NemoMac wrote:I was wondering about this too!

Also, it says it will play your iTunes music, but what about your (non-DRM) videos?

It will play your non-DRM videos.

madfrisbee wrote:This is the previous version, but still a good streaming player. Feature comparison chart here.

An even more useful comparison chart here. Looks like the new version loses the ethernet jack and gains a GPU, a micro SD slot and Netflix captioning ability.

I got a Roku for my parents last year for Christmas...they love it. And that version wasn't even as good as this one.

I wish I had an excuse to buy this - super good deal.

AppleTV Vs. Roku
(CNET) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDAgIeiSscQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDAgIeiSscQ

Remember, these are not designed to stream local content, like a WDTV Live (and the WDTV also does Amazon, Netflix, and Hulu Plus). Just keep that in mind.

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.

If your planning on streaming .avi formatted files locally from you PC to your Roku...think again.

[quote postid="4729753" user="CowboyDann"]I purchased a Roku2 direct from their website a few months ago and I haven't looked back. Canceled my 60 dollar a month cable plan and now I have Netflix streaming and Hulu plus for <20 dollars a month...

(for the very few things I can't stream I...*ahem* acquire)

At least you're honest about stealing things from other peeps (if an "honest thief" is not an oxymoron).

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

Uh... Not Quite. I don't know about the other sports but for 25 dollars you get an entire year of baseball with Mlb.TV and I had no problem streaming regular season games all year round. They do have local game blackouts but that is MLB not Roku. If I want to watch a local team play I can usually pick it up on my antenna. For the World Series/Playoffs I'm usually watching them at a bar anyways.

Does anyone know if it's possible to get this to play FLAC files?

JonPowell wrote:It will play your non-DRM videos.

No, actually it will not play any of *your* videos.

It is not DLNA compliant and will not connect to your PC, server or NAS on your home network like a Popcorn Hour or WDTV.

I almost pulled the trigger on this before I figured that out.

I actually have three of these and all three are different models... I have the original, it is good but has a memory issue when adding too many channels, the one listed here, it rocks, and the roku 2. Of all of them I have only had issues with the newest one and that was corrected with an update. I have cancelled cable all together and the kids love roku. They can sit and watch tons of sponge bob and Thomas the train... It is a great buy.

But you will have to get in the mindset of sitting down and telling your tv what you want to watch with no more surfing through 200 channels to find what you want.

Why be forced to pay for services? Buy something that streams from your current connected Blu Ray player like Orb. Only 19.99 and stream free stuff from your Pc to Tv.... Much better option and cheaper.

jhuppertz wrote:
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???

Netflix has not raised the price of their streaming-only service. Only the combined streaming/DVD service. They will be losing a significant amount of content from Starz in February, though.

What's the benefit of getting a Roku with only 90 warranty and let's say a Blue ray player with Netflix and HuluPlus streaming capable. just asking cuz I can get one for $75

Staid wrote:Does anyone know if it's possible to get this to play FLAC files?

Since there is no SD slot on this it wouldn't play any of your files. I do respect your appreciation for FLAC though.

I retired my Roku when I bought a logitec Review from Costco. The review gets me my Netflix, has hulu, you tube,aljazeera, and is supposed to get google chrome. It has many features including picture in picture so I can watch tv while surfing.

glaicius wrote:What's the benefit of getting a Roku with only 90 warranty and let's say a Blue ray player with Netflix and HuluPlus streaming capable. just asking cuz I can get one for $75

Here is a Lovely benefit. Two weeks ago my sweetheart and I went away for a weekend trip. The hotel had free internet (wifi and ethernet cable) so it was nice to watch a 'free' movie instead of paying 9 dollars on the hotel's PPV package. I only had to pack a small little roku box instead of a huge bluray player or ps3.

In short, Portability is king!

CowboyDann wrote:Since there is no SD slot on this it wouldn't play any of your files. I do respect your appreciation for FLAC though.

I have the older model of this I got from Sellout.Woot back in August. It's been an awesome machine, and my only real complaint is limited memory space for channels (only seems to hold 20-25.) My TV is only 720p and this one doesn't have an SD slot, so I see no particular reason to buy this model. I'll be a lot more tempted when Woot starts selling the models with expandable memory.

Vegan wrote:Damn. It's HDMI or composite; no component. My old TV is getting turned into The Bedroom TV and it pre-dates HDMI. Would have been nice to have a way to get our Netflix etc. in there.

I'm in the same boat you are. I bought the very first 73" Mitsubishi HDTV 11 years ago and it only takes component for 1080 video (yes it is still crystal clear even after 11 years).

CowboyDann wrote:Here is a Lovely benefit. Two weeks ago my sweetheart and I went away for a weekend trip. The hotel had free internet (wifi and ethernet cable) so it was nice to watch a 'free' movie instead of paying 9 dollars on the hotel's PPV package. I only had to pack a small little roku box instead of a huge bluray player or ps3.

In short, Portability is king!

I see what you're saying, but usually when we go on a trip, as a family, we don't spend much time in the hotel room anyways. For those times that the kids want to watch Netflix on the road, they have their laptops or Droid tablets. I agree with you on the portability advantage though.

Over at tested they have reviewed various things Roku

http://www.tested.com/first-look-at-the-roku-xds-media-streamer/47-166/

http://www.tested.com/quick-look-at-plex-for-roku/47-398/

http://www.tested.com/quick-look-at-the-roku-2-xs/47-472/

I almost bought one before i settled on a wifi blurray player instead.

Can you separate the audio from the HDMI cable and run it through the A/V cables? I don't have a TV, but I have a really nice HDMI monitor that has terrible speakers. I've been thinking of getting a Roku box, but could never figure out if I can separate the picture from the audio in the same manner as the PS3.

savagemount wrote:to anyone wondering, those are not SD cards sticking out of the remote or the roku itself, they are cloth tabs...

Thanks, I was wondering about that and was about to do some research.

Unless you want the gaming option (which is limited to angry birds and some crude card games as far as i can see)then this is the same box as the newer Roku 2 boxes. We have killed off our ATT uverse tv and phone services and replaced them with roku boxes (some v2 some og roku) and are saving almost $120/month. We pay $7.99/mo for Hulu Plus and $9.99/mo for Netflix and my kids and wife haven't missed a thing. Its worth noting I got an over the air HD antenna and put up on the roof for local channels and in my area (very flat agriculture) I get almost 35 channels. We rarely use this though. 95% of our tv watching is via the Roku boxes. We upped our internet speed to the top tier to ensure better bandwidth also. All in all our bill has gone from $180/month to $45/month and we are very happy with the service. Now lets just hope Netflix and Hulu don't cave to supply and demand laws and crank up their rates.

corfeld wrote:Can you separate the audio from the HDMI cable and run it through the A/V cables? I don't have a TV, but I have a really nice HDMI monitor that has terrible speakers. I've been thinking of getting a Roku box, but could never figure out if I can separate the picture from the audio in the same manner as the PS3.

Yes it will run HDMI and rca at the same time so you can rca out your audio. You will of course not get surround sound though this way. Some of the other versions of Roku boxes have optical out also, which i use to port into a separate expansion speaker.

n2imagination wrote:Yes it will run HDMI and rca at the same time so you can rca out your audio. You will of course not get surround sound though this way. Some of the other versions of Roku boxes have optical out also, which i use to port into a separate expansion speaker.

Thank you, that's the answer I was hoping for. I'm not really concerned about surround sound, as I haven't got a surround sound type of setup. The ability to split them audio from the video really pushes this thing into a possible must buy. Thanks again!

vvhiz wrote:I'm in the same boat you are. I bought the very first 73" Mitsubishi HDTV 11 years ago and it only takes component for 1080 video (yes it is still crystal clear even after 11 years).

Here is a product that will do what you need as well as a review from someone who was able to get it to work with a ROKU box.
http://www.amazon.com/HDMI-RCA-component-AV-Converter/product-reviews/B002WBOQPU/ref=cm_cr_dp_synop?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=0&sortBy=bySubmissionDateDescending#R1M0DPSIZXZ4K4

n2imagination wrote:Unless you want the gaming option (which is limited to angry birds and some crude card games as far as i can see)then this is the same box as the newer Roku 2 boxes. We have killed off our ATT uverse tv and phone services and replaced them with roku boxes (some v2 some og roku) and are saving almost $120/month. We pay $7.99/mo for Hulu Plus and $9.99/mo for Netflix and my kids and wife haven't missed a thing. Its worth noting I got an over the air HD antenna and put up on the roof for local channels and in my area (very flat agriculture) I get almost 35 channels. We rarely use this though. 95% of our tv watching is via the Roku boxes. We upped our internet speed to the top tier to ensure better bandwidth also. All in all our bill has gone from $180/month to $45/month and we are very happy with the service. Now lets just hope Netflix and Hulu don't cave to supply and demand laws and crank up their rates.

Sorry brother, but we live in the USA where capitalism rules and it's only bound to happen when more and more ppl realize that they can chop their viewing entertaintment budget in half, and cable/sat catch on.

I'm just waiting for my current contract with Direct to expire so I can do the same. Now if I'd only convince the wife that losing the DVR won't be a big deal. LOL

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

sleepy1 wrote:I retired my Roku when I bought a logitec Review from Costco. The review gets me my Netflix, has hulu, you tube,aljazeera, and is supposed to get google chrome. It has many features including picture in picture so I can watch tv while surfing.

The Logitech Review is a sweet device, particularly after the price drop to $99.... but Logitech recently announced that they will no longer make it. (They have said though that they will deliver the previously-promised update to the latest version of Android.)

The 'killer feature' for me is a browser on one of these HDTV-connected boxes, but I just got an Acer Revo for that, so I'm thinking that I don't need the Review after all, and that this Roku would be a good choice for me.

Edit: Sigh... in for 3, couldn't resist. But I didn't get them for me, honest (the aforementioned Revo should do me), but for my parents' three (!) TVs.

Picked this up...

I don't need to play Angry Birds and, while I will most likely be using Wi-Fi... I would at least love the option to use Ethernet in the future (which takes the $100 box to do nowadays). Sounds like the differences are subtitles in Netflix and smaller footprint... last time I checked I was not deaf and it's already sitting next to a 42" TV so I do not care about the footprint being a little larger :D

Oh, and to whomever said the WDTV does Amazon VOD... yes, it does... but it DOES NOT do the Free Amazon Prime video.

And Logitech Revue does not do Hulu Plus... and it will never do Hulu Plus. For some reason they are enemies.

I would not recommend for nor against Roku.

If you don't need it now, I don't see a reason to get it now. This type of device will only get cheaper (and better). Get it when you actually need it.

There are a few live broadcasts, and I think number of those types of broadcast will increase in the future. I will list quick pro/con.

Con.
- It immediately asks for your credit card number
- Proprietary channel selection/add system. You have to subscribe it though Roku's channel codes. It's upto Roku to allow you to subscribe for anything (Unless you hack it). For instance, you can no longer watch youtube on it.(as of now, and I think this could change) I think it is matter of time until open source/public channel definition format will be defined in the internet as more channel get available, and there are no benefit for those broadcasters to limit their viewers to Roku owners. Then, Roku will become just one of those players, and this proprietary channel system will be your annoyance.

Pro.
- Watching streaming video on your TV (what else?)
- It's good player for Netflix/Hulu Plus/Crackle/USteam/nowhere TV/Live Stream etc... If you are frequent user of any of those, $50 bucks may easily worth it.
- Last, but not least, the Woot channel!!!

It does what it says it does.

fxfuji wrote:The Logitech Review is a sweet device, particularly after the price drop to $99.... but Logitech recently announced that they will no longer make it.

Then we should start seeing them on Woot soon!

I got in on the Roku deal for the original box and have been quite happy with it. My only complaint is with Woot who still won't ship to my home state of Hawaii. I have to drop-ship to a friend and then have him ship USPS to me.

Like another said, I too have cable modem and internet. Some TV channels come in even though the cable company tries to filter everything out. Between them and the Roku box I have been able to do without "cable tv".

I too have seen the original box hang some due to memory issues, but it has not been a big deal. I watch some Australian gardening shows and also listen to Tunein Radio and Crackle movies, etc. I have not yet subscribed to any streaming movie channels and still can find lots to watch. I especially love the really old black and white movies and shows.

I say buy it and try it. If you really don't like it, set it up t ostream and demo it at a yeard sale and I'll bet it will sell. I think you can easily get your moneys wiorth just with the free content (and private channels) at www.roku-channels.com

(UPDATE) I just found the link to add Archive.Org so I am now watching an old episode of Howdy Doody (Bob Smith came to my house one day)! COOL!

Support page for this old model (obviously they don't sell this anymore) including instructional videos section:

http://support.roku.com/categories/20009787-roku

does this get any sports channels?

glaicius wrote:Sorry brother, but we live in the USA where capitalism rules and it's only bound to happen when more and more ppl realize that they can chop their viewing entertaintment budget in half, and cable/sat catch on.

I'm just waiting for my current contract with Direct to expire so I can do the same. Now if I'd only convince the wife that losing the DVR won't be a big deal. LOL

She won't miss a thing...I was an avid DVR'r and once I got the Roku + Hulu + Netflix I was golden. I also hooked up an old desktop to the TV in the bedroom for the occasional "web-only" content that comes from some providers (mostly the major networks). It's really quite amazing that anyone would pay for sat/cable anymore...

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?

Thanks

CowboyDann wrote:Don't forget amazon streaming!

I think the point was to compare and contrast with Google TV and Apple TV.

Google TV supports streaming Netflix and Amazon streaming.

Jamesl212 wrote:Then we should start seeing them on Woot soon!

IF they have a large unsold inventory of them... or lots of units that were returned and refurbed. I'm not convinced that either is the case; only know that they decided not to make them any more.