# ROKU new and old users?



## scredsfan (Feb 10, 2006)

I just jumped on the Netflix wagon train, and now I'm seriously considering buying a roku device. Specifically, I'm looking at the XD|S model with optical audio output. Are there any new or experienced ROKU users out there who love it? hate it? wish it were better?


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## sum_random_dork (Aug 21, 2008)

I own a Roku and overall for the cost I am very impressed. It's simple to operate and you can watch Netflix as you said. But you can also watch Al Jezera English, MLB (if you have the mlb online package), listen to Pandora radio, Hulu Plus, etc. It's pretty simple to set up and operate. I was quickly able to explain the operation to my family. I have used the ease of use with Netflifx much better than XBox.


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## davring (Jan 13, 2007)

I have the Roku HD, works well, easy to set up and use. To watch HD content, from Netflix, you need at least 5.0 high speed connection. I have noticed, in the past few weeks that the Netflix srvers can get busy and the PQ can drop from HD back to SD. Seems to only do it during peak hours. I have checked my line speed when this happens and my end has been good each time this drop off occurs.


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## Reaper (Jul 31, 2008)

We've had the original Roku (equivelant to the current Roku HD) for over two years. We love it. It's a great little device that delivers a LOT of bang for the buck.

Our favorite channels:

Netflix
MLB.tv
Crunchyroll (for Anime)
Flixter (for movie trailers)
TuneIn Radio


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## photostudent (Nov 8, 2007)

I have two XDS boxes and love them. Far better Netflix interface than our bluray player, hundreds of other channels, thousands of shows, Youtube in HD. Lots of deals on rentals from Amazon also. We have friends in Japan and have been able to watch live streams from NHK (English) since the earthquake. It is not a replacement for satellite or cable but a great addition.


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## Getteau (Dec 20, 2007)

I picked up an HD box about 3 months ago and love it. Like others have said, they are super easy to use. The only issue I had was a bad firmware Roku released in November (I think it was November). Basically, the thing rebooted at least once every time I tried to watch anything from NetFlix. Roku fixed the issue with a firmware update and I haven't had a reboot since then.


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## Nick (Apr 23, 2002)

scredsfan said:


> I just jumped on the Netflix wagon train, and now I'm seriously considering buying a roku device. Specifically, I'm looking at the XD|S model with optical audio output. Are there any new or experienced ROKU users out there who love it? hate it? wish it were better?


Had my Roku XDS for a couple months now...works like a charm.
It's a no-brainer...just do it. :icon_bb:


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## A_Bear (Jun 16, 2011)

I am also looking at getting a Roku box, any model that is not recommended?


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## BodyshotsByDan (May 28, 2011)

New Roku 2s kinda suck because they don't have as much connectivity as the old boxes. Sure, on the expensive ones you can play Angry Birds, but you can play that pretty much anywhere so who needs to spend $150 for it.

If you have spare HDMI ports, or you are gonna plug it into Component connections, then the new Roku2 cheap one is fine. If you need Composite or S-Video, try finding an old box, they still work fine  My mother has been using the one I bought her for X-mas a few years ago on an almost daily basis.


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## spartanstew (Nov 16, 2005)

I bought a Panny DMP-BDT110 instead.

Netflix, Pandora, Hulu, Amazon, Skype and is an excellent Blu Ray player (including 3D and 2D to 3D conversion, if you like). All for less than $100.


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## JACKIEGAGA (Dec 11, 2006)

I love my ROKU never had any problems and easy to use


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## mdavej (Jan 31, 2007)

spartanstew said:


> I bought a Panny DMP-BDT110 instead.
> 
> Netflix, Pandora, Hulu, Amazon, Skype and is an excellent Blu Ray player (including 3D and 2D to 3D conversion, if you like). All for less than $100.


+1
And if you sell the included (via mail) Avatar 3D disc on Amazon for $100, the player is free! Mine sold on ebay a few months back within a couple of hours for $120.

It doesn't have as many streaming options as Roku, but has the major ones as spartanstew said. One minor correction though, the Panny has Vudu, not Hulu. They keep promising Hulu, but it hasn't happened yet.


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## spartanstew (Nov 16, 2005)

mdavej said:


> One minor correction though, the Panny has Vudu, not Hulu. They keep promising Hulu, but it hasn't happened yet.


Oops, yes, my bad.


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## Rich (Feb 22, 2007)

davring said:


> I have the Roku HD, works well, easy to set up and use. To watch HD content, from Netflix, you need at least 5.0 high speed connection. I have noticed, in the past few weeks that the Netflix srvers can get busy and the PQ can drop from HD back to SD. Seems to only do it during peak hours. I have checked my line speed when this happens and my end has been good each time this drop off occurs.


By "HD", do you mean the 720p content or did they finally get 1080p? Haven't used my last one in a while.

Rich


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## Rich (Feb 22, 2007)

I had three Rokus, sold two of them as soon as I found out that the Samsung BD player, model 5500 upscales NetFlix content much better than any other device I've used. I've tried the Rokus, Apple TVs, Sony BD players, the Panny BD65 and the 110 and, while I have found a lot to dislike about the 5500s the PQ is simply better than any others I've tried. And in the end, isn't that what really counts?

Try putting an old 4:3 TV program such as _Cheers_ or the first seasons of _L&O:SUV_ on any of the devices I've listed above and you'll see a washed out, fuzzy picture. On the Sammy 5500s, you see an upscaled picture (still 4:3) with vibrant colors. Puts out great upscaling when using standard DVDs too.

I'd never buy another Roku.

The 5500s cost $93 today on Amazon. Just give it a try, you can always return it.

Rich


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## Hutchinshouse (Sep 28, 2006)

I’m an Apple TV2 guy. However, those new Roku2 players sure look nice.


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## sigma1914 (Sep 5, 2006)

rich584 said:


> I had three Rokus, sold two of them as soon as I found out that the Samsung BD player, model 5500 upscales NetFlix content much better than any other device I've used. I've tried the Rokus, Apple TVs, Sony BD players, the Panny BD65 and the 110 and, while I have found a lot to dislike about the 5500s the PQ is simply better than any others I've tried. And in the end, isn't that what really counts?
> 
> Try putting an old 4:3 TV program such as _Cheers_ or the first seasons of _L&O:SUV_ on any of the devices I've listed above and you'll see a washed out, fuzzy picture. On the Sammy 5500s, you see an upscaled picture (still 4:3) with vibrant colors. Puts out great upscaling when using standard DVDs too.
> 
> ...


I want to try one just because you seem to hype it up so much.


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## MysteryMan (May 17, 2010)

Nick said:


> Had my Roku XDS for a couple months now...works like a charm.
> It's a no-brainer...just do it. :icon_bb:


+1


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## Hutchinshouse (Sep 28, 2006)

sigma1914 said:


> I want to try one just because you seem to hype it up so much.


Doesn't your Oppo BDP-93 support Netflix? I'd guess that would have the best Netflix A/V quality out of any player on the market.


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## sigma1914 (Sep 5, 2006)

Hutchinshouse said:


> Doesn't your Oppo BDP-93 support Netflix? I'd guess that would have the best Netflix A/V quality out of any player on the market.


Netflix isn't providing them the same stream as they do for other brands. Apparently, the PS3 has the best A/V for current Netflix streaming. This is the one "drawback" of the Oppo. It's not bad by any means, in fact, it's very good. Vudu is freaking beautiful on it. I used a free credit for Limitless and was amazed.


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## Rich (Feb 22, 2007)

sigma1914 said:


> I want to try one just because you seem to hype it up so much.


I really don't like Sammy products, so you can be sure that I'm not making this up. There's still a lot to dislike about the 5500s. The remote is almost impossible to use by feel in a dark room, the counters on the front of the displays just stop sometimes. Don't know why, but it keeps happening. I can't get sound sometimes if I switch from playing a disc to NetFlix streaming content. Have to shut them down and start all over. Sounds like a piece of junk, doesn't it? But the PQ is well worth all those problems. Best I've ever had.

Rich


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## Hutchinshouse (Sep 28, 2006)

sigma1914 said:


> Netflix isn't providing them the same stream as they do for other brands. Apparently, the PS3 has the best A/V for current Netflix streaming. This is the one "drawback" of the Oppo. It's not bad by any means, in fact, it's very good. Vudu is freaking beautiful on it. I used a free credit for Limitless and was amazed.


Wow, I din't know Netflix had multiple streams. The Netflix quality on my Apple TV2 is pretty darn good. To me it looked a tad better than my Roku HD. PS3 quality must be phenomenal. :new_Eyecr


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## Richierich (Jan 10, 2008)

davring said:


> I have the Roku HD, works well, easy to set up and use. To watch HD content, from Netflix, you need at least 5.0 high speed connection. I have noticed, in the past few weeks that the Netflix srvers can get busy and the PQ can drop from HD back to SD. Seems to only do it during peak hours. I have checked my line speed when this happens and my end has been good each time this drop off occurs.


That is why I get DVDs in the Mail from Netflix so as to Not Be Compromised when it comes to Quality Audio & Video!!! 

I have ROKU but never seem to have the time to use it or I don't even think about it but then again I have 13,000 Gigabytes of Storage Capacity on my 7 DVRs so that may explain it.


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## spartanstew (Nov 16, 2005)

richierich said:


> That is why I get DVDs in the Mail from Netflix so as to Not Be Compromised when it comes to Quality Audio & Video!!!


If you don't want to be compromised, you should try Blu Ray.


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## Richierich (Jan 10, 2008)

spartanstew said:


> If you don't want to be compromised, you should try Blu Ray.


That's what I get from Netflix Bluray DVDs!!! 

I have the LG Bluray DVD Player with a 250 Gig Hard Drive (Model BD950) and it has Netflix, Vudu, Pandora, Hulu, Cinema Now, etc.


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## Rich (Feb 22, 2007)

Hutchinshouse said:


> Wow, I din't know Netflix had multiple streams. The Netflix quality on my Apple TV2 is pretty darn good. To me it looked a tad better than my Roku HD. PS3 quality must be phenomenal. :new_Eyecr


They are both 720p. Your OPPO should upscale that to 1080/60p. You should get a better PQ on the OPPO than you do on a Roku or Apple box. I do. By far.

Rich


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## jameskelly (Feb 16, 2008)

I have it about eight months now, and it is pretty nice. No issues at all. I have the XD version. There are a lot a channels to choose from. Some are junk though. The biggest ones are Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, and Crackle. Rotten Tomatoes is a movie trailer preview channel of what is coming soon. It's pretty nice. Also NASA is in HD. Enjoy.


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## Chris Blount (Jun 22, 2001)

I have a ROKU XDS, Apple TV, Panny Blu-Ray player and Sony Bravia with built in "channels".

The ROKU is pretty much the best for versatility and access. Lots to choose from. 

I must admit though, I am starting to use the Sony Bravia streaming capabilities (Netflix, Amazon VOD, etc) more and more. Because there are no cables and external boxes involved, the PQ wins hand down.

The Apple TV is good for ease of use but there are not as many channels to choose from.

The Panny Blu-Ray player is great but navigation is a bit cumbersome.

If I had a choice between all of them, I would still choose the ROKU. It's just an all around good box for streaming stuff.


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## Hutchinshouse (Sep 28, 2006)

rich584 said:


> They are both 720p. Your OPPO should upscale that to 1080/60p. You should get a better PQ on the OPPO than you do on a Roku or Apple box. I do. By far.
> 
> Rich


I'm currently old school. I have the Oppo BDP-83.

Soon I will have the BDP-93. I'll buy the 93 around the time I upgrade my TV.

Currently I'm feeding the Apple TV2 through my Faroudja HD video scaler. Picture quality is pretty darn good too.


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## mdavej (Jan 31, 2007)

rich584 said:


> They are both 720p. Your OPPO should upscale that to 1080/60p. You should get a better PQ on the OPPO than you do on a Roku or Apple box. I do. By far.
> 
> Rich


The new Roku 2 XS and XD stream Netflix at 1080p like the PS3. So the Roku 2 beats Oppo for Netflix PQ.


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## satcrazy (Mar 16, 2011)

Rich said:


> I really don't like Sammy products, so you can be sure that I'm not making this up. There's still a lot to dislike about the 5500s. The remote is almost impossible to use by feel in a dark room, the counters on the front of the displays just stop sometimes. Don't know why, but it keeps happening. I can't get sound sometimes if I switch from playing a disc to NetFlix streaming content. Have to shut them down and start all over. Sounds like a piece of junk, doesn't it? But the PQ is well worth all those problems. Best I've ever had.
> 
> Rich


Looks interesting. just 2 questions. Does it have a " front" usb port, and can I play AVI' movie files on this model? I currently have a sam that does, but I was looking for a BD that upscales regular DVD's. If it can't play the avi's it is a dealbreaker for me. Yes, alot of sams have alot of quircky issues, but the PQ is very good.

thanks in advance


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## Rich (Feb 22, 2007)

satcrazy said:


> Looks interesting. just 2 questions. Does it have a " front" usb port, and can I play AVI' movie files on this model? I currently have a sam that does, but I was looking for a BD that upscales regular DVD's. If it can't play the avi's it is a dealbreaker for me. Yes, alot of sams have alot of quircky issues, but the PQ is very good.
> 
> thanks in advance


Aw, now I gotta get up and look, wait one...yup, it does have a USB port in the front panel. I opened the flap to look at it and the Sammy turned itself, my TV and my AV system on... :lol:

About the AVI movie files. I have no idea what they are, but here's a 
*link *to the 5500 I have, perhaps you can figure that out or call them and ask them. There is also a BD-D5500 out now that does 3D.

I can't say enough about how well the C5500 I have upscales standard DVDs and NetFlix content. I would think the D5500 does as well.

Rich


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## satcrazy (Mar 16, 2011)

Rich said:


> Aw, now I gotta get up and look, wait one...yup, it does have a USB port in the front panel. I opened the flap to look at it and the Sammy turned itself, my TV and my AV system on... :lol:
> 
> About the AVI movie files. I have no idea what they are, but here's a
> *link *to the 5500 I have, perhaps you can figure that out or call them and ask them. There is also a BD-D5500 out now that does 3D.
> ...


AVI is a type of file you can load on a usb stick and play it back. This is how I watch video's from Graboid. My current samy has a front usb and plays these files back like a dream.

Thanks for checking, seriously, did opening up the front panel fire it up?

I guess I will have to call or do a google search, as it lists many, but I need to be sure..............[ about the AVI"S]


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## Rich (Feb 22, 2007)

satcrazy said:


> AVI is a type of file you can load on a usb stick and play it back. This is how I watch video's from Graboid. My current samy has a front usb and plays these files back like a dream.


So much I don't know...Thanx for explaining.



> Thanks for checking, seriously, did opening up the front panel fire it up?


Seriously, it sure did. Just one of the many odd things I've seen it do. And when the BD player comes on, the TV comes on and the AV system comes on. I've learned to live with this thing because it does it's basic job so well.



> I guess I will have to call or do a google search, as it lists many, but I need to be sure..............[ about the AVI"S]


You could try calling them up, that should be a confidence builder....:lol:

Rich


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## satcrazy (Mar 16, 2011)

Rich said:


> So much I don't know...Thanx for explaining.
> 
> Seriously, it sure did. Just one of the many odd things I've seen it do. And when the BD player comes on, the TV comes on and the AV system comes on. I've learned to live with this thing because it does it's basic job so well.
> 
> ...


According to a google search [ yeah, I heard about the CS at samsung, lol] It does support AVI's, so does the d5500.


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## Rich (Feb 22, 2007)

satcrazy said:


> According to a google search [ yeah, I heard about the CS at samsung, lol] It does support AVI's, so does the d5500.


That D5500 isn't getting the good reviews that the D5700 is getting. Don't know how much you can go by the reviews, but I have read a lot of them and some seemed like the reviewer knew what he was talking about. Wish I had a link to some of them. Amazon's reviews seem to liberally sprinkled with reviews by people who don't have a clue, so I usually take them with a grain of salt.

Rich


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## satcrazy (Mar 16, 2011)

Rich said:


> That D5500 isn't getting the good reviews that the D5700 is getting. Don't know how much you can go by the reviews, but I have read a lot of them and some seemed like the reviewer knew what he was talking about. Wish I had a link to some of them. Amazon's reviews seem to liberally sprinkled with reviews by people who don't have a clue, so I usually take them with a grain of salt.
> 
> Rich


OK, assuming they all play AVI's by front usb port, I would ask which one does the best upscaling of standard DVD's ? I don't stream as my dsl is too slow, so that's a non issue for me. I just don't want to have to replace all my regular dvds.


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## Rich (Feb 22, 2007)

satcrazy said:


> OK, assuming they all play AVI's by front usb port, I would ask which one does the best upscaling of standard DVD's ? I don't stream as my dsl is too slow, so that's a non issue for me. I just don't want to have to replace all my regular dvds.


Most of the reviews I've read raved about the upscaling on DVDs and NetFlix content. That was pretty much the same across the board on the Sammys. From the most expensive to the cheapest. I only have experience with the C5500s, but I need another one and I'm trying to decide between the D5500 and the D5700.

Apparently, they all use the same remote, so buying a newer model doesn't resolve those issues.

If I didn't have a NetFlix sub, I'd be happy with a Panasonic. They seem to upscale standard DVDs as well as the Sammys do, it's in the NetFlix content that you really see the upscaling difference. The remote on the Pannys is a bit of a PITA, too. Not nearly as bad as the Sammy remote, tho.

Rich


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## satcrazy (Mar 16, 2011)

Thanks rich.


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## fpembleton (Jun 19, 2005)

I have had the XDS for about a year. I am very satisfied. Anytime I have had a question that I am unable to find the answer, the support group is first class and very prompt in responding. Not sure about the .avi file compatiblity. Good question. I know of a software product you can install on a pc and it will play .avi wirelessly to the Roku.


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## Nick (Apr 23, 2002)

fpembleton said:


> ...I know of a software product you can install on a pc and it will play .avi wirelessly to the Roku.


It would be nice to know that information.


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