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A look at 's new line of digital media players 11 August 2011, By Troy Wolverton

Getting video from the Internet to your TV used to movies, and even to private channels that can be be a difficult, costly procedure. That's no longer the set up by businesses or individual users. case. There are still some notable gaps in its lineup. Consumers have a large and growing number of You won't find YouTube in Roku's channel store, options for watching digital videos downloaded or for example. Nor will you find , the high-quality streamed from the Net, ranging from digital set-top video streaming service. And the device doesn't boxes to Blu-ray players to video game consoles to include a Web browser that would allow you to Internet-connected TVs. However, one of the best access videos found on less popular websites but choices has been Roku's line of digital media not in one of its channels. players, which are even more attractive now that the company has updated its line. Still, Roku's channel list compares favorably to what you'll find on Apple TV box or on the typical Introduced three years ago, Roku's players are Internet-connected TV. And the addition of games inexpensive, easy to use and simple to set up. The gives the Roku box digital content you can't find new models - collectively dubbed the Roku 2 - are with Apple TV and many other digital media smaller and more energy-efficient. The range of adapters. content available on them is among the broadest you'll find among digital media adapters. And the "Angry Birds" looks great on the Roku 2 and devices have a new trick: the ability to play casual works relatively well once you get used to using a games such as "Angry Birds" with a motion- motion-sensing controller rather than a touch sensing controller similar to the one with screen. Roku representatives say it's just the first of Nintendo's Wii game machine. many high-quality casual games you'll be able to play on the Roku 2 box. Roku's first digital player was extremely limited. All it could do was play videos streamed from The company's new controller - which only works - a fact reflected in its original name: the with the Roku 2 players - should help it attract Netflix Player. additional games. Shaped like its standard 8-button , it adds motion detectors as well as Roku quickly dropped the "Netflix" appellation and two buttons specifically for playing simple games. steadily added access to new Internet content Turned on its side, the new controller looks a bit providers-all while keeping the price of its players like the gamepads used with older Nintendo at $100 or less. Today, you can choose from some consoles. 300 "channels." To be sure, you won't be replacing your Wii or You can now watch movies on Netflix or Amazon with a Roku 2 anytime soon, if ever. Its or TV shows hosted by . You can listen to game selection is sparse and unimpressive beyond from digital music services such as Pandora "Angry Birds," consisting of a handful of simple, low- and MOG, view photos you've uploaded to or resolution, single-player card and dice games like or personal videos you've uploaded to poker and mah-jongg. But it could soon be a fun Facebook. You can even watch live professional way to play on your big-screen TV the kinds of sports, including Major League Baseball and NHL casual games that have become popular on hockey games and UFC fights. Roku also provides smartphones. access to numerous international TV shows and

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Content aside, the Roku 2 players are nice pieces -Dislikes: No way to search for particular channels of hardware. At little more than three inches square or across channels for particular videos; no Web and less than an inch tall, the devices are even browser and no way to access content not available smaller than the pint-size Apple TV. Like the Apple through existing channels; no easy way to access TV, but unlike the Box, say, or the video home videos or other content stored on home game consoles, the Roku 2s are whisper-quiet and network; sparse selection of games super-efficient, using less than 2 watts when streaming a high-definition movie. And their -How much: $60 for HD model; $80 for XD model, controller and interface are in the same vein as which supports video; $100 for XS model, Apple TVs: simple, streamlined and much easier to which includes "Angry Birds," game controller and use than your typical TV remote or game console. USB port

What makes the Roku 2 boxes particularly -Web: roku.com appealing are their prices. The lowest-end model costs just $60. The top-of the line model is $100, More information: Troy Wolverton is a but includes "Angry Birds" and the new game technology columnist for the San Jose Mercury controller, which is a $30 add-on for the other News. models.

There are some ways in which the Roku 2 comes () 2011, San Jose Mercury News (San Jose, up short. One major and long-standing problem Calif.). with the Roku players is that you can't search them Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information easily. There's no search box in the Roku channel Services. store nor on the Roku's 2 home page, so you may find yourself scrolling through dozens of channels to find the one you want. The devices also don't offer any way to search across different channels for a particular movie or TV show. Instead, you have to search within particular channels for videos, hoping that you picked the right channel to search.

Unlike the Apple TV or some other digital adapters, the Roku players don't easily connect to computers or other devices on your network, so you generally can't stream movies or music to the players from such devices.

So the new Roku 2 players aren't perfect. But if you're interested in getting Internet content on to your TV, they're a darn good choice.

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ROKU 2 DIGITAL MEDIA PLAYERS

-Likes: Offer broad range of content; easy to use; inexpensive; quiet; energy-efficient; can play games

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APA citation: A look at Roku's new line of digital media players (2011, August 11) retrieved 1 October 2021 from https://phys.org/news/2011-08-roku-line-digital-media-players.html

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