Front of the Roku Box. Image courtesy of Roku.

Roku, a small niche company, has been steadily increasing the capabilities of its current family of products.  The Roku Digital Video Player was initially a little $100 box designed to allow Netflix streaming to a television.  This player has evolved into a family of three products with an entry level RokuSD (loses HD output) added and a step-up RokuXR (adds 802.11n) serving as bookend complements for the original which has been renamed the RokuHD.  Content has likewise expanded with support for Amazon Video on Demand content and a recently added Roku Channel Store to provide expanded web content from several producers, including TWiT.tv, Pandora, Flickr and MediaFly.  The “Channel Store” may just provide a glimpse into the future of content delivery.  However, with the push toward network integrated TV’s and Blu-ray players, the Roku may struggle to survive long enough to realize its potential.

The Roku remote. Image courtesy of Roku.

The box itself is very small, yet has all the outputs you will need (including digital audio) to hook up to just about any TV or A/V system.  The face is very clean, showing only a white light and a name badge.  The Roku box connects to your home network via either a wired Ethernet port or built-in 802.11g (or 802.11n on the XR) Wi-Fi.  The remote is extremely simple with only nine buttons and operates over standard IR allowing it to be configured into a more advanced control system or universal remote.  Once you have the box connected to your system, it guides you through the network setup via an on-screen wizard.  The initial installation and set-up process is relatively simple and straightforward.

A/V ports available on the Roku HD. Image courtesy of Roku.

Once the basic installation is finished, you use your PC to create a Roku account online, which you then use to link your player by entering the code provided.  This allows you to enter the “Channel Store” to select the content you want access to on the Roku player.  Adding and removing channels is very simple; however most channels require their own accounts to be set up and activated at the provider’s web site.  This process can be annoying and cumbersome, though not difficult.  You are now ready to enjoy the mélange of content offerings.

The Channel Store currently provides access to a nice variety of content, all of which is available a la carte.  Netflix, Amazon on Demand, and Pandora are definitely the main attractions here, providing a real justification to send internet content to an A/V system.  They also have the best video and audio quality, as expected.  Flickr and Facebook Photos are almost too cumbersome to use with the existing graphic user interface, especially if browsing larger collections.

Image courtesy of Roku.

Some other providers currently available are content aggregators Mediafly and Blip.TV, tech-oriented providers Revision3 and TWiT, and the YouTube-analogous Motionbox.  Most of the content from these providers is short-form video of varying quality and better-suited to small-screen PC viewing; however, there are some highly entertaining tidbits to discover if you are willing to explore.  While Hulu would be a superb (and logical) addition to this line-up, don’t hold your breath.  Hulu is not currently available on any set-top or Blu-ray player and likely won’t be in the near future as their content partners inexorably want to stay PC only.

The current absence of some major providers and the sometimes cumbersome interface are relatively minor complaints.  The biggest obstacle the Roku currently faces is the dearth of equipment available that offers similar streaming capabilities.  Many TV’s and Blu-ray players now stream Netflix, as do most game consoles.  Pandora radio is expanding its hardware partnerships as well.  If you already possess one of these types of streaming devices, or plan to purchase one, the Roku may not be for you.

Image courtesy of Roku.

Still, the Roku has several advantages to many of these other devices.  The Roku does not require any additional fees beyond those of the content providers, while game consoles usually require subscription to their service before you can use any others they offer.  The Roku is easy to set up, has built-in Wi-Fi, has continually expanding content offerings, and automatically updates itself.   It also makes a fantastic companion to a higher-end Blu-ray disc player, most of which do not offer built-in content streaming.  Even given the wealth of benefits this player offers, the most compelling argument of its worth lies in the potential that it presents for future content delivery.

What the Roku player does, it does well.  Streaming video quality is very good.  It helps bridge the gap between the myriad content options on the web and the quality (and screen size) found in the A/V system.  Given the flexible and growing capabilities of the Roku box, combined with its very low price, this little box is easy to recommend.

Jeremy Siemon : Jeremy Siemon is head of system design and programming at Digital Homescapes, a custom audio/video and home automation company in Indiana. He is a true audiophile and video connoisseur. When he is not building systems for people's homes you can normally find him sipping a glass of bourbon and brainstorming ways of ridding the world of sub-par audio/video technologies. Jeremy can be reached via email at jsiemon@digitalhomescapes.com.