 | Roku 2 XD Streaming Player 1080p Custom Rating:  Price: $79.99 *this item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping  |
See the new version of the original Netflix player, Roku 2. Smallest, fastest, and more powerful than ever, enjoy the easier way to stream HD video (up to 1080p) to your TV. Choose from Netflix, Hulu Plus, Amazon Instant Video, Crackle, Pandora, and much more for access to more than 300 channels of movies, TV shows, live sports, and music. Roku 2 includes built-in wireless, and works with virtually any TV.
A Large and Growing Entertainment Base
Roku 2 delivers more than movies and TV shows from the biggest names in instant entertainment. You also get access to over 299 channels and counting from the latest news to your favorite music to the craziest cat videos from around the world. Plus, new channels are added all the time, so you'll always find something new to watch, hear and enjoy.
Live Sports Channels
Any time you want it, Roku streams the action as soon as you say go with a large selection of live sports packages, including NHL, NBA, UFC, MLB and MLS.Streaming Music Stations With Roku 2, you can play any music, any time. Let unlimited music from Pandora or MOG take you in new directions or to the exact tune you are looking for. From Sirius XM to your iTunes library, Roku can stream whatever music genre you are searching for.
Access Casual Games With the enhanced remote the new Roku 2 XS offers a built-in accelerometer and gyro so you can play games with just a flick of your wrist. Every Roku 2 XS that ships includes a free full version of the Angry Birds game.
A Small Surface-Footprint Barely larger than a coaster, Roku 2 slips neatly alongside any TV or entertainment center, and uses less power than a nightlight. That's over 80 times less than your average game console.
A Simple, Easy, and Inexpensive Internet TV Alternative From its simple remote to its easy-to-use interface, Roku 2 was designed connect you to internet television options without the investment in an internet-ready TV. All you need to get started is a high-speed Internet connection, and a TV. The built-in wireless and guided setup mean you can be up and running in minutes.
Roku 2 XD Streaming Player 1080p Features
- 300+ channels with movies, TV shows, music, sports & more
- High-definition streaming up to 1080p HD
- Works with virtually any TV
- Built-in wireless (Wi-Fi b/g/n)
- Smaller and more energy-efficient than any other streaming device
Roku 2 XD Streaming Player 1080p Video Review
Roku 2 XD Streaming Player 1080p Customer Reviews
Streaming video from the Internet, July 26, 2011
You should purchase this product if you want to watch Netflix or Amazon streaming on your TV and you don't have another device to do so. I don't have Amazon streaming, so I can't comment on its quality, but both Netflix and Hulu Plus had Great quality. The news application is also kind of neat. I didn't play with it much, but I did watch NBC Nightly News. It also has CNN radio, stuff from CBS, Al Jazeera, on other networks. The other stuff available is mostly Great for curiosity's sake.
All the content available on this device, can be accessed over the Internet with a computer. Most of the main channels can be accessed via other devices, such as blu ray players and game consoles, as well. If you already have a computer or other device connected to your TV, this will add nothing new. You won't be able to watch YouTube (might be able to in the future), access the web, edit your MS Office documents, watch DVDs, etc. with this. As most video, outside of the paid services such as Netflix and Hulu Plus, is of lower resolution, the picture often doesn't translate well to the big screen. Also, if you are hard of hearing, as I am, only Netflix and Hulu Plus (maybe Amazon streaming?) really have anything to offer as those are the only applications that provide subtitles, and even then, a lot of their content isn't subtitled/captioned.
Overall, I prefer having a computer hooked up to my TV, as it provides much more power and flexibility. But if this option isn't available to you, or if you prefer something that's really small, then this is a solid alternative.
Edit: I've returned my Roku 2 XD as I got tired of it crashing every day. It wouldn't even reboot. I'd have to unplug it and plug it back in. I'm not sure if this was a hardware or software issue. Based on the other reviews, I'm going to have to guess software. It'll probably be fixed some day.
By
Sylvester Thompson (Chicago, IL)
This review is from: Roku 2 XD Streaming Player 1080p (Electronics)
All the content available on this device, can be accessed over the Internet with a computer. Most of the main channels can be accessed via other devices, such as blu ray players and game consoles, as well. If you already have a computer or other device connected to your TV, this will add nothing new. You won't be able to watch YouTube (might be able to in the future), access the web, edit your MS Office documents, watch DVDs, etc. with this. As most video, outside of the paid services such as Netflix and Hulu Plus, is of lower resolution, the picture often doesn't translate well to the big screen. Also, if you are hard of hearing, as I am, only Netflix and Hulu Plus (maybe Amazon streaming?) really have anything to offer as those are the only applications that provide subtitles, and even then, a lot of their content isn't subtitled/captioned.
Overall, I prefer having a computer hooked up to my TV, as it provides much more power and flexibility. But if this option isn't available to you, or if you prefer something that's really small, then this is a solid alternative.
Edit: I've returned my Roku 2 XD as I got tired of it crashing every day. It wouldn't even reboot. I'd have to unplug it and plug it back in. I'm not sure if this was a hardware or software issue. Based on the other reviews, I'm going to have to guess software. It'll probably be fixed some day.
By
M. Pepito
This review is from: Roku 2 XD Streaming Player 1080p (Electronics)
I got one of these not too long ago, and this little device can do a lot. Set up was a breeze, took me no longer then 5min, I didn't need to hook up into a computer or anything just plugged it in and used the remote. It's pretty cool that it had built in wireless so no added wires to my already messy home entertainment center. Since I already have a Netflix account I don't have to pay any additional fees or anything. Nice I can link my pandora account, view my facebook and flickr photos, as well as connect to many other online streaming sites. So far my overall rating on this Roku 2 is pretty Great. If anything changes I will for sure write again, but I highly doubt it.
By
Richard, Brit Abroad (San Jose, CA)
This review is from: Roku 2 XD Streaming Player 1080p (Electronics)
Once setup is complete, driving the user interface via a very straightforward IR remote is intuitive. IR is quite directional and you might want to position the Roku box where you most naturally point the remote. This should be easy because the Roku is remarkably small at just a couple of inches square. I think you could velcro the box to the side of a TV if that was convenient to you.
My inner geek is an energy miser! I did my initial testing using a Kill-A-Watt power meter and was delighted to find power consumption runs around 1 to 2 watts even when streaming (I'm compensating for a satellite TV DVR that sucks an outrageous 50-60 watts, 24/7). Great job!
There are dozens of stream feeds preprogrammed into the Roku, most of which appear to be free of charge. Streaming of the most recent NBC newscast looks to be useful. I plan to look around at the others when I get some time. My main intended use for this is to stream video from Netflix. That is working fine and is very similar to my Samsung blueray player and rather faster in operation.
I use an HDMI cable with both a 720p and a 1080p TV and image quality is fine; I didn't try the analog connections. When you order, just remember that no HDMI cable is included; Amazon's own-brand cables work fine and are very economical (there's that miser, again!)
Overall, this is a fine implementation of a streaming video player. Usage is tailored very much to normal people; geeks might want to get their thrills elsewhere!
