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.

At this point the only price hike is for dvd subscriptions, and this does not work for dvds, only streaming, pricing unchanged.

bakntime wrote:I think this would actually be advantageous over the new Roku 2 models IF you have a TV that does not have HDMI but DOES have Component video inputs, since the Roku 2 doesn't have component, only HDMI and composite (crappy single yellow connector)

Very true. I had to buy the $99 Roku just to get the component outputs for my older tv, plus I had to buy their special cable.
When I bought mine a few months ago, I couldn't find one of these older boxes with component outputs this cheap used! And it looks like the Roku 2 won't do component output at all. Also, only the $99 Roku 2 has a wired ethernet connector. The 2 cheaper ones appear to be wireless only now.

Perfect timing! I just picked up an older Plasma TV that doesnt have HDMI and I was about to buy a new Roku and component cable set. This one has true comp out so no need. I have the next generation Roku and really love it. I know this one is older than that one but looks to do the same thing for the most part.

I havent even used the USB support on my newer model. I setup Roksbox along time ago and stream videos from my Windows 7 desktop. It take a little effort to setup but the instructions on Roksbox website were easy to follow. Granted you do have to encode your content correctly (I do H.264 encoded MP4 files).

We have been cable free for about 7 months now and love it. We were paying $900 year for an average cable package. We now pay $300 a year (Netflix plus some sports subscriptions). We do miss the random channel surfing from time to time...but you remind yourself you are saving around $600 and a big smile comes over your face.

When we started on Roku we had a 3Mbps internet service. Everything worked fine at that speed. I did increase to 12 Mbps just to have some overhead and allow for multiple streams.

For you folks new to Roku...ENJOY!

medved02 wrote: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.

This has saved hundreds of dollars for us with Netflix. There are tons of Barney, Thomas the Train, Land Before Time and many others perfect for that age group. Roku also has Baby First TV (4.99 a month) which we used to get on satellite.

Will I need a Roku subscription to stream from Netflix or Amazon?

JRobert wrote:Will I need a Roku subscription to stream from Netflix or Amazon?

No, u pay no fees to Roku; sweet!

JRobert wrote:Will I need a Roku subscription to stream from Netflix or Amazon?

No.

Well I should clarify, you will need an account on roku.com, but that is free. You will not need to pay Roku a subscription fee to use those channels

Folks also need to realize that Netflix is not the bad guy here. Yes, the way they went about their price increase was kind of tactless. However, because their subscription base has climbed so high the studios are able to renegotiate their older contracts with them. The same game the studios play with the cable companies is now being played with Netflix (welcome to the big leagues Netflix). Also, many of these studios will try (and fail) to do their own subscription services. Even at $20\month the full Netflix package (stream and disk) is a total bargain.

Netflix is trying to minimize their DVD business (which has high overhead in contrast to their streaming business) and force the studios to make more of their content available on the stream side for a reasonable cost. Only then will you see the stream cost go up.

Fo all those hosers who quickly cancelled their Netflix because of the increase...I hope you enjoy your new $75\month (or greater) cable cost that you locked into for a year or more.

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.

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.

Will this thing allow you to watch Glenn Beck's new GBTV?

brianh81 wrote:I bought two of these on a previous woot. One of them works great, but the other one has issues with the IR sensor for the remote. As crazy as this sounds, the effective distance of the remote reduces as the box warms up, to the point that you have to be within about 12 inches from the front for it to work. The box was under my plasma tv and so I thought perhaps the sensor was being swamped with IR from the tv, but the problem didn't go away after moving the box.

So anyway, I do love my roku box, even when i have to get a little close to use it. Simple and effective access to streaming content.

The exact same thing happened to me - I bought two on woot about a year ago. One works fine, but with the other one most of the time you have to pretty much put the remote up against it to use it. I hadn't noticed whether it gets worse as it gets hotter; I'll need to test it to see if that is the case.

billshoff wrote:No, u pay no fees to Roku; sweet!

Thanks - I'm in!

Well, there went my one and only reason to get Xbox Live Gold. This thing is fifteen bucks cheaper and doesn't expire after a year!

justcco wrote:
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?

IIRC, that was the case but not anymore. After they closed that loophole, if you use Playon on your PC, you could access regular Hulu on the Roku box. Does anyone know if that still works?

justjoeindenver wrote: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.

Do these work with Playon? Do they even recognize media servers at all? I am having trouble find any validation that these Rokus work with media servers, let alone Playon. I found some blurbs about Ruku disabling Playon in their firmware. Links please?

People will switch when the streaming content doesn't suck so so so so bad. Netflix is messing up BIG TIME and they know it. Nobody wants to deal with mailing stupid DVD's, but aside from TV, there is essentially NOTHING WORTHWHILE TO STREAM from netflix.

Fountain3586 wrote:Netflix instant streaming is awesome. Works well on 1.2 mbps internet service... YES, the cheapest basic cable internet service my area provides and Netflix works perfectly on it. No need for Cable TV; bunny ears, cheap basic internet cable, and netflix = great TV. :-) Quit your whining people. Netflix is just trying to get more people to switch to instant. They want to phase out DVDs and go entirely instant, but they couldn't do that without changing the cost of the DVD portion. The instant portion is CHEAP and will remain that way for the time being. The cost for netflix will drop when people stop wanting the DVDs and agree to use the instant.

We love our Roku! No crazy cable or satellite subscriptions for us. We only pay for internet at home and subscribe to Netflix. We have been extremely pleased.

I also suggest that you go to Roku's website and buy an extra remote - you won't regret it!

robstak wrote:People will switch when the streaming content doesn't suck so so so so bad. Netflix is messing up BIG TIME and they know it. Nobody wants to deal with mailing stupid DVD's, but aside from TV, there is essentially NOTHING WORTHWHILE TO STREAM from netflix.

Oh really? While I agree that the pickings are a bit slim, to say that there is "NOTHING WORTHWHILE" on Netflix's streaming is ridiculous. Please let us know what you consider "worthwhile."

I've had a Roku player for two years now. It's great. We don't use it just for Netflix. We use it to stream the news podcasts from ABC & NBC, and the Rachel Maddow show from MSNBC. We also use it to listen to various internet radio programs. I highly recommend it.

One caveat though, Roku is blowing these out because it is just introducing its second generation modeles. Google Roku 2 to see if the changes (including a game remote and "Angry Birds") are important to you.

bakntime wrote:Unless you've got signal strength issues, I can't see how you'd have any problems with G wireless. The theoretical maximum of wireless G is 54 Mbps. Even if it bumps down to lower available speeds (48, 36, or even 24 Mbps) that rate will still exceed most online video service data rates, and will possibly even exceed your broadband service provider's speed, of which 20Mbps is usually considered pretty darn fast.

Not to mention that this Roku tops out at G rate connections.

Not to mention that your internet service feed is probably less bandwidth than wireless G, an in a lot of cases, substantially less.

stegyfrany wrote:
The big difference, to me anyway, is the wireless g vs wireless n. Is that really gonna make a big difference?

No, unless you're Internet connection exceeds 30 or so Mb down. Even still, I'd be willing to bet none of these streaming services utilize that kind of bandwidth for any single stream.

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

I live in the uk.will Roku work over here?we don't have netflix etc.

I own three Roku boxes. I have the HD|XR, XD|S, and the Roku 2 XS.

They are the best investment I have ever made. At $39 (I paid $99 for my HD|XR), this is a steal and an incredible investment.

justjoeindenver wrote: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.

Playon is not free, It has a free trial, then it's $4.99 per month,$39.99 annually or $79.99 one time cost.

i didnt realize how slow the original roku was at browsing netflix etc until i used another device. wow, what a pos. i would imagine the new roku 2 is a bit faster.

if you're looking to get one, go ahead and get the new model for a few bucks more.

we shut off our directive (saving ourselves 120 a MONTH) and LOVE our Roku!! Between netflix and hulu+ and amazon prime it's worth it alone -- BUT THERE'S MORE! more channels more more more! it's very cool! i need more for every tv in my house!

I bought my first Roki over year ago -- this is my third. I gave one to my grandson for his 6th birthday. It is so easy to use that he finds his way around it. Another big plus is it works on an analog tv. We wanted off of cable but we were not ready to upgrade to flat screen when we bought our first. I love it - easiest way to stream Netflix, Hulu, Amazon -- we have stereo speakers hooked up and we run Pandora by way of the Roku.

bear8699 wrote:Question - Does this (or the other ROKU boxes) allow you to view online video from A&E,USA, TNT, NBC, ABC, CBS - and any similar 'direct' connections through the internet?

I would be connecting the box with a fast cable internet connection.

??

chrisa65 wrote: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?

As far as I know, content from the internet has to be packaged as a channel to be viewable on a Roku. The networks themselves, and Xfinity streaming are generally not wrapped up as an official channel. Most of what can be found streaming from cable channel websites, especially entertainment, won't show up in official Roku channels.

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

This isn't last year's model - it's 2 generations old. The Roku 2 is the current model, the Roku HD (without component output) is the model just replaced by the Roku 2 and this Woot is the model prior to that, but also called the Roku HD.

woot! Seriously...

Why do you make items total $44.99 way too often? I just want to use my 'taxsucks' coupon and you fail me (by one penny).

Once with the ice cream maker and now with the Roku box. I just want my $5 discount. Is that too much to ask?

I have two of these. I run Playon TV and killed my $140 sattelite bill.

we've had a roku for 9 months... love it! getting 2 more for other tvs. love this thing.

Get the Sony at BB ( http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Sony+-+Wireless+Network+Media+Player/2219037.p?id=1218315006846&skuId=2219037&cmp=RMX&ref=06&loc=01&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=2219037 )

I just did about 2 hrs of research, and I think I'll go with this instead.

For 15$ more (S2S) you get a NEW product that will do: 1080p, N-Wifi, usb, DLNA, and slacker (>pandora imho) in addition to what this roku does.

I love roku and i made it all the way to the check out page, but I had to do my research. This is simply the best deal that I found... thoughts?

justjoeindenver wrote: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.

Unfortunately, the Playon FAQ states that they stopped letting people signup for the old setup which included Hulu access for free. The current free setup only allows access to Pandora and one's own media library. Otherwise, one has to buy a license.

Just ordered one -- here's hoping my daugther will enjoy it She watches netflix a LOT - so this will probably be great for her.

Would this box work on a tv that isn't otherwise connected to anything at all (no cable, satellite, DVR, or other connections to services or programming)? I've got a spare TV that I wouldn't mind setting up as a dedicated streamer ... is that possible?

I certainly must of gotten a lemon, but my Roku XD has HORRIBLE reception wirelessly. Its located on a level lower than my router and if I move it back upstairs it gets great reception. I end up using my damn iPhone instead (that uses the same router by the way) and do not have issues. Sorry, my experience with Roku was very dissapointing and now it just sits gathering dust.

I also agree with others that Netflix streamings options are pretty OMGOMGOMGPONIESOMG PONIES!. I think if you are a person that just loves to watch movies and/or TV a lot, then its fine, but we do not watch much and trying to find anthing remotley recent......forget about it. I just cancelled this weekend and going back to HBO/SHO.

FezMonkey wrote:Would this box work on a tv that isn't otherwise connected to anything at all (no cable, satellite, DVR, or other connections to services or programming)? I've got a spare TV that I wouldn't mind setting up as a dedicated streamer ... is that possible?

Should work fine, as long as the box connects to the network.

I have toyed with getting one of these as I am an Amazon Prime member and a Netflix junkie, and using Netflix on my PS3 is a pain in the potato.

Deal clincher for me=Ethernet cable; I have 4 ports left on my router and don't want to slow down my WiFi anymore.

In for one even though it's a returnip.

I have a Roku XD and a Netflix subscription. It's a tenth the cost of cable TV and a lot more convenient. But if you're a gamer, you might want to wait for the Roku 2, which will be out very soon.

I just bought one for my son.
This is the exact model mine.
I have the component video hooked up to a sony WEGA set with 16:9 capability and it really produces a great picture.
Well worth the money.