Roku just landed in the great white north. The tiny little streaming box launched in the UK a few weeks back and now it’s hitting Canada along with over 100 channels of streaming goodness. The Roku 2 XD and Roku 2 XS should hit retailers in the coming days for $89 and $109 CAD, respectively but are available for pre-ordering now. This launch is the last part of Roku’s announced international expansion. The company is no doubt looking for other potential markets but Roku is notoriously methodical in its launch schedule.
Roku is a mainstay in the US set-top box streaming market. With all the models costing under $100, they’re a great bet for those that want an easy way to put Netflix on their HDTV. However, along with Netflix, Roku has a very large selection of additional streaming stations including Amazon Video On Demand, Hulu Plus, HBO Go and a bunch of other smaller, more niche stations. There are over 450 stations in the US market although likely due to regional restrictions, only around 100 available in Canada at launch. This includes Netflix, Crackle, NHL, MLB.TV, Flickr, and Rdio and 94 more, which is still a very good selection.
Roku is a consumer electronics firm which specializes in home digital media products. They’re best known for creating the first set-top streaming box for Netflix. The company was founded by ReplayTV founder Anthony Wood. “Roku” means “six” in Japanese, a reference to the six companies Wood has launched.
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