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The Roku, Why get one?

MosquitoboyMosquitoboy
edited June 2008 in Technology
I heard on the most recent FNPL that Rym and Scott got a Roku... but I do not understand why you would want one. Why would you not just hook up your laptop to your tv, or just get a nice monitor. Is there something I don't get, for all it seems to do is put netflix online to your tv instead of your monitor, and if this is all it does... Why did they get it?

Comments

  • HMTKSteveHMTKSteve
    I have been looking at the Roku myself. I would get it for the simple reason that it makes watching the NetFlix on demand stuff easier.

    I can (and have in the past) connected the S-Video out jack on my laptop to my TV and the audio out to my stereo but then I still have to worry about the battery on my laptop running out while watching the movies. I also lack a remote control. Having a Roku box means you have instant access to thousands of titles on your TV.

    Watching stuff on the TV is much better than watching on your computer, so it's a convenience factor. I just do not have $100 to spare right now.
  • NeitoNeito
    Tekzilla did a good review of it, if you wanna go over to their site and find the episode.
    I wanna get a NetFlix account just to get one of them.
  • AprecheApreche
    We already have Netflix. We have a Mac in the living room. If the Netflix website streaming supported Macs, we wouldn't need the Roku. The Roku is only $100. It has a really good interface. Even if one day the Netflix website supports Macs, we can move the Roku to another TV or give it to someone else with Netflix. For $100, it's worth it.
  • RymRym
    Why would you not just hook up your laptop to your tv?
    So, I bring my laptop into the living-room, hook it up to the TV, set the resolution for it, go to the web site, log in, find the movie I want, and then watch it (without a remote control) every time I'm in the mood for a show? And no one else can watch movies unless I'm home and my laptop is with me? That's a great plan.
    or just get a nice monitor.
    A large enough monitor to replace our TV would be extremely expensive, and would -still- require a Windows computer running IE.
  • HMTKSteveHMTKSteve
    A large enough monitor to replace our TV would be extremely expensive, and would -still- require a Windows computer running IE.
    Not true. There are many sub-$1,000 LCD HDTVs with HDMI and DVI inputs.
  • RymRym
    Not true. There are many sub-$1,000 LCD HDTVs with HDMI and DVI inputs.
    And how big are they?

    Also, Windows computer running IE: that part isn't solved by a monitor.
  • lackofcheeselackofcheese
    Well, I watch pretty much everything on my 24" Dell Widescreen.
  • HMTKSteveHMTKSteve
    Not true. There are many sub-$1,000 LCD HDTVs with HDMI and DVI inputs.
    And how big are they?

    Also, Windows computer running IE: that part isn't solved by a monitor.
    Do you want 720P or 1080P? My 32" LCD is under a thousand as is the 37" version. How big do you want? You could also go with a projector.
  • RymRym
    Do you want 720P or 1080P? My 32" LCD is under a thousand as is the 37" version. How big do you want? You could also go with a projector.
    Well, sub-$1000 doesn't mean much to someone who's happy with a sub-$200 TV. ^_~
  • HMTKSteveHMTKSteve
    Do you want 720P or 1080P? My 32" LCD is under a thousand as is the 37" version. How big do you want? You could also go with a projector.
    Well, sub-$1000 doesn't mean much to someone who's happy with a sub-$200 TV. ^_~
    This is going to be somewhat of a tangent but what do you consider expensive? I know you have a great job and make a shit-ton of money so I'm having trouble understanding why someone who is willing to pay around a grand for a new chair thinks a nice TV for the same price is expensive.

    I can understand being happy with a $200 TV but once you upgrade to HDTV you will see just how shitty the picture on your current TV really is.
  • lackofcheeselackofcheese
    edited June 2008
    It's all a question of how much they actually use the TV though.
    Post edited by lackofcheese on
  • AprecheApreche
    I can understand being happy with a $200 TV but once you upgrade to HDTV you will see just how shitty the picture on your current TV really is.
    We know it's not so great. We also don't care.
  • KilarneyKilarney
    With the exception of sports and some nature shows, I've yet to see why an HDTV is worth the money for television watching. This is especially true since most providers compress the crap out of the signal.

    For regular crappy shows, I'm totally pleased with my regular television. When it breaks I will replace it with an HDTV, but I'm in no rush.
  • AprecheApreche
    When we move to a better house we will probably get an HDTV. The upgrade to LCD is actually more important than the upgrade to HD. Having a TV that is flat and hangs on the wall is a much more desirable feature than higher definition. However, the HD will also make it easier to use the Mac that is connected to the TV, because we will be able to crank up the resolution.
  • Luke BurrageLuke Burrage
    My girlfriend and I bought a projector a few years ago and it is the best thing ever. It cost about 700 euro new. The resolution is just 800*600 but we are really happy with that. We used to have it plugged into a DVD player but now it is hooked up to my old PC. Setting the output of the PC to 800*600 means we get a much better quality picture than from the DVD player and can watch online or downloaded content very easily. The only thing I don't like about it is that it takes a few minutes to warm up when switched on, and so does the PC, so if I just want to listen to music from the PC it is a bit of a bother. So now we use the DVD player as a CD player instead.

    Either way, I really don't understand why anyone buys anything but projectors.
  • AprecheApreche
    Either way, I really don't understand why anyone buys anything but projectors.
    If you don't have a big empty wall, or a room that you can make dark, a projector is no good. Even if you have a projector, you need a TV for those occasions when you just want to watch something small quickly. Also, games like Duck Hunt don't work on projectors.
  • Luke BurrageLuke Burrage
    We have a TV too, but it sat unused for a year so we moved it to the cellar. Good point about Duck Hunt, though I'm sure a wii version would use the wiimote not a light gun. I'd need to check. However, wii sports with a wall sized screen is certainly the way to go!
  • Luke BurrageLuke Burrage
    Last night I was playing Mario Galaxy and the bulb in the projector broke. This adds 200 euro running cost over a TV. Still, we've had 2 years good use out of it so far, and 100 euro per year is a good deal, as we easily watch 100 DVDs per year. An extra euro per movie to have a big screen is good value in my book.

    /post-hoc rationalization.
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