Overall, it does the job pretty well. In fact it plays netflix content better than on my Sony XBR9's built in netflix app. The Sony doesn't stretch 4:3 content to wide screen with SD streaming content, whereas the Roku box does. Also, the quality of the picture seems to be better. I originally was concerned that not having an off switch would cause the box to fail prematurely, but standby mode seems to work just fine and doesn't use a lot of power. Overall, the fact that Roku continues to provide firmware updates to improve the box and other users are creating private channels to boost content is a plus, but if your sole use is for Netflix streaming, you won't be disappointed by the picture quality or the new search feature. It's also just so user friendly even your grandparents could work it.
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As the title says , it worked well when it worked for me. I wanted to remove my xbox 360 from my bedroom and I decided on the roku instead of an Apple Tv as my netflix player replacement because of the various channels that the Roku can access. The setup was a liittle bumpy for me because of my Con. It was having trouble connecting to my router. After about 3 resets it finally connected and I was able to set up my account, etc. Then I decide onto netflix I go. No problem with activation with my netflix account, so I start watching a movie. 10 minutes into the movie I get my first buffer. I figure no big deal, it happens. the movie resumes for 10 minutes, then it loses the wireless connection. My sons are on teh network playignon Steam , so I figure maybe I'll just do a router and cable modem reboot. After that's done I go back to the Roku and have to log back in with the security settings. Go to netflix and back to my movie. After about 15 minutes more buffering, afterthe buffering a disconnect. Meanwhile I'm on my laptop connected wirelessly chatting with a friend this whole time. Long story short for 2 days it would maintain the connection to my wireless network, while all the other wireless devices in my network have no problems. I decided to sell it on craigslist and I'm going to use the procedes to put toward an Apple TV. As I said, worked great when it worked, just didn't work enough for me
I purchased the Roku HD and Apple TV at the same time to do a head-to-head comparison and was really disappointed in the Roku player, technology, execution and support. The Roku device fails on almost every level! Interface is awkward, clunky and primitive. Search features are very basic and almost useless. Additional channel content is sorely lacking. This cannot be the future of video streaming or video on demand.
Support was non existent, despite the website and phone numbers. Call center is in India and emails to Roku go unanswered for months, literally.
This market is still evolving so hope springs eternal, but for now, Roku is a second class citizen in the game.
Here is why Apple TV is better and the device leader, for now:
1. interface and navigation between home and sub menus is smoother, more intuitive and smarter.
2. Search functions are better than Roku (especially when comparing Netflix channel).
3. The remote works better, easy to use.
4. The device has the ability to sleep (Roku suggests unplugging their device to turn it off).
I love everything about this product. despite the fact they could add a better channel lineup, they could always do that with a simple software upgrade at any time, so I think this player is definitely worth investing in. It has no hardware flaws whatsoever and I've had mine for years now. You can watch movies, leo's twit.tv broadcasts, on-demand amazon video, like I said, I got rid of my cable TV service for this little box and I haven't looked back since. In fact I got rid of Cable TV, subscribed for 2x faster internet, and still saving money over cable TV and internet combined.
I'm a one month owner and am totally satisfied.
Over-all this Roku is well worth the price.
I'd recommend it to anyone seeking an inexpensive means to boost their vidio/audio enjoyment.
I think its funny to read another user's complaint about it not being able to access local media files. The ROKU is not a media server and I don't expect it to function in an area that it was not designed to do.
It does what it is designed to do and does it well.
Make sure to go to the ROKU site and compare the various versions and pick the one that will work for you tomorrow and not just meet your needs today.
If all you do is watch streaming Netflix, the Roku players won't let you down. I owned mine a week before I returned it (found out they were releasing three new models...) and the interface is pretty easy to use, if not a bit sluggish when it is first loading up. It lost my wifi settings once or twice when I was first setting it up and wouldn't work at one point because of a service issue regarding the Roku channels. The remote is dead simple to use but I do with there was a power button available instead of just letting it go into a sleep/hibernate mode.
Overall, a very good player but for what my wife and I wanted to do, the Roku player didnt fit the bill. When we had it, we realized we wanted disc playback abilities, the option to surf the internet, facebook, youtube, etc and figured a HTPC would fit the bill much better on our HDTV.