350 channels and counting: Features the top sources, like Netflix, Hulu Plus, HBO GO, and Amazon Instant Video
Free movies: Includes hundreds of full-length Hollywood movies and TV series from Crackle—all free and on demand
High-definition streaming: Up to 720p HD
Easy setup: Works with virtually any TV, includes built-in wireless, and sets up in minutes
The Best in Movies and TV
Roku puts over 150,000 titles at your fingertips, including:
- The biggest Netflix experience around, with support for HD video, Dolby Digital+ surround sound, and English subtitles.
- Hulu Plus, with an amazing selection of current TV shows from the biggest networks
- Amazon Instant Video, featuring the latest movie releases, virtually all the blockbusters of the past, hit TV series, and much more—all on demand
- Hundreds of free Hollywood movies from Crackle
- Access to premium services like HBO GO and EPIX, available via participating providers.
Even More Choices
With over 350 entertainment channels and counting, there’s something for virtually everyone, including:
- Unlimited music from Pandora, MOG, Rdio, and Live365
- Live sports packages including NBA League Pass, NHL GameCenter Live, MLS Matchday, UFC, and MLB.TV
- Photo and video sharing via Facebook, Flickr, and Picasa
- Top news sources like NBC, FoxNews.com, and CNN
- International and lifestyle programming, tech news, social networking, podcasts, cartoons, and more
Easy Setup
From the simple remote to the easy-to-use interface, Roku was designed to please everyone. All you need to get started is a high-speed Internet connection (and a TV, of course). The built-in wireless and guided setup mean you can be up and running in minutes.
Included with the Roku LT
- Remote control
- Two AAA batteries
- HDMI video output (for high-definition)
- Composite A/V combo output (for standard-definition; works with included A/V cable)
- Wireless (Wi-Fi b/g/n)
- A/V cable (red/white/yellow)
- Power adapter
- Get Started guide
- 90-day manufacturer warranty
- A TV
- High-speed Internet service with a speed of at least 1.2 Mbps (such as mid-level DSL). For HD video, 5 Mbps is recommended (if you’re not sure what your broadband speed is, go to www.speedtest.net and run the simple test)
- A wireless router
Review
By Steven R. Roth "AKA GeneralEclectic" (Bethlehem, PA USA)
For the most part, the initial reviews here are pretty much accurate, so I'm going to add just a few observations that may be useful to others. Basically, I like the little guy quite a lot and it delivers a lot of value for not a heck of a lot of money. Otherwise:
The remote: Unlike some assertions that it uses RF communication (no line of sight necessary), the remote that came with the unit I just set up is ordinary IR. This is a good thing if you plan to use it with most types of universal remotes.
Wireless: It's Wireless "N" at 2.4GHz. In my opinion, this is a pretty poor design decision due to the overwhelming crowding of the 2.4G band in many places. 5GHz "N" has been around long enough that the hardware to implement it is marginally, if at all, more costly than the lower frequency band. I suppose their excuse could be that "most people still use 2.4GHz" or "2.4GHz yields stronger signals in typical houses", but if you can't get ANY signal at all due to crowding, these end up sounding pretty lame.
The physical box: It's very small and light. It's SO light that most (stiff) HDMI cables will push it around to where THEY want to put it, which is not necessarily where YOU want to put it. So you may end up having to put a book or brick on it to hold it down. Or, search around for thin/limp HDMI cables. Such things do exist, but you have to look for them. Since this supports only 720p resolution, the fancy expensive HDMI cables are a waste of money. Well, actually, that's true even for 1080p resolution, but that's another story. Basically, cheap cables will work perfectly fine.
Account setup I: Here's one that was nearly a show-stopper for me. They REQUIRE you to provide a credit card number to activate the box!!! Man, I FREAKIN' HATE CRAP LIKE THAT! Sure, they claim that "we won't charge it unless... blah blah blah..." but I'm just waiting for the news item that goes something like "Roku site hacked and two million customer credit card numbers have been stolen....." followed by the usual "We're sorry" (Yeah, right. Thanks a lot, you idiots.) email, followed by the usual ritual of having to close the stolen CC account and giving the new acct number to all the payees that use it for monthly charges. At least you can block "accidental" charges by requiring that a 4-digit PIN be entered to authorize a CC charge. The bottom line here is that once having bought the device, there's NO defensible reason to require anyone to provide a live CC. This is sneaky, slimy, and abusive in my opinion and should be disclosed in Big Red Letters in the "features" section of the product description.
Account setup II: Maybe I'm just getting old and slow, but it took what I thought was a LOT of fiddely annoying steps (aside from the obnoxious demand for a CC number) to get the box working. Ideally, it ought to be doable from the TV alone, as it was for my LG TV that has this functionality built in. The LG took about 45 seconds to configure for Netflix. The Roku LT .... I'm not even sure. The setup process took a LONG time and many trips back and forth from TV to PC. Had I known that this was as clumsy as it is, I'd have brought a laptop along with me to the TV.
With all that considered, this is still a pretty good deal when you look at the huge amount of content that you can access.
This player is the most reliable player money can buy!
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