Roku Netflix Player Review
Netflix, best known for their DVD rentals by mail service also has a lesser known streaming service. In the past, if you wanted to watch these streaming titles, you had use your PC. Now with the Roku Netflix Player, watching these same titles on your TV is an easy process.
Simply plug in this paperback book sized device into your internet connection (wireless or regular ethernet). Then you can plug into the TV portion of things (HDMI, component, S-Video, composite and Toslink). This device will work on both HD and standard definition TVs. Setting up your Netflix account with this device is a simple process. The device will display an activation code that you then input while you're on the Netflix site.
After that, it will start to download your list of instant play titles. Navigating these titles is straightforward. Unfortunately you can only add titles via the Netflix website.
How's the video quality? Pretty good. Depending on the particular title you are watching, it can vary from near-DVD quality to VHS. I don't blame my connection for the quality woes. From the type of video defects I saw, it had more to do with how the source material was handled.
The selection of titles is lacking when compared to what Netflix offers from their DVD service. A lot of the titles I saw were lesser known independent and older films. The good news is that new titles are constantly finding their way into this collection. I had a chance to see the last couple of seasons of Heroes as well as the one of my favorite sci-fi films, Aliens.
When you think of this as a supplement to your regular Netflix queue, it's actually a great service that gives you some interesting programming on the side while you wait for your next batch of DVDs to arrive.
Overall, I highly recommend this service. The Roku Netflix Player almost seamlessly moves the streaming experience to your TV. As long as you have a reliable high-speed connection to the internet, you'll never be more than a few clicks away from a movie or TV show.
For audio/video freaks who care about things like 1080p or the quality of the Blu-ray transfers, this device might turn them off due to the rather limited video quality. But considering that it's streaming from internet, I ultimately found the quality to be very watchable and not distracting at all.
If you're a Mac user, this is even more reason to get one, since as of this writing, you can't watch Netflix streaming on your Mac. They are working on Mac support but I'm not certain on the exact release time. According to stuff I hear, it might arrive by the end of 2008.
Finally the selection is lacking, but if given some time, I think it will turn into something respectable. As of right now, you're able to watch mainstream movies like Superbad, Ratattouille, and No Country for Old Men. Right now this service is still in its growing stages. With iva debt help progress, I think we'll see something special in a few years.
Mike Okada contributes to www.hereviews.comHome Entertainment Reviews This site specializes in reviewing all things related to www.hereviews.comhome entertainment equipment
posted by biibj @ 1:23 AM
0 comments
