Talk about timely, yeah? Just hours after our latest
Ask Engadget HD question pondered which of the
three big hitters in the movie set-top-box arena was superior, along comes a comparison of the trio from
PopSci. Of course, this being Engadget
HD, we've all ideas many of you won't agree with the verdict put out (hint:
Roku's box is deemed the winner), but some decent points are made nonetheless. For starters, the Netflix library is far more expansive than those offered up by
Apple and
VUDU; for folks looking for the widest range of titles (and cheapest method of renting), it's hard to overlook the Netflix Player. For junkies that just have to have HD, your choices are clearly defined, and between the Apple TV and VUDU, critics noted that the former's ability to dabble in YouTube was a perk that may sway certain buyers. Regardless of your feelings on the matter, be sure and hit up the read link if for nothing more than the pros / cons -- the decision's still yours, you know.
posted June 5th 2008 1:53PM
I like Apple and everything, but the AppleTV is dumb. It would be great if you could use it to broadcast ANY media from your Mac to TV, but nooooo, it has to be in iTunes!
How did this guy get The Bourne Supremacy on Blu-Ray? I thought it was HD-DVD only and not yet released on Blu-Ray?? Maybe it's a mistake...
http://www.popsci.com/node/22072
What an awful review... They are describing oversaturation as "richer" instead of appreciating the correct coloring!
Oh... and I'm still wondering how they can compare THE BOURNE SUPREMACY on VuDu and Blu-ray.... [hint: The reason the VuDu looks better is because that isn't THE BOURNE SUPREMACY on Blu-ray!]
I'm embarrassed that EngadgetHD is even linking to this garbage...
At this point in time, there is no way that anyone should be comparing Netflix player (streaming-only) with ATV or Vudu (both - downloadable content). The three services that could be compared are ATV, Vudu, and 360 (plus Unbox, whenever it gets HD stuff, and PS3 store whenever it goes live).
I can't believe that Engadget even posted this "review." I'm supposed to look at a few pictures and believe that Roku is the best?
LOL -- It's still clear the me that APPLE TV is the best Engadget n00bs.
I agree, it is pretty weak.
For instance, what about my Tivo? Or My xbox 360? Amazon Unbox?
Xbox 360 has a lot of HD titles, don't know how many. . but a good amount
That is not a very thorough or thoughtful review. This guy's standard for quality must be set really low.
The content I have streamed off of Netflix looks pretty bad even on a 22 inch widescreen monitor. I can only imagine how bad it would look on my 46 inch flatscreen. This guy's standards must be REALLY low. I wonder if he thinks stretch-o-vision is "good enough"?
How could he think Netflix has the edge in terms of content? Good god. I have very obscure tastes that range from art films to documentaries and classics and out of 120 titles in my queue only of 10 are available to "watch now".
And not once did he even think to mention all the drawbacks of these boxes such as DRM restrictions.
Netflix has definitely got the price and the simplicity thing right but the technology to pull this off right is 5 years away.