New Roku Player!

Roku XD|S (Left) and Original Roku Player (right)

So, in anticipation of Hulu Plus on Roku, I've gone ahead and purchased the latest and greatest Roku XD|S Player.  So, what is the difference?  Well, aside from the size and 3 extra buttons on the remote; it's capable of 1080p playback, supports 802.11N WiFi, and it has a USB port for music and video playback (with a firmware update coming in November 2010).  One other change they made was the removal of S-Video and Component plugs on the back, but apparently they have a component video adapter that is sold separately.

Besides, I found someone who is interested in purchasing my old one, so... why not?

If you didn't already know, I love my Roku Player, which is the best way to watch Netflix on your TV.  In addition to Netflix it has the ability to stream video from many independent video sources.  My favorites are YouTube, Revision 3, and Mediafly (which is an online podcast service... so you can basically create your own channels by combining podcasts you like.)  It also supports Amazon Video on Demand, but I really don't like paying per video.  I guess the content isn't really worth that much to me.  Besides, when I can watch unlimited Netflix for $21 (which also includes 3 DVD/Blu-Ray discs at a time)... and if Hulu Plus stacks up to be worth it's $10 monthly fee, then I'll be happy as can be.  And, I can get rid of my Cable bill... which I pay $10 a month for just to get HD...  Plus the Basic cable fee...

Anyway, I'm excited to really put this thing to the test.  I'll be running some side by side comparisons on my dual (1080p 24inch) PC monitors, which might be a waste of time, but I want to try it anyway!

The one thing that I am a little disappointed with though... no DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance) support :(  For those of you don't know about DLNA, it's this standard which is pretty much being implemented by everything form your Network Attached Storage devices and home routers to gaming consoles and mobile phones... It lest you stream Video from one device to another.  The best part is that your computer already does it.  It doesn't matter if you use Windows or Linux or Mac.  I even have a router with a USB port for attaching a USB hard drive, and the router will stream video via DLNA to my Xbox or Cell Phone.  If Roku added DLNA support, I would have no complaints about the device.  My fingers are crossed that the November update will include DLNA support, but I haven't ready anything from Roku to confirmed that.

Until I really play with the devices a bit more, I'll leave you with this slideshow:


So, until I have more to say on this...

Later,

     SteveO