The ROKU Player
Cornerstone of my strategy to dump cable is using the Roku player to stream premium content online. The Roku N1050 is a small (6" x 6") set-top box. This is an odd device; there's nowhere to jam a disk, no display... there isn't even an off button. (The latter needs to be rethought; I've had to power cycle this thing once or twice.) The Roku player streams online content from online service providers. That means that it downloads videos over the Internets.
Features and Benefits
Primarily, Roku is marketed as a way to see your Netflix instant queue videos on your TV set. This alone makes the Roku worth the $79.99 price; you can stream high quality DVD content at will over the internet. You won't get access to much recent content, but there's still plenty of good stuff out there.
For the more recent stuff, go to Amazon. You can buy season passes to popular TV episodes and new releases. My wife and I recently became fans (obsessed) with the Tudors. Seasons 1 and 2 were available on Netflix. Season 3 cost $22 on Amazon. Also, even though I can get House over-the-air on the local Fox channel, it's much better to view it at my convenience off Amazon On-Demand.
One of the benefits of the Roku player is that it conforms to our viewing habits. In all, there are very few shows that we derive real pleasure from. We've never seen the benefit of shelling out money for HBO, Showtime, Cinemax or Starz. Across the rest of cable, there are really only two shows worth watching: Mad Men and Caprica. Again: available via Amazon or Netflix.
Control Issues
It's important that I discuss the Roku's remote control. It's elegant - only 9 buttons, all neatly laid out. It's also somewhat exclusive. Newer smart-remotes such as the Harmony 510 (and higher) can operate most features, but the 'Home' button is apparently a Roku remote exclusive. So, the moral of the story is... don't lose that remote.
March 18th, 2010 - 11:29
To the writer of Lets Dump Cable… at what point are we able to actually select
the program we want to watch… and from where would we choose it? I have a
great d-link hooked into my cable broadband so my wife can be online on her laptop and me on my desktop and be in different places at the same time. How
will the Roku box choose? The reason I’m asking is that I purchased one that is about to be delivered on Monday. thanks. dean (dumass) vincent
March 18th, 2010 - 15:14
Once you get the device, you (a) plug it into the TV, (b) plug it into the wall and (c) follow the on-screen instructions. One tip: If you use WEP-PSK encryption for your wireless network, make sure your encryption method is AES instead of TKIP. The Roku – and most modern devices – don’t even bother supporting TKIP.
After you’re set up and connected, you choose to add services such as Amazon or Netflix from the “Channels”. When you add them, you will be prompted to visit a URL at the services website to register your Roku player using a code given on-screen. Once you register at the website, the Roku player will update automatically in a few seconds, and you can simply navigate your way to the content. One tricky thing with Amazon is that if you buy streaming content from Amazon on demand, this is accessible through the “Your Library” icon in the Amazon channel.
I think you’ll be surprised how easy it is to set up and operate. I’m now a huge fan of the Roku. If they just add a channel for YouTube/Google, it’ll be complete.