, supported by various universal remotes
Power Input
5V, 1.5A provided by included AC adapter
Power Consumption
6 watts peak, 4 watts in standby
Size
5 x 5 x 1.75 inches (130 x 130 x 41 mm)
Weight
11 oz (300 grams)
Each Roku player comes with:
Remote control
Two AAA batteries
Composite (red/white/yellow) A/V cable
Power adapter
Getting Started guide
30-day money back guarantee
One year warranty