Roku Best Box for Internet TV? November 29, 2010
Posted by cuyler in Hardware.trackback
A number of new devices for accessing Internet video content were introduced this fall. Jason Hiner of ZDNet provides a nice comparison of these four options:
His pick is the Roku Player. I would also recommend reading Paul Thutrott’s reviews of the Roku Player, Apple TV and Boxee Box for a more in-depth discussion.
I’m somewhat surprised that Roku doesn’t support YouTube yet, but apparently it’s still accessible through a 3rd-party app. Google TV may show the most promise, but a lot of content is currently blocked. I’m attracted to the Boxee Box’s unusual shape and the remote with built-in keyboard (and it’s possible to try out the Boxee software on a PC for free). As an iPhone user I have a soft spot for the Apple TV, a tiny box that also allows streaming from iTunes and an iPad/iPod.
Maybe it’s too soon to jump on the Internet TV set top box bandwagon since these devices are so new and the content providers are still sorting out how they want to support them. But the Roku Box starts at $59 and that seems like a great deal, especially with today’s Cyber Monday deal of 20% off. At that low price, you get a nice holiday present and won’t feel too bad when some wonderful new device comes out in a year or two.
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