I’ve never really used Netflix for a couple of reasons. 1) When I’m in the mood to see a particular DVD I want to see it NOW… not in 2 days. 2) They don’t have Netflix in Canada. Oh I tried a couple of Netflix clone companies up there… but I was never satisfied with the speed or the order in which I got my movies (I always ended up getting number 12, 21 and 24 in my que instead of 1, 2 and 3).
But then a while back I heard about this new streaming service with Netflix where you could actually stream and watch movies online immediately. It sounded promising, but I don’t like watching movies on my computer screen. Well everything is different now… the ROKU is here!!!!
A little over a week ago I first read about the Roku and it sounded so good I bought one immediately. The Roku is just a simple little box that you plug an internet cable into (it can also use Wi-Fi), then connect it to your TV. That’s it. Here’s how it works:
You log into your Netflix account and you have 2 different Queues. Your first queue is your regular DVD queue… and your second queue is your “Watch Instantly” queue. You add a bunch of movies to your Instant queue (the ones that are available for Instant watching) and then when you go to your TV, the Roku shows you all the movies you have in your instant queue. You just select which one you want to watch, and BOOM… it starts streaming right on your TV! It’s seriously that simple.
A couple of things to mention:
1) The video quality is FAR better than I was expecting. I’m watching it on a 42′ plasma TV and it looked GREAT. Not HD, but fantastic nonetheless.
2) I have to mention the ease again. It’s so simple and easy to use this system… you could get addicted.
3) The Price – The streaming service is totally free with your regular Netflix subscription of 2 or more DVDs at a time. I have the 3 DVDs at a time subscription and it only costs me $17 a month. So that’s all my DVDs AND the unlimited streaming service
4) Did I mention the streaming was unlimited?
5) The Roku box itself is just $99
6) I spent all day yesterday watching the entire first season of “Dexter” on the Roku… no I’m not even kidding.
The future is here… instant streaming movies right to your TV over the internet. This must be how my parents felt when man first walked on the moon!!!!
Ok, the one and only drawback of the Roku is the selection. Don’t get me wrong, the selection is great, but it’s only about 10,000 titles right now. It’s growing… but you’re not going to find everything you want for instant streaming. But just for example, here is what is currently on my Instant Streaming Queue:
The Host
The Office Season 2
The Office Season 3
Dexter Season 1
Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead
Superman Doomsday
Fido
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Min
The Jerk
Matchstick Men
30 Rock Season 1
The Tick (Live Action) Complete Series
Eddie Murphy Raw.
in conclusion… for the $17 a month regular Netflix service and the $99 it costs to buy the box, I can’t recommend this set up highly enough. I love this thing… and I can now say I will probably never visit a Blockbuster again. Viva Roku!
