The Amazing Roku Box

[Rich Engle]

I have, as many do, a love-hate relationship with television. I want it, and sometimes actually need it, but I don't have the time to let myself get too involved, which is addictive--you find yourself watching things which, while edifying, really aren't what you should be doing. And you have to watch a bunch of crap to get there. Even if you have a DVR box, you are now a slave to the FF button. The cable companies are savage rapists, and the satellite companies are really not much better.

Mostly, I am interested in film, but of course look at many other things.

Here in Florida, Comcast runs the game. They are the largest cable outfit, with the worst customer satisfaction. Still, looking around, we ended up bundling our phone, Internet, and TV with these hyper-priced bastards. It finally started coming to a head; service issues, weak programming, and sneaky cost increases. We developed the savage hate, and it was draining us dry cost-wise. During this time, we had set up a simple Netflix account, which we liked--watch a DVD, send it back, bingo, next one in the queue. They sent us a little ad about a company called Roku, and I began to look into it. Finally, Comcast did something or another to us and we ditched the cable. I decided to go for the Roku concept, and have never looked back.

Roku is a web-based company. The tiny little box (of which you can use up to 6 of per household) starts at 59.95--a one-time purchase. All you need is an Internet connection, a wireless router, and a TV to go with it. Very, very easy to set up. I had a bit more trouble with my set up, in that I was using a newer wireless modem (Westell 7500), but they stepped me right through it.

All I can tell you is that the variety is phenomenal. You really don't have to have a Netflix account, but that is nice, and cheap. Most of the channels are free, and the subscription ones average 1.99/month. There are things in there you just can't find on regular TV--very wide and deep. It is fast, reliable, and you can sport around the channels on your computer as well. You can even integrate your Facebook pictures into it, if you are into that kind of thing.

It has been a wonderful experience, and it cut our cost down greatly. I highly recommend this product!

rde

[Selene]

Rich:

Interesting. I have learned to check out your recommendations and this looks quite nice, especially for myself, since I have virtually ended any relationship with television except for sports.

Roku, Inc., is a privately held company located in Saratoga, Calif., and founded in 2002 by Anthony Wood, the inventor of the digital video recorder (DVR). The market leader in streaming entertainment devices for the TV with over 1 million units sold, Roku has always believed that anything you want to watch, listen to, and enjoy should simply be there on your TV, whenever you want it. Roku streaming players are renowned for their simplicity, variety of entertainment choices, and exceptional value.

Roku Home Page

Wiki Roku

Roku partners with Angry Birds for game players

Thanks.

Adam