Roku HD-XR Player
by Roku, Inc.
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List Price: Category: Home Theater See more product details |
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(Click here)
Customers in the UK,
Buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Roku HD-XR Player
Customer Review: Getting another one
Summary: 5 Stars
I've been using Roku for about 6 months now and I'm very happy with it. There are some issues that need to be address:
* Roku stays on all of the time, like most products of this type. This causes problems with autoswitching video switches, as they see the Roku on all the time. (Power consumption is very low though, less than the average computer when the computer is off. It also goes into sleep mode or something if it isn't used in a while, further reducing power usage)
* Roku seems to get bogged down during peak times and requires a reboot. (unplugging)
* Searching STILL sucks from the box to Netflix, it really isn't even worth doing, just use the instant queue.
* Some of the instant movies/TV shows in Netflix are not very high quality transfers. Buffy season 1 is very muted in color and no where near the quality of the DVD. Many are great quality, but not all.
All of those items are fairly minor, but I think that like most networked electronics, if the user doesn't know what they are doing, it may be impossible for them to use the product. It is also likely dependent on the network stream quality and bandwidth, so some users may experience issues there.
Setting mine up took all of 3 minutes. Took it out of the box and hooked up the wires. I spent more time connecting it to the TV and audio equipment, so if the wires were already there, I'm guessing from box to setup to use is about 1 minute, including boot time. I didn't look at any instructions and the remote has like 5 buttons on it, so anyone can use it without much thought.
My conclusion was that Roku is well worth it and I'm ordering another one for another TV. I like the device, I don't have any major issues with it. I think it adds a great value to my Netflix subscription and the ability to buy/rent movies and show episodes from Amazon is a great plus.
Roku gets 5 stars, despite the slight issue, which do seem to be getting better.
Customer Review: Works great with one minor flaw
Summary: 4 Stars
I recently got a subscription to Netflix. My wife wanted to be able to stream movies to living room tv. I heard some good things about the Roku and plus it had MLB season pass on it.
I got it in the mail. It was sent in the actual Product box no extra packaging to protect it. Luckily it was OK upon arrival. I am not sure if it was sent by Roku or Amazon.
The main problem I had was we still have an SD CRT TV in the living room. I got this unit because eventually we are getting a HDTV. So when I first connected it to the SD TV the image was all scrambled and I could not get it set up. So I connected to a computer monitor that had HDMI input. I had to set the video output to 4:3. I disconnected it and hooked it back up to the SD TV, evidently when you disconnect power it will revert back to 16:9. So I hooked it back up to computer monitor and wrote down what sequence of buttons to push to get it back to 4:3. Reconnected to SD ran through the sequence of buttons to push and still scrambled in 4:3. I turned the unit off with remote and back on and then the image was fine.
Also, at least for me it was kind of a pain to get the Roku, Netflix activated. It would kick out the code if you wait to long to enter it from Netflix. So I got the laptop out and got next to the box and as soon as the Code appeared online I entered it. That seem to work.
Documentation and Support FAQ is skimpy. I never got a chance to see if there is a forum.
Considering the problems I had once I got it set up and working the box worked far better than I had hoped(at 1.5 mbs) so I gave 4 stars. It is even better watching Netflix on TV than a computer. A netflix account at $9.00 a month is better than HBO, Cinemax and Showtime combined.
If you have this box hooked up to HDTV(HDMI) you should have no problems setting up the unit.
I hope this review helps.
Thanks Roku and Netflix for making TV fun again!
Customer Review: Almost as good as it seems
Summary: 4 Stars
This product seemed to be just what we were looking and waiting for: instant movies, no late fees, no trips to the video store and no unwatched DVDs sitting around the house. It almost meets my expectations, and my complaints are really with a more complicated set-up than I'd anticipated and non-existent customer support. Now that we have it working (through many, many trials and errors), it's a dream.
One thing we discovered early in set-up is that the wireless connection in our home couldn't handle the Roku. We use wireless throughout the house for our computers, but this device must have demanded too much. Once we plugged the device into our internet connection with an Ethernet cord, problems started to resolve. (Now I just need to run the connection to my TV through the ceiling or some way to clean up the family room floor.)
Also, we needed to "unlink" the Roku from the Roku account that the device had me create during normal set-up. I don't know why that worked, but once I did that we were finally able to access our Netflix account. Now I have a long queue for instant viewing and my daughter (coincidentally sick this weekend and wanting nothing but Scooby Doo movies) watches with a click and a 15-second wait while each movie downloads. This is really better than DVDs -- no previews, lengthy FBI / Interpol warnings -- even without the need to either purchase or rent and return the DVD.
Throughout our complicated, problem-ridden set-up I tried to contact Roku. Both my husband and I sent support inquiries. Over 72 hours later, I've still heard nothing in response except for a confirming email that someone would get in touch within 24-48 hours. But, with some restarts and trials of different configurations, we finally do have it running. If you are reasonable tech-savvy and can trouble-shoot on your own, this is a great machine. Just don't expect any help from a live person at Roku.
Customer Review: Difficult to get working on the road
Summary: 3 Stars
Roku is great but can be a challenge to get working and obtain Roku support. Roku technical support asked for my Roku order number and when informed that I purchased from Amazon, told me to call Amazon instead because I hadn't purchased directly from Roku.
My problem was getting Roku to work in a hotel room where internet service requires that you interact with a web browser for agreeing to terms of service, and sometimes for payment, based on your unique device MAC address.
Good luck trying to figure this out. Roku settings tells you that you are connected via ethernet and to the internet. You have an IP address on the settings page. However, attempting Netflix, Amazon or checking for a Roku update fails with no explanation. Roku could and should tell you when establishing your ethernet connection or attempting a Roku update, that [...] cannot be successfully accessed (because the web request to [...] was intercepted and returned the hotel's web page).
I solved this problem by having my laptop temporarily impersonate the MAC address of my Roku so I could respond to the hotel web page. Roku helpfully labels the MAC address on their box. It is also displayed under player info settings. My Windows ethernet driver allowed me to change my laptop MAC address: right click 'My Computer', click Device Manager, Network Adapters, right click the name of your Network Interface Card, click 'Properties', click the 'Advanced' tab, select 'Locally Administered Address', choose the option button besides 'Value' text box, enter your desired MAC address of 12 characters without dashes, click 'OK', disable your NIC and then enable it again.
I only gave this product three stars because of my poor experience with Roku technical support. When working, it is five stars. Small enough to fit in my suitcase with a mini-hub and ethernet cables so I can have my laptop and Roku working at the same time.
Customer Review: Great product - worth owning
Summary: 5 Stars
I have the standard Roku and recently ordered this HD-RX version. I use direct ethernet, but purchasing this one as it will allow for true 1080 later in the year with a software upgrade. Also, wife doesn't like watching TV in the basement during the winter as it is colder, but I love it. She gets the old unit.
Unlike many of the Blu-Ray players that allow for NetFlix streaming, the Roku seems to be more reliable and consistent. Plus, many new channels are being added to the Roku. Some are free, some are stupid and others have a fee. So you have a lot of options, along with Amazon on Demand for your video streaming choices.
I am sure there is a way using the developer's kit to stream video from your computer, but I haven't figured that out or made the effort.
It is small, takes up little space, very responsive. Great video, too. I use an Epson projector onto a 2:35-1 screen (nearly 10 feet across) and could not be more pleased. Screen made from fabric at JoAnn fabrics. So cheap, and people are amazed when they see it. The quality I get from my Roku is nearly perfect, in my opinion.
There is some pixilation with lettering sometimes, but not noticeable enough and may be more due to my projection than the streaming.
As for a shout out to NetFlix - get it. For $10 bucks a month you get access to 12k plus movies, including TV series. Catch up on old movies, new movies, and TV shows. Use AOD and buy a season for a few bucks an episode. I don't use or want DVR. I use NetFlix and AOD via my Roku onto my big screen in my man cave!!
Frankly, I now have to force myself to put a movie in my dvd queue at netFlix as I tend to watch more via streaming (instant queue). I wish NetFlix would raise my rates to $20 a month and stream everything. Time for blu-rays to fade away.
I just don't see the need anymore with this streaming technology.