Roku Netflix Conclusion, or "Who Will Like This Box, and Who Will Hate It"
Current Netflix Subscribers
For $99 you can't afford NOT to get this player. It's the biggest no-brainer since chocolate. In short, you'll love it (and it won't give you any extra calories!). Expect DVD quality movies, but realize that this is going to be a way to easily drive older movies, kid's shows and television shows you loved as a child to your television without much hassle and almost no cost. With no monthly fees this blows away the Apple TV. Of course, if you like to wait before you can watch a movie, simply have to have newer shows and want to pay for absolutely every program you download, new or old, then the $229 Apple TV is for you. I personally think most Netflix users are going to opt for the $99 option, but that's me.
People Considering Netflix and Factoring in This Box
Look at it this way, Netflix is the best movie-by-mail company available. Blockbuster is fine if you still like to walk into a store from time to time; but for those of us who strictly want by-mail rentals, Netflix has the system down pat. With that said, until Blockbuster does the same thing, adding a 10,000 movie library for $99 with no additional monthly fees is darn compelling. It’s almost ridiculous when you think about it. The other thing to take into account is that some people will find paying $8.99/month is a great way to get a 1 DVD-at-a-time plan plus the ability to purchase this box to fill in the gaps between shipping. With 1 DVD at a time you can easily have 4-5 rentals each month, and add the $99 Roku box to give you unlimited movies from their Watch Now library. That's not bad for a virtually unlimited source of entertainment.
The first two groups should remember that this is all about getting thousands of standard definition titles. Audio will be stereo for the foreseeable future (since anything else should surprise us, not be expected within any discernable timeline). Since there isn't a monthly fee, the attraction of this box is simply what you can catch up on from the not-terribly-distant past. In short, being able to watch episodes of Quantum Leap and Sliders (Season 1, mind you) alone makes this a worthwhile purchase!
Audio and Videoholics & Propellerheads
You're going to get hung up on the fact that there is "no content" and how Netflix isn't allowing you to stream brand new DVD movies. You'll also hate the fact that there is no surround sound and that the current fare is not available in high definition. You'll also criticize the slightest quality difference you see between the full quality the Netflix Player has to offer and the quality you see on a high-quality DVD player. In short, you don't understand the intended purpose of the Roku Player and aren't part of the market this $99 add-on box is intended for. Shut up and go watch a Blu-ray disc.
Roku Netflix Player
$99.99
Roku, Inc.
12980 Saratoga Ave.,
Ste. D
Saratoga, CA
95070
888-600-7658 (ROKU)
About Roku
Roku, Inc., is a privately held company located in Saratoga, Calif.,
and founded in 2002 by Anthony Wood, the inventor of the personal video
recorder (PVR). Roku is a leading supplier of innovative and easy to use
digital media products. Our best known consumer products are the Netflix Player
by Roku and the stylish SoundBridge Internet radio line. We also make market
leading B2B digital signage and kiosk solutions -- the BrightSign line.
The Score Card
The scoring below is based on each piece of equipment doing the duty it is designed for. The numbers are weighed heavily with respect to the individual cost of each unit, thus giving a rating roughly equal to:
Performance × Price Factor/Value = Rating
Audioholics.com note: The ratings indicated below are based on subjective listening and objective testing of the product in question. The rating scale is based on performance/value ratio. If you notice better performing products in future reviews that have lower numbers in certain areas, be aware that the value factor is most likely the culprit. Other Audioholics reviewers may rate products solely based on performance, and each reviewer has his/her own system for ratings.
Audioholics Rating Scale
— Excellent
- — Very Good
- — Good
- — Fair
- — Poor
| Metric | Rating |
|---|---|
| Network Features/Performance | |
| Standard Definition Video Performance | |
| Analogue Audio Performance | |
| Build Quality | |
| Ergonomics & Usability | |
| Ease of Setup | |
| Features | |
| Remote Control | |
| Performance | |
| Value | |
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]
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 ...
Thanks!
