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ROKU worth Considering?
- Thread starter ZipZap
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The only (major) things a Roku can do right now that an Apple TV can not:
*Hulu (predicted) EDIT: confirmed, but not available at this point
*Pandora, et al (thiere is Internet radio on Apple TV, but nothing like Pandora and others)
*MLB.TV
*Access Amazon On-Demand (of course the iTunes store exists for Apple TV)
*am I missing anything else???? others, please chime in
And a Roku can not:
*Integrate with your iTunes and iPhoto libraries
*Access iTunes store
Overlap:
*Podcasts
*Netflix (now that Apple has added it)
I have a 1st gen Apple TV and a Roku. Roku can do a lot of the same things as an Apple TV, but streaming music and videos from my iMac, iPhoto integration, etc. are things that are important to me, so the Roku box is used only for Netflix. (PLEASE put Netflix on the 1st gen Apple TV, Apple!!!) Plus, Apple TV is more of a pleasure to use, it seems. Roku is clunky when you are trying to get where you want to go. So, since the new Apple TV has Netflix, I can't imagine going with a Roku unless no Hulu for Apple was a deal breaker (which, for me, is not).
If interface matters a great deal to you, you will find Apple's implementation FAR superior than Roku.
And another thing that may or may not matter to you... The iOS app for the Roku remote works, but is a joke compared to Apple's Remote app for Apple TV. It's very clunky when it comes time to search.
*Hulu (predicted) EDIT: confirmed, but not available at this point
*Pandora, et al (thiere is Internet radio on Apple TV, but nothing like Pandora and others)
*MLB.TV
*Access Amazon On-Demand (of course the iTunes store exists for Apple TV)
*am I missing anything else???? others, please chime in
And a Roku can not:
*Integrate with your iTunes and iPhoto libraries
*Access iTunes store
Overlap:
*Podcasts
*Netflix (now that Apple has added it)
I have a 1st gen Apple TV and a Roku. Roku can do a lot of the same things as an Apple TV, but streaming music and videos from my iMac, iPhoto integration, etc. are things that are important to me, so the Roku box is used only for Netflix. (PLEASE put Netflix on the 1st gen Apple TV, Apple!!!) Plus, Apple TV is more of a pleasure to use, it seems. Roku is clunky when you are trying to get where you want to go. So, since the new Apple TV has Netflix, I can't imagine going with a Roku unless no Hulu for Apple was a deal breaker (which, for me, is not).
If interface matters a great deal to you, you will find Apple's implementation FAR superior than Roku.
And another thing that may or may not matter to you... The iOS app for the Roku remote works, but is a joke compared to Apple's Remote app for Apple TV. It's very clunky when it comes time to search.
Another reason to go with the Roku, would be if your TV cannot accept HDMI input. Mine can't. My TV can accept a DVI or Component input, I could connect the HDMI to the DVI, but I would have no sound since I don't have a TV or a AV recieiver that can accept an optical digital input. The Roku would work better for my situation.
A jailbroken ATV2 might be attractive if Hulu and other access is added. Are you actually using the XD/S model or the original?
I have a Roku and it works well for everything but Amazon on demand. I have never had a satisfactory streaming experience with Amazon on demand for Roku. Since the Roku works well for everything else I think the problem is with Amazon.
I think that the picture quality in streaming Netflix may be better on the ATV2. That has been my experience so far.
I think that the picture quality in streaming Netflix may be better on the ATV2. That has been my experience so far.
How much is the Roku? Is it any faster in the menus? The Apple A4 chips should be faster. And there will be apps in the near future.
You don't know that there will be apps. And never buy technology based on the future, or else if something you expect doesn't happen, you will be more disappointed..
It's a pretty safe bet it will happen.
http://appadvice.com/appnn/2010/09/steve-jobs-apple-tv-app-store-possibility/
Hmm--that's interesting. The main reason I would get a Roku is for Amazon on Demand. I wonder if others have that problem? I've used Amazon on Demand on my Samsung HDTV (integrated app) and it worked really well as far as picture quality--but I need an external device in order to get 5.1 sound.
A4 chip has no business in a media player. You can't compare the picture quality of the ATV to Sigma or Realtek media player.
The Roku's interface is nothing short of a disaster. It's difficult to navigate, slow and frustrating to use. Roku currently has the edge when it comes to content, but ATV blows it away in terms of interface and seamless integration with the Apple ecosystem. The way I see it, Roku is great for tech tinkerers. ATV is great for people who want to plug and play. Both have advantages, but after living with ATV 2.0 for just a few days I'm practically ready to list my one year old Roku on Craigslist.
I have them both, and agree with an earlier post about overlap. However, I see them as complimentary products right now.
Roku is a small black box that pipes in my MLB.tv subscription. It had a few playback snags this year, and they continue from time to time - but overall I'm satisfied. Being able to pass on the MLB package on my cable TV provider and use the MLB.tv package I pay for each year to use on my computer and Iphone makes it worthwhile for me.
Along with that, Netflix on the Roku is good, but not great. Hulu will be nice, but it's Hulu plus...which from what I can see *so far* is a content crippled version of the free hulu we know and love (no HGTV, no CBS portal, no Bravo, etc...).
Overall, I think having both is not a bad way to spend about $200. If Apple TV 2G adds Hulu and I can AirPlay MLB from my phone then it's a no brainer in favor of Apple TV - it's tiny and would allow me to eliminate a lot of clutter from my A/V stack.
Roku is a small black box that pipes in my MLB.tv subscription. It had a few playback snags this year, and they continue from time to time - but overall I'm satisfied. Being able to pass on the MLB package on my cable TV provider and use the MLB.tv package I pay for each year to use on my computer and Iphone makes it worthwhile for me.
Along with that, Netflix on the Roku is good, but not great. Hulu will be nice, but it's Hulu plus...which from what I can see *so far* is a content crippled version of the free hulu we know and love (no HGTV, no CBS portal, no Bravo, etc...).
Overall, I think having both is not a bad way to spend about $200. If Apple TV 2G adds Hulu and I can AirPlay MLB from my phone then it's a no brainer in favor of Apple TV - it's tiny and would allow me to eliminate a lot of clutter from my A/V stack.
I have also not seen a movie stream in HD from start to finish using Amazon on demand on the Roku. I always rented the HD version, but the movie would only start streaming in SD or either it would switch from HD to SD during the stutters. It was frustrating to pay for HD and only get SD. I stopped even trying to use Amazon on demand on the Roku.
Maybe my problem is isolated to my setup. I have Verizon Fios for an ISP so bandwidth was not my problem.
I use Netflix mostly--which is also available on my HDTV as well as my Samsung Blu Ray--I'll have to try a few more rentals from Amazon just to see it it continues to work well with the Samsung App. For some strange reason, the app is available on the TV but not on the Blu Ray. I have Bright House Cable Broadband.