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Roku HD XR Review
Jun 29th
Are you a Netflix subscriber? Are you a true movie lover or do you only go for the newest releases? Maybe you frequently use Pandora or have an interest viewing Flickr and Facebook content on your television? If so, the Roku HD XR might be a great device for you. Roku brings a good chunk of streaming media directly to your television and their XR model does it all wirelessly. Although I’ve only owned it for a week and have only touched the surface of available content, I’m very pleased with the device. In this review I’ll discuss some of the parts I love, some of the items that need to be improved, and one MUST have channel Roku needs to develop. Bottom line though, if you don’t need to always watch the latest films and are a Netflix subscriber, the Roku is a no brainer and well worth the investment. If by chance you do want the latest in releases, there is the option of renting and purchasing from Amazon video but it can get expensive.
What’s to love? Simple install, really simple. Please understand that I’ve been working with computers and networking for many years but in all honesty, the instructions are brief and straight forward. Since the XR has built-in wireless N, in order to connect to your router the only knowledge you need is what is your SSID, security password (if any), MAC address (if needed), etc.. If that sounds alien to you then you most likely don’t have a secure router and you might want to understand wireless security a bit more or ask a friend or family member with experience for help. In order to get Netflix working with your account, you’ll have to activate your Roku device for the Netflix service. Don’t worry though because the Roku’s instructions couldn’t be easier. If you need more support, check out how to activate a Netflix ready device. As far as bandwidth and quality go, my Roku has been superb. My home network is on a 10mb cable network using docsis 2.0 technology and transmits wireless N. The loading time for a specific show or movie through the Netflix channel can go up to 30 seconds (I’m guessing) but the playback, pause, fast forward, and image quality far exceed my expectations. The movie content for Netflix is ‘ok’ and as many customers report, could be better. The content available for children and family I find to be impressive and my kids are happy with it. Lastly, I like the remote. It is small but comfortable, attractive, and simple. I just hope I don’t lose it.
What can be improved? Considering my experience with the Xbox 360 and it’s Netflix streaming ability, I’ve become fond of the Netflix interface on the Xbox. It seems more ‘modern’, comfortable, etc.. It’s a bit difficult to describe, but the way you search, browse, and locate movies and shows using the Xbox’s Netflix menu is better overall than the Roku’s menu system. One specific downfall for me on the Roku’s menu is as I’m scrolling through Children shows, the Horror or Action film covers or images can also be seen in another part of the screen, leaving my three year old asking what a zombie is or what the wolf one is. On the Xbox, that’s a non-issue as each ‘theme’ is separated for browsing and if you’re in Children and Family, you will only see Children and Family content. I happen to like the fact that my Roku setup uses only two cables to connect, power and HDMI. The only area I see some people possibly complaining in is that there is no on/off switch. Simply change your TV input to the right number and the Roku will wake up and bring you to the menu system. Again, I happen to like that ability but others might not so I threw that fact in this section.
What’s missing? In all honesty, Roku has been expanding their content ever since they released their first product. They offer free and premium channels. One premium channel I have to subscribe to at some point will be MLB TV. The possibility of watching nearly any baseball game, highlight, wrap-up, etc.. is amazing to me. West coast, east coast, who cares. MLB TV has it all. Check out the link to see the full features as it’s an amazing streaming service. The BIG one that Roku needs to deliver is Hulu. Hulu is a fantastic place to discover and watch movies and television shows that can sometimes be current. This is the place you’ll find shows that run on FX, Lifetime, and who knows what else. Just recently I quickly found some great Three Stooges episodes and it’s fast and easy to use. If Roku can partner with Hulu, expand and modernize their menu system, and keep growing their available channels, look out. You may start seeing them pop-up in millions of homes. I know some of you are aware that many Blu-Ray players are now including Netflix connectivity but I’m going to stand by the Roku as a streaming only device and I hope they do give those Blu-Ray players a run for their money.
Here’s an additional review on the Roku HD XR by CNET: Click Here to Read
UPDATED: Just to let you all know, I still very much enjoy the Roku and am hoping they continue to expand their channels. Netflix streaming quality is excellent. The available HD Netflix films are really in HD…. I hope internet television is the future, not the cable company and coax crap.
Try Google Chrome
Feb 1st
Why would Google want to build a browser?
If you haven’t heard of Google Chrome yet then it’s about time you did. Let me guess, you’re either a set in your ways IE user or a Firefox lover? Well I used to be too, until I tried Google Chrome. Yes, there are other good browsers out there too but what sets Google Chrome apart from the rest?
- The ‘full-screen’ interface allows for smooth navigation
- Bookmark setting and organization is quick and ‘feels right’
- Home page previews your favorite websites (similar to Safari)
- Ability to view incognito – Private web browsing!
- Synchronize bookmarks with your Google account.
The look and feel by default works very well but if you need some extra dressing there are numerous themes available for Google Chrome as well. Now down to stuff developer stuff. Google Chrome was designed from scratch with the modern web browsing experience in mind. Say goodbye to the old single-threaded processing of bulky code. It uses process isolation similar to modern OSs’ but in a sense where each tab you open starts its own process. A bug or a crash in one tab usually means the rest of your tabs are unaffected. I must admit that I’ve experienced this first hand and was impressed, especially by the ‘sad tab’ representation. I can’t count how many times I was visiting a page in either IE or Firefox and the browser crashed and I lost all tab information. Many modern browsers have tab recovery which allows you to restore where you left off but that could dump you right back into an unstable state. Why not use a browser that doesn’t shut down all your tabs in the first place? That’s Google Chrome.
So why do I love it? It’s open source. It’s innovative. Instead of taking something good and making it better, Google is attempting to reinvent the wheel and deliver a seemless and lossless web browsing and navigation experience. I think that Google Chrome is going to give Firefox a run for its money as it catches on. On that note, Mashable just reported on how Chrome is growing while IE and Firefox slip. I expect to see more Google-like integration points in the future, possibly with YouTube, Gmail, Talk, Picasa, who knows. Bottom line, if you haven’t yet given Google Chrome a try, what are you waiting for? Download it! Better yet, if you’re a you a developer, join the web community who helps to make this product shine.
