Roku Netflix Player Set-top Box Review

By Clint DeBoer — July 15, 2008

Summary

Product Name: Roku Netflix Player Set-top Box
Manufacturer: Roku
Performance Rating:
Value Rating:
Review Date: July 15, 2008 13:59
MSRP: $ 99.99 - $129.99

Specifications

Over 10,000 movies and TV episodes instantly
No change in monthly Netflix costs and you continue to get your DVDs by mail
Easily connects directly to your TV
Pause, rewind or play anytime - just like a DVD
Guaranteed to work with your TV
Video Outputs: HDMI (audio and video), component, S-video, composite
Audio outputs: HDMI audio, optical TOSlink, stereo analogue
Included: Netflix Player, infrared remote control, two AAA batteries, A/V cables (composite video, stereo audio), power adapter, Getting Started guide
30-day money back guarantee and a 1-year warranty

Pros

Easy to setup and use
Inexpensive way to access thousands of movies
No additional monthly fees for existing Netflix subscribers

Cons

No HD content
No 5.1 surround sound
High percentage of 4:3 content
Some movies have incorrect aspect ratios

Introduction

Imagine a magic box that cost only $99 and gave you access to a decent library of DVD-quality movies and TV shows anywhere, anytime and without any monthly fees. You could take it on vacation, move it from room to room, or just connect it to the biggest TV in your house and enjoy. That's the Roku Netflix player in a nutshell. Of course there are some caveats - and this certainly isn't going to be a perfect fit for everyone - but we'll tear it apart and discover who may rank this with the second coming, and who may find it completely insignificant.

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croseiv posts on August 06, 2009 12:08

It's decent for the money, and I consider it as a supplement to my SD DVD/Bluray collection. THe PQ/SQ is okay for the most part. PQ /SQ doesn't hold a candle to Bluray, but it has already paid for itself after about two weeks of use.

n1lss posts on August 05, 2009 20:26

mcfin;604513
Thanks. Is there anything oher than video game systems that can do this? There has to be, right?

try something like this http://tombuntu.com/index.php/2008/12/09/transform-ubuntu-into-a-media-center-with-xbmc/ [tombuntu.com]

mcfin posts on August 01, 2009 19:48

Thanks. Is there anything oher than video game systems that can do this? There has to be, right?

nirv117 posts on July 30, 2009 12:37

The Roku player will only play items from netflix and amazon.

For streaming your files a media PC would work well. The x-box or PS3 might do it - I haven't tried. When I used to stream I used my hacked Directv tivo box ...

mcfin posts on July 29, 2009 10:06

I'm interested in this ROKU box, but have one question: along with Netflix movies, will it also play movies I've downloaded (avi's, e.g.) onto my Mac? If not, how do I play these movies over my wireless onto my flat-screen, which is in a different part of the house?

Thanks!