Prince McLean
Like Apple TV, the partnership between Netflix and Roku has given way to a compact box for streaming select movies and TV programs directly to your television. The $100 box serves up unlimited content from Netflix's "Watch Instantly" section as part of the standard subscription price of its DVD by mail service. The 10,000 Watch Instantly "movies and TV episodes" include many documentaries and older films, but provide a wide range of options that were previously only viewable from a Windows PC, due to the use of Windows Media DRM that is incompatible with Macs.
Roku's box is simple to setup and use, and essentially stands in as a substitute for having to hook up a Windows laptop to view the Watch Instantly titles. Here's an unpacking and setup tour of the new device, which we'll review in greater depth and compare to Apple TV in a future article.
Inside the simple blue box is the unit itself, about the size of short stack of CDs, along with a remote control and a brief getting started guide.
Also included in the box is a small external power supply and stereo audio and composite video cable (below).
The unit itself includes output jacks (below) for composite, S-Video, and component video, along with an HDMI port for both video and audio output. It also supplies optical audio and stereo audio outputs. In addition to the wired Ethernet port, it also supports 802.11 b/g wireless networking, but not the faster 802.11n used in Apple TV.
The Roku box is smaller and lighter but taller than the Apple TV (below top) and supplies roughly the same outputs (below bottom), although it lacks USB (which Apple TV currently does not use), and provides a composite video output that the Apple TV does not support.
Setup and configuration
Configuring the Roku Netflix box is simple and straightforward: once plugged in, it boots up and presents an easy to follow series of pages that connect the device to an existing wired or wireless network. It then talks to the Netflix server to download a software update and finally presents a code that needs to be entered into a computer logged into the Netflix website. Once completed, the activation allows the user to select programs from the Watch Instantly section of the Netflix website on a Mac or PC. The selected programs are then made available from the box. It is not currently possible to browse for other content directly from the box; everything needs to be queued up from a web enabled computer first.
The device seems to work well as an appliance for watching streamed content for Netflix subscribers. The video quality is close to what you'd expect from digital cable and seemed to play smoothly over our fast cable Internet connection, which is rated at 16 megabit. Over slower connection rates, the system dials down video quality automatically. Because there's no hard drive storage in the system, all programs are streamed when played, so the device needs a constant connection and takes a few moments to begin playing. It also takes some time to skip ahead in the program being watched.
The device challenges Apple's iTunes strategy of selling video programs à la carte, as the cost of all content viewable from the Roku device is included in a Netflix membership. At the same time, the box doesn't currently support online shopping, direct purchases, HD rentals, PC audio streaming, photo and home movie access, podcasts, YouTube, and the other features of Apple TV. The significant differences and minimal overlap between the two may make both devices attractive to users who want a variety of options. We will present a more in depth comparison of the Roku Netflix box to Apple TV in a followup article.
Christine McKee
Sponsored Content
Wesley Hilliard
AppleInsider Staff
Andrew Orr
Amber Neely
William Gallagher
135 Comments
Its hardly a rival to the Apple TV. All it does is stream media from Netflix, which you need to subscribe to and at this time its only SD content.
The Apple TV lets you store your music and video content on the device itself, you can stream your own content to it or use it standalone for the iTunes store.
The Netflix box is cheaper but all it does is stream media not store anything so of course its cheaper.
A pretty stupid comparison to be honest.
Hopefully Apple will consider lowering the price of AppleTV now that it is a constant stream of income instead a just a hardware.
Its hardly a rival to the Apple TV. All it does is stream media from Netflix, which you need to subscribe to and at this time its only SD content.
The Apple TV lets you store your music and video content on the device itself, you can stream your own content to it or use it standalone for the iTunes store.
The Netflix box is cheaper but all it does is stream media not store anything so of course its cheaper.
A pretty stupid comparison to be honest.
It's a rival if the public think it's a rival. Since the AppleTV started offering movie rentals people were comparing it to Netflix.
"Why would I pay $5 for an HD movie on the AppleTV when I can get it for free from Netflix with much higher quality, extras, etc.?"
With Roku the comparison comes more into full swing as Netflix is now offering free video?and I believe considerably more titles, including TV Shows?to those with a Netflix account. On top of that, the device costs less and connects to more TVs. Of course, it doesn't have nearly the usefulness of the AppleTV but if you only want to watch movies and you already have a Netflix account then Roku is probably the only choice for you.
The Netflix box is better because it works on non HDTV's. You also don't need to pay for every single movie or show you rent if you all ready have Netflix. I haven't been to a video store in years and I love Apple but I refuse to pay for every single movie rent when i could watch non stop movies through the Netflix box.
Never going to survive without a hard drive to cache the content. When the connection craps out and you have to start the movie over again there will be some pissed off people.