I bought this device for my father as he is somewhat technically challenged. He kept telling me that he wanted to watch Netflix on his 52" LCD television. He was under the impression that he had to buy a Blue Ray player to achieve a high quality streaming experience. I figured it would be nice to buy a Blue Ray player since he'd have the player for all the DVD's he owns and the Netflix streaming would be gravy. After pricing the BR players I realized that if I wanted WIFI built in, I'd have to buy an off brand unit to be at a comfortable price point. Further research revealed the Roku XDS which is a fantastic piece of tech. It is extremely easy to set up. From the time you open the package to the moment you're watching a movie streaming from Netflix is around 15 minutes. You could probably even do it faster, but I was tinkering with some of the other channels that Roku has to offer.
Since WIFI connectivity was an extremely important feature, I quickly went to that screen in the setup sequence to make sure I had a good signal. Since my router is 10 feet from the Roku box my throughput is very high. I could have ran a cable to the ethernet connection but then we're talking more wires. I hate wires!!! I put in my WEP password and the box promptly started updating the firmware. In order to link your Netflix account the Roku will show you an alphanumeric code. You just go to [...]and input the code that appears on the screen. Within 15 seconds or so the Roku screen will advance and you are now fully integrated with Netflix. There is no need to do this again unless you reset the Roku back to factory settings. The same procedure is used for Pandora and other channels offered on the Roku.
There are dozens of other channels that you can add to Roku. If you have an Amazon VOD account, it integrates just as easily as the Netflix account. Then you have the ability to add Hulu + as well but I don't recommend that. The cost is $7.99/month as of this writing and since you still have to watch ads, I don't see the value. Lastly, if you're on the fence about which Roku to purchase (there are three) you should consider the top of the line model or the second tiered unit. Do not consider the cheapest model because it lacks WIFI and will not transmit in HD.
I happen to own the new generation of Apple TV (nearly same size as Roku). The reason I have the Apple unit is because of how it tightly integrates with iTunes and the iPhone 4 which I have. I can easily recommend the Roku player to anyone who wants to add a nice piece of tech to their multi-media systems. Best of luck and thanks for reading my review. Roku 2100X XDS Streaming Player 1080p
Like a lot of people who use Amazon, I own all kinds of electronic gear. Every once in a while, you get your hands on a device that really stands out in terms of ease of use and performance. When I first hooked up my Slingbox, for example, I realized that it was unique and was going to add something truly useful and impressive to my audio-video set-up. When I read a description of the Roku box, I had a similar expectation. Could it be as easy to use as advertised? Would it perform on a level that would really satisfy? Would it be one of those "stand out" devices? Now I can say in all honesty that the Roku player is everything I hoped and more. When the description says you will be up and running in just a few minutes, you can believe it. I opened the box, plugged in the power cord, attached a cable to my high speed router, and ran audio to my amp. I turned everything on and immediately saw the set-up screen for the Roku player. To run a quick test, I tried streaming a video from Netflix--it worked perfectly. This initial set-up and test took no more than 10 minutes. After several days of using the Roku, I have yet to have even the slightest problem. I have added a couple dozen channels and all work as expected. My only moment of hesitation came when I saw how small the Roku player is. It is tiny sitting there with all the other components, but when I saw what it could do, the size became inconsequential. The Roku player truly is an impressive device. While not necessarily a replacement, the Roku XDS Streaming Player is another serious alternative to cable TV. By the way, for those traveling outside the USA, where Netflix does not allow the streaming of movies on your PC, there is a way to connect the Roku player to your Slingbox. You then have access to Netflix through the Roku wherever you have an internet connection.
I have been looking for an alternative to cable/satellite for awhile. The ROKU XDS is the closest thing to it. With the support of Netflix streaming(some episodes even in HD), and with Hulu plus coming in the fall, the ROKU XDS is all my family needs. Also, if you look at the ROKU forums, developers are creating other private and premium channels. This is something that Apple.tv cannot do. They also mention on their website that with an update in November you will be able to play video off USB. Setup took only minutes and the picture in awesome on my 1080P LCD. The only draw back would be if you watch a lot of sports, currently they only have MLB.tv. As soon as Hulu Plus is added I will be dropping my $90/month satellite bill and pay $20 a month for Hulu and Netflix.
So picture this.... Here I am, paying over $110/month to a cable company for internet and cable. I have a thousand channels, but yet every night when I get home from work I struggle to find anything to watch..
Then I discover Netflix streaming on my Wii. Well I was so enamoured that I decided to look into set-top boxes that could bring Netflix and more to my TV (the Wii remote is just a pain to use as a TV remote).
I did some research, and came across the then upcoming Boxee Box. Well I just couldn't wait to try it out, but I didn't have a tv with an HDMI, so I kept looking and saw the Rokus support any tv hookup and if you have the tv its in 1080p too! (where available). So I bought the XDS. I was instantly impressed on how easy it was to set up. I had my Netflix, and all of a sudden I was choosing from a hundred different channels of content from Hulu + to live streaming 24 hour news out of Russia, France, and England. Needless to say I was impressed.
Even though I was happy, I still really thought about getting the Boxee Box and returning the Roku because I had used the software on my PC and it was so slick, and with the addition of its browser I figured how could I go wrong? Well once that BB was released and it was lambasted in the reviews, I quickly realized the Roku was exactly the right choice!
True there are its deficiencies, (no product is really going to be EVERYTHING) one of them being local playback. It doesn't support the breadth of codecs that others do, but pop in a thumb drive of videos in mp4 and you can watch personal files on your TV too! That's the extent of my local library so local playback isn't very important to me anyway. Other than that, all I know is for the price of Netflix and Hulu ($17 combined) I canceled BOTH my expensive cable and internet, plugged in an antenna for OTA local channels, and picked up a DSL package from my phone company for $20. So for $37/ month,down from $110, I have infinitely MORE to watch on my own schedule... Well I couldn't be happier. My only complaint is there is almost too much I want to watch!
If you are looking to save some $$$ from those cable provider rip-off artists, actually want MORE for your money not LESS, and aren't really concerned about local playback, then my advice is to definately buy the Roku.
EDIT 03/23/11:
Since my initial purchase I have also purchased another and a WD Live Plus. I can honestly tell you that the WD is great for local streaming, but is far out-shined by the Roku for internet streaming.
I have created approximately 1.5tb of dvd .iso files which my WD will play with full menu support. Roku has just recently begun officially supporting its USB channel for the XDS, but file support for video is basically limited to WM9, MP4, and MKV. I get alot of use out of the XDS USB port, but obviously it won't support all what the WD does. That's great when I want to watch something I already own, but there is so much available from Netflix, Youtube, Hulu Plus (not on WD) and now on Crackle (also not on WD)that most of the time the WD remains unused.
I have even developed a number of channels myself for the Roku of live news, just that capability of individual users to create channels and bring more value to everyone's purchase throws it over the top for me. If you are reading my review, just click "add to cart" because you will not regret it. - Wireless - Streaming - Roku Xds - Netflix'
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