Mini Review - Roku XS Angry Birds Edition
Posted: Sat Dec 31, 2011 9:11 am
Amazon - $89.95 shipped.
Straightforward little gadget. Totally PnP. Uses wireless or wired (I used wired). There appears to be software available to let you stream from your computer. Has 3 plug AV connection and HDMI port . Will handle 1080p.
Simple remote, very intuitive interface. Easy to select channels and navigate what is available. I had been using a PS3 for Netflix which to me was a royal pain.
I was surprised by the number of channels available - close to 100 at least - a lot of free stuff including 4 or 5 music channels, a lot of special interest channels, religious, new age, niche music, didn't really explore all of them. It only has HULU+ (not vanilla) which is $$ subscription. It has netflix, amazon, etc.
A lot of old movies and cartoons - had a hoot watching some old Felix the Cat and other cartoons from as old as the 30s. Watched the beginning of John Carpenter's version of Christine (they knew how to make cars back then!).
My DSL connection is theoretically about 2 mps down, but falls way off at times, and it handled it ok. there was a delay loading menus, etc. I can see where this thing would be smoking on a fast connection.
HW quality looks good - the unit is about the size of the pack of cigarettes. Comes with power plug, and 3 plug AV cable to has a proprietary plug fitting on the Roku end. I use an HDMI cable. It is a constant on device.
Tried Angry Birds and got stuck at level 10 on the first tier. I can see why people get hooked on this . Gonna go back to killing dragons in Skyrim.
Rating. Hardware 4/4 solid and simple.
Content. 3.5/4 Would be nice to have Hulu vanilla, but this looks like it has a lot of upside.
Straightforward little gadget. Totally PnP. Uses wireless or wired (I used wired). There appears to be software available to let you stream from your computer. Has 3 plug AV connection and HDMI port . Will handle 1080p.
Simple remote, very intuitive interface. Easy to select channels and navigate what is available. I had been using a PS3 for Netflix which to me was a royal pain.
I was surprised by the number of channels available - close to 100 at least - a lot of free stuff including 4 or 5 music channels, a lot of special interest channels, religious, new age, niche music, didn't really explore all of them. It only has HULU+ (not vanilla) which is $$ subscription. It has netflix, amazon, etc.
A lot of old movies and cartoons - had a hoot watching some old Felix the Cat and other cartoons from as old as the 30s. Watched the beginning of John Carpenter's version of Christine (they knew how to make cars back then!).
My DSL connection is theoretically about 2 mps down, but falls way off at times, and it handled it ok. there was a delay loading menus, etc. I can see where this thing would be smoking on a fast connection.
HW quality looks good - the unit is about the size of the pack of cigarettes. Comes with power plug, and 3 plug AV cable to has a proprietary plug fitting on the Roku end. I use an HDMI cable. It is a constant on device.
Tried Angry Birds and got stuck at level 10 on the first tier. I can see why people get hooked on this . Gonna go back to killing dragons in Skyrim.
Rating. Hardware 4/4 solid and simple.
Content. 3.5/4 Would be nice to have Hulu vanilla, but this looks like it has a lot of upside.