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Roku launching in the UK this month |
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#1 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Oct 2009
Posts: 911
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Roku launching in the UK this month
Perhaps they were waiting for the Netflix launch, but Roku have just annouced they are launching in the UK, with pre-order on Amazon now.
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/rok...and-2012-01-10 http://www.roku.com/ Could be very cool. If they have deals with to offer iPlayer, 4OD, Demand 5 and ITV Player, along with Netflix and LoveFilm then this could be amazing. If they manage the above I'd buy it no question. |
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#2 |
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Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: arizona
Posts: 5,220
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Roku is pretty great. It's what my parent's have used to stream netflix for the past 3 years.
It's nice because it's pretty cheap (looks to be launching in the UK at £49.99 for 720p and wifi or at £99.99 for 1080p and wifi+ethernet) and super simple to set up (the wifi version has a power plug and an hdmi port, that's it). It's tiny and quiet (obviously, as it has no moving parts). While it does have other "channels" (the US version has Hulu, HBO Go, Pandora, and hundreds of specialized channels like an X-Factor channel), most people I know just use it for netflix only. |
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#3 |
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Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Herefordshire
Posts: 22,789
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i think i will give it a miss.
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#4 |
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Join Date: Feb 2009
Posts: 3,981
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Quote:
Perhaps they were waiting for the Netflix launch, but Roku have just annouced they are launching in the UK, with pre-order on Amazon now.
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/rok...and-2012-01-10 http://www.roku.com/ Could be very cool. If they have deals with to offer iPlayer, 4OD, Demand 5 and ITV Player, along with Netflix and LoveFilm then this could be amazing. If they manage the above I'd buy it no question. Shame there's no SCART connection for older televisions (but as you don't get this connection in the US it's not a total surprise). Can I take it that it will work with an RCA to SCART adapter like this one? http://www.amazon.co.uk/RCA-SCART-Ad.../dp/B0035XB4Z4 |
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#5 |
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Join Date: Mar 2009
Posts: 927
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£50 for the Roku LT and it has composite out, so it works with non HDMI TVs Bargain
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#6 |
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Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: arizona
Posts: 5,220
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#7 |
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Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Northampton
Posts: 331
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Wow, this is great news.. The killer app as far as I'm concerned is the ability to add private channels.. Streaming packages in Turkish etc for me.. The possibilities are endless..
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#8 |
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Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Northampton
Posts: 1,014
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They both look like neat little boxes and they undercut the rather expensive in my opinion boxee box and are competing with the apple tv and the like at the £99 price range.
I think 2012 is going to be a very interesting year for VOD! |
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#9 |
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Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Buckingham
Posts: 28,534
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Yet another crippled access product.
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#10 |
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Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Herefordshire
Posts: 22,789
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Quote:
£50 for the Roku LT and it has composite out, so it works with non HDMI TVs Bargain
![]() i suppose it is still a good way to get Netflix on your box if you don't want to pay out for a PS3 or Xbox, sayiung that you may be able to get one at a good price second hand if you look around and the PS3 at least is a good media machine |
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#11 |
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Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Herefordshire
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Quote:
Yet another crippled access product.
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#12 |
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Join Date: Nov 2009
Posts: 642
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Wonder if Amazon on demand service is due to hit soon now?
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#13 |
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Join Date: Aug 2007
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Quote:
Yet another crippled access product.
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#14 |
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Join Date: Dec 2007
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Quote:
How is it crippled? It was designed specifically to stream netflix, and has had tons of features added to it over the years.
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#15 |
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That is what he means, it is fixed to do one thing and one thing only, you can only use it for what the manufacture wants it to do.
If you want a computer, buy a computer. If you want to call it "closed", then by all means, call it closed. Although there is a free SDK. |
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#16 |
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Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Buckingham
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I call it crippled because it is crippled. If you get one only expecting it to do the limited small thing you want it to do fine, but many people will get one then start asking when they will be adding this, that and the other service then starting whinging when it is explained probably never. Better to warn them up front that it is crippled and that there are better options that offer unlimited access to anything that is out there.
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#17 |
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Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Northampton
Posts: 1,014
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I think it depends on how you define 'crippled' like you said if you buy it for one reason and that reason alone then the roku serves that purpose well however for me the definition of crippled would be more down to lack of connectivity port wise, no wireless etc as the software can be updated and features added as and when.
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#18 |
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Join Date: Feb 2008
Posts: 1,173
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It's too locked down and limited to be a good fit in my household, since everything is stored on the NAS rather than streamed.
I'm hoping that some alternative firmware will eventually become available (something like OpenElec). The Roku is based on Linux and some of the source code is available but it uses a proprietary graphics driver. However, i believe the Raspberry Pi uses the same SOC and ships with a binary blob for the graphics, so it might be possible for some enterprising hackers to create firmware combining the two and give us a cheap box running XBMC. |
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#19 |
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Join Date: Dec 2007
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Quote:
That's not what crippled means. It's not a multi-purpose machine that has had features removed, it's a tiny little box the size of a pack of cigarettes, built from scratch to do one thing.
If you want a computer, buy a computer. If you want to call it "closed", then by all means, call it closed. Although there is a free SDK. Having composite is a bit of a downfall to be honest, my Wii had composite, got it running on component these days, but even RGB would be better than composite, as I said before that is the problem with importing video equipment from the States to Europe and not make any changes to them. plenty of people still got old T.V sets. |
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#20 |
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Join Date: Oct 2009
Posts: 911
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Quote:
I call it crippled because it is crippled. If you get one only expecting it to do the limited small thing you want it to do fine, but many people will get one then start asking when they will be adding this, that and the other service then starting whinging when it is explained probably never. Better to warn them up front that it is crippled and that there are better options that offer unlimited access to anything that is out there.
The bigger question for me and I suspect others is what services or 'channels' it will offer. I guess if your going to be a regular user of Netflix and don't have a Smart/Internet connected TV with a Netflix app, then at £50 its a great and very simple way to watch Netflix on your TV. I already have a Samsung Smart TV (although still waiting for the Netflix app to show up), but if they pull off getting all the main networks catch-up services (could live without 5 Demand) then I wouldn't think twice about buying one. I wonder when we'll get confirmation of the channel line-up. |
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#21 |
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Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Buckingham
Posts: 28,534
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You see? It has started already.
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#22 |
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Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: Felixstowe
Posts: 258
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The "About Roku" paragraph on the Market Watch page has the statement "Roku was founded by Anthony Wood, inventor of the DVR". That's a bold claim!
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#23 |
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Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: arizona
Posts: 5,220
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Quote:
The "About Roku" paragraph on the Market Watch page has the statement "Roku was founded by Anthony Wood, inventor of the DVR". That's a bold claim!
Btw, here's a little cnet review of the roku LT: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0XOhB7Vdak |
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#24 |
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Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Herefordshire
Posts: 22,789
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Quote:
I think most people will be very happy with it doing what it does and probably the reason why the cost is so low is that its simply a streaming device for online services.
The bigger question for me and I suspect others is what services or 'channels' it will offer. I guess if your going to be a regular user of Netflix and don't have a Smart/Internet connected TV with a Netflix app, then at £50 its a great and very simple way to watch Netflix on your TV. I already have a Samsung Smart TV (although still waiting for the Netflix app to show up), but if they pull off getting all the main networks catch-up services (could live without 5 Demand) then I wouldn't think twice about buying one. I wonder when we'll get confirmation of the channel line-up. I wonder how many so called smart sets are out there that will never be connected to the net? i know my next door neighbours won't and they got the internet for the computer, but their Samsung will never see the internet. I wonder how much these smart functions are adding to the cost of the t.v? i rather pay less and not have the feature. |
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#25 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Mar 2009
Posts: 927
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Its a mass market device and alot of people are not going to be that concerned about it only having composite out as long as it does what its supposed to do which is letting you watch movies on your tv in your living room via Netflix, and at a starting price of £50 I bet they are going to sell alot
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