http://www.engadget.com/2004/10/04/the-engadget-interview-anthony-wood-founder-and-ceo-of-roku/ Engadget Comments for The Engadget Interview: Anthony Wood, founder and CEO of Roku http://www.engadget.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://www.engadget.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.engadget.com/2004/10/04/the-engadget-interview-anthony-wood-founder-and-ceo-of-roku/http://www.engadget.com/2004/10/04/the-engadget-interview-anthony-wood-founder-and-ceo-of-roku/Dec 19th 2005 12:05AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2004/10/04/the-engadget-interview-anthony-wood-founder-and-ceo-of-roku/http://www.engadget.com/2004/10/04/the-engadget-interview-anthony-wood-founder-and-ceo-of-roku/Dec 19th 2005 12:05AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2004/10/04/the-engadget-interview-anthony-wood-founder-and-ceo-of-roku/http://www.engadget.com/2004/10/04/the-engadget-interview-anthony-wood-founder-and-ceo-of-roku/ Even Apple doesn’t support streaming network devices.

Uh, Apple Airport Express?]]>Dec 19th 2005 12:05AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2004/10/04/the-engadget-interview-anthony-wood-founder-and-ceo-of-roku/http://www.engadget.com/2004/10/04/the-engadget-interview-anthony-wood-founder-and-ceo-of-roku/
That’s right.

That’s nuts.

I LOVE it. Brilliant question and brilliantly put. Great commentary on why NOT to buy your music from anyone that cripples it with DRM.]]>Dec 19th 2005 12:05AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2004/10/04/the-engadget-interview-anthony-wood-founder-and-ceo-of-roku/http://www.engadget.com/2004/10/04/the-engadget-interview-anthony-wood-founder-and-ceo-of-roku/
If the Roku doesn't support this, does anyone know of another product that does?]]>Dec 19th 2005 12:05AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2004/10/04/the-engadget-interview-anthony-wood-founder-and-ceo-of-roku/http://www.engadget.com/2004/10/04/the-engadget-interview-anthony-wood-founder-and-ceo-of-roku/]]>Dec 19th 2005 12:05AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2004/10/04/the-engadget-interview-anthony-wood-founder-and-ceo-of-roku/http://www.engadget.com/2004/10/04/the-engadget-interview-anthony-wood-founder-and-ceo-of-roku/Dec 19th 2005 12:05AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2004/10/04/the-engadget-interview-anthony-wood-founder-and-ceo-of-roku/http://www.engadget.com/2004/10/04/the-engadget-interview-anthony-wood-founder-and-ceo-of-roku/
For the time being, just have to assume they are not good, because MP3 128 or 192 is the market.
]]>Dec 19th 2005 12:05AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2004/10/04/the-engadget-interview-anthony-wood-founder-and-ceo-of-roku/http://www.engadget.com/2004/10/04/the-engadget-interview-anthony-wood-founder-and-ceo-of-roku/
I can't speak for the Roku, but the Squeezebox has both coax and optical outs. The Airport Express has an optical out, which is good because how good can a DAC be when it's shoved right next to a power adaptor and an 802.11g transceiver?
]]>Dec 19th 2005 12:05AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2004/10/04/the-engadget-interview-anthony-wood-founder-and-ceo-of-roku/http://www.engadget.com/2004/10/04/the-engadget-interview-anthony-wood-founder-and-ceo-of-roku/]]>Dec 19th 2005 12:05AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2004/10/04/the-engadget-interview-anthony-wood-founder-and-ceo-of-roku/http://www.engadget.com/2004/10/04/the-engadget-interview-anthony-wood-founder-and-ceo-of-roku/
I agree the HDTV virtual aquarium market is bound to be very small, but don't dismiss the "wow factor" of displaying digital photos on a 42" flat panel. The higher contrast ratio of a display compared to prints on paper, which rarely exceed 100:1, makes this kind of device the logical successor to the slide projector. Unfortunately, plasma displays have a relatively short MTBF, and running them all day will seriously shorten their lifespan.]]>Dec 19th 2005 12:05AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2004/10/04/the-engadget-interview-anthony-wood-founder-and-ceo-of-roku/http://www.engadget.com/2004/10/04/the-engadget-interview-anthony-wood-founder-and-ceo-of-roku/ all G5 Macs (including the new G5 iMac) have a
> Toslink digital optical output you can plug
> directly into an audiophile DAC or a home
> theater AV receiver, and that solution offers
> better sound quality due to the absence of
> network delay or jitter.

That's not so. Network delay does not affect sound quality at all (unless of course the stream rate falls to a speed less than that at which the stream buffer empties). Specifically, network delay does *not* cause jitter.

Using an optical (or coaxial) link does not prevent jitter either. Jitter is caused by timing problems on the digital stream, and an optical link will not automagically clean up a jittery signal, e.g. from a source with an unstable clock.]]>Dec 19th 2005 12:05AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2004/10/04/the-engadget-interview-anthony-wood-founder-and-ceo-of-roku/http://www.engadget.com/2004/10/04/the-engadget-interview-anthony-wood-founder-and-ceo-of-roku/
1) Slimserver (www.slimp3.com). This open source software is mainly made for the Roku's main competitor the Squeezebox (a product the interviewee seems to have conveniently forgotten!). The guys who support this software are highly unlikely to support it for a competing device.

Which really leaves,
2) iTunes. If Slimserver is not an option for most (as it must be without any support) the Roku depends upon iTunes to work. Apple's interest is in selling it's own products, including iPod, Airport Express, DRM'ed music in it's own propriety formats, etc. It's interest in selling and supporting the Roku cannot be high.

I'd think very carefully before I bought one of these devices. You may end up only being able to play Apple DRM'ed music in their own proprietry formats (or possibly not even DRM'ed music if Apple do not change their current stance)... or Apple may even drop support of the Roku altogether in later versions of iTunes!]]>Dec 19th 2005 12:05AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2004/10/04/the-engadget-interview-anthony-wood-founder-and-ceo-of-roku/http://www.engadget.com/2004/10/04/the-engadget-interview-anthony-wood-founder-and-ceo-of-roku/Dec 19th 2005 12:05AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2004/10/04/the-engadget-interview-anthony-wood-founder-and-ceo-of-roku/http://www.engadget.com/2004/10/04/the-engadget-interview-anthony-wood-founder-and-ceo-of-roku/
http://lists.slimdevices.com/archives/discuss/2004-September/thread.html

...and search for 'linkstation'. If you don't wish to add a larger hard drive, this is quite a simple hack. This would be a good host for a small to midsize slimserver + squeezebox network music setup (memory limits on the Linkstation might not play well with huge music libraries).

I also expect it would work best with music in the format that's going to be played (ie, 320kbps MP3), as transcoding to different formats on the fly might tax the weak CPU and result in playback glitches.]]>Dec 19th 2005 12:05AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2004/10/04/the-engadget-interview-anthony-wood-founder-and-ceo-of-roku/http://www.engadget.com/2004/10/04/the-engadget-interview-anthony-wood-founder-and-ceo-of-roku/Dec 19th 2005 12:05AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2004/10/04/the-engadget-interview-anthony-wood-founder-and-ceo-of-roku/http://www.engadget.com/2004/10/04/the-engadget-interview-anthony-wood-founder-and-ceo-of-roku/
You guys shouldn't talk shit until you actually buy one.

You will have a lot more shit to talk about then.

This thing will not even boot up with an 802.11 usb instlled. You have to take it out let it boot, then install it. Real fun when it's stuffed in cabnit.

No anwers from ROKU for 2 years!

This company is a joke!
]]>Dec 19th 2005 12:05AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2004/10/04/the-engadget-interview-anthony-wood-founder-and-ceo-of-roku/http://www.engadget.com/2004/10/04/the-engadget-interview-anthony-wood-founder-and-ceo-of-roku/Dec 19th 2005 12:05AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2004/10/04/the-engadget-interview-anthony-wood-founder-and-ceo-of-roku/http://www.engadget.com/2004/10/04/the-engadget-interview-anthony-wood-founder-and-ceo-of-roku/Dec 19th 2005 12:05AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2004/10/04/the-engadget-interview-anthony-wood-founder-and-ceo-of-roku/http://www.engadget.com/2004/10/04/the-engadget-interview-anthony-wood-founder-and-ceo-of-roku/Is by far one of the worst companies in existance. They have one of the buggiest products I have ever used or tested. The kicker is that they refuse to fix even the smallest of bugs. When customers complained to them about it on their website... they called their own customers "Whiners". Appalling! An awful company a bad product.]]>Dec 19th 2005 12:05AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2004/10/04/the-engadget-interview-anthony-wood-founder-and-ceo-of-roku/http://www.engadget.com/2004/10/04/the-engadget-interview-anthony-wood-founder-and-ceo-of-roku/
First, regarding music server software, sounds like the people posting here earlier this year have not kept up with our software updates. SoundBridge supports the widest range of music servers of any networked music player, including: iTunes, Windows Media Connect, Musicmatch, Rhapsody. Yes, we also work with Slimserver, but this is used by a small minority of our users, most people prefer the convenience and user experience of linking to iTunes or Windows Media Connect.

Regarding music formats we support, including DRM formats, we support AAC, WMA, WMA DRM, WAV, AIF, and of course MP3. We are an authorized Microsoft "PlaysForSure" device, which means we play back files encrypted with MS DRM10 such as those bought on Napster, Musicmatch, Walmart.com, and others. Unfortunately Apple does not allow of streaming of their "DRM AAC" files purchased on the iTunes music store to third party devices, so it's true SoundBridge can't support playback of those files directly.

It's simply not true that we don't fix bugs or release new software for our products; we have released major software updates for SoundBridge every few months since the product started shipping this summer.

Regarding HD1000 and our plans to support that product, we will release a major software update in late Dec 04/early Jan 05.

For folks wondering whether the comments posted in this thread reflect the majority of our users, I invite you to visit our own user forum (or others elsewhere on the web) and read other user's comments for yourself - you'll find the vast majority are satisfied with their product, and are recommending it to friends. Our forum is at
http://www.rokulabs.com/forums/

-Sally
Roku]]>Dec 19th 2005 12:05AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2004/10/04/the-engadget-interview-anthony-wood-founder-and-ceo-of-roku/http://www.engadget.com/2004/10/04/the-engadget-interview-anthony-wood-founder-and-ceo-of-roku/
The fact that he is going after an EMERGING market is excellent.

I FOR ONE WOULD be interested in using my 42" plasma to display an aquarium or roaring fire, or perhaps even a Monet or Picasso. HD images are stunning, and with the utter lack of great HD TV to watch - it's cool to see a company find a creative device to use with my damn expensive display. I spent $3000 on my plasma tube, I would like to use it for more than 30mins/day for 1 HD show on Discovery.

I've also grown tired of the DRM debate. I do buy songs from the iTunes music store, but only songs I don't really care about. My entire CD collection (400 cds) is ripped into Lossless format. Anyone that really cares about the sound of music doesn't use a lossy format anyway. I PREFER cds - the crime isn't charging me $.99 for a DRM'ed file. The crime is charging me $.99 for a file that is 128kbps.

SOME people have music systems that CAN distinguish between lossy and lossless. On my iPod, obviously I don't care. On a decent system, it makes a big difference.

Honestly. Apple's DRM restrictions aren't bad. I have not yet run into a situation where the DRM hinders my abilty to listen or to share my music with my fiance, friends, etc... however - I can see where the DRM WOULD hinder my abilty to share the file with, say, 1000 people. Which is EXACTLY what it's there for.

These devices are exactly what I've been waiting for - a chance to quit using cds for anything other than their original source files. That's all I want them for. I want the lossless file. The quality. From there, I don't want to see the cd ever again.

The day iTunes starts selling DRM locked, high-quality audio I'll start buying entire CDs from there.

And one last thing - why would you (any of you) expect the CEO of Roku to explain, advertise, and recommend software from the their biggest competitor?

Geeeez. Here's an idea - go use and TRY these products before you slam them. The HD1000 is quite cool, the aquarium in hi-def is hot. And the SoundBridge's are awesome - I stream Lossless files from a 400 cd collection to 2 and 3 rooms at the SAME TIME. WIRELESSLY, then go optical into Harman Kardon receivers. It's IMPRESSIVE.

Sadly, I still have to shop for music the same as I did 15 years ago. Go to the store and buy it. Or order from Amazon or Buy.com and wait. And wait. And wait.

Keep up the good work Roku and Squeezebox (just bought Squeezebox for my 4th room) - great products. And please don't listen to haters on the HD1000, it's a worthy product. Everyone that sees it and plays with it is seriously impressed.]]>Dec 19th 2005 12:05AM