I don't know anything about these but can I get the speed channel? If I can get speed channel I would cancel my satellite bs.

bmundt303 wrote:With this Roku XD, Is there a way that I could stream from my computer an external hard drive downloaded content?

Download Plex Media Server for Windows/MacOS X/Linux, and then install the Plex channel on your Roku. A fantastic, seamless solution for streaming videos from your home PC to your Roku.

UPDATE: 4:14 AM ET - I've also been made aware of NextPVR as an option with an unofficial Roku channel.

jhuppertz wrote:Guys, BEFORE you buy, let me set some things straight (b/c the writeup for this box is misleading).

b) You WILL need to pay for subscriptions to services such as Netflix, Hulu, Amazon streaming, HBO-to-Go, etc. They don't get their content for free, any more than the cable or satellite guys do.

Netflix, $8/mo. Hulu Plus, $8/mo. Amazon Prime, $5/mo. Not free, but very affordable.

jhuppertz wrote:And gee, wasn't it Netflix that raised their prices 60% overnight just a couple of months ago???

False. They actually cut the price of their streaming service by $1/mo.

jhuppertz wrote:c) You will NOT get live sports events with this - at least not the ones most want to watch. No NFL games live. No NBA, MLB, NCAA, NHL. Some games or leagues are available streaming for $$, but most are not. How do you think the teams that pay these players mega-millions get their money? Mostly from selling Television rights to their games, and they will not allow them to be streamed.

False. MLB, NBA, NHL, MLS and UFC all offer subscription services, all of them offering live events, except in blackouts, following the same rules as TV/cable/satellite. Even with blackouts, most games are available within 90 minutes. NFL is the only major sports league who has NOT hopped on to Roku.

I picked up MLB Extra Innings for my kids for $35/yr, with 24/7 coverage from April to March. Counting ONLY days where there are games playing, that breaks down to $0.19 A DAY for nearly any live game in the nation. NHL GameCenter Live is $21/mo, MLS MatchDay Live is $60/yr, UFC is $50/event. NBA League Pass was quite pricey last year ($120 or $190, depending on the package), but there's no NBA season so far and I imagine this will be quite cut-rate for this year if there is a 2011-2012 season.

I may be missing something (which I why I'm posting this question), but...

Does a RoKu get me anything better if I already have a PC hooked up to my TV via a DVI-to-HDMI cable?

The PC is running Windows 7, the audio goes to separate speakers, and I use a Firefly remote to control stuff (when I'm not using a wireless keyboard and mouse).

I get that the Roku is (mostly) plug and play and apparently easy to set up, but I don't see that as a major plus (certainly not worth $50).

So... am I missing something?

xxooss wrote:does this get any sports channels?

Yes

is it possibl to add YOUTUBE channel in the add channel menu-- heard yes and no--whats the TRUTH??

xxooss wrote:does this get any sports channels?

As in ESPN, Fox Sports Net? No. But many pro and college leagues have their own channels, as well as channels for niche sports. See Roku's Channel Page for a complete guide.

glaicius wrote:Two quick questions for my fellow wooters:

1- How many of you have bought a refurbd Roku and had minimal to no issues with it before and/or after the 90 day warranty expired.

2- I have Netflix, but not too familiar with Hulu. Do they stream shows from the NatGeo, History, Military channels?

I bought a refurb Roku N1001 from Woot several months ago. No issues at all. National Geographic channel, History Channel and Military Network programming is available. I can't say if all shows are available, or if they're available immediately after broadcast, since I no longer have cable and don't know what their broadcast schedules are, but new content is added regularly.

kamnet wrote:False. MLB, NBA, NHL, MLS and UFC all offer subscription services, all of them offering live events, except in blackouts, following the same rules as TV/cable/satellite. Even with blackouts, most games are available within 90 minutes. NFL is the only major sports league who has NOT hopped on to Roku.

I picked up MLB Extra Innings for my kids for $35/yr, with 24/7 coverage from April to March. Counting ONLY days where there are games playing, that breaks down to $0.19 A DAY for nearly any live game in the nation. NHL GameCenter Live is $21/mo, MSL MatchDay Live is $60/yr, UFC is $50/event.

Dang NFL. I'm a football fan to the core and I only watch the NBA during the playoffs and after.

aaronshall wrote:Instant Replay Remote for $1.99
Roku

Nice, but according to this, the XD comes with the Instant Replay Remote, so unless you and your SO (or kids) like to play 'dueling remotes' you won't need to spend the extra two bucks.

kboy2k wrote:is it possibl to add YOUTUBE channel in the add channel menu-- heard yes and no--whats the TRUTH??

At this time, no. The YouTube channel wasn't an official channel from Google/YouTube, but one that an individual developer created. YouTube asked for it to be removed because the way the videos were presented without the YouTube advertisements violated YouTube's Terms of Service. Rumor is that Roku is quietly working with YouTube to release an official channel. Only people who can still see the YouTube channel are those who had it installed on their Roku account before it was shut down.

baqui63 wrote:I may be missing something (which I why I'm posting this question), but...

Does a RoKu get me anything better if I already have a PC hooked up to my TV via a DVI-to-HDMI cable?

The PC is running Windows 7, the audio goes to separate speakers, and I use a Firefly remote to control stuff (when I'm not using a wireless keyboard and mouse).

I get that the Roku is (mostly) plug and play and apparently easy to set up, but I don't see that as a major plus (certainly not worth $50).

So... am I missing something?

If you already have a dedicated HTPC for your TV, then probably not. There might be a few channels that Roku has which aren't available from the Web or through other media center applications. Roku is an inexpensive solution for individuals who don't want to pay the price for a decent HTPC setup, don't want PC hardware cluttering up their entertainment centers, or aren't tech savvy enough to put all of that together.

kamnet wrote:I bought a refurb Roku N1001 from Woot several months ago. No issues at all. National Geographic channel, History Channel and Military Network programming is available. I can't say if all shows are available, or if they're available immediately after broadcast, since I no longer have cable and don't know what their broadcast schedules are, but new content is added regularly.

Thanks for all the info you're posting. Very tempting to pull the trigger on two of these.

jhuppertz wrote:Guys, BEFORE you buy, let me set some things straight (b/c the writeup for this box is misleading).

a) With this (or most any other streaming), you will NOT get any LIVE TV programming. All of this is canned-content (at best, from the day before).

b) You WILL need to pay for subscriptions to services such as Netflix, Hulu, Amazon streaming, HBO-to-Go, etc. They don't get their content for free, any more than the cable or satellite guys do. And gee, wasn't it Netflix that raised their prices 60% overnight just a couple of months ago???

c) You will NOT get live sports events with this - at least not the ones most want to watch. No NFL games live. No NBA, MLB, NCAA, NHL. Some games or leagues are available streaming for $$, but most are not. How do you think the teams that pay these players mega-millions get their money? Mostly from selling Television rights to their games, and they will not allow them to be streamed.

You CAN stream live TV -- some with subscription, some without.

Free: BBC international, CNN int, Al Jazeera,...

Paid: Live world cup cricket, ...

jhuppertz wrote:
c) You will NOT get live sports events with this - at least not the ones most want to watch. No NFL games live. No NBA, MLB, NCAA, NHL. Some games or leagues are available streaming for $$, but most are not. How do you think the teams that pay these players mega-millions get their money? Mostly from selling Television rights to their games, and they will not allow them to be streamed.

Not exactly correct
Live MLB games are available, but you have to have to be an MLB TV subscriber.

Live out-of-market NBA & NHL games ARE available to those with the appropriate league subscriptions.

The big thing missing (for me at least) is NCAA basketball. However, a recent move by the Pac-12 to create new channels for cable suggests to me that in the near future, they and other conferences will offer subscriptions for Roku and other web-based streaming devices.

bryan1436 wrote:Do these work as media center extenders?

Probably not, at least not yet. It doesn't look like it currently supports DLNA, which would allow it to stream from your media center or some home media server.

Roku seems to be telling its reviewers that it plans to add DLNA to its players, but it doesn't look like it's there yet (and Roku is already on its second generation of player DLNA-less players).

Roku XD does not have component video output(YPrPb) and digital audio output. Amazon delivers 5.1 dolby.

I own Roku XR which has component video output.

I would go for roku XDS which is the last one to provide component video output(plus USB).

Roku 2 series, none of the models, has component video output. But roku 2s has netflix subtitles which is not available in roku XD,XR etc.

Component video is great if you want to record a sample of news/game/movie etc in HD format(720p,1080i).

glaicius wrote:Thanks for all the info you're posting. Very tempting to pull the trigger on two of these.

Pull the trigger. I seriously waffled for several months before the Woot deal came up, it was a sweet price at the time and I had the cash. The Roku is used daily by everybody in my family. It passed the wife test ("This is too complicated to use!") and the kid test ("Ugh, nothing on, I'm bored!"). If you get it and really don't like it, then sell it to me :-)

Roku is awesome. I've had it for years with zero problems and thoroughly enjoy all the content. Great product, highly recommended.

I'm hesitant on canceling my over $100/mth cable still because I do appreciate LIVE tv as well, e.g. NFL, that which is not available via Roku.

Hope this helps...

Got through checkout and there was a "woot added tax" when did this start happening??

Anthop wrote:Probably not, at least not yet. It doesn't look like it currently supports DLNA, which would allow it to stream from your media center or some home media server.

Roku seems to be telling its reviewers that it plans to add DLNA to its players, but it doesn't look like it's there yet (and Roku is already on its second generation of player DLNA-less players).

And truthfully, they would have little motivation to update their first-generation players to support DLNA. More likely that they'd release a new generation of players with that feature.

But I could well imagine some clever hacker coming up with a solution for the older players.

dkowal wrote:Roku is awesome. I've had it for years with zero problems and thoroughly enjoy all the content. Great product, highly recommended.

I'm hesitant on canceling my over $100/mth cable still because I do appreciate LIVE tv as well, e.g. NFL, that which is not available via Roku.

Hope this helps...

If all you want are the NFL games normally broadcast on the local channels, a good antenna or basic cable should be sufficient and more economical for you.

aaronshall wrote:Instant Replay Remote for $1.99
Roku

Thanks!

I picked up the lower model on Woot a couple months ago. We love it, but we're on our THIRD remote (due to children losing & breaking, not anything wrong with the remotes). Maybe I'll stock up... The replacement from Roku was previously $14.99 + shipping!
"RoMote" android app works in a pinch, but lacks the instant replay button.

baqui63 wrote:
Does a RoKu get me anything better if I already have a PC hooked up to my TV via a DVI-to-HDMI cable?

Lower electricity bills, most likely.

Even my power-sipping Revo uses a 65W adapter; the Roku 2 consumes 1-2 watts... not sure whether this Roku is as power-efficient, but I'm guessing your PC has at least a 200W power supply.

kamnet wrote:Pull the trigger. I seriously waffled for several months before the Woot deal came up, it was a sweet price at the time and I had the cash. The Roku is used daily by everybody in my family. It passed the wife test ("This is too complicated to use!") and the kid test ("Ugh, nothing on, I'm bored!"). If you get it and really don't like it, then sell it to me :-)

I did it. Got two of them. I'll let you know in a few weeks if I need your email address so I can send you a PayPal invoice. LOL

Thanks again

Forgot to mention, I did try another similar streaming player, the LG ST600. Retails for $99, but the local Fry's had it on sale for $50 so I gave it a whirl.

The advantage it has over this Roku XD is that it has a browser and can play back files from a USB drive (or NAS, I believe). But its browser interface is awful (soft keyboard using the remote was painfully slow) and it couldn't play .mkv files, so its advantages really weren't. I wound up returning it because its browser and playback capability weren't up to snuff.

The Roku's advantages over the ST500 are more channels and an active hacker/user community. At the same price as the discounted LG player, the Roku XD is a superior choice imho.

Does this require an internet connection? Wifi or 4 g?
Will it get EWTN and TLC? Regular channels ABC, CBS, NBC and PBS?

I've been longing to escape my cable-master monopoly and have been considering a table-top "antenna" from Hammacher-Schlemmer. (Never heard of Roku before now)

I intend to downgrade my too-much-machine iMac to play DVR's and get an iPad for my internet needs and a pay/go cell phone.

On a good day, I can hook up my printer, iMac and modem. Truthfully, could I expect to set up and use Roku w/o any outside help?

One commenter said he'd dumped his phone service too but didn't say what his alternative is....??

bert6801 wrote:So will this device act as a network media player...to play MKV and such from my main PC..I want a all in one

Yeah since this version do not have a USB or ESATA port to connect an external hardrive, can this play video files (MKV, TS or AVI) on networked video folder? or only the XD|S does? Need to know before I pull the trigger.

queenangelfish wrote:Does this require an internet connection? Wifi or 4 g?
Will it get EWTN and TLC? Regular channels ABC, CBS, NBC and PBS?

Yes, it requires an Internet connection. This Roku supports Ethernet and 802.11g WiFi.

ETWN has a dedicated channel. None of the major broadcasters have a channel. Disney, CNBC, Fox News and CNN International have channels. You can see the full public channel line-up on Roku's website. There is also a unofficial ist of private channels that independent developers have launched.

pamrose wrote:I've been longing to escape my cable-master monopoly and have been considering a table-top "antenna" from Hammacher-Schlemmer. (Never heard of Roku before now)

I intend to downgrade my too-much-machine iMac to play DVR's and get an iPad for my internet needs and a pay/go cell phone.

On a good day, I can hook up my printer, iMac and modem. Truthfully, could I expect to set up and use Roku w/o any outside help?

One commenter said he'd dumped his phone service too but didn't say what his alternative is....??

From looking at videos on line, it doesn't look hard at all. Just hook up, power up and follow the on screen menu.

As far as the cell phone thing, i don't think it had to do anything with the Roku. If you're looking at dumping your cell phone provider and you're on a contract, you may want to check out StraightTalk. I hear and read on several forums that it uses the Verizon network but to a lesser degree. I have Verizon and if it wasn't for my constant travel I probably would go for the $45 monthly unlimited minutes, txt and data that they offer.

Lakerfan248 wrote:Yeah since this version do not have a USB or ESATA port to connect an external hardrive, can this play video files (MKV, TS or AVI) on networked video folder? or only the XD|S does? Need to know before I pull the trigger.

Yes. See my previous post.

pamrose wrote:I've been longing to escape my cable-master monopoly and have been considering a table-top "antenna" from Hammacher-Schlemmer. (Never heard of Roku before now)

I intend to downgrade my too-much-machine iMac to play DVR's and get an iPad for my internet needs and a pay/go cell phone.

On a good day, I can hook up my printer, iMac and modem. Truthfully, could I expect to set up and use Roku w/o any outside help?

One commenter said he'd dumped his phone service too but didn't say what his alternative is....??

I replied to your post. Sorry for assuming that you were refering to cell phone use as opposed to a home line.

Perfect timing! I bought the original Roku box right when it first came out. It just died on me and I was looking to get another.

I know this is the day & age of 1,000,000p and HDMI and all that stuff but I still have a nice enough Trinitron analog TV in my den and these Roku boxes are perfect for watching videos on such relics.

I also have the Apple TV hooked up to my much fancier HDTV downstairs and it rocks in a different way. Both have their strengths...

kamnet wrote:Yes. See my previous post.

Thanks, k. But I'm wondering, WHY would I want to set up my PC to serve up the file for the Roku to play, instead of having my PC play it and output it directly to my TV. (This of course assumes that my PC is near my TV and that I can connect the two using HDMI, VGA, or whatever.)

Now, if I could figure out how to get my NAS to run Plex, that'd be sweet!

fxfuji wrote:Thanks, k. But I'm wondering, WHY would I want to set up my PC to serve up the file for the Roku to play, instead of having my PC play it and output it directly to my TV. (This of course assumes that my PC is near my TV and that I can connect the two using HDMI, VGA, or whatever.)

Now, if I could figure out how to get my NAS to run Plex, that'd be sweet!

It's always going to be different for different people, but here are some scenarios:

1) Your TV and PC are not in the same room.
2) You or another family member doesn't want noisy PC equipment in their living room/home theater setup.
3) Your PC w/ Internet connection has to remain in a fixed location.
4) You have more than one TV you want to connect to your media files.
5) You want a nicer interface than your PC desktop to browse your media files, but you can't afford the price of a nice PVR package, and the free ones are too complicated or won't run, or the PVR constantly need updated to fix flaws.

For me, I like having one single PC in the house to store all my media files. While having a dedicated PC for my TV would be nice, it's not feasible right now, nor do I have the room for it. My Roku connects via WiFi, takes up very little space, and offers an attractive, easy-to-use interface. When my kids get their own TVs in their rooms, I can add another Roku and not have to run more cables or try to figure out how to get them the same programming on the main TV.

kamnet wrote:Yes, it requires an Internet connection. This Roku supports Ethernet and 802.11g WiFi.

ETWN has a dedicated channel. None of the major broadcasters have a channel. Disney, CNBC, Fox News and CNN International have channels. You can see the full public channel line-up on Roku's website. There is also a unofficial ist of private channels that independent developers have launched.

Darn, I was thinking that the Roku had a PBS channel... maybe I'm getting it and Google TV mixed up!

I'm thinking that the absence of ABC/CBS/NBC/PBS/Fox/CW/etc. channels isn't a fatal flaw for the Roku; a decent antenna should be able to get the local affiliates' signals over the air. Worst case, there's always basic cable and/or Hulu Plus as possible sources.

jhuppertz wrote:Guys, BEFORE you buy, let me set some things straight (b/c the writeup for this box is misleading).

a) With this (or most any other streaming), you will NOT get any LIVE TV programming. All of this is canned-content (at best, from the day before).

No longer true - I get my local off air and a selection of satellite channels from the Skitter.tv app. There is a sub fee - but for $15 a month it's way less than cable.

Also skip this model, hls support is broken in the current build and quite a few apps are broken as a result.

baqui63 wrote:I may be missing something (which I why I'm posting this question), but...

Does a RoKu get me anything better if I already have a PC hooked up to my TV via a DVI-to-HDMI cable?

The PC is running Windows 7, the audio goes to separate speakers, and I use a Firefly remote to control stuff (when I'm not using a wireless keyboard and mouse).

I get that the Roku is (mostly) plug and play and apparently easy to set up, but I don't see that as a major plus (certainly not worth $50).

So... am I missing something?

Yes. You missed that you covered "some" of the advantages of the Roku yet failed to acknowdege that "your" way of viewing things and their value is not necessarily the best approach. You also missed portability, smaller footprint by ones TV setup that doesn't look obtrusive, energy costs, etc., etc...

kamnet wrote:It's always going to be different for different people, but here are some scenarios:

1) Your TV and PC are not in the same room.
2) You or another family member doesn't want noisy PC equipment in their living room/home theater setup.
3) Your PC w/ Internet connection has to remain in a fixed location.
4) You have more than one TV you want to connect to your media files.
5) You want a nicer interface than your PC desktop to browse your media files, but you can't afford the price of a nice PVR package, and the free ones are too complicated or won't run, or the PVR constantly need updated to fix flaws.

For me, I like having one single PC in the house to store all my media files. While having a dedicated PC for my TV would be nice, it's not feasible right now, nor do I have the room for it. My Roku connects via WiFi, takes up very little space, and offers an attractive, easy-to-use interface. When my kids get their own TVs in their rooms, I can add another Roku and not have to run more cables or try to figure out how to get them the same programming on the main TV.

You mentioned your ROKU is connected via wifi, does it lag or pause when you start playing 1080p? or is it better to connect it directly to the router via CAT5. I mentioned this because I have a 5400rpm hardrive on pogoplug and it lags just playing an MP4 wirelessly on PC.

kamnet wrote:It's always going to be different for different people, but here are some scenarios:

1) Your TV and PC are not in the same room.
2) You or another family member doesn't want noisy PC equipment in their living room/home theater setup.
3) Your PC w/ Internet connection has to remain in a fixed location.
4) You have more than one TV you want to connect to your media files.
5) You want a nicer interface than your PC desktop to browse your media files, but you can't afford the price of a nice PVR package, and the free ones are too complicated or won't run, or the PVR constantly need updated to fix flaws.

For me, I like having one single PC in the house to store all my media files. While having a dedicated PC for my TV would be nice, it's not feasible right now, nor do I have the room for it. My Roku connects via WiFi, takes up very little space, and offers an attractive, easy-to-use interface. When my kids get their own TVs in their rooms, I can add another Roku and not have to run more cables or try to figure out how to get them the same programming on the main TV.

Fair enough. Your scenarios are reasonable, though personally I'd prefer a WDTV or Patriot Box Ofice connected to the home network and playing media files stored on a NAS... instead of a PC streaming and/or transcoding the file for the Roku to play, the WDTV/PBO accesses the file from the NAS as if from an attached disk drive.

otoh, the Roku has more channels than even the latest WDTV, so it might be simpler to run everything thru the Roku (even if your PC has to run hoops in the background) rather than hooking up two different media boxes to each TV. Sigh. Can't I just have one box that does everything.... for $50?! lol

p.s. When you're ready to consider a dedicated PC for your TV, you might consider an Acer Revo or similar nettop PC. It's quite small and can be mounted on the back of your flat-panel TV, so it could take up even less space than the Roku. Used ones are available on eBay for under $200.

fxfuji wrote:Darn, I was thinking that the Roku had a PBS channel... maybe I'm getting it and Google TV mixed up!

I'm thinking that the absence of ABC/CBS/NBC/PBS/Fox/CW/etc. channels isn't a fatal flaw for the Roku; a decent antenna should be able to get the local affiliates' signals over the air. Worst case, there's always basic cable and/or Hulu Plus as possible sources.

There is a PBS channel, but it isn't an official one, it is a private one set up by an individual developer. From what I can tell it simply pulls content from PBS' RSS feeds.

For most public TV content, you probably want to pony up the $8/mo for a Hulu+ subscription.