I ordered one for the outside stereo, so the question is, how do I configure this to that without hooking it to a TV, or is that not possible? I don't mind doing that, just curious is all. This is my first one of these type of devices so thus the dumb question.

badger65 wrote:I ordered one for the outside stereo, so the question is, how do I configure this to that without hooking it to a TV, or is that not possible? I don't mind doing that, just curious is all. This is my first one of these type of devices so thus the dumb question.

You cannot configure or control the Roku without a video interface.

wrogers936 wrote:You cannot configure or control the Roku without a video interface.

Makes sense, but was curious is all. Thank you for the reply. Oh, once I have it configured, can it be moved or do I have to do the video interface again? I want to configure it then move it to its final location next to the stereo.

davedoy wrote:anything you buy today should have HDMI ports and you'll use one to connect the Roku. Get a TV with LOTS of HDMI ports. and don't let the store overcharge you for HDMI cables, just order them online from any computer etailer.

Monoprice.com has the best HDMI cables for the best price.

badger65 wrote:Makes sense, but was curious is all. Thank you for the reply. Oh, once I have it configured, can it be moved or do I have to do the video interface again? I want to configure it then move it to its final location next to the stereo.

You still need video for selection of apps and such. Get an old, small TV set with 'audio out'. Run component cables from there to the stereo auxiliary input. Should be all good.

mdyoung216 wrote:Monoprice.com has the best HDMI cables for the best price.

My cable provider who shall remain nameless but rhymes bombcast, will give you hdmi cables every time you change out a box or pretty much any time you visit one of their offices for any reason.

They don't count them and they never ask for returns on them. I have several spares now - never bought one yet.

I wonder if other cable providers do the same?

Is there a way to get local programing? Especially the local news I'd like to know about local teams and weather alerts.

jaguar964 wrote:Is there a way to get local programing? Especially the local news I'd like to know about local teams and weather alerts.

No. It's not a tuner. But, if you have an HD television, run down to the Radio Shack - or go online - and get a HD antenna. You would be AMAZED at the quality from all of your local stations that ALREADY BROADCAST OVER THE AIR in hi-def. In most cases, the signal comes in better than they would if truncated through cable or dish providers.

jaguar964 wrote:Is there a way to get local programing? Especially the local news I'd like to know about local teams and weather alerts.

local programming you get over the air, if you want it at all, although many local newscast are on nowhere tv, and i've seen a few locals building a roku channel.

hann wrote:mmm would this work anywhere in the world as long as i've an internet connection?

or would it trace where i'm tapping the signal from?

I like it but I like my patriot boxes and media centers better. It is nice to have such easy access to the channels and shows though.

I'm still waiting for Unlimited Access to the internet on my 70" set...not all of this 'ooohhh, looky here at This channel we will Let you watch, if you Pay Us!'

HD antenna failed because I live too far away from major towns. Hate paying almost $70 a month for DISH!!!! (And That's Without HD programming!!) For all those channels that I Don't and Never Will watch! What a Scam!

^^X^^

lalaclassic wrote:Is the little blue tag with "ROFU" on it supposed to stay on it? It looks like one of those tags that you have to pull on a product to make something work. I'm afraid my kids would tug on it and break it off. Is it important?

The tag can be removed like any other fabric care tag. I am saying this from memory, so I might be wrong. I believe it says on the back "Wash in cold with like colors, no chlorine. Tumble dry low only."
They might be referring to the tag and not the equipment thought, not positive.

@ZackMorris99: Thanks for the tip. Picked up a Roku XD at Radio Shack tonight. Took a little calling around to find a store that had one, but got it new for $28.97.

Funny. The guy in the store said, "I didn't know we had it for that price. I think I want to buy that one." I got it first. Thanks again.

MykalB wrote:@ZackMorris99: Thanks for the tip. Picked up a Roku XD at Radio Shack tonight. Took a little calling around to find a store that had one, but got it new for $28.97.

Funny. The guy in the store said, "I didn't know we had it for that price. I think I want to buy that one." I got it first. Thanks again.

Went in our local Radio Shack (4/18) and price tag on shelf was $78 (ish) and asked sales rep. to do price check - $78. You think it's per store deal or needed to be rung up to get $28.97?

MykalB wrote:@ZackMorris99: Thanks for the tip. Picked up a Roku XD at Radio Shack tonight. Took a little calling around to find a store that had one, but got it new for $28.97.

Funny. The guy in the store said, "I didn't know we had it for that price. I think I want to buy that one." I got it first. Thanks again.

That is why you never ever call, you got lucky when you did call they just checked for availability and went about their business, it was only when they had to ring it up for you did they realize what the price was. However thumbs up for getting it at that great price. I am sure enjoying the device, it has replaced my Logitech Revue which I'm just using for Youtube and movies on webpages that do not have a Roku channel.

kahawken wrote:Went in our local Radio Shack (4/18) and price tag on shelf was $78 (ish) and asked sales rep. to do price check - $78. You think it's per store deal or needed to be rung up to get $28.97?

Make sure it is the first gen Roku, when I got mine the rep brought out both generation devices. However I would make him ring it up, or have him price check it to other Radio Shacks, or he could have just been saying that, waiting for you to leave and then buying as soon as you are gone. You have to be very firm in person sometimes when things are insanely good clearance prices.

ZackMorris99 wrote:Make sure it is the first gen Roku, when I got mine the rep brought out both generation devices. However I would make him ring it up, or have him price check it to other Radio Shacks, or he could have just been saying that, waiting for you to leave and then buying as soon as you are gone. You have to be very firm in person sometimes when things are insanely good clearance prices.

Will go back or visit another location. The stock number was same as you stated: 1601252. Thanks for advice.

Update: My mistake as I went back in the store and item was Roku 2 XD with price tag below with incorrect stock number (1601252). Guy said he'd try and locate one which he did and it was further than I wanted to drive to get one. He said no problem they could transfer to that store. He called store and they told him it was not in stock....oh well, who knows if it was or not. If nothing else, found a RS sales person who was helpful which normally I don't find that to be the case.

I can't believe mine was delivered already -- it was on sale yesterday, right? Hat's off to you, Woot!

Usually "newest is better" is true with multi-generation products like the Roku. But not so this time IF you have Comcast hi-speed internet. Recently I found a deal on AMZ & bought the Roku 2 XS 1080p. Then I just happened to see a Forum comment that a customer had had problems with his unit (cause not clear in his first post). That evening, after I spent HOURS following that Discussion, then reading lots of comments on multiple websites, & doing MORE research, & two contacts w/Comcast to verify the info, I'd confirmed it was true. And by then, it was too late to cancel the shipment. ARRGGHH!!
I'm glad this woot deal was so good because I've lost $$$ on return costs for the Roku I really wanted. I'm just hoping that in this case "next to newest" works. Any more problems & I won't bother with Roku again.

Got mine today and playing Pandora and Amazon just fine. Initially had same Netflix problem I see posted all over the place: launch Netflix, get grey "Retrieving..." screen for a few seconds, then back to main screen. Factory reset, and after a few more Retrieving screens, started working!

Received my Roku today, wow that was fast.
Hooked up the Roku and everything seems to work but Netflix. I set it up ok, but when I choose Netflix channel I just get message "retrieving" then the browser goes back to the main menu. Looked over a bunch of support blogs and this appears to be common problem in the past 3 days.

What are people's thoughts on Netflix? Best price besides the $8.00 "all you can eat per month", worth the monthly cost, etc.?

I got mine yesterday and when hooked up, it goes from starting up to getting stuck on the "Launching Home Screen page..." :-( Anyone else seeing this??

Thanks to everyone for the Radio Shack tip, I picked up one yesterday for $28 plus tax in the San Fernando Valley. None of the area stores were aware of the sale price but when I insisted that they check with a home base, they discovered it was true. The one I got was tagged at $79, brand new, unopened, and the salesman was very shocked at the sale price. Last one at that store but several others in my area still had them in stock on Friday.

gpt999 wrote:I got mine yesterday and when hooked up, it goes from starting up to getting stuck on the "Launching Home Screen page..." :-( Anyone else seeing this??

Ok, after the factory reset its behaving better :-)

got mine today and it can't connect to my home wifi. on live chat support now... lets hope its an easy fix!

My Roku unit came in the mail today. It doesn't even power up! Well, what do I expect from a refurbished product really! Paying price for buying cheap!

I just got mine today. It was missing the power cord, it had 2 loose AAA batteries, one Eveready which was dead (1.1vdc) and one Chinese brand.
The unit has deep scratches with greasy fingerprints all over it.
This is refurbished??
My first Woot, maybe my last. Incredible!

Got mine Friday... looked like a new unit - no scratches or problems!

People - if you have media on your Mac or PC install Plex on your computer! It automatically indexes your content and you can stream practically anything to your Roku.

Pretty pleased with the purchased. No issues with netflix or hulu+

I have tons of DVDs and music on my mac mini and streaming with Plex is fantastic!

Got mine on Saturday and I'm really enjoying it. Up until now I've been streaming Amazon Prime on my 55-inch television through my Sony Blu-ray player. The Roku represents a major quality improvement. The sound is true 5.1 DD and the video quality is very sharp.

Consistent with the advice early in this thread I installed the private channel available at

http://www.thenowhereman.com/roku/

Highly recommended!

I especially love having easy access to Archive.org.

Arrived today in good condition (with loose batteries as well).

This is the second thing I've had shipped by Amazon instead of Woot (Amazon box, amazon packing slip, amazon location). I don't mind -- better than waiting 2 weeks with DUH-post.

Got mine today. Looks great and can't wait to connect it when I get home. Only thing I was missing was the quick start guide but I can grab that online without a problem.

mine totally didn't work and Roku was no help whatsoever, in fact they were quite rude. Luckily, woot! came to the rescue and is sending me a new unit! Thanks, Woot!

sehammer wrote:got mine today and it can't connect to my home wifi. on live chat support now... lets hope its an easy fix!

From the Roku forum tips

Tip: For Wireless (WiFi ) Connection issues (for Roku models with Ethernet port),

Temporarily, change Roku’s Network Settings from wireless to wired.
Unplug power cord from Modem/Router & Roku.
Re-Plug power cord to Modem - wait 5 min. (till fully restart)
Re-Plug power cord to Router - wait 5 min. (till fully restart)
Re-Plug power cord to Roku.
Change-back Roku’s Network Settings from wired to wireless
You may reboot Roku one more time (unplug/plug power).

This worked for me on the unit that was having problems connecting to the wireless network at home.

gpt999 wrote:I got mine yesterday and when hooked up, it goes from starting up to getting stuck on the "Launching Home Screen page..." :-( Anyone else seeing this??

Mine launched the Home Screen, connected to the Internet without a problem, downloaded the software update, installed it, restarted, and... same thing. After the fifth cycle through these steps, I used Roku live support chat to troubleshoot. I tried resetting it twice, as per their instructions. (Push the "Reset" pinhole on the bottom of the unit; hold for 60-90 seconds.) When it kept doing more of the same, they instructed me on how to return the unit to them for a replacement. Not sure how I like the unit, since I couldn't get it to start; however, their customer service seems pretty good to me.

My wife is gone for two days... I really really hope it arrives in time for me to play with this...

I received the Roku today. It turned on, apparently at the home screen asking to "press OK to begin" on the remote. I did and nothing happened. Even tried with my own batteries and still nothing happened. In fact none of the buttons seemed to make any difference. HELP!

Big disappointment -

Slow. Slooooooooow. Like 10 minutes for an Amazon Prime movie to attempt to come up, then it timed out. Hmm. OK. How 'bout Netflix. Slooooooooooow, but finally starts to play the movie after 5+ minutes, but the quality is abysmal (worse than 480p).

Switch over to Xbox 360 (same wi-fi, same TV, same HDMI cables, same everything). Netflix comes up and streams the exact same movie at full 1080p w/o a problem. Did I get a lemon, or are my expectations for this thing just way too high?