wizeguy wrote:On my Nas (within my entertainment center) I have my itunes library, photo library and video recorded off of my Cannon and Panasonic cameras. I'd love to find a device that I can connect up to my tv and stereo and have access to that without streaming through a computer. I was hoping my xbox 360 was that device but its really slow.

Does the Roku fit the bill or is there something better? I just want to see my pictures and hear my music. It shouldn't be this tough.

You might want to look at the WD TV Live media player. I just got one off of eBay for around $75, and you can throw just about any file type at it imaginable and it will play. Interface is a little weird, especially when using a NAS hard drive, but definitely worth it.

Is this worth it for someone who doesn't use Netflix?

rubydoob wrote:This will have Hulu Plus when it comes on line BUT it will cost 9.99 a month. More than what I pay for Netflix.

Where did you hear this?


I've had the SD model for over a year. We've enjoyed it a lot, but without Hulu, it wasn't enough for everyone to agree on canceling cable. We recently picked up a used Wii and are using Playon, which includes channels such as Netflix, Hulu, Discovery Channel, HGTV, G4, and many others via 3rd party scripts that can be downloaded. You can also stream media files from your computer. The only drawbacks are your computer has to be turned on (with the playon app running in the background), and you must use the gaming system controller to navigate. Those were hardly a big deal for us, so, bye bye cable!

JonPowell wrote:Anyone know the size of downloading an average show or movie and if it will FAP those on a limited 250 MB per daily limit download (Hugesnet)?

Wow, 250MB per DAY!?! I did more than that while reading your post!

A typical 30min standard-def DiVX file is 175MB.
My thought is one movie will FAP you into next week!

For anyone with a ROKU player:
You can add WOOT to you channel list to see what is on sale without getting on a computer (or browser on cell phone etc...)
use code "BPPIM" on the add channel part of you account on the Roku website.

The ANT...

gvencelov wrote:Actually you can, at least on two computers anyway. I just tested this with my friend in Chicago and me near DC. we both went via our computers to the instant watch and both had videos playing. Didn't leave it up for long, but we didn't get kicked or locked out from our short test

It actually depends on your Netflix plan. On the $9/month plan, you are only supposed to be able to stream one movie at a time on a single device. On the more expensive plans, you can use more than one streaming device at a time.

kwelles wrote:The new Apple TV has rendered all of Roku's overpriced products obsolete.

Roku is overpriced? Isn't it the same price as the AppleTV at $99? And this is $20 cheaper than that. Plus this does Pandora. Am I missing the sarcasm?

We bought one for our living room and love it, so this one is going in our office! Great price for the XR!

LacyJaneC wrote:You can go to the channel box and then choose what channels to add...highly recommend the pandora one and the news channel one...really otterific!!

CDNtwo is another favorite free channel on the Roku for me - thousands of hours of university lectures!

stevechan wrote:It actually depends on your Netflix plan. On the $9/month plan, you are only supposed to be able to stream one movie at a time on a single device. On the more expensive plans, you can use more than one streaming device at a time.

I've only got the $9 plan, so I'm just stating what I found from my personal use.

shyedam wrote:I couldn't agree more. I use mine as bookend though.

Really? I am using the Kodak box and loving it. But it does what I wanted, and that is stream videos from my PC. It works great, just do not use it on Windows 7.

stevesds wrote:Wow, 250MB per DAY!?! I did more than that while reading your post!

A typical 30min standard-def DiVX file is 175MB.
My thought is one movie will FAP you into next week!

Well that is the price in living in the country.
I do have Direct TV, but it too is expensive.

In for one. Almost bought two.

I've been using the Wii for Netflix streaming and it works very well. This will deliver HD, which is better than what we can get from the Wii.

Someday maybe I'll be able to retire my original XBox with XBMC for watching videos from my NAS.

I have a big projection tv in the living room that could use one of these...

I already use my Samsung Blu-ray player and my Wii for Netflix sometimes, but they are both in other rooms of the house.

We'll see how it goes. I have wireless-N routers on my cable & DSL connections, and the remaining TVs in the house are all 720p, so I'm hoping for a great experience all the way around.

In for two...

how will this do with slower DSL at about 3Mbps?

BenH98 wrote:Can it stream files from a cpu or an external hard drive?? If yes - what type of files does it support?

No, it streams the channels from Roku's channel store. Some are free, some require a paid subscription.

Visit Channel Store for the list of channels. Use the arrows on the side to scroll through the list. The only devices that connect to this unit are your TV and your router (wired or wireless).

Another resource for those that want to see what channels are available on the ROKU...

http://www.roku-channels.com/

The ANT...

P.S. this is NOT the official ROKU supported list, but a list of some of the "private" or "beta" channels you can add to you box.

shyedam wrote:I have some MP4 movies on a hard drive, will the Roku play those file types? I also have the tech capabilities of a 3 year old so how easy is the menu to use?

Yes, that is mainly what I have, and they play perfectly - except a few that I captured using vixy.net from youtube, they have a few stutters.

Yeah, the menu shows "Drive 1" (no matter what you have it named) then shows folders, so just name your folders clearly and you are golden.

The photo slide shows need a bit of tayloring, if you image needs to be rotated, it will show sideways. When it players slideshows of you photos, it finds the first available .mp3 to play with it.

I have the older SD version... it's really great... I don't want my post to detract from the greatness of this product, but feel obligated to give a little warning. The power supply (the cable itself) tends to die after a year or so.

One day, my box suddenly stopped working. It acted as if it weren't plugged in. I thought the unit had gone bad. Since Netflix and Amazon worked through my TiVo now, I started using that.

Then I read online that the problem might only be the power supply. So, I bought a replacement cord online (about $10 shipped). It works!

So, be warned... it MAY simply stop working one day, but don't give up on it... it's a simple fix.

Roku is great. I bought a Roku about 3 months ago, got a Netflix subscription, got a pair of rabbit ears for broadcast TV, then canceled cable. Occasionally will watch a current show on Hulu. I will save over $600 this year and I've never looked back.

Fight Big Cable! Take control of your TV life!!!

waffle wrote:Funny, I asked this last time

I have a computer acting as a dedicated media box attached to my TV. Are there ANY, and I mean ANY, reasons why this is better than that?

5 reasons

1. Netflix does not allow HD streaming to PC's. If you want Netflix in HD, you have to go through a Netflix approved device other than a PC.

Then, for those that just want to watch Netflix (and the other content this provides access to) and don't care about the added benefits a PC provides, this has:

(2) faster start up than a PC,

(3) lower power consumption than a PC,

(4) (arguably) easier navigation from start to finish than a PC.

(5) better portability than a HTPC. It would be a PITA to move your HTPC to your bedroom or folk's house to watch a movie some night or weekend away - it's easy to take the Roku with you where ever you want to watch.

Gatzby wrote:Thanks. It was a struggle to find a manicurist that did them just so in Seattle, but I think she nailed it.

To find a manicurist in Seattle is almost as hard as finding a coffee bean in Columbia!

BTW - any transferred Woot staff looking for a room, I'm renting two in Montlake! I'll paper the walls with Woot boxes at your request!

Man I was staying up like crazy during woot-off waiting for one of these bad boys and finally got one!!!

drhowardfine wrote:How does this compare with the Western Digital WDTV Live HD Media Player sold on buy.com ? :

http://www.buy.com/prod/western-digital-wdtv-live-hd-media-player/q/loc/111/listingid/94567800/211557987.html

IMO, the WDTV Live PLUS (which also has Netflix -- the non-PLUS WDTV doesn't have Netflix) is a better deal than this Roku box. Of course, it's also $120 new. (though it's been on sale for $100 before and I'm sure it will drop at least temporarily at some point during the holidays.

rubydoob wrote:This will have Hulu Plus when it comes on line BUT it will cost 9.99 a month. More than what I pay for Netflix.

It's my understanding this is just rumored and has not yet been officially confirmed. Do you have a link which confirms this?

$$$ Great streaming device! Need at least 5mbps to stream HD quality from Netflix. 3mbps for SD. $$$

brendan948725 wrote:Um... what even is this thing?

drstranglove wrote:Can someone give us a Cliff's Notes about what this thing is or does??

What is the Roku streaming media player and how does it work?

The Roku player streams tons of movies, TV shows, live and on-demand sports, music and more right to your TV. It's a simple little box that uses your Internet connection to bring thousands of your favorite titles, teams, and tunes (even brand new releases) to you with no extra monthly bills, no PC, and no hassle. We even built in Wifi so you can connect your Roku to any TV anywhere in your house.

jessiebyrd004 wrote:p.s. I seem to remember this exact same thing being wooted about a month ago for $10 cheaper. Or was that my imagination?

Might have been a different model number too. But I don't think so.

i24u wrote:Didn't I just buy this a couple weeks ago???

The previous Woot offering was for the Roku HD. This is the Roku HD-XR

bitethat wrote:I never understood the point of them. Does it improve the video or something or does it just enable you to see HD format?

I used to watch mlb.com on the computer and the resolution was so-so, with the Roku on my (Refurb) Philips 22" HDTV, it's fantastic!

Plus, you can still use the same account and have another game (or 4) on the computer, while you stream your main game on the Roku.

omnipotentq wrote:I have that kind of setup in my house, and my answer would be "no." I like having a web browser and full keyboard along with streaming everything to my HDTV, so for me personally this box would be a downgrade.

This doesn't replace a HTPC. However, it does give you a way to play netflix content on a bedroom tv without taking up much space.

DF3 wrote:I want to be able to stream content from my Desktop PC to my big screen TV.

However, Im interested in being able to play my PC games on my big screen as opposed to just watching video content.

Will this allow me to do that?

No. You need a HTPC for playing PC games on the HDTV.

rustybender wrote:Is this worth it for someone who doesn't use Netflix?

NO

Does this have any parental controls?

How about any free foreign language/international programming, ie. spanish?

thanks,

mt

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvuUfLxMaQo
Netflix Roku Player Review - Tekzilla
is this the same one?

bitethat wrote:How is this one compared to other HD Player boxes?

drhowardfine wrote:How does this compare with the Western Digital WDTV Live HD Media Player sold on buy.com ? :

http://www.buy.com/prod/western-digital-wdtv-live-hd-media-player/q/loc/111/listingid/94567800/211557987.html

I have the WDTV Live HD. It's a master of playing files of many different formats from your PC or USB drive, but it only dabbles in streaming from web channels. The Roku is the master of channels.

Note that WD's latest model - the WD TV Live Plus - has added Netflix streaming. It still doesn't do what the Roku can, though.

drhowardfine wrote:How does this compare with the Western Digital WDTV Live HD Media Player sold on buy.com ? :

http://www.buy.com/prod/western-digital-wdtv-live-hd-media-player/q/loc/111/listingid/94567800/211557987.html

The roku isn't a media server...meaning, it can't play content from your computer. WDTV can.

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krazyblakk
2 years ago 9

bye bye apple tv ahhhh


wacky, you tube comment from Nostradamus?

um, has there any problems with buying refurbished? is it worth saving $25 vs new?

BIGELLOW wrote:I have the older SD version... it's really great... I don't want my post to detract from the greatness of this product, but feel obligated to give a little warning. The power supply (the cable itself) tends to die after a year or so.

I think they addressed that issue with the newer Roku players. I have 2 Roku players. With the older model the unit is always on. The power indicator light never goes out and the box is always warm. On the newer one the power is shut down about 10 mins after I stop using it. The light goes out and the unit is cool. The power supply on my older Roku hasn't failed in nearly 2 years but I'd imagine that always on behavior makes it more prone to do so.

What is this thing and what does it do?