Netflix has released a set top box made by Roku. It allows streaming of about 10,000 titles from the NetFlix service to your TV. I already have an AppleTV, but I’m thinking about picking one up. The box costs $100 and there is no additional monthly fee if you have an unlimited account with Netflix.
As of right now Netflix does not have any HD videos for streaming, but I think if it’s DVD quality that’s okay with me for now. I just rent the standard DVDs from the Netflix service anyway. I’m interested to see how the quality is and how well it streams from the service.
It looks like you have to setup the queue from the computer. It would be nice in future if you could control what you watch directly from the unit. It’s not really a big issue though. I usually setup my queue for mailed DVDs from the computer anyway.
The unit connections seem pretty adequate for connecting to any TV and the remote seems pretty simple which seems like it should be easy to setup. I think I’m willing to take the $100 risk. Hopefully they will have HD titles in the future, but I think I’ll be okay with DVD quality as long as it streams well. It would also be nice if it did 5.1, but for the initial purchase it should be okay.
I’m still deciding. If I do decide to pick it up, I’ll make sure to put a review on lightenment.
