krie wrote:Just like to point out there is no way to turn this baby off outside unplugging the thing. So if you or someone you love is an electricity Need more history channel. then good luck

When not used, it goes into standby and It uses less power than your TV or cable box or pretty much anything else when it's powered down, but still plugged in.

So what's your point?

russela wrote:I think they are even reducing the streaming content in the attempt to force you to to the higher spending tier. My daughter went in to my account to queue up a movie that she was previously able to stream only to find that in was available only now in DVD form.
The r@t b@st@rds.

Where do you people come up with this stuff? Netflix is betting it's future on streaming media, and media streaming ONLY. They could care less about DVD's. It costs way too much to ship the damn things to/from the customer. The price change was to encourage people to stick with streaming and kick DVD's to the curb.

About your theory,

That's normal. In another month it will be back on the streaming list. They change it up all the time to make room for new stuff for people to watch. No conspiracy there.

murmiddleton wrote:As a technie-novice, will I be able to figure out how to make this thing work? I have internet service via modem and an ethernet hook-up to my computer. Will this do the trick?

This is absolutely dead simple to set up. If you don't have a wireless modem, then you will need to run an ethernet cord from your modem or a jack to this device. Connect the device to power and to your TV, and fire it up. Follow the onscreen messages, and off you go. Really, this is not a "techie" device.

I've wanted to get one of these for a while. At the price of buying a few dvd's for my boys, I figure it will pay for it's self in a few months. Will try the free content first, we really don't watch a lot of shows or movies, the boys are only 2 and 4 so mostly its watching disney and other cartoon. Hopefully this will work out well for the spare tv in the play area.

calder315 wrote:Is there an equivalent for soccer, like for baseball that you can watch with this? Preferably European and Latin American soccer. I would buy this for sure if there was!

There isn't.

russela wrote:I think they are even reducing the streaming content in the attempt to force you to to the higher spending tier. My daughter went in to my account to queue up a movie that she was previously able to stream only to find that in was available only now in DVD form.
The r@t b@st@rds.

You're information is wrong, sir. Content is either available for streaming, or it isn't. The content providers control when content is available for streaming, not Netflix. If it was up to them, all content would be available all the time. But complex and arcane contracts control streaming availability. It costs Netflix far more money to press, ship and return a DVD than to stream the content.

I'm really, really tempted, but I have to ask a possibly stupid question first. If I use this on non-HD tvs, what will the picture look like?

FierceDeityLink1 wrote:Roku 2 just came out.

Right. And I'm sure that's why we're getting these deals on the Roku HD. I bought one 2 weeks ago, need subtitles for Netflix streaming and assumed it would eventually get upgraded. Not so, required apparently, different architecture - hence - Roku 2. So I returned the first purchase and ordered a 2.
They offered me a 20 dollar rebate to keep the first one, use it on another TV.
Totally seamless, effortless, no-brainer install, btw.

Have had a Roku for about a year now. It is fantastic for bedroom or spare room tv's. I personally do not have the patience for it (yet) as the main living room tv. Netflix has some decent kids shows/movies, so it works well in ours or kid's bedroom. Wireless is good, but not great. Wired is preferred for best performance, but ours works okay wireless with generally needing to reset about once per month. Other channels on Roku are quite interesting, most not mainstream, but still interesting, and continues to add more channels all the time (if you google for roku channels, you'll find more in beta that roku doesn't yet list)

does this do anything different than the PS3?
I have a PS3 and WII use both for Netflix, Vudu, and DVD's . will this do anything different?

they're new at Roku's site for 59.99 (free shipping on 79.99 to 99.99 units).

for kindred spirits who have a fear of refurb.

http://shop.roku.com/

I'm in for one. $40 to breathe new life into an old trinitron that's collecting dust. Such a deal.

Okay, pardon my ignorance. I just read through all these pages and still have a question. I have two tvs...a crappy non HD old school TV for the kids to ruin. And a small 26" HD tv (1080, which I have since learned would have been fine as 720 thanks to yall) in the bedroom for me and my husband to watch. I want to kill cable this month so this is perfect timing.

Question... Should I buy two of these, one for each tv? I get that this will be a good choice for the non HDTV bc of the inputs. But should I hold out for something better for the "nice" tv?

I have had a Roku for a couple of years now, and it also has the option to add "private channels" such as Youtube, by simply adding a code. For Youtube, simply go to https://owner.roku.com/Account/ChannelCode/ and add the code B8VVK. Amazing.

awesome deal for this thing... havnt used the newer version roku yet but this one rocks

Of the four streaming devices I own (I still have original SD Roku) this is by far my favorite. I also have used my Wii (not HD--and no "HD" indicator on programs--but great scrolling & search options for Netflix) and Sony Blu Ray streaming DVD player (lovely HD, no need for another device, but TERRIBLE scrolling--with lag times page to page to page--UGGGH!--AND it required a special bridge for wireless) This is a decent price on a very low profile HD device with multiple scrolling/search options including Recently Watched, New, by many categories, and quick scrolling through your queue. Highly recommend!

Best Buy $60 1080p

Sony - Wireless Network Media Player

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Sony+-+Wireless+Network+Media+Player/2219037.p?skuId=2219037&productCategoryId=pcmcat231700050017&id=1218315006846&AID=10597222&PID=552179&SID=VGkxY3RRb0JDallBQUQzQElGa0FBQUFl&URL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bestbuy.com%2Fsite%2FSony%2B-%2BWireless%2BNetwork%2BMedia%2BPlayer%2F2219037.p%3FskuId%3D2219037%26productCategoryId%3Dpcmcat231700050017%26id%3D1218315006846&ref=39&CJPID=552179&loc=01

lsinrc wrote:I have a hard drive hooked up via USB and with this channel I can view my personal movies via the Roku:
http://forums.roku.com/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=29367#p182197

The first post is right. This particular model does NOT have USB support. The HD-XR is the one from this generation of Rokus with USB. In my opinion, that's the model with the best selection of features so far. Find one on eBay.

EdTerrific wrote:And its $59 with free shipping for comparable model. So....you're saving $14 to get last year's model.

Actually not even that good a deal. This isn't last year's model (discontinued last week), it's the original model that was discontinued a year ago.

In for 2.

We have the roku xd and love it. Got one of these for our little tv in our bedroom and one for my mom. Great price.

menaparker wrote:
Question... Should I buy two of these, one for each tv? I get that this will be a good choice for the non HDTV bc of the inputs. But should I hold out for something better for the "nice" tv?

This works beautifully for my 32" 1080. I don't feel I'm missing anything in the quality & bought another for the small 780 in my office.

This little box is amazing! Easy to set up, wonderful picture and no buffering. Just a smooth streaming picture from Netflix or other source. Buy one; you won't be sorry.

russela wrote:I think they are even reducing the streaming content in the attempt to force you to to the higher spending tier. My daughter went in to my account to queue up a movie that she was previously able to stream only to find that in was available only now in DVD form.
The r@t b@st@rds.

This is probably do to their spat with Starz, the pulled all their stuff in June i think. And then it came back. I haven't looked to see if its gone again. They've been doing it quite regularly.

stevedog1 wrote:Where do you people come up with this stuff? Netflix is betting it's future on streaming media, and media streaming ONLY. They could care less about DVD's. It costs way too much to ship the damn things to/from the customer. The price change was to encourage people to stick with streaming and kick DVD's to the curb.

That's not it at all. Sony is looking to jack the price up on Netflix's license for Starz. They had in their contract if they get so many users it would go up for renegotiatoin, some are estimating as high as 300 million up from 30 million in a year or 2. You have no idea how much licensing deals cost. And netflix has zero control over it. Think about it if you could watch whatever you wanted, whenever you wanted the studios would price themselves right out of DVD's, premium cable channels, etc. They'll lose alot of streaming customers who actually like to watch movies and not canceled tv shows. Besides almost anything you can get streaming you can get on DVD/Bluray.

menaparker wrote:Okay, pardon my ignorance. I just read through all these pages and still have a question. I have two tvs...a crappy non HD old school TV for the kids to ruin. And a small 26" HD tv (1080, which I have since learned would have been fine as 720 thanks to yall) in the bedroom for me and my husband to watch. I want to kill cable this month so this is perfect timing.

Question... Should I buy two of these, one for each tv? I get that this will be a good choice for the non HDTV bc of the inputs. But should I hold out for something better for the "nice" tv?

I use this on my "nice" 1080p TV in the living room. It looks very good. If you can wire this using an ethernet cable, that works best. The box will come with input cables to connect to your TV. Take a look at the cables (red, yellow, blue) and at your TV and make sure you have matching inputs. You should.

Is it DVD quality? Probably not. But we're very satisfied with the quality. We use this same box every day to enjoy Netflix streaming.

Do NOT purchase this device, or any of its siblings, if you expect to view the closed captioning that NetFlix is releasing. You would need the Roku 2 for that...

Yes, this device has been sold for MONTHS now by ROKU with all of of waiting on this to arrive with Netflix for a LONG time.

No 1080p and no USB port? Nope!

We wanted something for the kids' TVs (read - OLD TVs - lol). These will be perfect.

As for all the discussion about Netflix. They are simply splitting the plans - $7.99 for streaming and $7.99 for 1 DVD or $15.98 for both. I am dropping the DVD service and just keeping the streaming since that is what we used mostly anyway. I can get DVDs at Redbox.

We also just dumped cable and use Netflix & Hulu for most of our content. Even at $7.99 each, I am saving $100 a month.

midasnyc wrote:Now that Netflix has raised it's price by 60%, what exactly is the point of buying this thing? Maybe Amazon will step into the void, but it hasn't yet. Other than those two, there's nothing on Roku worth owning it for.

They have raised their price if you want the mail order DVDs and streaming online content. For us who are sticking with streaming content, this little guy is a perfect way to get the movies from our router to television.

We have three (bedroom, living room, our sons room) and love them. We have no trouble with several streams on the wireless network even with our Ooma phone system.

We do use Netflix, Amazon Prime and Hulu-plus, but don't think these are necessary to have a great Roku experience. There are lots of great FREE or nearly free channels. Pub-D-Hub is the best -- think of it as a Turner Classic Movies on demand. There is also Crackle which shows commercials but has lots and lots of movies for free. This system can be used as an alternative or addition to your cable/satellite service. We have gifted several, which is a no-brainer at this price even with the new version now available.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!

thetateman wrote:Does this only work with Netflix and Amazon or can you stream movies/tv shows from other places too?

There are tons of hacks out there and I've watched YouTube videos on it. It also supports Netflix and has a lot of other channels (both free and for-pay) that offer more content. I really like mine. Great little thing for the bedroom.

Here's the cool part. You can add a ton of channels to the unit, and basically bypass cable altogether. Link it with a free program called Playon, and you can get all those Hulu channels you can only normally get for PC only on your TV. Any TV. Also, there's OMGOMGOMGPONIESOMG PONIES!. Free OMGOMGOMGPONIESOMG PONIES!... Check out this list of channels you can add to your Roku player: http://www.roku-channels.com/

If you want the new remote with the "10-second back feature" and want to save $10? There's an Android app for that and it's $.99... This is pure win - I paid $90 for the same thing just weeks ago - this pays for itself within a week. Also, you can add additional streaming players to stream media from your PC - just about every format. WHY HAVEN'T YOU CLICKED THE BUTTON YET?!?!?

Question: My cable company offers streaming content online for it's subscribers. Will this allow me to stream content from Comcast (Xfinity) to my TV?

justjoeindenver wrote:Here's the cool part. You can add a ton of channels to the unit, and basically bypass cable altogether. Link it with a free program called Playon, and you can get all those Hulu channels you can only normally get for PC only on your TV. Any TV. Also, there's OMGOMGOMGPONIESOMG PONIES!. Free OMGOMGOMGPONIESOMG PONIES!... Check out this list of channels you can add to your Roku player: http://www.roku-channels.com/

If you want the new remote with the "10-second back feature" and want to save $10? There's an Android app for that and it's $.99... This is pure win - I paid $90 for the same thing just weeks ago - this pays for itself within a week. Also, you can add additional streaming players to stream media from your PC - just about every format. WHY HAVEN'T YOU CLICKED THE BUTTON YET?!?!?

Ponies.. This makes me laugh.

I have THREE of these, and I highly recommend them. Especially if you want to stream Netflix. They are easy to set up and simple to use.

The Roku plays an integral part in my plan for WORLD DOMIna.... er, I mean, FREEDOM FROM PAY TV.

I have an antenna on my roof, and get 44 free HD local channels, and the Roku provides me with streaming content from the internet, including free CNN.

Forgot to mention, these are very small and light-weight. Ours fits easily under the flat screen on the stand. We have installed the Roku in our sons room just under his wall mounted TV using two 3M picture hanging strips with no issues at all.

I just bought a WDTV Live Plus... Anyone know how to get Amazon VOD on there? I'm already using WDLX.

thanks everyone. In for two.

justcco wrote:Generally, one can add channels to stream video and audio content from other providers. Some are officially listed in the Roku store on the device. Some are free, others require payment. Other channels are not officially listed, but can be added without too much fuss.

One thing I wonder about. The current Roku devices allow for Hulu Plus, but there was a rumor that older Roku devices worked with the free version of Hulu. True or false?

Install Playon on your PC and from the channel database to your Roku. Then you can select the "good" Hulu and Hulu plus and get ALL those shows that used to be on PC only. Playon is free.

I bought one of these the last time they were available. Over a year later it runs flawlessly and I've never had to reset the unit. HD over Wireless looks great!

wrigjenn wrote:they're new at Roku's site for 59.99 (free shipping on 79.99 to 99.99 units).

for kindred spirits who have a fear of refurb.

http://shop.roku.com/

Just a note, this model has a couple of possible "advantages" over the newer $59.

1) Hard wired Ethernet: Only the $99 roku 2 has this.
2) Optical out: The Roku2 can only output 5.1 sound over HDMI. The older models have optical also. Good for those with older receivers
3) Component out: The Roku2 does not have component outputs. So if you have an older TV and/or older receiver with limited/no HDMI ports, the new model may not be a good buy for you.

That said, the roku2 does have a couple of advantages over this one:

1) Games: While some 2d games may be available for the older boxes, the newer 3d motion controlled games are limited to the Roku2.
2) Netflix updates: The Roku2 supports 1080p (on the XD & XS models), 5.1 sound, and subtitles for netflix. The older models do not.
3) Future proofing: Previous to the Roku 2, Roku has done a good job porting all features back to even the original 2008 models. That said, the difference between the 2008-2010 models and the new models is significant, so it is likely that more and more features with be Roku2 only as time goes on.