Roku HD Streaming Player

• 600+ channels with movies, TV shows, music, sports & more
• High-definition streaming up to 720p HD
• Works with virtually any TV
• Free app for iOS and Android
• Built-in wireless (Wi-Fi b/g/n)

With cable and satellite bills rising, most people including myself don't want to shell out X dollars per month just to watch five shows on a regular basis. Although there are numerous choices out there, the two most popular are Apple TV and Roku. Although I have an iPhone and an iPad, in addition to a MacBook, I didn't want to pay $100 for something that I had no experience with (streaming at-home devices). Plus, Wal-Mart had the Roku HD on sale for $50, and CNET had given the HD and it's twin, the LT an Editor's Choice Award, so I took the plunge. Here's my review after almost 2 months of using the box on a regular basis.

Before I begin, though, a word of warning: no, you will not get HuluPlus or Netflix free just because you paid for the Roku box. I seriously doubt anyone thought this was the case, but just in case I'm wrong you still have to pay for those subscriptions if you want to use those channels. Also, you still have to have a cable subscription that includes HBO to access HBO Go and just because your cable or satellite provider allows you to watch the HBO Go app on your mobile device doesn't mean they'll allow you to access HBO Go on the Roku. Through DirectTV, I can watch HBO Go on my aforementioned mobile devices, but (as of this writing) I can't watch HBO Go on the Roku. I maintain this is more the fault of HBO than Roku or the providers (this fact apparently holds true on the Apple TV as well), but regardless this is something you need to remember if HBO Go is a make-or-break factor in whether to buy one of these devices.

Setup is easy. You plug in an HDMI cable (or a component cable, if you have a non-HDMI TV; another advantage all the Rokus have over the Apple TV), plug in the power supply, and you begin setup. All you have to do is create an account on Roku.com and enter your credit card info (don't worry, you're not going to have to buy most of the channels or shows, you just have to have your info stored in case you buy one of the paid channels or you download something off of Amazon OnDemand. I personally didn't find it a big deal, but I can understand why people would be annoyed by this). Once you're done with the initial setup (which takes about 10 minutes, give or take), the box will automatically download several channels for you: Amazon OnDemand, Crackle, Netflix, HuluPlus, and Pandora. Also, on the Roku HD remote in contrast to the LT there are three shortcut buttons for Netflix, Crackle, and Pandora, which is very nice to have.

Content: you go into the Channel Store (on the home screen) and from there download any channel you want that's available. There are dozens upon dozens of channels, ranging from popular ones to obscure. You can get sports, tech, news, obviously movies and TV, and many more channels. Plus, Roku is good about updating new channels on a regular basis (although right now most of the added channels are religious stations). Unfortunately, the Roku HD doesn't have a simple search function, so you're going to have to scroll through these channels manually. Right now, while the number of channels is comparatively small, it's more of an annoyance than a real problem, but as more channels get added in the future, Roku's going to have to add a search function if they want to keep people buying. Once again, remember that some channels do require a monthly subscription or require you to pay to download the channel, so look before you leap. However, the variety is excellent; there's going to be something for everyone. Plus, unlike with cable, if you don't like a channel, you can delete it (although for monthly paid services remember to call them and tell them to cancel your subscription).

Quality of picture: as mentioned everywhere, the maximum picture the Roku HD will broadcast in is 720P/1080i. In other words, it's HD, but not full HD. Right now, while virtually all TV shows are still broadcast in 720P, that's not a big deal even on larger TVs and if you have a TV under 42 inches you're probably not going to notice a great difference in picture quality between 720P and 1080P anyway, but for recent Amazon OnDemand movies or with a larger TV (i.e. 50 inches) you might want to shell out for the Roku 2 XS (which is around $100) to take full advantage of your TV's picture quality. However, I have to say the picture quality on the box is excellent. I have a PS3 with Hulu Plus as well, and honestly the picture on the Roku HD is much better: much crisper, slightly less "digital-looking", and just plain better (for the record, I have a 32" LED from LG).

Internet: because the Roku HD is single-bandwith, and because you just plain need a lot of proverbial horsepower to get the most out of streaming digital video, you're going to need a fairly fast internet connection. I would argue that if you're download speed is 1.5 MBPS, for instance, you're going to have a hard time watching stuff on the Roku HD. I have 30 MBPS, so for me streaming is easy EXCEPT when I want to get on my computer. Then audio problems sometimes arise. It's more pronounced on some channels than others; Netflix never has a problem, but Hulu can become unwatchable at times because the sound quality deteriorates so badly. This is apparently a problem on most Roku devices, so be forewarned. Honestly, it doesn't happen that often, and as of late when it does happen, it's usually only for a few seconds while the video buffers, and then it's fine, so don't worry this isn't a deal-breaker.

Other observations/complaints: not every channel you could want is on here. YouTube, Vudu, and Twitter are just some of the channels found on other devices that are not present (as of this review) on any of the Roku boxes. In terms of Facebook, Roku has a channel for your Facebook picture/movie uploads, but it's literally only that; there's no full Facebook integration. A much ballyhooed channel is Plex. Plex allows you to stream movies, videos, and photos off your computer onto your TV. For example, I use iTunes for my music, and what Plex lets me do is stream the music off of iTunes onto my TV. The biggest problem with Plex is you have to have your computer up and running the Plex app in order to do all this. Kind of annoying.

So how much do you save? My mom got one of these as well and dumped DirectTV, for which she was paying around $80/month. After factoring in the monthly cost of a Netflix and Hulu subscription (she hasn't downloaded anything off of Amazon, and she doesn't have any of the other subscription channels), she's saving about $60/month. That's a great deal of money. More importantly, she says she's watching her TV more now than she was with satellite. Roku's not perfect and certainly not being able to watch live TV (for most things) has its disadvantages but if you need a cheap way to reduce your cable bill while still enjoying your favorite shows, the Roku HD is the best value around.

Buy Roku HD Streaming Player Now

Was looking for a wireless streaming player for my Netflix and Amazon Instant Video accounts. This is for the bedroom on my 37" 720p LCD, so I didn't need to spend the extra $$ on the Roku 1080p capable players. In reality, you aren't likely going to get true 1080p video from these streaming players anyway. At any rate, this Roku HD player seemed to fill my need and it definitely does. Easy to link to your existing streaming accounts and Crackle is a free channel with movies and TV episodes, although you do have commercials. Doesn't come with a HDMI cable, but I had a spare on hand.

One note on the remote pictured, it's not the one included. The remote that came with this player has the added, dedicated buttons for Netflix, Pandora and Crackle. Other than those additions it's the same as what is pictured. Highly recommended for those who just want a streaming player for under $60, since this is all it does.

Read Best Reviews of Roku HD Streaming Player Here

VIDEO:

The Roku HD is a great little wireless-only player. Despite its name, the Roku HD does not support HD video at 1080p. It supports 720p.

The Roku HD is the replacement for the Roku LT per Roku. Currently the Roku website as of this writing is listing both the Roku LT and the Roku HD, with both feature sets being identical. The Roku LT is sold out on Roku's website. Update July 11 2012: It is currently in stock again on Roku's website as of this writing.

It supports 802.11n WiFi (b/g/n compatible). It has the following video outputs, identical to the Roku LT: 480i over composite video, 480p over HDMI, and 720p over HDMI. Like the Roku LT, it will do the following video modes: 720p HD, 16:9 anamorphic, and 4:3 standard. It will not do 1080p.

--An HDMI cable is not included, but the composite video cable is.

NO GAME MODE:

The Roku HD is not capable of playing Angry Birds, Pac Man, or similar games. The Roku HD does not include bluetooth capability, which is necessary to play these games. The Roku players that are able to play Angry Birds/Pac Man as of this writing are Roku 2 XD and Roku 2 XS and the previous, older Roku 2 HD. Thus this Roku does not include the Roku Game Remote. Current price for that remote is around $35. The Roku 2 XS (model subject to change via Roku's website) comes with the Game Remote as of this writing, or you can purchase it in a package with a Micro SD card or separately.

REMOTE:

I love the Roku HD's simple remote -it is the one with the Netflix, Pandora and Crackle buttons, although it cannot go frame-by-frame in slow motion like a DVR remote. It is still a great design. It is the same remote that I got with my Roku LT and the one supplied with the Roku 2 XD. Subtitles are available for Netflix on the Roku HD, if subtitles are available for that movie/show.

STREAMING:

Streaming is very fast with the wireless HD model.

WHAT'S IN THE BOX:

* Standard Roku infrared remote control

* 2 x AAA batteries

* A/V cable (mini-jack to left/right/composite video RCA)

* A/C Power adapter

* Getting Started guide

* 30-day money back guarantee

* 90-day hardware warranty

WHAT YOU WILL NEED:

* HDMI cable -if you choose to hook up your TV with HDMI to view in 720p instead of the included A/V cable

* Wireless router (N router is best since this Roku is N compatible)

* High speed internet connection -Roku recommends a 1.5 Mbps download speed for standard definition; live events like baseball need 3 Mbps; and just FYI, the Roku-recommended 5 Mbps HD download speed doesn't apply to the Roku HD, according to a conversation I had with a Roku representative since the Roku HD player doesn't do 1080p.

* Access to the internet to configure your Roku (to link the Roku player to your Roku account)

WHO SHOULD GET IT:

* If you have never had a Roku player before, this is a great one to start with.

* If you have the Roku LT and like it, this one is for you. It is identical except in color.

* If you have other Roku players and want to expand around the house, this is a good one. Inexpensive, yet has a good feature set.

* If you have an area in your house where you could use a wireless Roku, and you don't need to pay extra for ethernet, this is a great choice.

* If you do not want to play games on a Roku, this would be a good option.

SET-UP:

Set-up is simple and quick, although channel addition can be slightly clunky, in that the order you add the channels is the order in which they will display. As far as Roku content, Hulu Plus is offered, but Hulu is not. However, it is great for access to Netflix and Amazon Instant Video, and there are several great free movie channels to choose from like Crackle, although I would like to see more free movie channels. Content is always expanding on the Roku.

PHONE SUPPORT:

Roku phone support only covers 90 days per their warranty. After 90 days you have email or chat support only. Tech support has been cheerful and pleasant but spotty. They do not always provide the correct solution to the problem.

If you want additional phone support, you can get Roku Care Per-Incident or an Extended Warranty which provides as of this writing an additional two years of phone support.

CONCLUSION:

The Roku HD is a great value in the Roku line and I highly recommend it, as long as you don't want to play games.

Another great value, with an identical feature set if you are able to find it at a good price, is the Roku LT Streaming Player. Roku was selling them on their website at a cheaper price point but they sold out.

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>> "I want to die peacefully in my sleep, like my grandfather. Not screaming like the passengers in his cab."

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Roku 2 XD Streaming Player 1080p

• 600+ channels with movies, TV shows, music, sports & more
• High-definition streaming up to 1080p HD
• Works with virtually any TV
• Free app for iOS and Android
• Built-in wireless (Wi-Fi b/g/n)

I love Roku and the whole Roku experience. It allowed me to "cut the cable" and save a good bit of money each month. It gives me plenty of programming, most of it free. It's also adding new channels all the time, about 360 or so at the moment.

I current own the previous Roku XD 2050x and love it. It's not a perfect product, but it's a darn good one.

This review is on my current purchase, the Roku 2 XD. It's not a perfect product either and it's just been released. It's also not quite ready for prime-time, but almost...

There are some differences between the XD and the Roku 2 XD. Most are good, but I do have two gripes. The original XD had both a wired connection and wireless available. I use wireless, but wired can be handy. When I first received my original XD, it wouldn't properly connect with my router. So, I hooked it up with an ethernet cable, which allowed it to receive a quick update. This update fixed the problem and I haven't had any problems since. The wireless worked great.

Now, the new Roku 2 XD only has a wireless connection. If you want a Roku 2 with an available wired connection, then you have to spend 100.00 to go up to the XS. I think this was a bad move on Roku's part. I have no desire to play games on my Roku and I especially don't like "Angry Birds" which is the main selling point of the XS.

My other gripe is that the new Roku 2 XD no longer has the "rewind/replay" button. This neat little button will give you an instant replay of the past several seconds, allowing you to take a look at a movie scene you might have missed or a sports call you might want to replay.

The original Roku XD had this button, but the new Roku 2 XD doesn't have it. Again, if you want this button, then you have to move up to the higher priced XS. Again, another bad call on the part of Roku in my opinion.

As I mentioned previously, I think they might have rushed this product to market a bit too quickly. The main reason is that there are a few common channels (and popular private channels) that won't run on the new XD, while they run fine on the previous generation. Roku is working on the problem and releasing updates, but still, this shouldn't have happened on the scale that it did. For example, currently, Food Network Nighttime won't play at all and all of the NASA programming will actually crash the Roku and cause it to reboot. When the Roku 2 was first released the problems were worse, but the company has been working to correct it. However, with so many glitches at release, they really should have waited to refine the software before releasing it to the public.

Now, I'll move on to a quick list of Pros and Cons for the Roku 2 XD

Pros: 1. Overall faster performance especially in menus

2. Wireless range and signal seems better than the previous models

3. Better looking menus and color schemes

4. Smaller Roku footprint.

Cons: 1. No wired ethernet port on XD and HD, only on the XS

2. No rewind/recall button on remote of XD and HD, only on the XS

3. Seems to run a little warmer than previous models

4. Too much common content (and some private channels) won't work and can possibly crash/reboot the Roku

Overall, it seems as if it'll be a great product, like the previous models, once they work out the glitches.

I do wish they'd have kept the wired ethernet port on the XD at least, as well as the rewind/recall button.

If you have a previous generation Roku XD, stick with it for at least the next couple of months. Hopefully they'll have corrected the video/streaming problems that are plaguing it currently.

Also, if you need a wired ethernet connection, then either stick with or track down a previous generation XD. Otherwise, if you're willing to spend the extra money on the XS, then do it.

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My favorite quote from the slim setup manual: "Step 3 establishes your network connection and bring out your inner geek. You can do it!" Well, setup is about as easy as it could possibly be and there's really nothing geeky about it. Choose your wifi network name and enter the password. No requirement to choose the encryption standard (WEP, WPA etc) or anything more technical than username and password. You will need a computer to create an account at Roku and associate it with your new box.

Once setup is complete, driving the user interface via a very straightforward IR remote is intuitive. IR is quite directional and you might want to position the Roku box where you most naturally point the remote. This should be easy because the Roku is remarkably small at just a couple of inches square. I think you could velcro the box to the side of a TV if that was convenient to you.

My inner geek is an energy miser! I did my initial testing using a Kill-A-Watt power meter and was delighted to find power consumption runs around 1 to 2 watts even when streaming (I'm compensating for a satellite TV DVR that sucks an outrageous 50-60 watts, 24/7). Great job!

There are dozens of stream feeds preprogrammed into the Roku, most of which appear to be free of charge. Streaming of the most recent NBC newscast looks to be useful. I plan to look around at the others when I get some time. My main intended use for this is to stream video from Netflix. That is working fine and is very similar to my Samsung blueray player and rather faster in operation.

I use an HDMI cable with both a 720p and a 1080p TV and image quality is fine; I didn't try the analog connections. When you order, just remember that no HDMI cable is included; Amazon's own-brand cables work fine and are very economical (there's that miser, again!)

Overall, this is a fine implementation of a streaming video player. Usage is tailored very much to normal people; geeks might want to get their thrills elsewhere!

Read Best Reviews of Roku 2 XD Streaming Player 1080p Here

We recently bought a Roku XD box (right before Roku 2 came out) and we absolutely love it. Hundreds of free channels from all over the world. Buy Roku once, and -as long as you have a TV (even an old one, like ours) and an Internet connection -you have free television shows and movies... lots of them.

See, absolutely anyone can create a channel for Roku and -as long as they have hosting to meet bandwidth demands -they can place the channel on Roku, free. (Assuming it meets Roku's quality standards, of course.)

As a result, there are all kinds of great niche channels created by enthusiasts for things like surfing, rock climbing, old-time drive-in movies, etc.

Lately, we've seen a lot of Christian programming added, which makes Roku attractive for many people who want more faith-friendly programs. Menorah TV is also on Roku. And, BYU-TV just added their channel, which means we can see "Dogs with Jobs" every evening... among other cool shows, like genealogy shows, history programs, and sports.

More recreational and fitness programming is arriving, and there are so many (mostly English) channels from Asian countries, they have their own category among the hundreds of Roku channels.

I love watching France24 news and other international news shows, live (and in English). My weather channel is now Roku's feed from Weather Underground... so it's for my exact town instead of the nearest city, complete with fresh-every-five-minutes satellite and radar images.

Though it's only part of what we watch, we have Netflix on our Roku programming. It costs the same as Netflix does on your computer (if you already have Netflix service, you don't pay anything extra), and you can also add things like Hulu Plus and Amazon's streaming programming.

But, except for Netflix, everything else we watch is free. That means, after buying the Roku box (less than a month's cable TV bill), we pay nothing extra for our TV service. It's saving us over $100/month in cable TV bills, with far better programming and crisper images. Most channels have little or no commercial interruptions, too. Almost all of them are on-demand, as well.

We can also access things like Picasa, Pandora, and Facebook via Roku. Lots of options!

The only negative to this -and we hope this is short-term -is that there's no closed captioning. (However, the hundreds of anime features on Crackle have subtitles... and that programming is free.) I'm pretty sure the channels and Roku are working on this.

All in all, I have no idea how cable TV will compete with things like Roku. Between the price (free) and the range of great programs we can watch, we will never go back to cable TV.

Roku + an Internet connection + a TV (even an old one) = free TV!

Want Roku 2 XD Streaming Player 1080p Discount?

I've been an avid user and fan of Roku's first generation player since it was first released in 2007. I bought this model to add it to another television in my house. When it first arrived, I was SHOCKED on how tiny it is! The first generation player is already small; this one is about a quarter of the original size! I mainly use this player for Netflix, but also use it for many other applications (40-50 different ones) such as Amazon Video and even Facebook. I have a high-speed Internet connection, able to stream 1080p HD picture.

I don't know why other people have had so much trouble with this player. Setup was complete in less than two minutes: just plug it in and follow the on-screen steps. You definitely need your network password if your wireless is secure. Also, as a new requirement to add channels, you need to create a free account on Roku.com. In order to create an account, Roku requires that you add a credit card on file for any purchases that you make in the channel store. This was not required with the old player. I was not worried at all about this; I do not plan on buying anything from the store so there will be no charges. A 4-digit PIN is required to purchase anything, so there should be no problems with children trying to buy something unauthorized. As an added convenience once you create an account, Roku will upload all the channels that you already have on your old player to your new player. So once I logged into my Roku account from my new player, all of my channels that are on my other player were automatically added. This saved me a lot of time searching for and adding the channels that I wanted.

There are a few obvious changes in this model from the first gen HD player. It's a matter of opinion if these changes are good or bad. I personally think that most of these changes are improvements.

The main changes are:

1. No Ethernet port (available in first gen), wireless is the only internet connection option

2. No Optical Audio Out, S-Video input, or Component input (all available in first gen). The only two options are HDMI (not included) & Composite (included)

3. There is now a Micro SD slot for added memory for anything: pictures, video, games, apps, music (not available in first gen)

4. Immediately I noticed that loading time for Netflix is significantly faster (5-8 seconds from 15-20 seconds), but video begins pixelated (low quality) and quickly buffers itself while playing to 1080p HD in about 10 seconds. What results with this change is no more stopping to reload video if the Internet connection becomes slower. The video will automatically improve if connection improves or decrease in resolution if connection becomes slower.

My only complaint about this feature is that you no longer actually know the picture quality of what is streaming. In the old player, it would say the strength of the wireless signal (when I would stream something HD, it would say HD). Ultimately, this lack of knowing the quality is not really an issue, since everything I've been watching from Netflix that is labeled HD has so far had an exceptional picture quality, even better than the 720p HD first gen. player.

5. The new remote is a little longer and lighter than the first generation remote, but more narrow. In contrast to the first gen. remote, the new one feels a little cheaply made. The first gen. remote is solid and sturdy, while this one feels too light and the plastic feels thin. Also, the up,down,left,right and OK buttons on the new remote are all connected in one pad, unlike the individual, separated buttons on the previous generation remote. In my past experience, remotes that have one solid pad for 5 actions usually have more malfunctions than a remote that has separated buttons for different commands.

For example, when pressing the left button (which is the most commonly pressed button since it is used to scroll through everything on your Roku) on the old remote, there was no possible way to do anything else but press left since it was its own separate button. Now, in the new remote, when pressing left it is possible to accidentally press up or down if you are not pressing the absolute correct section of the pad. Luckily, both remotes work on both players.

6. The size of the player is drastically smaller than the previous generation. I mean TINY. It is so small, that the HDMI cable can lift it up if the cable is not perfectly straight. Conveniently, it can fit almost anywhere since it is only about an inch high and 3 inches wide/deep. (first gen. player was about 2.5 inches high by 5 inches wide/deep)

Overall, I highly recommend this player to anyone with a Netflix account, although there are HUNDREDS of other useful and fun applications that are available besides Netflix. If you don't have a TV with Netflix connectivity already included, this player is an inexpensive way to get the most out of your Netflix subscription. It has completely changed the way my husband and I use our television.

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: 7:54 Mins

Peter G McDermott unboxes, reviews, demonstrates and teaches you how to use the Roku 2 XD 1080p high definition (hi-def) set top box for your television. All you need is a TV, power source and Internet connection to get started.

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