Say you’re buying a TV – any TV, really – and you’re not quite sure what you’re doing. Say you’re in a store and the sales guy says “Well, you want this to be a Smart TV, right?” and you, not knowing any better, agree. Then he upsells this dumb LG box that simply adds LG’s Smart TV offerings including LG’s apps and some DLNA support. And… → Read More
I wonder if we might be getting a little causation mixed in with our correlation here. Roku’s CEO has noted that when the Apple TV launched at the beginning of September, Roku sales saw a jump. I mean, not like day-of (though maybe a little, since we gave the little box a big plug at the time), but since that time, sales have actually doubled. → Read More
Roku has released firmware update 2.9 which includes 1080p support in their XR devices. There are a few other bug fixes in the release including Hulu optimization for all devices. You can download it manually (“To do so please select “Settings” option from the homepage, then navigate to “Player Info” and finally choose “Check For Updates”. Your box will then prompt you with the… → Read More
Get a jump of Cyber Monday kids, the Roku XD is going on sale today for a quite reasonable $79.99 $63.99. The sale started this morning as 12:00am, and is good though the end of Cyber Monday (11:59 on 11/29). Go pick one up now from the Roku website, and keep in mind that the XD is the model that offers 1080p streaming, enhanced remote, and the addition of WiFi N. Oh, and you can stream content… → Read More
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… → 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… → 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… → 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
We had a feeling this was going to happen. It just felt right and sure enough, Roku just issued a press release confirming that Hulu will hit Roku players later this Fall. It will come in the form of Hulu Plus and carry the standard $9.99 per month subscription fee. Apple TV? Yeah, this is certainly a bit of an Apple TV buzzkill. It pretty much changes the entire landscape for media streamers. It… → 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… → 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… → 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… → 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… → 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… → 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… → 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… → 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… → 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… → 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… → 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… → 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… → Read More
UFC President Dana White believes the Internet is the future of television, so this Roku deal makes all kinds of sense. Beginning with next week’s pay-per-view, UFC 114, Roku owners will be able to stream live UFC events right to their TV. It’s in HD, too. Nothing but the best for you guys! → Read More
Woot! Netflix for Roku’s wee little box will be updated “soon” for Netflix subscribers, adding search functionality that the service badly needed.
As you can see from this jaunty video, the entire UI has been improved and the standard “press left to see all of the other movies” is gone, giving you more movies per page and a considerably more streamlined experience. The best thing? You can now add… → Read More
Roku’s HD player is a great deal at $99, but it’s an even better deal if you buy one now from Amazon. In addition to having a great Netflix box, you’ll also be able to use Amazon’s Video of Demand service, and to get you started they’ll throw in $20 worth of credit. → Read More
Yep, Marantz, makers of high end A/V equipment have a deal where if you buy one of their high performance Blu-ray players, they’ll give a free Roku Play via mail-in-rebate. If you want to take advantage of this, you have until March 31st. Details (and press release) after the jump. → Read More
Editor’s note: As the capital markets heat up and the economy continues to rebound, the deal flow is starting to open up again. We’ve already given you our top ten IPO candidates for 2010. In this guest post, Kelly Porter, an M&A expert at Woodside Capital Partners, proposes ten digital media deals he’d like to see. None of the companies mentioned in this editorial are clients of Woodside… → Read More
We told you previously that Roku might be adding some hidden porn to their service, but we didn’t expect it to be this soon. Adult entertainment company EroticVision.TV just announced that they are teaming up with Roku to bring lots of nasty, nasty, girls (and boys) to your living room. → Read More
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