Do you have a Roku?

[liberty47]

My wife and I received a Roku for a gift. We already have a PS3, MacBook and Samsung Bluray player for streaming.

If anyone has a Roku can you tell me why you do or do not like it.

thanks....

[the86d]

No fan to get clogged, works well. If it sits idle, upon wakup it =has some lag, so if you hit a button to wake it from screensaver, then start moving cursor, then it starts to play catchup, and redraws all icons. I had an issue where they dropped a few bad updates one disabled wireless, soon after that it disabled the wired, but wireless worked, and then they fixed it. You only have like a 90 warranty with PHONE-BASED support, and after that they will direct you to e-mail support, or you can pay a fee for phone support, but the warranty is extended for 2 more years from the initial 1-year hardware (with e-mail support).

(I really love it, but the support issue erked me, and I think the warranty's I listed are correct in numbers.)

I don't like using a device with a fan (360, PS3, PC/Notebook, if a passive-cooled device exists) for streaming, it is just one more thing that could go wrong...

[knerona]

They work well with a good internet provider. Saves space, and keeps unnecessary heat and usage from my xbox. Bought one for my mother as well, very easy to most people to get the hang of too.

[gschoelles]

No subtitles

[sd_shooter]

The unique thing about Roku is the custom channels you can add, not all of them are public. For example we have live BBC, Al Jazeera, Russia Today and CNN International feeds. I don't watch the news, but I could with the Roku.

(I don't have cable)

[sholling]

I own a PS3 and a Blu-Ray player with streaming and two Roku 2 XS boxes and I exclusively use the Rokus for streaming everything except YouTube (at Google's request there is no YouTube channel). The XS version of the hardware is capable of 1080P and uses a Bluetooth controller that does not have the lag of the IR version. The big difference between the PS3 as a streamer and a Roku is the huge number of channels. Besides Netflix they have Amazon Prime and Vudu and tons of other choices many of which are completely free. Keep in mind that Roku does not own the channels or write the apps for the channels they just provide the hardware and act as billing agent for some of the channels that charge for access so the quality of the channels is all over the place. Some free channels are quiet good, some are cheesy, and a few are limited to samples.

What it isn't good at is streaming content from your computer. It can do it to one degree or another with some add-ons but there are better choices.

Unless you plan to return it or re-gift it you really don't have anything to lose trying it out.

[MaHoTex]

Originally Posted by sd_shooter

The unique thing about Roku is the custom channels you can add, not all of them are public. For example we have live BBC, Al Jazeera, Russia Today and CNN International feeds. I don't watch the news, but I could with the Roku.

(I don't have cable)

^ This says it all right here!

Adding custom channels is where it is at. You can find anything you can dream up!

[FMFdevildoc]

Effing love my Roku it is the ticket

[Casual_Shooter]

We have one for our daughter's room. She only needs/ uses it for Netflix, but it works well for that.

Was easy plug and play. Netflix interface is different than the PS3's but works fine.

[Peter.Steele]

Love my XS. Use it mostly for Hulu, Netflix and Amazon video. Wish that the Netflix videos would auto-play the next episode like on PS3, but Hulu does so that's okay.

[stilly]

I have a WD live hub but have yet to hook it up. If I did not have the live hub I would have a roku but the wd live hub plays all of the formats that I can d/l from the net. (ts, mkv, br) AND up/down convert them to my 480i screen with little to no trouble.

[jdavis530]

With the Macbook you have, I would suggest an Apple TV. Way better in my opinion, but thats just what it is, my opinion.

[Walter Sobchak]

I received a Roku as a gift and have since canceled my cable and only use the Roku. I don't watch many shows so its easy to just pay as you watch with Amazon. The only thing I don't get is local news.

[GM4spd]

Originally Posted by Casual_Shooter

We have one for our daughter's room. She only needs/ uses it for Netflix, but it works well for that.

Was easy plug and play. Netflix interface is different than the PS3's but works fine.

That's what I have it for and works well--it's very small. Pete

[jdmfan13]

If you've got a desktop/server - you could use it as a media server and stream your content to the roku.

[ibanezfoo]

Originally Posted by liberty47

My wife and I received a Roku for a gift. We already have a PS3, MacBook and Samsung Bluray player for streaming.

If anyone has a Roku can you tell me why you do or do not like it.

thanks....

Its ok. I like my WDTV Live WAY more though. The Roku is good for streaming content... you can add "hidden" or "private" channels not on the list. Its slow to navigate though. I have the Roku 2 XS. It has an app for your phone if you're into that.

The WDTV Live does most of the streaming stuff (Netflix, Hulu, Youtube, etc) but not nearly as many channels as the Roku. The WD though supports a ton of media types (AVI, ISO, WMV, etc etc) which is why I like it more. I have ripped most of my DVDs to ISOs that I keep on a media server. The interface feels a bit faster than the Roku. The WD doesn't require any online accounts or anything (other than the normal Netflix account or whatever). The WD also has more options for plugging into your media gear (HDMI, Component, Toslink, etc). The WD does not connect to Amazon's streaming service, the Roku does...

They both do HD 1080p, 5.1 sound, etc. I guess it just depends on what you are expending it to do.

[gobler]

Wife & I are cutting our fios service and are now looking at a Roku box. Going for the new one with Angry Birds (we both love that game) and use Netflix nightly. My question is does it have SYFI or NatGeo/Discovery channels? Or any good gun stuff? Just wondering.

[tacksman]

We use only the Roku as of this year. It took some getting use too. In the long run, We are glad the cable box is gone.

[tacksman]

Originally Posted by gobler

Wife & I are cutting our fios service and are now looking at a Roku box. Going for the new one with Angry Birds (we both love that game) and use Netflix nightly. My question is does it have SYFI or NatGeo/Discovery channels? Or any good gun stuff? Just wondering.

There are a few channels you might like. It does not have NatGeo or Discovery but it does have SYFI. See link below;

http://www.roku-channels.com/

[ldivinag]

no youtube on roku...

sigh...

[spitfirejes]

I got one for christmas and it does not work and their customer service is worthless.

[drifter2be]

We have two. We have an XD model in our bedroom and an XS model on the living room TV. Haven't had any real issues with either. Typical lag upon waking it up after long periods of non-use. We have a decent ISP and 20mbps down speed. I like it because they each cost me about what a year of Xbox gold (required to stream video) was going to cost. Bought the XS at costco for $65 out the door and it included an HDMI cable in the packaging. When we get around to putting a TV in the guest room I will probably buy a 3rd Roku for that TV. Use ours for Netflix, Hulu Plus and Amazon Instant video, never had a problem with any of those services. I also will throw on Fox News radio on there to listen to while reloading.

[ebencikiv]

Originally Posted by stilly

I have a WD live hub but have yet to hook it up. If I did not have the live hub I would have a roku but the wd live hub plays all of the formats that I can d/l from the net. (ts, mkv, br) AND up/down convert them to my 480i screen with little to no trouble.

I have both roku and wd live tv, WD live tv wins IMHO. WD live will stream files from your computer over a home network, it also has two usb ports so you can connect an external drive. Roku is fine for streaming but it is limited to just that.

[metasys]

I have the roku xs, the best thing about it is the remote. Its not infared so the roku player can be stuffed in a drawer or taped to the back of the tv. You dont need line of sight to control it. Only thing I dont like about it is no youtube channel

[Intimid8tor]

We have 3 Rokus, a wii, an xbox360 and a PS3. For watching TV, the roku is just easier. It's basic to use so there are really no issues. It can be a little slow at times, but it works fine. I really don't want to turn on my PS3 just to watch TV. Same with the wii.

[todd2968]

Have 2 Roku XS's love them I can stream pictures or music from my iphone, by downloading roku ap also doubles as a remote. It is very quick and does Disney and Netflix my son loves it. Keep in mind there are several models of Roku and XS is one of the higher end.

[high_revs]

i was about to buy one @ costco last night (the xs) but held back because i wanted to doublecheck the channels. I already have amazon prime, blockbuster mail rentals, etc. but we don't have tv channels available other than PBS via OTA. I'm not paying for satellite or cable tv either.

So in the link below, what is defined as "private?" I figure at least now I can get HD from my amazon prime (which i'm miffed about because our laptop can stream hd content via hdmi and even has bluray, but amazon requires "special" devices to stream hd content).

Originally Posted by tacksman

There are a few channels you might like. It does not have NatGeo or Discovery but it does have SYFI. See link below;

http://www.roku-channels.com/

[Sworn2Kill]

I love my roku..... nowhere is a good app or channel. mostly watch Netflix and roku is very easy to use.

[John Browning]

I have been happy enough with my Roku that I bought another for the upstairs bedroom and am thinking of dropping DirecTV which I really like.

[Shasta Frog]

I had a Roku but got rid of it. My Ps3 pretty much does everything the Roku can, and it plays blue ray.

[chickenfried]

Just grabbed one from costco. The netflix software on my sony blu-ray stinks. So far so good. No freezes or prolonged pauses. Also like the menus better.

The roku I got today has subtitles

Originally Posted by gschoelles

No subtitles

[67firebird462]

I have 3, love them all. Got tired of kids ruining bluray/dvd discs so I encoded all to mp4/mkv on my video server (happens to be my i7 gaming machine that is left on 24/7). I wired each room for ethernet and the i7 transcodes great (using Playon.TV) back to the roku boxes. They have an app that you can watch tv, or your media (from the video server). Really slick, no more jacked up crap or hunting for movies.

[the86d]

I am trying out one of these Android TV (HTPC) boxes, and they are pretty awesome.

They are a bit more OPEN than a Roku, as they are running Full android and each provider builds a custom flavor for each device, but it can be replaced by a custom build like an XDA derivative ROM, via a ROM write, easy-peasy...

$50 each, and a Linux-based Android Mini-Media-PC.

[sholling]

Just an FYI I replaced the Roku 2 XS in my family room with the new Roku 3 and the performance (speed) improvement is very nice and so is the new interface. If you're like me and have 100 channels installed then I recommend adding a 2GB microSD card (~$5) so that it has a place to cache the graphics.

[drifter2be]

Originally Posted by sholling

Just an FYI I replaced the Roku 2 XS in my family room with the new Roku 3 and the performance (speed) improvement is very nice and so is the new interface. If you're like me and have 100 channels installed then I recommend adding a 2GB microSD card (~$5) so that it has a place to cache the graphics.

Would you say it's worth while to upgrade? I have a Roku 2 XS in my living room and an XD in the bedroom. I could justify the purchase by shuffling the XS to the bedroom and the XD to the guest room, since I have an unused TV in there. I know they are supposed to be rolling the new interface to the Roku2 soon, is the 3 enough of an improvement to justify buying one?

FWIW we use our Roku in the living room as our primary form of video entertainment...when we have time for TV.

[sholling]

Originally Posted by drifter2be

Would you say it's worth while to upgrade? I have a Roku 2 XS in my living room and an XD in the bedroom. I could justify the purchase by shuffling the XS to the bedroom and the XD to the guest room, since I have an unused TV in there. I know they are supposed to be rolling the new interface to the Roku2 soon, is the 3 enough of an improvement to justify buying one?

FWIW we use our Roku in the living room as our primary form of video entertainment...when we have time for TV.

Roku claims the processor in the 3 is five times faster than the processor in the 2XS. I have a 100+ channels installed and scrolling through them is a lot snappier. As another example I've only had to reboot it once and it took a fraction of the time that my 2XS took. On the other hand even with a 75Mb internet connection scrolling through 100 channels with the new interface was painful before I added the microSD card because out of the box the Roku doesn't have enough storage to cache a lot of channel icon graphics and has to download them everytime you scroll through channels.

I'm wondering if the new interface is going to slow down the 2XS because it's more graphic and busier. One place I really see the speed difference is on Revision3. Scrolling through the list of tech shows was an exercise in patience with the 2XS but very snappy with the 3.

I think the 3 is well worth the money but you may have more patience and different viewing habits than I do, but do invest $5-8 in a 2-4GB microSD card and be patient until it finds the card for the first time and gets it ready for use. I could not get it to recognise the card from the 2XS and had to use a new one that I had laying around.

[local_nobody]

Originally Posted by high_revs

So in the link below, what is defined as "private?".

private as in not listed in the "Channel Store". You add them through your account screen on the computer, by way of a code.

[woods]

One of my favorite devices. Ready to stream my amazon and netflix and extra channels. Eliminates the need for cable if you add a antenna for local channels. Many local channels actually can be streamed with the roku but no guarantees for every area .

Get a hdmi cable for 3$ on amazon. Way better quality .

[the86d]

I detest that you have to activate almost every app on it separately. With the only phone support lasting 90 days from day of purchase, I am looking at other options that doesn't lock you into not even having a browser for the price.

I have tested the MK808B for a few weeks, and the only thing missing is a reliable wireless pointing device, and 2.4ghz and bluetooth keyboards seem to lag as bad as the mice from 10" away. FULL Tablet Android builds on these, no BS secondary activation of all channels, etc.

I got the top of the line Roku, about 3 years ago, and it is still pretty much as crappy as it was when I got it. It functions, and plays movies pretty-well, but lockups and related lag has been a PITA, not to mention if a lock-up occurred, and it rebooted itself, or required a power-cycle, it seems to take forever to reboot compared to other devices, but I don't know about the newer units...

One of their updates disabled the wired connection, a few days later an update disabled the wireless and enabled the wired, and 6 months later I tested both and both network links were functional, but their support, just over 90 days from purchase sucked (even sucked an extra fee from me for THEIR bad update).

I am still looking at other options due to the issues with the unit, lack of support for bad updates dropped automagically, double-activation of channels, lock-ups, rebooting issues, boot-time, etc. With full android builds on AndroidTV boxes/sticks out there that work VERY WELL for 1/2 the price, I believe that those will whomp Roku in the end... as I believe that Roku is based on these AndroidTV devices.

[sholling]

Originally Posted by the86d

I detest that you have to activate almost every app on it separately. With the only phone support lasting 90 days from day of purchase, I am looking at other options that doesn't lock you into not even having a browser for the price.

Time to update to a new Roku. Activation is simple, very few channels need individual activation, and I've never needed support. The new Ruku 3 is downright snappy. GoogleTV has a long long long way to go to catch up.