Streaming about to get easier with Roku TV plug-in
January 12th, 2012 • 10 Comments
Streaming TV is all the rage at the moment but what if you don’t have a computer or a games console for streaming your iPlayers and your LoveFilms and your Netflixes through? You’re pretty screwed, right? WRONG.
That’s because these things are coming, and because they’re popular in the US of America, they’ll probably be a hit here too. Made by Roku, they’re plug-in streaming players that will connect to almost any TV via RCA or HDMI, with HD streaming up to 720p.
For £49.99, there’s the Roku LT which works without a PC and uses Wi-Fi. For another £50, you can have have the fancy-pants Roku 2 XS, which also has games like Angry Birds incorporated into it, along with Ethernet connection, a MicroSD and a USB port.
They’re due to be launched in the UK on 27th January and you can pre-order them from Amazon now.
The Sony SMP-N200 already does this and is available in the UK along with many others that look a lot better than that ugly thing under your T.V.
The sony looks like a brick, and is £75. I’m sure if I keep adding 30% i’ll keep finding even better solutions.
Anyone can do a “well if you spend half as much again you can get something better” deal.
If I bought a £10000 car, someone will surely tell me a £15000 car of their choice is prettier and is better.
For some of us scraping the barrel for that last penny, it makes a hug difference.
Sent from my iPhone 4S
@durrr
Flog that 4S then. You’ll be several hundred quid better off.
“For £49.99, there’s the Roku LT which works without a PC and uses Wi-Fi. For another £50, you can have have the fancy-pants Roku 2 XS”
so £99.99 if I buy them both? BARGAIN!
“Sent from my iPhone 4S”
Thanks for this information, I would never have slept tonight without knowing that.
Spurious start to the article. Why would you have a broadband connection without a computer or a games console?
Roku is a cool product, however, and a very convenient way to play streamed content. There are other streamers on the market, some of which can record content, so it’s worth shopping around.
God, you lot are twats sometimes. How obvious was it that “durrr” was making a sarcastic comment with his “Sent from my iPhone 4S” at the end of his post about saving money?
Get a grip people.
Seems to be about the same as the WD TV Live that has been around for a while (which supports iPlayer … Roku seemed a bit vague about what it supports). The TV Live also supports playing files off your network which I don’t think the Roku can do without a transcoding server sitting somewhere. Looking forward to trying out Netflix out and abandoning Sky if it’s any good.
Al – No it isnt.
@ JonB Spurious start to the article. Why would you have a broadband connection without a computer or a games console?
Because your neighbours haven’t secured theirs?
Or because you have a noisy desktop in the office, and not in the living room?