More Info on Roku’s Netflix Box
Roku’s Netflix set top box has been the talk on the internet for the past few days. The more I read the better buy I think this is. Engadget got one and has a nice little review up. The best part of their review is the things you might not have heard.
Stuff we hadn’t yet heard about the Netflix Player
* Netflix dispatched a team of a couple dozen engineers to Roku to build the Netflix Player. Netflix didn’t want to be the only hardware partner (which we already know), but clearly wanted to make sure whomever released the first box really nailed it.
* Netflix (and Roku) understand that the device’s value doesn’t just end with playing back Netflix content, and anticipate the box having content coming in from other providers as partnerships get hammered out.
* The box only outputs at 480i (over composite and S-Video) and 480p (over component and HDMI), although Roku will enable HD content (and menus) as soon as Netflix gives the thumbs-up. From the sound of things, it seems like they want to do this sooner than later, which we clearly hope they will.
If you read that last part it sounds like we might see HD streaming from Netflix. If that happens I’m sure sales of this set top will skyrocket. Even without HD, the $100 price is perfect. And I agree with Engadget that it would be a nice gift for the parents.
(via Engadget)
