Hard though it may be to believe, the
Roku has been rockin' the lives of
Netflix fanatics for
nearly 1.5 years, and if you were thinking an updated version was in order, you'd be on the right train of thought. Images delivered to us today prove that a refreshed iteration is on the horizon, with the Roku XR (model number N1101) retaining the same overall look and feel as the original but adding in niceties like 802.11n wireless support, a USB socket (presumably for loading up media locally) and a 2.5A power input (as opposed to 1.5A). You can also see that the dedicated reset button has been yanked and the bundled remote is exactly the same; in fact, we're told that the old remote controls the Roku XR sans issue. There's no word yet on a price or release date, but we're guessing we'll know significantly more prior to Christmas. Oh, and yeah -- you're not the only one thinking this is quite the underwhelming update, but hey, maybe it'll street for $9.99.
[Thanks, Anonymous]
posted Oct 19th 2009 2:37PM
Also adds a bunch of dirt to the lens, apparently.
Linty.
add hulu or go home.
does any device have hulu support?
no (not without another service to port it)
and it's for a reason
But not a good reason...at least from the consumer's point of view. Holding back one technology to prop up a dying business model.
agreed
but it's not the people at hulu, or the people at any of the companies that make the streamers
blame the networks that own hulu and the content that gets viewed with it
listen, studios re: Hulu and similar: free your content so the average consumers can enjoy it. geekier types can always find ways to get it there, whether through laptops, nettops, or porting through PlayOn, etc. you should be glad we actually want to watch your stuff!
@rb: Even worse, the geekier crowd can not only find alternative ways of acquiring it, they're simply finding alternative content altogether. Stuff from Revision3, the Engadget Show, College Humor, general YouTube tomfoolery...all of these things eat up available time for watching "stuff", and as of late, it's only been taking up more and more of it.
If they play their cards right, they may find that they've limited themselves right out of a business model.
Oh, and I should also mention web-only types of shows like "Dr. Horrible's Sing-a-Long Blog". Another one I've been watching lately is "Paranormal, Burbank". Pretty funny.
http://www.paranormalburbank.com
The bottom line is...there's lots of stuff out there now, and many of it caters more exclusively to a specific demographic, which will always work better than the shotgun blast against a wall approach the studios have been using as of late. I can't help but think that reality television can only last so long before the real world figures out that it's just the same show over and over again.
And if/when Comcast gets controlling shares of NBC, Hulu on boxes such as these will be even less of a chance than now. Unless you are on a Comcast-blessed box of course....
"How do you dirty little boxes pollute our pipes! If you want to stream video from Hulu, you will need to buy one of Our Boxes."
Uggggghhhhhh.
I think I'm going to start using "tomfoolery" more often. I like that word.
OMG...Awesome
I didn't think they would update it much. What makes the roku great is it is so amazingly simple. My wife and kids can use it without my help. That's makes it worth every penny.
But before I buy another one, I am waiting patiently for new content. Where is all the new content they were going to add this year?
New content should be real soon. All Revision 3 shows were announced to be coming out "very soon" Here's a video: http://ow.ly/uGur
coming soon, so i keep hearing :) but here is was you will get
watch the video: 2:45 seconds in http://ow.ly/uGur
Mediafly content
Amazon
ROKU Channel Store, like the Apple App Store
MLB.com
Flickr content
Pandora Internet Radio
Netflix
Revision3 network
And whatever else any content guys want to provide.
More info here: http://www.butterscotch.com/show/Web-Video-On-Your-TV-With-Roku-And-Mediafly
It seems like they would have to be adding a substantial amount of processing power to justify increasing the power requirements by 75%. That's the wrong direction for power requirements to go w/o a substantial bump in capabilities as well.
perhaps media extender capabilities??
or just the ability to stream files off a network even?
Powered USB's are usually 5V at 0.5A. That would account for half the increase.
Waiting for Netflix to subsidize this?
Ok... they should give this out for free... it is an ugly piece of hardware. I wonder if the control remote works across walls, so I can hide it in the closet.
It is small, simple, and just a black box. I can't see how anyone can all it ugly. Not flashy, but perfectly simple.
I have had one since it came out and it just works well. Good price, simple interface. I don't think this update is meant to make you want to scrap the old one, but is just the normal evolution of the product. The increased current is probably just to support the USB device interface.
I would love if this thing became competitive with the Western Digital TV Live or the Seagate FreeAgent Theatre+
It definitely needs an update. Mostly, it just needs to add all the media streaming capabilities of the other set-top media boxes. That, plus Netflix, which the others do not have (except with PlayOn installed on a server somewhere) makes it a winning combo. At that is not to dismiss PlayOn, which I own and use. But PlayOn still has its quirks. Either way, these media streamers are becoming a commodity item, and that is a good thing for all of us.
I hope XR stands for Extra Resolution... as in more than its predecessor.
Sign me up! I love my Roku and I'd love to be able to plug in a flash or hard drive.
I have the current version. It quietly and efficiently does its job well.
has anyone else noticed the "made in china" screen is missing on the bottom one? wonder if they just hid it more, or changed locations of fabrication.
The reset button was moved to the bottom, the USB port does nothing at the moment (at least the test unit I had it didnt)
Anyone who was engaged in the beta test of this product who posts here is in potential violation of their NDA. You would be wise to keep anything about the product or your involvement in the test quiet or you could be at the end of a lawsuit.
re: all the hulu comments.
It needs to be something different from Hulu. The CPU overhead is ridiculous. On my current setup, a core 2 quad server over gigabit network, wired to a PS3, and a WDTV Live, I can play Netflix quite well via PlayOn, but Hulu is a joke. Full screen 'HD' stutters (not obvious but noticeable). It takes some time to start, and it may or may not play the show you chose (sometimes playing something random. Fast forwarding often rewards you with a freeze requiring you to skip back to the selection menu, and start the episode from the beginning... from where... you guessed it, you can't fast forward.
That being said, I am impressed with full screen Youtube native on the WDTV Live
Wait a minute, a "2.5A power input (as opposed to 1.5A)" is not a "nicety" or a feature. All it means is the new box more power hungry than the old one and draws more current. The way the post is written it's made to sound like that extra amp is somehow a good thing. It's not.
I disagree if they're adding more powerful components to the box
Ok, so USB means that I can use a thumb drive and my Roku box to watch my non-Netflix flicks instead of having to hook my laptop up to my TV; big win there. But media extender functionality, or simply the ability to point the Roku box at a SMB share, would be a hell of a lot better solution (and one which wouldn't require me to shell out another $100 for new hardware). Please, Roku?
Standard $79
HD $99
HDXR $129
I'd be happy if AdultSwim would have a channel on Roku.
Hulu's got mostly garbage anyway.
Awsome!!
If that USB port allows for media streaming, via External HDD. Then i'm set for life!
I currently have the WD media player, and just recently subscribed to netflix.
This box will be a life saver for me.
Don't care about the XR... what about new Soundbridges?
meh.... i'll maybe think about getting one. but it replicates so much thats already out there now... its hard to justify.