Sigh. This is getting a bit much. Turns out there isn’t much to watch on Google TV after all. Google TV is apparently viewed by big media as the devil, as the horned one himself and the only way to counter its/his takeover plans, is to disallow access/worship. And so, just like that, Viacom joined the ranks of News Corp, NBC Universal, Disney, and CBS in their stance of blocking the evil Google TV units access to its online content. This leaves Time Warner and its subsidiary Turner Broadcasting System as the lone media company still playing nicely with Google TV.
So where does this leave Google TV? Sony and Logitech are heavily promoting their wares rocking the platform and there’s a rumor circling that Samsung is about to announce a Google TV-powered HDTV. But without access to these online sources, the platform is nothing more than a glorified Netflix and Amazon streamer — and an expensive one at that. → Read More
You may want to sit down for this one. Roku, streaming video box in extraordinary, has hit its 100th channel — Crackle, the thrilling channel for the introduction of which we got to interview Penn Gillette, and were hounded by Mormons. True story. They only hit 50 a few months back, so this shows some solid growth. Congrats to Roku, and to Roku owners, who now can watch whatever it is they show on Crackle these days. → Read More
Google TV is a mess. Apple TV is a joke. Using a Roku is about as exciting as cleaning my gutters. I like the Boxee Box, but my wife doesn’t understand why; she doesn’t get it and that says something. Downloading torrents or NZBs is time consuming and only a small portion of the population actually has the know-how and hardware to do it. Sorry. Cord cutting is a lost cause.
Listen, I’m all for canceling Comcast and joining the ranks of the cord cutters. I hate Comcast so much. If Comcast had a large, fluffy mascot, I would punch it in the face. That’s saying something if you know me. But the fact remains that there is simply no way to replicate Comcast’s or any other cable provider’s service right now. If you want to watch TV, you have to pay for it — but you can still complain along the way.
Cable is damn expensive and so through various media streamers, game systems, and services, I’ve tried just about everything to replace it, but nothing gives you the same experience and service as *shock* cable — or satellite — TV. → Read More
We already thought the Roku was a pretty good deal, especially with the new models, but with PlayOn support now available, it’s really turning into a bite-size powerhouse for streaming media. → Read More
Roku is quickly turning into a major source within the streaming community and its just-announced deal with Ooyala will likely bring even more content to the massive install base. The deal allows publishers to utilize an Ooyala-made, turn-key operation to create a custom Roku channel.
This is a big move for the video distributor as it suddenly gives publishers a totally new demographic to target along by bringing their content to the livingroom. Content can be shot with a big screen in mind. It truly opens new doors for Ooyala users such as Alloy Digital, which is the first content partner to implement the Roku custom channel. → Read More
Hope you don’t have an Apple TV shipment notification in your inbox. You’re about to get a little media streamer jealousy because it seems a Hulu channel is launching on the Roku platform shortly.
BusinessOfVideo.com apparently confirmed with a couple Hulu content partners that the service will soon be available on the streamer. Of course you should probably file this in your Unfounded Internet Rumors folder, bow it raises a couple of questions if it’s true. And boy do I hope it’s true. → Read More
Once upon a time, Microsoft backed a format called HD DVD and, well, that didn’t turn out so well. But the departure from focusing on high-density physical media early on might have forced Microsoft — and the Xbox team — to look towards digital downloads for future products. UK Xbox chief, Stephen McGill, seems to agree and recently stated to gaming site Xbox Achievements that “People now recognize what a smart decision it was to keep the [Xbox 360] pricing low,” in reference to not including an advance optical format within the Xbox 360. Then he goes on to properly slam the Blu-ray format. → Read More
Roku, the streaming set-top box we recommended after being slightly underwhelmed by the Apple TV, has gotten some new features and a redesign. The XD and XDS, which we saw peeks of in a recent FCC filing, both support 1080p and have a few new features that make their already-attractive prices even more so. → Read More
Perhaps you read my post this past weekend about my quest to remove cable television from my life. As a refresher: I’m giving Comcast six months (heavily discounted months due to new service) as I try out better solutions, then I’m cutting the cord. This past week I got the chance to try out one possible replacement: the new Roku XDS.
If you’re familiar with Roku, it’s likely as the first box that was able to play streaming Netflix titles outside of the computer. Way back in 2008 it launched for just $99.99. Back then, that was a pretty killer feature for a pretty killer price. But since then, the marketplace has become much more crowded. It seems nearly every device (videogame consoles, TVs, etc) come with Netflix integration. And Apple is about to launch its new version of the Apple TV for the same $99 price also with Netflix.
The Roku XDS (and HD and XD versions) is Roku’s attempt to strike back at the competition. The box now offers a lot more than just Netflix (as it has for a while, but now there’s more content than ever). In fact, there are over 75 channels you can get for the box — Netflix is just one of them. And, the Roku XD and XDS offers 1080p HD support — something the Apple TV will not (it only goes up to 720p). Bottom line: it’s a nice, simple box with a ton of content for a good price. → Read More
Among companies I loathe, Comcast is right up there. Alongside Expedia and AT&T, they share the common thread of having typically poor service, and even worse customer service. But I’m a forgiving guy. I’m willing to give Comcast a second chance. Well, for 6 months at least.
I’ve been a Comcast customer a few different times at various points of my life. Each time I’ve had an awful experience. My favorite was two years ago when I was continually getting billed for services I didn’t have (nor had I ever had, actually). Each month I was told it was resolved, and each month it was right back on my bill. It took me bitching up a storm on Twitter to get it actually resolved by the higher-ups at the company. And I know my situation wasn’t unique — and sadly, many people have an even bigger nightmare resolving things. → Read More
Got a Roku box? Love scary movies? Well, Roku just made a deal with a new content provider to add a new channel, Frightology. For $2.99 a month, you get unlimited access to the Frightology lineup of on-demand movies and episodic content, including indie films and cult classics. It’s the latest channel that Roku has made available to people who purchase their set top boxes. Roku’s line up includes Amazon on Demand, Netflix, MLB, UFC, and they hint at the addition of an HBO channel in a recent press release. Kind of makes you ask why you’d bother hooking fruit up to your TV. → Read More
Gee, I hope you didn’t follow my advice the other day and pick up the refurb Roku HD from Woot. Yeah, today’s Woot totally punches that one in the fart hole. → Read More
So this popped up on the FCC website today, and it’s all very mysterious, but it looks like Netgear and Roku may have teamed up to make a streaming media box for the home, not unlike the HP product that was released the other day. The FCC filing shows that the device has HDMI, composite, 802.11 b/g/n, and ethernet connectivity. Of course, this could be something else entirely. Whatever it is, Roku seems to be up to something. This kind of makes me wonder who HP licensed their streaming media boxes from. [via Wireless Goodness] → Read More
The new Apple TV, is, well, boring. Sorry, it is. But more on that later. Right now, I thought I should point out that there’s already a well-developed product on the market that not only competes directly with the new Apple TV, but in many ways, is vastly superior: The Roku.
Update: Amazon just leveled the playing field for Roku (and others like TiVo). → Read More
Just a little something for those of you looking to pick up a DVR or set-top box to put in your pipe before you smoke it. Roku just dropped the prices of its SD, HD, and HD XR boxes to $59.99, $69.99 and $99.99 respectively. That’s $30 off; not bad. Take a look at our recent comparison of set-top boxes if you’re unsure; the Roku is a nice deal if you’re a Netflix streaming user and don’t want to access a local video library. Of course, we’ve got that Apple event coming up on Wednesday — you might want to wait until then, just in case. → Read More
Roku is on a tear lately. After launching the Flixster movie trailer channel a few weeks back, the Vimeo channel will hit the channel list later day today, making it the 50th streaming video channel on the network. And what a great service to bring to the device. Vimeo might not be as popular as other video sharing sites, but its content is superb. There are really nice videos Vimeo from a wide range of users and they’re available for viewing in their full HD glory on your HDTV via a Roku media device. → Read More
Woot has a great deal going on today with a refurb Roku HD Media costing only $59. That’s $40 off the MSRP, kiddies. It’s an amazingly refined product with an interface that most baby boomers should be able to handle. Roku made a name for itself a few years back by being one of the first devices to stream Netflix. While that capability is still there, there are now dozens of channels and apps. The model on Woot today is the HD model, which means it has HDMI, Toslink, and 802.11 b/g. $59? Not a bad deal. → Read More
Some people love them movie trailers and samples. Personally I find they’re more spoilers than anything. But for those that enjoy them, Flixster is a great resource and the video site just launched their own Roku channel. The offering isn’t anything all that special as it’s mostly movie trailers and the like, but it’s the best trailer source currently available on Ruku. Still, it’s not exactly that great of a service. → Read More
Nice. The Roku/Netflix interface update we wrote about a few weeks ago is now rolling out to all users. What do you have to do in order to activate this marvel of modern set-top-boxery? Every Roku customer can now get the new interface for Netflix, featuring browse and search (view the demo here). This free update is rolling out automatically to all of our customers over the next week. Or, get it now: * Go to Settings on your Roku * Select Player info, then Check for update Boom. → Read More
