Do you know about Roku? If not and you watch much streaming video, you should check it out. I bought one about a year ago and am hooked. I wanted to stream Netflix to my TV and had been running it from my laptop to the TV. I would actually extend the display on my laptop and “move” Netflix to the TV while still working on my computer. This worked fine, but I didn’t always want to have to run my laptop or netbook every time I wanted to watch a movie. Enter Roku.
I know there are other options for watching Netflix – through the Wii console or a Blu-ray player – but at the time I didn’t have a Wii console and didn’t want to buy a Blu-ray player (I would be too tempted to replace some DVDs with Blu-ray, and I keep reading that Blu-ray is going away anyway). When I started looking at other options, the Roku player looked like a great choice. To get to the Roku player, you just choose a different input on your TV, just like switching to the DVD player. It is also HD, so you can connect with an HDMI cable. This is my preference, and it gives a better quality picture than viewing from the Wii console or laptop.
With the Roku, you can stream Netflix, but you can also subscribe to tons of other channels. Some of these channels are actually free, and some are as little as $2 per month. If you have a huluplus account, you can stream television shows (this doesn’t work with the free hulu account). You can also rent movies or access your video purchases from Amazon. A little tip…the movie rentals on Amazon are $1-2 cheaper than cable providers and they run daily 99₵ specials.
I know there are other options for watching Netflix – through the Wii console or a Blu-ray player – but at the time I didn’t have a Wii console and didn’t want to buy a Blu-ray player (I would be too tempted to replace some DVDs with Blu-ray, and I keep reading that Blu-ray is going away anyway). When I started looking at other options, the Roku player looked like a great choice. To get to the Roku player, you just choose a different input on your TV, just like switching to the DVD player. It is also HD, so you can connect with an HDMI cable. This is my preference, and it gives a better quality picture than viewing from the Wii console or laptop.
With the Roku, you can stream Netflix, but you can also subscribe to tons of other channels. Some of these channels are actually free, and some are as little as $2 per month. If you have a huluplus account, you can stream television shows (this doesn’t work with the free hulu account). You can also rent movies or access your video purchases from Amazon. A little tip…the movie rentals on Amazon are $1-2 cheaper than cable providers and they run daily 99₵ specials.
Here’s a new plus, HBO GO is coming to Roku. You have to subscribe to HBO in order to get this channel, but I’m curious to see if it drives subscriptions at all. Angry Birds is also available now if you’re looking for games.
With Netflix’s new pricing options, I’ve changed my subscription to streaming-only. DVDs could sit on the table for weeks at a time (or more) before I watched them (especially during the school year), so I couldn’t justify paying twice as much for that option. For the streaming account, the Roku box is my first choice for viewing. If you are looking for a specific movie or are browsing for something to find, I still find it easier to do that through the Netflix.com site, but that is the only drawback I see to Roku at this point.
With Netflix’s new pricing options, I’ve changed my subscription to streaming-only. DVDs could sit on the table for weeks at a time (or more) before I watched them (especially during the school year), so I couldn’t justify paying twice as much for that option. For the streaming account, the Roku box is my first choice for viewing. If you are looking for a specific movie or are browsing for something to find, I still find it easier to do that through the Netflix.com site, but that is the only drawback I see to Roku at this point.
Hmm..at first it didn't look like this would meet my needs. But if I can get Amazon movies AND HBOGO( as well as sister MAXGO), then maybe I will look closer at this. I had been pondering buying a netbook that would be used primarily for this streaming (but at $60 Roku may be the way to go).
ReplyDeleteThanks Andrea!
I used a netbook and streamed Netflix to my tv, but the processor in the netbook is a little slow sometimes. I had too many instances of stalled and stuttering video. It's good in a pinch, but I've found the Roku much better - and it's HD. Thanks for commenting!
ReplyDeleteFollowing up...I bought one of these when they went on sale at Amazon recently. I love it!
ReplyDelete(And I never would have thought to buy this if not for yoru post)
Thanks! I really like mine as well. Especially for renting movies from Amazon - they are much cheaper than the cable company or u-verse.
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