My ReadyNAS has DLNA streaming which I use for my XBox360 and the Sony media player I already have. Can this one do DLNA?

Just so you have them...

Here is a feature matrix of all ROKU models:
http://support.roku.com/entries/20345913-product-comparison-all-roku-player-models

Here is a list of all OFFICIAL ROKU channels:
http://www.roku.com/roku-channel-store#15

Here is a list of all HIDDEN/PRIVATE ROKU channels:
http://streamfree.tv/apps/roku-private-channels/live-streaming-channels/
http://hiddenchannel.com/
http://www.roku-channels.com/
http://streamfree.tv/apps/roku-private-channels/

Enjoy!

timbrrr wrote:so what can i see for just $59.99?
if i don't pay for anything but the box?

any cool hidden / private channels?

There is a public domain movie channel, Crackle (has ads), and several film school channels. But the small fee for Netflix is worth it, IMHO.

Woot needs to keep a better eye on their parents. This was $50 at amazon yesterday (and other places).

in for 1..

if i got rid of my cable, how would you say watch the superbowl? or other things on ESPN etc.

Keep in mind that since this is the XDS model that can connect to either a 2.4ghz or 5.0ghz networks if you have that type of router. In my case I have one of these ROKU's from Woot and I connect it using the 5ghz network which has far fewer devices in my home connected to it (very nice feature).

However (and there is always a gotcha), there is one small thing to consider. If you are using the official ROKU IOS app (http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/roku/id482066631?mt=8) to control your ROKU, it uses the SSID of the wireless connection that your iPhone uses. Since my iPhone 4s can only see 2.4ghz networks, the IOS app is useless unless I switch the ROKU to use the same 2.4ghz network...which defeats the dual band benefit.

for 4 bucks more you can get a new one on their website. (with free shipping) ; )

tpeter5051 wrote:in for 1..

if i got rid of my cable, how would you say watch the superbowl? or other things on ESPN etc.

For the Super Bowl, you could use an over-the-air antennae to pick up the network television broadcasts (which are up to 1080i resolution). We do this and our area has over 50+ digital channels available.

As for ESPN, you'll need to stop by the local pub to watch live games! However the savings from ROKU (with netflix or HULU) and over the air broadcasts is completely worth it. We ditched cable for this combo months ago and the savings has been unbelievable.

I've had two of these for a couple of years now and love them. Perfect for our Netflix and Amazon Prime viewing on our main TV and in the bedroom.

Was checking the private channels and noticed there is even a WOOT channel

http://streamfree.tv/apps/roku-private-channels/all-private-channels/woot-39-thread.html

Does this player have Closed Caption support for Netflix movies? I have an old Roku XR which does not and don't believe Roku is ever going to offer an uptate to it.

michaelallenclark wrote:Do they still require that you sign up for an account and give them your credit card just so you can activate the box?

This was indeed the case in my recent purchase. I'm not thrilled about it either so I'm looking for a way to get the info erased after the activation.

I would be interested in the whole cable ditching thing if there were a reasonable way to stream all the college and pro football that cant be picked up on antenna. I have toddlers. I can't just "stop by the pub" for 3+ hours every time a game is not over-the-air.

timbrrr wrote:so what can i see for just $59.99?
if i don't pay for anything but the box?

any cool hidden / private channels?

See my above post for links to the Hidden/Private Channel listings. Enjoy!

DigMe wrote:I would be interested in the whole cable ditching thing if there were a reasonable way to stream all the college and pro football that cant be picked up on antenna. I have toddlers. I can't just "stop by the pub" for 3+ hours every time a game is not over-the-air.

I get the toddler situation for sure...Netflix on ROKU in our playroom is streaming WonderPets and Dora exclusively!

You could explore other options as well...do a Google Search for Veetle, which is how I watch all of the major games such as Monday Night Football. Awesome quality for live games. I love the internet!

tryzub wrote:Neither the Revue nor the Wii have the same offered channels that the Roku does, let alone the private channels.

Furthermore, Roku has the best Netflix UI (and many here have agreed), other than the Xbox 360.

I use Netflix through my Wii as well as through this ROKU. Biggest difference is that the Wii limits you to 480p resolution and the ROKU is 1080p.

DigMe wrote:I would be interested in the whole cable ditching thing if there were a reasonable way to stream all the college and pro football that cant be picked up on antenna. I have toddlers. I can't just "stop by the pub" for 3+ hours every time a game is not over-the-air.

Honestly there's just not. You can buy ESPN online season passes to each sport, but that's going to be as expensive as cable (at least).

Many of my acquaintances have tried and every single one is back on cable. The only people I know that have successfully cut the cord are people that don't watch sports in the first place, or hardly at all.

So I am confused.

I currently pay 40 bucks a month for cable plus I have netflix streaming which I use through my ps3.

Me and my family like to watch shows on the food network, sci fi, basic channels (my state no longer uses antenna's everything is digital so i cannot purchase one, we also watch shows on fox, disney, espn etc.

Will I have access to all this at a cheaper rate via roku? Essentially I am paying 48 bucks a month presently between cable and netflix. I looked through the channels and it doesn't seem like this will be a cheaper solution.

Should I just stream from my imac? I do have a Wii, just not even hooked up. My son has a 360. Can he just stream from it? I was thinking I would rejoin hulu and netflix and ditch the cable...I would be fine, not sure about the teenager. We don't really watch sports.

Confused.

I bought the XR refurb in Sept,2010 and it is still going strong. I'm buying this one for the 5 Ghz band and because I want a spare in case my old ROKU dies. And yes I find ROKU worth every penny. No cable and I watch what I want , when I want. My only limit is congestion on my internet network at high demand times. Even then waiting 15 minutes almost always gets me on. Oh, and no commercials on Netflix.

This looks a good deal, but know the Western Digital Live TV is a far superior box, especially if you have a large media collection. It plays every type of media including ISOs. There is also a custom firmware available for the ultimate local media box.

I received a Roku 2 as a gift back in December. Mine sits unused next to my other devices; it's a great product if you don't have a modern DVD/Blu-ray player or a game console, but otherwise don't bother.

I already have a Tivo and a PS3, both of which can stream Netflix, my Windows Media Server, and my Amazon digital videos. For me, it's just another useless streaming device that adds to the jumble of wires. They do have a free movie channel called Crackle, but it has many repetitive commercials and the movies are hit or miss as far as selection, but hey it's free, right?

Mine also has a tendency to freeze from time to time. Anyway, those are my thoughts. Good if you have a TV without anything connected to it already I suppose.

"Will I have access to all this at a cheaper rate via roku? Essentially I am paying 48 bucks a month presently between cable and netflix. "

No, IMHO the ROKU does not replace basic cable or satellite. The channels are not 'live' but prerecorded except for the sports channels that you pay for. There are a few exceptions but you cannot get your local channels or FOX,MSNBC, etc.

I have two of these and the amount of entertainment delivered is just amazing!

Does this thing do anything a wii and PS3 don't do?

AndrewZorn wrote:I hope I don't regret my recent purchase of a Roku 2 HD, which hasn't yet even arrived.

You won't! I've got one and they are awesome! The only knock I have against mine is the lack of a YouTube channel.

Tominator2000 wrote:"Will I have access to all this at a cheaper rate via roku? Essentially I am paying 48 bucks a month presently between cable and netflix. "

No, IMHO the ROKU does not replace basic cable or satellite. The channels are not 'live' but prerecorded except for the sports channels that you pay for. There are a few exceptions but you cannot get your local channels or FOX,MSNBC, etc.

I have two of these and the amount of entertainment delivered is just amazing!

So this is a useless purchase for me then since I can stream netflix and hulu via my ps3, wii, 3ds, laptop and pc. I need my local channels, sports, and fox. I would go just hulu and netflix but they don't stream all of my favorite shows and none of my sports.

Phoenix1e wrote:Should I just stream from my imac? I do have a Wii, just not even hooked up. My son has a 360. Can he just stream from it? I was thinking I would rejoin hulu and netflix and ditch the cable...I would be fine, not sure about the teenager. We don't really watch sports.

Confused.

Yes, you can definitely stream via the 360. I have friends that use it to watch Netflix all the time. I have a PS3 personally, and I can stream a great deal of content with it. The 360 is a little different, but I know for a fact you can use it for Netflix!

I love using my Roku (with NetFlix on my older) TV. I wish I had gotten one sooner.

Check www.thenowhereman.com/roku

That's the site of a Roku employee who they hired after he began turning content from the web into channels (legally). Lots of free stuff through his channel.

Can this play .mkv, .ts or .m2ts files?

I bought one of these (XDS) after reading everyone here rave over theirs, when they were on woot about a month or so ago and have been quite disappointed with the speed of it steaming via wifi. Plugged in direct via ethernet has been better but it still takes a really long time to start the stream going. In comparison to the Apple TV, the Apple TV streams a lot faster (even on wifi compared to the Roku over ethernet).

I love the ability to add channels (but I found out that it very quickly ran out of space to add more channels) which the Apple TV doesn't have. Being able to stream news networks like Russia Today, and Al Jazeera are a big plus.

So all in all where it is a really cool piece of kit, it just doesn't work as smoothly as I would like, but still its handy to be able to have another tv access Netflix. Maybe if it were $10-15 cheaper then it would really be a great deal.

So this gets only HULU+ that needs a paid subscription, but not regular *FREE* HULU? and no YouTube? :-(

lichme wrote:Here is a list of supported channels for the Roku. Having only heard about this, I figured it was just another Netflix streaming box. Turns out it does a lot more.

http://www.roku.com/roku-channel-store

*Edit - wow, why I have not bought one of these already? It even has NHL Gamecenter Live

Now I know 2 things:
1. Glenn Beck has his own channel
2. I'm not buying this thing

jman115 wrote:So this is a useless purchase for me then since I can stream netflix and hulu via my ps3, wii, 3ds, laptop and pc. I need my local channels, sports, and fox. I would go just hulu and netflix but they don't stream all of my favorite shows and none of my sports.

Appears to be for you, Roku is very poor on sports, MLB & NHL but is pay for, NBA lite, apparently just highlights. A couple of offbeat college sports channels but I haven't investigated those.
Also quite poor on News channels also.

BeadingFool wrote:So this gets only HULU+ that needs a paid subscription, but not regular *FREE* HULU? and no YouTube? :-(

No box has regular Hulu that I know of.

I was all set to do this. Then I went to the Roku site. The new Roku 2 XD (new and newer model) is $10 off making it $69.99 and free shipping. For $5 more, I get the newer model and it is not a refurb.

We have the previous Roku to this one and we love them (we have three). Our kids can watch more cartoons than they could before (like they need that), but we've upgrade to Play On and Hulu Plus. If you're thinking about switching, all of the online content makes it very easy. Only issue is if you want to watch sports (like basketball) that's ususally on ESPN. We don't get those live, but my husband just watches them on the computer.

Hopefully someone can read this and answer me. I have read through and want to make sure when buying this that I can do what I want to do.

I have all my old DVDs converted and saved on a 2 TB hard drive (also purchased from woot) that I have always hooked up to my desktop computer (another woot purchase) in my office.

If I hook up this Roku to my TV in my living room, and both the Roku and my desktop are connected to my N wireless network, will I be able to watch my DVD files from my 2 TB hard drive. I do not currently have Netflix, and really don't think I would use any of the other channels. But if I am able to watch my shows/movies I have pulled from my DVD library without having to plug my laptop through an HDMI to my tv in my living room, this 65 dollars would be worth it. Someone please confirm or deny this for me!


So in conclusion.

1. This does NOT need to be plugged in to my network. I can connect to my wireless network. Correct?

2. If this is connected wirelessly, as well as my desktop computer connected to my 2 TB harddrive full of DVDs, can I watch them on my big screen in the living room when the Roku is connected via HDMI to my tv?

Thank you very much in advance.

Wooted the Roku XD in December, overall happy with it but far from perfect.
Graphical user interface is slow.
Channels are so-so, many interesting channels are pay for.
Free channels like Crackle (movies) some good choices, but will drive you crazy with the same ads over and over, and they interrupt program at stupid points.
Hulu Plus, pay for, I had 1 month trial but cancelled after 2 weeks, horrible movie selection, horrible user interface, streaming would lock up on occasion requiring hard reboot of Roku.
Terrible selection of sports and news channels.


Yes did require credit card to start Roku setup.

does Roku work outside the U.S.? ex Asia

ccrew wrote:http://leapvine.com/p/473/Roku%20XDS%20Streaming%20Player%201080p-%252d%252d-1OO00426P57B99.html

website registrered 2/20/12 to someone in Paris, France according to whois.com

if it sounds too good to be true... buyer beware