$100 Roku Netflix Player Targets Apple TV

Binge notes CNet coverage of the Netflix Player by Roku, which it calls "bare-bones." Less than 10% of Netfilx's catalog is available for the Instant Viewing option. Three more Netflix players are said to be due for release by the end of the year. The Roku is "...the first product that allows subscribers to have movies and TV shows from the service's Instant Viewing feature (aka 'Watch Now') to be streamed directly to their TV screen... With the release of the Netflix Player, subscribers need only have a wired or wireless broadband connection to access the entire Instant Viewing catalog through their TV."

Comments

er?

[snarfies]

Not for nothing, but how is this different from the In Demand feature that's been part of Comcast for several years now? Why would I need/want this?

Re:er?

[Bryansix]

Because if Netflix offers more movies maybe you can ditch that evil company called Comcast and save some dough in the progress. The customer service ratings just came out and Comcast and Charter tied for last place by having the most dis-satisfied customers.

Re:er?

[fropenn]

Actually, this is the exact product I've been looking for! We have a satellite dish, but prefer to rent movies from Netflix or from the local video store (much cheaper and convenient). But to watch the streaming Netflix option, the only choice is the computer and that only works really for 1 person (as we don't have a couch in the office). Someday I imagine we'll kick the satellite dish out completely, and just rely on streaming movies, Netflix, and over-the-air television.

The $100 price tag is a little high, especially to watch a limited selection of streaming movies with bad resolution and poor sound (at least on my relatively slow DSL line). It is certainly a niche market, but will help some Netflix customers (like me).

Re:er?

[initdeep]

How about because if you already pay for netflix, this service is entirely free.

meaning i can watch any of the "Watch it Now" movies (and TV shows) they offer simply by using this device.

And the sheer number (and its been increasing rather dramatically lately) of titles available simply dwarfs the offerings from any on demand service available.

Can you watch Dexter Season 1? Tripping the Rift Season 1, Heroes Season 1 and 2, A Fairly large number of Anime titles, a fairly large number of older movies from the 80's and 90's?

you may not want to, but some people do, and now they can without t he need to have a cable or even a satellite connection in their home.

I actually use my Vista MC with a netflix plug-in to do this all the time.

Re:er?

[kannibal_klown]

Not for nothing, but how is this different from the In Demand feature that's been part of Comcast for several years now? Why would I need/want this? Selection and cost.

Though the Netflix OnDemand selection is weak and old, it's a lot larger than the free Comcast OnDemand selection. While Comcast's selection grows if you have premium channels it's still smaller than Netflix's selection.

If you already have Netflix, then once you have the device there's no extra cost. While most of Comcast's OnDemand library is free, not everything is and not everyone has Starz/HBO/Showtime. Meanwhile some of those shows are (or at least were) offered via NetFlix OnDemand.

I'ts not a must-by, but if you're a Netflix customer with a high speed connection then it's a tempting self-birthday gift.

Re:er?

[PhreakOfTime]

How about... because you dont want to give a single dollar more to Comcast for their abysmal handling of their own internet traffic, and traffic shaping of selective protocols?

Anything that drives comcast out of business and destroys their line of thinking that they are 'so big that nobody will challenge us' is a positive for the rest of the internet community.

Screw You Comcast!

Re:er?

[Anonymous Coward]

You could buy the box or if you have a newish TV you could just get an extra long VGA cable and hook your PC up to your TV and watch the movies that way.

Re:er?

[cwgmpls]

Let's see... Comcast is $85 per month (Minneapolis area). Netflix is $5 per month. That is why you might need/want this.

Re:er?

[MightyYar]

This is about $9/month after an initial $100 investment. That's less than $18/month if you only use it for a year, and gives you access to 10,000 programs (including TV shows).

If Comcast even offers $18/month service, it's because your municipality wrote it into the contract and it's going to be local channels in analog only.

Re:er?

[Anonymous Coward]

dont forget...

Screw You Caton Commercial for sending ignorant Cease and Desist Letters too! :)

Re:er?

[mattack2]

Only $8.99 and higher plans get the streaming service. Your intended point is valid though.

Re:er?

[cayenne8]

"Because if Netflix offers more movies maybe you can ditch that evil company called Comcast and save some dough in the progress"

But, regular Netflix apparently has MANY more times the titles on dvd than on this unit they're selling.

Besides, if you get this unit, how will you ever "back up" a copy of the movie like you can with the physical dvd.

:-)

Re:er?

[tepples]

Because if Netflix offers more movies maybe you can ditch that evil company called Comcast and save some dough in the progress. Not if the phone company doesn't offer DSL where you live.

Re:er?

[tepples]

you may not want to [watch back-catalog video on demand], but some people do, and now they can without t he need to have a cable or even a satellite connection in their home. How are customers going to get the broadband "without t he need to have a cable or even a satellite connection"?

Re:er?

[omnipresentbob]

I'm hoping it's just licensing issues that's causing them to not be able to offer the "many more titles".

And backing up a copy of the movie would be irrelevant with this service, as you could watch it at any time, as many times as you want.

That is, if they continue to stay in business (and they likely will).

Re:er?

[Reece400]

Well, starting at $8.95 per month, I think you could still afford to go & purchase a few DVD's a month. Alternatly hook up your VCR (Or DVD recorder) and record it just like you would from Cable TV :D

Re:er?

[Reece400]

I get mine via DSL on the copper wires they used to refer to as phone lines :)

Re:er?

[tepples]

I get mine via DSL on the copper wires they used to refer to as phone lines How much did it cost you to move your family to your current residence, which happens to be within range of DSL?

Re:er?

[XHIIHIIHX]

Until comcast yanks your internet connection. I dunno why all you poor saps can't just wait a couple months for movies to come out.

Re:er?

[Lumpy]

Problem is netflix's streaming offering is really low quality video. My AppleTV has a HD rental function that looks as good as my BluRay player does.

This is NOT competition for the Apple Tv. it's an offering for the poor that want a halfed assed option for cheaper.

Re:er?

[Fatal67]

Does netflix pay for the usage over your 250gb a month cap when Comcast cuts to that? If not, you might want to add 1.50 per gig to the monthly cost.

Re:er?

[lattyware]

Heh. It's funny. In the UK, ADSL is all there is, Cable is damn rare. (Yes, I know if you are in the right area it's available.)

Re:er?

[The Great Pretender]

Depends on your viewing habits. Personally, we had Netflix and Comcast. We ditched the $70+/month Comcast TV and kept the $15/month Netflix. The 3 DVD's at a time and the watch instantly easily fill up our month. now, fair enough I don't get to watch everything I want instantly, but that's not important to me and quick math tells me that I'm saving >$840 over the year. I'm streaming Netflix into my 42" TV with coaxial audio and it looks as good as a standard DVD, but then I get damn good download speed at my house. I can see the utility of a stand alone box - as long as it's reasonably responsive.

Re:er?

[initdeep]

its funny.
they have these things called DSLAMS.
They put them up in neighborhoods.
Where people live.
And then run a connection back to the central office.

funny how i can live a LONG way from my local CO, yet have a remote DSLAM just down the street.....

all the phone lines go right to it.

hmmmmmmmmm

Re:er?

[daoine_sidhe]

it's an offering for the poor that want a halfed assed option for cheaper.

Wow, I see the 'conceited fuck' knob goes up to 11.

Try rephrasing that with a little less vitriol next time. Sometimes we poor unwashed masses like a little entertainment as well. I suppose my used Corolla is just a half-assed option for the poor who can't afford a Mercedes.

Am I really the only person who is insulted by this? Or am I just biased by being 'poor?'

Re:er?

[Anonymous Coward]

Typical response from an Apple Fan :-(

Re:er?

[RareButSeriousSideEf]

Hmm... I've had the opposite experience; Netflix's streaming video has been nearly DVD quality most of the time for me. My broadband is usually ~4.5Mbps down.

With no monthly limit plans starting @ $8.99 a month, that ain't a bad deal IMO. Watch as many DVDs as you can mail back in a month, plus unlimited titles from their streaming catalog.

I wish their streaming catalog was a bit more robust, but I expect that will only improve over time.

Re:er?

[skiflyer]

Or, it's an option for those of us who already have BluRay, already have Netflix and don't mind throwing a $100 one time fee to be able to watch the limited offering whenever we want to.

I placed an order already. I wouldn't buy it for $5 a month, but for a one time fee this is a gadget I'm more than willing to tinker with and if I don't like it so be it.

Plus, if you search around a bit you'll see that the box itself is HD capable and they'll upgrade it if the netflix offering ever gets upgraded. I don't want the apple because it's a bunch of stuff and a per viewing fee. I mostly watch movies while I'm falling asleep so I hate paying $5-$15 a piece for a one time viewing. Now, I can just load up some TV episode or bad 80s movie I've watched a million times and have it stream.

I am a little worried that the quality won't look great on a 60inch TV... but if I'm wrong, I've got a $99 box with HD outputs that I can take apart and tinker with.

You're not the target audience, so don't buy one and enjoy the higher priced, higher quality cost per-use player you did purchase.

Re:er?

[tepples]

they have these things called DSLAMS.
They put them up in neighborhoods.
Where people live.
And then run a connection back to the central office. I wouldn't get that impression from Slashdot stories about network neutrality or about ISPs acting evil and/or rude. I seem to read a lot of comments from Slashdot users who female-dog that they're too far from the closest DSLAM to get decent service.

Re:er?

[Anonymous Coward]

Uh...I have Comcast "Basic" and I get the locals plus several (about 20) cable channels. And since my TV has a QAM tuner I get the locals in HD as well.

I pay $14 a month.

Re:er?

[The End Of Days]

You're insulted by being called poor? You should probably try to make more money then.

Re:er?

[blind monkey 3]

it's an offering for the poor that want a halfed assed option for cheaper.
Perhaps he should consider the half-assed option and use the savings to pay for spelling lessons - either that or Mr rich should have ordered his PA to type his comment - or was he/she busy trying to find his "fuck knob" at the time?

Re:er?

[daoine_sidhe]

No, I am not insulted by being called poor. I am insulted by being referred to contemptuously, as though people without large excesses of money to blow on entertainment are below consideration.

Re:er?

[smoot123]

The best AT&T offers to my house is a half-assed 1.5 Mbps download. Given that bitrate, I can either wait forever to download a HD movie (best case would be something like 6-8 hours) or watch it now with much lower video quality. Even DVD quality video won't stream, I'd have to download the entire thing before watching. More buffering won't help because it's downloading at something like 1/4 to 1/15 of the real-time bitrate.

I watch a lot of stuff from NetFlix using my laptop. I totally expected the video quality would be too poor to watch, but was quite surprised that it's good enough (but just barely). It's about the same as a beat up old VHS tape, if you're old enough to remember that.

Re:er?

[mattack2]

You don't have to "search around a bit", you can see lots of info at roku.com. (No, I don't work there, I just found it after realizing that none of the various news articles had much info.)

Re:er?

[mattack2]

No, they're required to broadcast the locals in digital too, unencrypted.

Re:er?

[byronf]

This is NOT competition for the Apple Tv. it's an offering for the poor that want a halfed assed option for cheaper

Nice to see that you're maintaining the Apple elitist stereotype, I was worried there for a minute!

Re:er?

[PhreakOfTime]

Is netflix now responsible for Comcast's business practices?

I didnt know Netflix had a minority stake owned by Comcast.

If such a scenario is something you are worried about, and you are STILL using comcast, then it is up to YOU to find the time to find yourself at your local municipalities monthly public hearings about their cable provider status.

However, if the most a comcast subscriber is going to do is just complain about it, yet still pay the monthly bill, well then I guess they have you right where they need you.

Re:er?

[Sancho]

Plus, if you search around a bit you'll see that the box itself is HD capable and they'll upgrade it if the netflix offering ever gets upgraded. The press release said that it has 64M RAM in the device. That's not enough to buffer much HD content.

Re:er?

[cgdiaz]

You have a Corolla? My mule died today, I guess I'll be walking from now on.

Re:er?

[Anonymous Coward]

There are maybe 30-50 movies available on Comcast On Demand (only talking about ones you pay for, not the free but usually old stuff, and not the pr0n movies either).

Netflix offers 10,000 or so movies, so that dwarfs Comcast, and they will eventually offer a much larger portion of their library. Comcast also charges $4.99 per movie and Netflix is $18 a month for renting 3 DVD's at a time plus 18 hours of streamed movies per month, so Netflix will be a lot cheaper if you watch 10+ movies a month.

Re:er?

[wvmarle]

That is, if they continue to stay in business (and they likely will). I'm sure many many people thought the same of megacorps like Elron.
Don't count on any company to "continue to stay in business", especially if this implies "forever".

Re:er?

[davolfman]

The selection's better. Comcast just gives you a sliding window into the library, Netflix gives you all their Instant content on any given day.

Re:er?

[wvmarle]

How about... because you dont want to give a single dollar more to Comcast for their abysmal handling of their own internet traffic, and traffic shaping of selective protocols?

How long until they start traffic-shaping the Netflix streams? Sounds to me like large amounts of data.

Re:er?

[Anonymous Coward]

It actually goes up to 13 but he stopped at 11 for you because I am sure he knows how unstable you are.

The price difference between this "promised at $100" and will be sold higher junkbox and a Apple TV are negligible. But the "poor" do NOT have a HDTV in their home but hudddle around their 19" Zenith from 1988 (usually for warmth) and would not notice the sub DVD quality of the netflix stream.

Those of us that are Incredibly rich and blow $1000.00 on a TV set and another $299.00 on a Elite Apple TV look down on the sub par offering that will be half-assed. For that price you cant do anything but Half Ass it. Good god man, it costs me nearly $50.00 to fill my little 12 gallon, 30 mpg uber-luxury Kia. The chicks dig the rich man's kia!

So yes we piss on you and your proleatariat. Get off your ass out of your mom's basement and get a job.

And Eeeew. corolla? you could have had some taste you know. Those cars look stupid with a fart can and 6 foot high wing on them

Re:er?

[prockcore]

netflix's video quality depends entirely on your connection speed. Obviously your connection is crap.

Re:er?

[CottonThePirate]

The killer here will be if they can get newer movies. Of course it'll never happen. $8.95 for unlimited new movie watching? HBO/starz/etc all go under. This is the box we've all been waiting for, just needs a little more content to be worth it, of the 60 movies in my netflix queue, only 4 are ok for instant viewing. Looking around there is stuff I may watch, but nothing super great. Now what I rally want is the rumored $5 disc you can pop into your Xbox to do this.

Re:er?

[mrslacker]

Yeah, damn Scientologists:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elron

Re:er?

[hedwards]

I don't think you're the only one. I mean really, even those who do have more money would probably be better off with the netflix option. You pay the $100 for the box and the subscription and you get both movies through the mail and ones directly to the TV.

The quality settings are based upon the connection speed. And if you just want to watch a movie, the quality is just fine. Not Film buff fine, but it's definitely watchable and less expensive.

I wonder what is inside...

[fuzzyfuzzyfungus]

I hit the FCC to see if I could get internal shots of this widget, no luck, alas. Interestingly, though, their earlier Soundbridge product appears to be based on a BlackFin DSP core(read, supported by ucLinux). This thing could kick ass as a homebrew STB if the internals are reasonably friendly. That goes double if somebody can get a mythTV frontend running on one.

If anybody knows anthing about the internals, do tell.

Re:I wonder what is inside...

[yincrash]

Agreed. This is a very cheap box that can stream HD media over a network. If anyone can figure out how to hack it, a lot of doors could be opened.

Re:I wonder what is inside...

[gEvil (beta)]

This is a very cheap box that can stream HD media over a network.

Where did you get that from? The article goes out of its way to mention that it won't deliver HD-quality content.

Re:I wonder what is inside...

[yincrash]

The Future Netflix is planning HD streaming, and this box will support it. When Netflix gets HD streaming content, they'll update the box by firmware to support HD resolutions at higher bitrates of 4-6mbps, including 5.1 surround (everything is stereo now). The menus will also be upgraded to HD res, too. In the future, the Roku-branded box will be upgraded to accept non-Netflix content, too. (And btw, the update on the Mac client situation is that they're just trying to sort out the DRM issues, or lack of a suitable system they can stream to Macs on.) http://gizmodo.com/389698/first-netflix-streaming-box-review-100-and-unlimited-downloads

Re:I wonder what is inside...

[MBCook]

Really? The article I read (along with others not linked above) say that it can stream HD over a network, there just isn't any HD content in the Netflix Instant catalog at the moment.

I'm with the GP. Besides my interest of this little box for it's intended use, I find it to be a cheap and probably silent little HD capable Linux box. This is if someone figures out how to put Linux on it (some think it is Linux based), and it can be done by end users/hackers (i.e. no crypto-signed kernel images and such).

Re:I wonder what is inside...

[fuzzyfuzzyfungus]

The service won't deliver HD; because bandwidth costs Netflix money(and nothing short of a tape of the entire comcast board of directors sodomizing orphans will get an American household broadband fast enough to stream HD over, in any case), the hardware itself is said to be HD capable, with just software updates, at least at at modest bitrates, and it has HDMI and so forth.

Re:I wonder what is inside...

[Bill Dimm]

According to a different review:
"Netflix is planning HD streaming, and this box will support it. When Netflix gets HD streaming content, they'll update the box by firmware to support HD resolutions at higher bitrates of 4-6mbps, including 5.1 surround"

Re:I wonder what is inside...

[geekoid]

I wonder if they could bittorrent using other peoples downloads as seeds?

Re:I wonder what is inside...

[bonehead]

And the bad part about that is that even if you do scrounge up that tape of the Comcast board, it won't even do me any good, since I'm stuck in a Mediacom area.

Re:I wonder what is inside...

[gEvil (beta)]

I wonder if they could bittorrent using other peoples downloads as seeds?

Nope, that's something they definitely can't do with this box. One, there's no HD, only a RAM buffer. Two, torrents are terrible for sequential streaming of data.

Re:I wonder what is inside...

[Lumpy]

installing MythTV on this would be a step backwards. Install XBMC on this and that would rock.

myth is a awesome PVR but it royally sucks as a media center.

Re:I wonder what is inside...

[Anonymous Coward]

From TFA:

Those looking for the HD video quality and polished interface of Apple TV and Vudu will be disappointed. The Netflix Player is strictly barebones--you're not intended to do anything more than just dive in and watch the movies and TV shows you've already queued up via your online Netflix account/> (Emphasis mine). No HD video until the next version.

Re:I wonder what is inside...

[fuzzyfuzzyfungus]

Did a bit more poking about. On the Roku Forums, one of their people says something about the internals: http://forums.rokulabs.com/viewtopic.php?t=16685 Doesn't look wildly friendly offhand. Definitely supports linux, and 256megs of RAM, apparently; but looks like the SoC was designed with lockdown in mind. Still definitely worth a look; but I think that there might be a bit too much input from the boys from big content.

Re:I wonder what is inside...

[Anonymous Coward]

Not a good idea to buy something based on something it might support in the future. As it is, this box only works if you pay a monthly fee to NetFlix. It does not do HD. It only can do streaming (again, tied to a monthly fee). I do not see anything to get excited about, though the $25 set of cables they offer along with it seems nice in a can we rape our customers any more sort of way.

Re:I wonder what is inside...

[Anonymous Coward]

bittorrent has no way of guaranteeing latency of a given segment. This player is designed for streaming - I doubt it has storage. The point of this is that you can start a movie and not have to wait for it to download. If you're going with bittorrent, you're looking at a completely different product, with a hard drive, and the requirement that the user queue up the download an hour-ish before watching.

Re:I wonder what is inside...

[Anonymous Coward]

Agreed. Recent XBMC builds are the shit.

Re:I wonder what is inside...

[drinkypoo]

I wholeheartedly agree, but I've been tracking the development xbmc (building on ubuntu gutsy, I'm in the middle of adding packages to my fresh hardy install now... via a ~26.4kbps modem connection, whee!) but at least on gutsy, the software is basically unusable for most purposes. It has problems with many types of file-based video media, and the dvd player (esp. menu support) is crash city. It works okay as an mp3 player, though. I'm really looking forward to xbmc-linux being anywhere close to stable, but it sure isn't now. I run T3CH's builds on my Xbox, and am very happy (although I get plenty of hard lockups playing DVDs, as opposed to coredumps like I get on Linux.)

Cheap enough to try

[herring0]

I certainly hope for more out of these type devices in the future, but I can certainly say I'm interested. If nothing else it's a cheap piece of hardware that (hopefully!) just works and adds a benefit to my subscription. Plus without the FIOS TV options and lackluster cable options I've loved Netflix or e-hits ever since I started using those types of services. I'm also glad to see that some people at least are trying to move forward with ideas like this.

Target A Marketplace Flop? What?

[Anonymous Coward]

"What do you think: is the Netflix Player a game-changing product that bests Apple TV?"

Even foaming at the mouth Apple fanboys are embarrassed by Apple TV and its failure in the marketplace due to the usual reasons - overpriced, under-featured.

only 8000 movies

[vancondo]

The 'small selection' available from netflix is around 8000 movies, how many are available through itunes? They were set to have over 1000 available by the end of february, have they surpassed 8000 titles available yet?

-
http://vancouvercondo.info

Re:only 8000 movies

[Sancho]

Most of Netflix's selection is older movies. Most of Apple's selection are fairly new.

Interesting Box

[MBCook]

An interesting little box. I wouldn't mind having one. I have Netflix (which I love) but don't use their streaming service since I'm a Mac guy. I like that they have it all ready for HD.

If I had no decent boxes, I'd buy one.

But I have a TiVo Series 3. It's a fantastic box. It can handle this kind of stuff. I really don't want another box at this point that can do this kind of stuff, that I have to switch between. I've already got my TiVo, my DVD player, and my 360. I don't need another single use box.

Netflix said they were in chats with other people to make more boxes. Having this integrated into a DVD/Blu-Ray player would be nice. I think they were thinking of letting the PS3 or 360 do this.

I'll gladly use it should it become available for my TiVo.

But again kudos to them for getting it out so fast after the announcement, charging so little ($100? No monthly fee above my current 3 disc subscription level?), and having it all ready for when they have an HD catalog.

Re:Interesting Box

[gEvil (beta)]

I have Netflix (which I love) but don't use their streaming service since I'm a Mac guy. I like that they have it all ready for HD.

Where are you getting this from? Someone else up above mentioned the same thing, and all I can find is the article saying that it won't give you HD--that if you want HD you should look elsewhere. Am I missing something here?

Re:Interesting Box

[MBCook]

The articles (and the FAQ on the box) say that it is capable and ready of showing HD content, but right now nothing in Netflix's instant viewing catalog is in HD. That's why I put "all ready for HD". The CNet article doesn't seem to mention that.

From Wired's article:

"Higher quality streams are available, and over time, HD streams will show up, which the box can handle."

Re:Interesting Box

[gEvil (beta)]

Ahhh. Thanks. Silly of me not to read articles that aren't linked from the story submission. : p

Re:Interesting Box

[LMacG]

Here's a review with a pictures of the back of the unit.

Re:Interesting Box

[Anonymous Coward]

Streaming is just not a good way for delivering something that needs to be continuous. Movies are in need of more cache than this box offers. Making it cheap by neglecting necessary parts for the task at hand is a formula for failure. Pass for now.

Re:Interesting Box

[Anonymous Coward]

I've used netflix on a mac via parallels and it ran pretty well. Depending on your hardware of course.

Re:Interesting Box

[DurendalMac]

You're not missing much on the streaming services. Almost all of their streamed library is either public domain or indie flicks. You'll find almost no mainstream studio pictures streamed from Netflix.

Re:Interesting Box

[Anonymous Coward]

I use a Mac mini with Parallels + XP to watch Netflix on the HDTV. We watch almost as much via this as via optical disc.

Re:Interesting Box

[mattack2]

That seems like a gross exaggeration.

Check out http://www.netflix.com/WatchNow

I see a whole bunch of mainstream movies & TV shows there.

(I have never used the streaming, since I'm on a Mac. I actually wish they'd give, or sell heavily discounted, one of these to those of us who have been unable to watch streamed stuff since we're on a Mac.. Or really, I wish the Tivo/Netflix deal had gone through and I could watch on my existing Tivos.)

not first, but cheapest.

[Dare nMc]

I already purchased and have been using the D-Link DGP1200 bought at walmart for $180 to do the exact same thing.

Unlike the Roku, you can watch any content on your PC, and even get to the Netflix site to choose the movie you want to watch (if you have a bookmark to get their) It is even technically HD quality (though the stream from netflix isn't.)

Re:not first, but cheapest.

[MBCook]

I think you're looking at this box as more that it is. This is not a media center extender. I don't think of it as competing with Windows MCE, a 360 connecting to something, or your little box.

To me this is nothing more than a DVD player that has an infinite supply of things from my Netflix queue in it (with slightly limited selection). For that purpose, it's a great little box at a fantastic price. I'm surprised they are only charging $100 for it and not $200 or so.

Re:not first, but cheapest.

[Anonymous Coward]

I was talking about the DGP1200 for $180, not the ROKU. The D-link it is essentially a wireless display device for you PC (one of many, but the DGP is the only one I have found with the required features under $200) I always keep a PC on, so the DGP1200 does everything and more compared to the ROKU. Now if I could just get the DGP1200, and netflix to work with my new linux EEE pc. Until then I will keep using synergy2.sourceforge.net to work as my linux->windows->netflix->DGP1200->HDTV wifi remote.

I have too many boxes already

[ViX44]

With a pile built of a DVD/VCR Combo, stereo system, vinyl player, over-the-air digital converter, and some old Nintendoes, I don't need another box to wire up.

I wouldn't mind hearing about Netflix escaping the Windows/IE trap. I would approve of streaming Netflix to my laptop that's running Ubuntu. Well, if the wireless card would work on it...

Re:I have too many boxes already

[Anonymous Coward]

What wireless card are you using and having problems with Ubuntu? I've tried three different three-year-old wifi cards (one USB, the second PCMCIA/PCCard, and the third PCI), and Ubuntu found and are using them without issue (on separate machines, of course). Have you tried the Ubuntu forums?

Or maybe you're just using some buzzwords to try to bolster your argument -- or lack thereof?

What about service on boxes we already have?

[assassinator42]

Like game consoles and DVRs and such. Of course, this is hindered by these companies having their own video download service. I'd imagine a Wii Netflix channel could work (none of the videos are in HD, right?), but apparently they use WMV. That would work well with 360, but Microsoft has their own video download service.

Re:What about service on boxes we already have?

[ArcCoyote]

The Xbox 360 can stream Netflix from a Vista Premium/Ultimate PC: http://myweb.cableone.net/eluttmann04/projects/vmcNetFlix/default.htm

Two nifty things about this plugin (aside from the fact htat it actually streams extenders!)
  - It uses the license from your PC, so the extender doesn't count as another of the 4 allowed devices.
  - It uses your watch instantly queue, but it can also download movies to a cache for later playback.

Don't get that...

[grub]

Check out Popcornhour.com. They have a streaming media box for US$179 which plays almost everything: xvid, x264 (.mkv), dvd ISO images, etc. at up to 1080p.
I'm not related to the company, just a very happy owner of 2 of these devices.

Re:Don't get that...

[Dare nMc]

happy owner of 2 of these devices.

I am guessing your not in the U.S.? pre-order only on that site, and no dealers listed for US.

Re:Don't get that...

[grub]

I'm in Canada. They did have orders opened up but it won't ship the next day; you have to wait for the next container from China. :)

Re:Don't get that...

[bonehead]

That's an interesting device, but where do you get the content from?

My interest for a device like this is to be able to watch current movies without running to the video store. I have a DVD player and Netflix account, so having to rip the DVDs to an iso image just to play it through the popcorn box is an unnecessary hassle. I didn't see anything on the popcornhour site that indicated there was a good source for current movies to play through the box.

So far the best option I've seen is the VuDu. Just waiting for a chance to see my brother-in-law's in action before I pull the trigger.

Re:Don't get that...

[Anonymous Coward]

That's an interesting device, but where do you get the content from?

BitTorrent? They have everything I hear!

Re:Don't get that...

[bonehead]

And depending on how well it's seeded, I might be able to watch it in 3 hours, or it might take 3 days.

See, my objection to BitTorrent isn't the legality, it's the inconvenience.

What I want is something that will work like on-demand from my cable co. I want to sit down with the kids in front of the TV (not computer), pick out a movie, and start watching it right then and there. I can do this with my cable box (although the selection is pathetic, thus my search for something else), and there are several other products on the market that can do it, with various payment structures.

BitTorrent isn't the solution for the problem I'm trying to solve.

Re:Don't get that...

[grub]

I get it mostly from bittorrent or files I've already had lying about. With about 2 TB of RAID5 on a FreeNAS box I have enough space to keep a lot of stuff for rainy days :) All our kids DVDs are on the server as ISO images, that prevents the damage that 2 year olds seem to be great at doing.

Re:Don't get that...

[pin0chet]

if you like to read the news and are willing to pay fifteen bucks a month for it, you can access a massive library of over one thousand HD movies. I can download a 720p H.264 movie with 5.1 audio in under 40 minutes, maxing out my 16mbps connection at a constant 2030 KB/s. Each film is about 4.5GB and looks absolutely excellent on my LCD TV.

Beats Bittorrent any day in my opinion. No seeding issues, no lawsuits, no packet throttling. And if you're willing to settle for standard def, you can literally download a movie in the time it takes you to make popcorn and grab a beer.

Re:Don't get that...

[grub]

What news service are you using? My ISP's retention sucks bag.

Re:Don't get that...

[pin0chet]

Comcast offers Giganews which is amazing--but Comcast caps it at a measly 2 GB/mo. If you want cheap, unlimited news with good bandwidth, get Newshosting @ $14.95 a month and 80 days retention. If you want the best news money can buy, Giganews Diamond with SSL encryption @ $29.95 a month and 200 days retention. Sure as hell beats Netflix, or Cable TV, or Hulu, or DVDs. Even better, those dirty Hollywood content producers don't see a dime.

Re:Don't get that...

[Anonymous Coward]

Good, so all of the movie companies will go out of business, and you won't get any more new movies.

MythTV plugin?

[Mr. Sketch]

So when do we get a MythTV plugin? That would be the best solution so we don't need extra hardware around the living room.

Re:MythTV plugin?

[Anonymous Coward]

Something about Windows and DRM, I think. "We" being existing users of MythTV?

Re:MythTV plugin?

[Anonymous Coward]

Something about Windows and DRM, I think. "We" being existing users of MythTV?

Yes. All five of them are anxiously waiting.

Pretty good deal

[explosivejared]

What do you think: is the Netflix Player a game-changing product that bests Apple TV? Or is the selection too lackluster to be worth even its $100 asking price?

Selection will improve. It may a commercial mistake to release without the full library behind it, but I think it will still find some measure of success. Either way, this is a win for customers. Something this cheap is really going to threaten the other players. For starters, the streaming quality is a non-issue for most, which makes the price difference look all the more appealing. The scant library is a downer, but again that will be fixed. The only problem I see in the system is ISP's mucking things up. They scream about taking down net neutrality to augment this sort of thing, but in the end people actually using the bandwidth they payed for will make them much angrier.

I like that netflix is jumping into the mix. Still, I would prefer the Internet not to be hijacked by video on demand when we have such an expensive cable system already available. However, I've come to the realization that video on demand is already moving forward on the net, and the best I can hope for is video on demand platform be the most customer friendly one as possible.

Is first standalone

[Dare nMc]

I now see they meant "first standalone netflix device". This doesn't require another PC to be actively turned on (though you still must have a PC or network appliance to use netflix, to select the movies.)

I haven't even read the article yet...

[SCHecklerX]

...but if this thing is as slick as the roku soundbridge, methinks I'll finally get a netflix subscription. I love my soundbridge (well, not this weekend while rokuradio was having mysql backend issues...is that fixed yet?).

This is the real dawn of IPTV. Serious.

[StreetStealth]

I just looked over the info at Roku's site and I think I'm finally prepared to say... This is the one we've all been waiting for.

While Roku's refreshingly good industrial and UI design looks like it should help, though, here's the real reason this is going to be huge:

I don't think I can overstate the importance of having a single monthly payment to rent a good number of movies and TV shows versus the failed model of "buying" movies that will never leave your set-top box or even the yet unproven model of renting them at $4 a pop with the remote. This is why Netflix beat Blockbuster and it's why they'll beat Apple TV.

This is the thing that will kill the DVD and cable at the same time.

What it comes down to, for now, is Netflix's significantly preferable all-you-can-eat model versus Apple TV's significantly greater selection. But the Netflix selection is only getting bigger.

Re:This is the real dawn of IPTV. Serious.

[Colonel Korn]

Apple already has significantly more than 10000 movies available? I thought they actually had a smaller, though probably more recent, selection than Netflix.

I think that asking whether this will beat AppleTV is ignoring that AppleTV hasn't exactly been the newest iPod. AppleTV is a very tiny player in the video over IP market. The real competition is bit torrent, which has already defeated AppleTV. Will people pay for something they can get (not streaming, but in higher quality) for free? I will.

Re:This is the real dawn of IPTV. Serious.

[tepples]

or even the yet unproven model of renting them at $4 a pop with the remote. Unproven? I thought that was called "cable TV pay-per-view", and it's been around for at least a decade and a half.

Re:This is the real dawn of IPTV. Serious.

[buckles]

My pop built his first crystal radio set during the Hoover administration. He is a complete convert to his Roku internet radios (2) running off his Apple airport access point. I concur that it is a successful user interface and design if an 87 year old can get the best out of it.

But I was called in for network administration the other day. Turns out the Roku Radio website was displaying a short and inelegant 'Unable to connect to MySql' message .

Still trying to get around to bringing a vista box onto the home network so we can try Netflix on demand option. Maybe a dedicated device like the Roku would bypass the pain.

Netflix keeps recommending light romantic comedies starring Meg Ryan. Where the hell are the Buñeul movies?

The horta is an ancient silicon-based life form.

Re:This is the real dawn of IPTV. Serious.

[mattack2]

Kill cable? When I can get new shows (even if delayed from original broadcast), and absolutely will get every broadcast show, then I can agree.
In other words, nowadays a LOT of shows get on DVD, which is good.. including cancelled shows with unaired episodes. But not everything.

Also, I know you can get the Daily Show online, what about Colbert? I don't want to watch those in a web browser.

Though it's apparently rare, I do watch the nightly news. I know it's available in a podcast, but not the weekend shows, and I suspect it is
sometimes edited. (I listen to the Nightline podcast, and once in a while it's only ~10 minutes long rather than ~19, with no explanation.)

I would give up my Tivos if I knew I could get *everything* I get on cable / OTA (even with the cable shows mentioned above, I *have* wondered about going mostly OTA with netflix for some missing stuff).

Re:This is the real dawn of IPTV. Serious.

[Roxton]

This is a terrific platform. Aside from your excellent point about it being a good consumer model, I'm also excited because NetFlix has been a great supporter of independent content producers. Their Red Envelope Entertainment publishing has been a huge boon for foreign films, documentaries, and political works.

I'm hoping that the Roku box becomes successful, because I anticipate that they'll be able to leverage a successful set-top environment to do for episodic content what they've done for movies. The proliferation of network-independent journalism in a home theater environment would be - geeze, I don't want to sound corny, but... it would be a new era.

Oblig....

[thatseattleguy]

1) Roll out an on-demand video service so crippled by DRM restrictions that it can work in only ONE browser (IE), and on only ONE platform (Windows) - and those only if you have the tip-top absolute latest releases and updates.

2) Find that half your customers can't (or won't) use your service as a result.

3) License others to make special-purpose hardware just to get around the restrictions in (1) and take a big cut of that.

4) Profit!!!!! /tsg/

Comcast isn't that much.

[Anonymous Coward]

Oh no, I have Comcast Internet service, and it costs about $56 per month.

Of course, adding things like "Extended Basic" cable can add another $50 a month.

Beowulf Cluster......

[Anonymous Coward]

That's all I'll say. It would be nice, however, to be able to hack it to play other media such as hulu.com

Roku??

[Microsift]

I thought Roku got killed by the Fire Lord over 100 years ago!

This is worthless

[dfn_deux]

No onboard disk cache, an absolute max bitrate of 2Mb/s, and max resolution of 480p make this box basically the worst streaming solution for early adopters. Netflix needs to resolve some more basic issue with their service before they try and make a serious run at hardware streaming end points. For instance their service autodetects your bandwidth and selects what it feels is an appropriate bitrate for your viewing w/o giving you any option cache a larger portion of the video in advance and allow a higher overall bitrate/quality. Who is the target audience for this? People with a hankering for poor quality SD movies from a large back catalog whom also own a set with HDMI inputs and a highspeed data connection? Seriously guys, try a bit harder on the RD side next time.

Re:This is worthless

[daoine_sidhe]

Me. I'm the target audience. I don't have a HD capable television, and have no particular desire to own one until the prices come down considerably. I do have a high-speed internet connection. I have loved the fact that I can hook the s-video and stereo output from my laptop to my entertainment center and watch movies, documentaries, television shows, etc. Before you decide that the only audience worth having owns a 40"+ 1080P television, take a look around. Not everyone can drop that much cash on entertainment, and not everyone thinks it is a good idea to buy entertainment on credit. For $100, with no extra monthly fees, this quite simply enhances the service I already have (and am quite happy with). I think the R&D was right on, and they picked the perfect mix of capabilities for an initial model. Look for these to sell in huge quantities.

Re:This is worthless

[dfn_deux]

You made my point for me, you already have a laptop that does what this offers... What is there to gain from spending the 100 dollars?

Re:This is worthless

[Anonymous Coward]

an absolute max bitrate of 2Mb/s, and max resolution of 480p Netflix is planning HD streaming, and this box will support it. When Netflix gets HD streaming content, they'll update the box by firmware to support HD resolutions at higher bitrates of 4-6mbps, including 5.1 surround (everything is stereo now). The menus will also be upgraded to HD res, too. In the future, the Roku-branded box will be upgraded to accept non-Netflix content, too.

Who is the target audience for this? it includes me, my friends, and my coworkers judging from the responses i've seen today.

Re:This is worthless

[daoine_sidhe]

The same things I gain from having a DVD player. I won't have to hook my laptop (which I sometimes leave at work) up to my television. I won't have to run Windows on my laptop (which is currently installed strictly for Netflix). I won't have to wait for a compile to finish. I won't have to plug in AC adapter, S-Video, and audio cable every time I want to use the service. This is worth $100 to me. It would not be worth $200 or more for a higher end version, with more features that I can't benefit from without also buying a new television.

Re:This is worthless

[Anonymous Coward]

You made my point for me, you already have a laptop that does what this offers... What is there to gain from spending the 100 dollars? Are you high? Arrange laptop, connect adapter, connect cable, change resolution, connect audio cable, boot laptop into supported Windows OS, open Netflix using supported IE browser...compared with pressing some buttons on a remote? That doesn't factor common HTPC overscan issues, and the box should also draw a lot less power than a laptop.

Re:This is worthless

[wvmarle]

No onboard disk cache, an absolute max bitrate of 2Mb/s, From the state of US Internet services (at least the impression I get on /.), a 2 Mb/s max bitrate is something most people will not even manage to reach most of the time, if at all. Maybe you are so lucky to have such a big pipe, and the allowance of your ISP to actually use that much bandwidth - I'm quite sure most people don't. So it doesn't make sense to accept 10 Mb/s connections, try to pump that much data, only to find out it doesn't work and end up with buffer underruns on the device. Not good for playing.
I think it's a smart move from them to lower the bar a bit, to go for a bandwidth that many households may actually be able to get, without upsetting the ISPs too much (think BBC's iPlayer if you don't believe that may happen).
It is an early-adopter device, for sure. It has limited functionality now, but as I understand an easily be upgraded when/if the extra bandwidth comes available - on both the customer's side and the NetFlix side.
For the rest your comment sounds a lot like what /. had to say about the first iPod... hardware may be less than state-of-the-art, it's more important that it actually just works.

Anyone tried one of these services?

[bsDaemon]

I have not tried this, or Apple TV, or anything similar - but I'm not sure I'd enjoy the experience anyway.

I have enough trouble trying to stream a crappy video off of Youtube via a cable connection. I have to worry about the bandwidth being used by the rest of the family, I have to worry about the amount of traffic at the other end, i have to worry about not getting screwed by the cable company who is trying to cram my whole neighbourhood into a tightly controlled unit.

It just doesn't seem like I'd be able to get a pleasant experience out of this -- and if I have to keep waiting while it buffers, I may as well just go rent a scratched DVD from the Blockbuster.

Summary. Almost There...

[llZENll]

Awesome price.
Awesome interface.
Awesome hardware.
Sucky video quality.
Sucky audio.

"Quality is not great, even at 2.2 Mbps"
"everything is stereo now"

I'll plunk down my $100 and switch to Netflix instantly when HD comes out, Bluray's win didn't last long...

"Netflix is planning HD streaming, and this box will support it. When Netflix gets HD streaming content, they'll update the box by firmware to support HD resolutions at higher bitrates of 4-6mbps, including 5.1 surround."

10% of Netflix is better than iTunes

[elrous0]

Considering the size of the catalog you get access to (even 10% of Netflix beats the Hell out of iTunes), the fact that you get access to Netflix's disc catalog too, the price, the ease of use, and the fact that you don't have to install iTunes on your computer to use it, it seems like a no-brainer.

Is it a full Roku Box?

[tji]

Roku had a really cool HD Media Player box, which was Linux based and extensible. If this thing is derived from that same platform (with hardware accelerated HD MPEG2 playback) this is a huge bargain.

If it is a closed box, which only does Netflix, it is not so interesting.

Re:Is it a full Roku Box?

[tji]

There is a forum on Roku's site which has threads discussing this device:

http://forums.roku.com/viewtopic.php?t=16685

Unfortunately, it appears it is built as a "closed" device. But, if it could be hacked, the chip it's based on looks quite nice: http://www.nxp.com/#/aip/aip=[aip=416]|pp=[t=aip,i=416]

The device is at least partially based on free software, so that may help in loading an alternate OS: http://forums.roku.com/viewtopic.php?t=16691

How about the old rumor

[77Punker]

The rumor floating around earlier was that software would be available to PS3 and 360 owners so that they could watch these movies on their consoles. I've got a 360 and I already use it as my DVD player. I'd love to watch the streaming movies on the TV easily rather than use my computer either with its monitor or some complicated streaming setup (which is especially difficult since I use Linux and "Watch now" doesn't support Linux).

Re:How about the old rumor

[PotatoFarmer]

Seems like that would be an odd choice for the PS3, as it would put a dent in Sony's physical media sales. It could still happen - Sony's various divisions don't seem to work in concert very often - but I'm not holding my breath.

Re:How about the old rumor

[77Punker]

It'd be odd for the 360, too, since Microsoft has its own streaming movie micropayment service on it. It works well, but I subscribe to Netflix which makes it irrelevant.

backup

[Anonymous Coward]

Why do you need to backup rented movies? I don't get it.

Re:backup

[cayenne8]

"Why do you need to backup rented movies? I don't get it."

I think most of us do it as a free service for Netflix, in thanks for all their convenience and great business model. If they ever lose their copies....we're there for them!!

:-)

I love Netflix.

[rindeee]

And I'd LOVE to use their instant viewing feature but I don't have a Windows machine. I have a Mac Mini and a PS3 for all movie viewing via their respective media GUIs. Why Netflix doesn't have streaming on platforms other than Windows and these new dedicated devices is beyond me. It would certainly be cheap enough to do and provide instant market share for them.

Re:I love Netflix.

[moosesocks]

They've publically stated that they've tried to bring the streaming service to Mac users, but couldn't find a DRM platform that was acceptable to their content providers that worked on MacOS.

Annoyed with NetFlix

[goombah99]

I'm a mac guy too and I am somewhat ticked off by this announcment. For a year or so now they have had a web page saying they are "working hard" to get netflix ondemand service for their mac customers but Apple is preventing them.

How could apple possibly be standing in there way. If they can implement it on a PC or if Amazon NBC and SCIfi channel can get Flash streaming to work why do they have to ask for Apple's permission?

Bah. It was this box they were developing. They had zero interest in making onDemand available to their apple customers.

I hate liars.

Re:Annoyed with NetFlix

[Joe Tie.]

What bugged me is when I wound up testing virtual machines to see which could play best on the linux and osx box in our house. Apparently there's a limit to how many can use the service, and there's no way to revoke it. So not only do they force you to use windows, you get punished for even trying to find a workaround on other platforms.

Re:Annoyed with NetFlix

[Binkleyz]

I'm not sure that this is to your point, but that page up on the Netflix website seems to be saying that the hurdle isn't the technology, it is that the various content owners are wedded to the DRM that is bundled with Windows, and have not given their (necessary) permission for anything BUT the the DRM associated with Windows. Without that permission, Netflix cannot legally stream that content.

Here is the full text of that page:

"Our apologies -- instant watching is currently not supported for Macintosh.

Our goal is for Netflix members to enjoy movies and TV shows on whatever screen they want. We're required to use Digital Rights Management to protect movies watched instantly online, and right now we only have approval for this protection on Windows Operating systems, not the Mac.

Apple does not license their DRM solution to third parties, which has made this more difficult, but we are working with the studios and content owners to gain approval for other solutions. As soon as a studio-approved DRM for the Mac is available to us, whether from Apple or another source, we will move quickly to provide a movie viewer that enables you to watch movies from Netflix instantly on your Mac.

In the meantime, you can use your account to watch instantly on any compatible PC, and Intel-based Macintosh computers can watch movies instantly using Boot Camp, Parallels, or Fusion to run Windows. Also, your Macintosh is fully compatible with adding titles to the Instant Queue for later watching on compatible devices, as well as to have a playlist ready to go when we do enable Macintosh watching."

Re:Summary. Almost There...

[boris111]

My personal opinion it looks ugly! Looks like a cable box from the 80's.

Save $100 and go stright from netflix.com to TV

[Anonymous Coward]

Why would I want to spend $100 on a device that looks cheap, requires me to queue it up on a computer & dose not deliver HD

Why not just connect computer directly to TV? Or use a more compelling device like an Apple TV?

I prefer iTunes, but

[joshv]

I prefer iTunes, but I hope that competition from Netflix forces that idiot at the helm of Apple, what's his name - to realize that people actually like and want subscription based content.

Re:Summary. Almost There...

[kingbyu]

"Quality is not great, even at 2.2 Mbps"

Yeah, no kidding. I've watched instant Netflix movies through their Internet Explorer client, and even with 1.5 Mbps DSL, the quality is at their lowest "Basic" level, which I consider worse that TV quality.

Their selection of titles is also pretty miserable. I could flip through 100 cable channels and be more likely to find something I like than browsing through their "Instant" films.

If they could improve both quality and selection, then they would definitely have a cool product. As it is, I find myself more likely to watch content from Hulu.com than from Netflix.

Comcast controls video on demand

[Anonymous Coward]

Only problem with Video On Demand services, such as Apple TV & Netflix is the bandwidth issues. Now that Comcast is either throttling your connection, or charging you per MB.. I find it hard for these products to pickup.

Instead of it costing you $2.99 to rent from Apple TV/iTunes, we will have to tack on more $$ to deliver it to your house via broadband.

Netflix streaming to PS3

[sydbarrett74]

What I would love to see is the ability to stream Netflix vids to my PS3....screw having to buy all these separate gadgets, let alone the space they take up.

AppleTV Owner - Will buy Roku; not unhappy withATV

[cybereal]

See, I have the Apple TV, and I've loved it since day one. I double love it since the "2.0" major firmware updates and feature additions. But the wife, you see, has had netflix for years. And since they added the streaming movie feature, she watches maybe 4 or 5 flix that way a month. Thing is though, the selection pool is by and large old B movies nobody would've watched on purpose if they weren't really in the mood for something cheesy.

So basically, the Apple TV and the Roku are rather complementary in my opinion. The Roku is the source for cheap totally random movie watching and the Apple TV gives me my higher end rentable new releases, my podcasts and music directly from my media housing computer, and lots of other nice aspects. So yeah, I don't see this really being any kind of direct competition unless you have absolutely no taste or preference of your movies, then I guess the cheapest crap in the barrel would please you as much as the top of it.

anthony wood

[trb]

The cnet article missed the interesting bit - that Roku's founder (and Replay TV's as well), Anthony Wood, worked at Neflix for a while on this and then returned to Roku, and Neflix bought a stake in Roku, as reported here.

Re:anthony wood

[skelly33]

I was more interested in CNET's Review of the machine than in the news story. What struck me was how critical the reviewer was of the various properties (poor video quality, poor title availability, lack of surround sound, and poor on-screen controls), and yet... it still scored a 7.7 /10 - why, because he's giddy about the concept? I think the rating is far too kind and does little to encourage NetFlix to push for improvements in this thing.

Actually the most compelling thing about this to me is that NetFlix has secured licensing rights to stream movies from various movie studios. Even if it's not all the most recent, hot titles, it seems like a great starting point towards a future of on-demand cooperation from movie studios. I also think NetFlix stands to potentially improve their margins by completely switching over to streaming service - of course some overhead is transferred to networking/hosting/storage/delivery infrastructure, but if they play their cards right, once established it should cost less to operate than a mail room and physical inventory process.

I don't know about the internals, but...

[PRMan]

May I point you to the Roku Photobridge forums, where a bunch of abandoned users hang out.

Oh, the Roku Photobridge was a great machine back in 2005. It's main purpose was to view pictures from you digital camera at HD resolutions and to play MP3's, but it didn't take long for people to realize that everything you needed to upconvert DVD-quality movies (stored on your network) to HD was there. Or even to play HD video pulled from your TiVo or MythTV. Almost.

They promised a better video player... But never delivered...

They promised a faster connection for HD... But never delivered...

They promised to open up the firmware... But never delivered...

They promised an update to make subtitles and DTS possible (they weren't even going to do it, just stop the accidental prevention of these things by the third-party developers)... They never delivered.

People waited years for these features, which were always "just around the corner".

Basically, once the SoundBridge took off, they just completely abandoned their small but faithful user group. The group wasn't even asking for much, just the source code so they could figure out how to make their own updates and how to interface with the hardware themselves.

But, I got tired of the lack of DTS support, the sound stuttering which got progressively worse, etc. My DirecTV DVR and PS3 now cover all the features that it did and do it much better.

I would be very hesitant to buy things from Roku with the track record they have established. If the "Netflix player" doesn't take off, you might be the next owner of an abandoned product.

Re:I don't know about the internals, but...

[fitten]

I would be very hesitant to buy things from Roku with the track record they have established. If the "Netflix player" doesn't take off, you might be the next owner of an abandoned product.

Yeah, but for $100 it's in, at least my, buy and throw away price range. I've already ordered it and I hope it works pretty good. Hopefully Netflix will get even more content for it going. If not, well, it was $100 and it might be interesting to tear open and look around a bit.

To compete with Apple, become compatible with Macs

[TibbonZero]

Umm, unless something has changed Netflix computer-based online streaming service doesn't work with OS X. If they want to compete with Apple for the Apple TV perhaps make the software so that Apple people can use their computer with it as well?

Re:AppleTV Owner - Will buy Roku; not unhappy with

[Rude Turnip]

This. I could basically avoid paying for TV shows on AppleTV at $2 each and just use this since I already have Netflix. In fact, I could even lower my subscription plan since I wouldn't have to wait anymore, except for new releases.

Closed Captioning?

[kermit1221]

Will this things support closed captioning? Our (wife and I) biggest complaint about Netflix's streaming movies is the lack of captioning, since neither one of us can hear worth a damn.

They've been "working on" captioning as long as the Mac version...

Re:Closed Captioning?

[MannyO]

According to the "Netflix Ready Devices" FAQ at http://www.netflix.com/NetflixReadyDevices?tb=what

Do these movies and TV episodes have subtitles or closed captions?

Foreign-language titles always display subtitles in English. English language titles do not have subtitle options. None of the movies and TV episodes that you can watch instantly offer closed captioning.

Which sucks for me and my wife - English is not our first language and CC for the hearing impaired helps us out a lot when one is starting to learn the language.

I would love to get on of these boxes but this is a deal breaker for me; I've been speaking English for 15 years, I don't need CC but my wife benefits greatly from it...

So close and yet so far

[SuperKendall]

So you hate the video quality, but expect the HD version which requires even MORE bandwidth to look magically better.

Yep, sure is a Blu-Ray killer.

ABC.com

[potat0man]

Isn't ABC.com already streaming HD? Or is that fake HD?

Service coming to game consoles?

[Vegan Pagan]

I'd like to know if the Netflix streaming service is coming to game consoles. They're powerful enough and connected enough to do this. Even the Wii, with its mere 730 MHz CPU, does near DVD quality internet streaming video through its "Nintendo Channel" (ads for games viewable on the console).

Crappy Quality

[pinkfloydhomer]

2.2 Mbps? No thanks...

That's not even good enough for my 32" tv, let alone my 77" front projector screen on which I watch all my movies.

Nice. Now support desktop linux.

[kramer]

So, if the Roku set-top box runs Linux as shown here then why don't they support Linux with their regular desktop instant viewing service?

Re:Nice. Now support desktop linux.

[Zarf]

So, if the Roku set-top box runs Linux as shown here then why don't they support Linux with their regular desktop instant viewing service? DRM.

Not Quite

[SirCodeAlot]

They already have a planned firmware upgrade which will take it to 1080i. Better than anything else currently out there.

AppleTV BluRay

[SirCodeAlot]

it has a max of 720p (possibly I) Nowhere near as good as Blu-Ray. Let's check our fanboy-ism at the door.

Stop the streaming maddness

[billtom]

I really wish that these types of devices would get away from the obsession with streaming.

I say this because to accomplish "start playing the movie in two minutes" streaming you have to degrade the picture quality to a point that I find very noticeable (by both reducing the resolution and increasing the compression).

I've had my bluray player and 46" 1080p TV for six months now and I've really gotten used to that quality level. Highly compressed 720p (or, oh god, 480p) looks like a big step backwards.

So please, please, big companies, offer an option for local storage, bluray quality, and overnight downloads for people like me. Please.

Kill cable and DVD?

[voidstin]

This is the thing that will kill the DVD and cable at the same time. The subscription model is great, but the only way this is going to kill cable and DVD is with the full support of the movie studios, who make an enormous portion of their revenue from... cable and DVD. And I'm pretty sure the studios have teams of accountants to figure out that a $9/mo Netflix subscription is less than a $70/mo cable TV subscription. Only 2 of the top 100 movies on Netflix are available to stream, and if the studios get irritated, allof a sudden this is competing with Joost and Jaman instead of blockbuster.

Also, if Cable TV, gets killed, the "triple play" pricing scheme goes away, and so does the cheap cable modem. I could see it working if Netflix cut a deal with comcast, or comcast improves on demand substantially... but i'm not holding my breath on that one.

Travel options?

[cmeans]

Can we take this little box with us, and hook it up to the TV in our hotel room? Most hotel TV's do provide easy access to the external inputs (mostly for video games etc.), and many hotels provide ethernet/wifi. Seems like we could avoid the high cost of PPV etc.. Not sure what the average hotel internet bandwidth is though...seems like this still might be a useful option, and still better than watching movies on a laptop. Anyone tried this yet?

"Ready" for HD

[tgibbs]

But is that "Ready for HD" as in
"Near future as we begin to add HD titles" ?

or as in

"If someday you get an ISP that offers more bandwidth than all of the ones currently available to you"

On the other hand, a TiVo or XBox360 has the buffering capacity to present HD without ultrahigh bandwidth. I don't really mind waiting a few hours, or even until the next day--that's still a lot faster than waiting for the disk to come in the mail.

This Box Rocks You

[Anonymous Coward]

I am a 60" HD (BD) viewer and this box delivers DVD quality sound and video NOW. I can't wait for the HD content....

It is about 4x4x2â, every possible connection including HDMI and optical, completely addictive (we watched 3 movies last night), all you can eat movies and TV series from NetFlix (as long as the license has been worked through with the studio â" currently on 10K or so âoeWatch Nowâ thingies), and it just works. Plug in to TV (or HT), wall bug, and wireless AP, router, or repeater, 10 minute setup for SSID and WPA key and then enter its key into Netflix to associate the box with your account. Suddenly all movies that are available for âoeView Instantlyâ in your queue are in your menu to watch on the TV. It works seamlessly⦠they started sales on Tuesday and have sold close to 8K this week. For $99 itâ(TM)s a steal⦠they donâ(TM)t have HD yet but thatâ(TM)s coming once the deals are cut.

All you can eat is the key... minimal subscription to NetFlix is necessary which I've got anyhow for the BD but we almost exclusively watch movies. We dropped DirecTV after 15 years, no cable, use tiny indoor antenna for 100% signal strength network broadcasts (very little to watch anyway).

It is so cheap, that if newer tech comes soon as it inevitably will, throw it out and plug in another.