The internet: a wondrous playground of fabulous
entertainment and follies. These days there is a hell of a lot of content on
that there net, to be viewed and enjoyed to your heart’s content. Trouble is,
no matter how ‘hi-def’ things get on the web, you’re still usually stuck having
to watch it on your laptop or tablet’s small screen, leaving your super cool
flat screen TV sitting lonely in the corner of the living room. Why can’t you
get all the pleasures of the internet on the big screen?
Well, obviously, now you can. Yay!
Simply put, imagine an Apple TV device, but without the
often limiting constraints of iTunes. Here at The Test Pit we’re not massive
fans of the imposing spreadsheet that is iTunes, so hearing about the American
company Roku and their range of streaming media players was a breath of fresh
air. Still relatively new in the UK, we got to grips with one of the two
currently available models – the Roku 2 XS. We tore open the box and got
straight to it.
Inside the cardboard prison you shall find the unit itself
(which is about the size of the well-established Apple TV, sitting comfortably
in your palm), an ergonomic and curvy remote control, the power lead, a
composite A/V cable (which is a bit pointless considering the unit’s ability to
connect via HDMI) and all the documentation. Plugging in is a simple job and
our TV found the Roku easily. What’s more, the included remote connects with
Bluetooth and not line-of-sight infra-red.
Set up was also easy, although it is necessary to create an
account with Roku and give your credit card details. We know that can often be
off-putting – but remember you had to do the same with Apple’s iTunes.
Fortunately Roku won’t charge you a penny to get going, and the details must be
added purely in case you want to purchase extra content and channels. Again,
don’t worry as you’ll always be asked (and re-asked) if you want to buy
anything.
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| BBC iPlayer looking good |
Once up and running, you’ll be presented with a nice and
slick menu screen that displays all the channels, games and web content that are
available to you. Most are free, such the BBC’s iPlayer, some require
subscription, such as Netflix, and others are pay channels like the content
from Sky. Happily included with the Roku 2 XS (but not the cheaper, less
powerful Roku LT) is a full version of Angry Birds, which, when controlled with
the Wii-like remote, is a lot of fun and a very different experience to playing
it on your phone.
Streaming from the web is a pleasurable experience, with the
remote and player responding quickly to commands. For fans of technical
details, here are some numbers:
Networking:
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| Yes, it comes with batteries for the remote! WIN! |
802.11n Wi-Fi (b/g/n compatible) with WEP, WPA and WPA2
support
10/100 Base-T Ethernet
Bluetooth version 3.0 (currently enabled for use with Roku
game remote only)
Video Outputs:
480i (over composite video)
480p (over HDMI)
720p (over HDMI)
1080p (over HDMI)
Video Modes:
1080p High Definition (HD)
720p High Definition (HD)
16:9 anamorphic / 4:3 standard
Obviously the quality and rate of play will depend on your
WiFi network to which the Roku connects. For those concerned theirs might not
be good enough, or those who want to guarantee speed, the XS comes with an
Ethernet port for wired streaming. Very handy. Oh, and what’s this…? A USB
port?
Yes. The Roku 2 XS will also connect to an external flash or
hard drive, and play any content it can find there. Here we had a bit of a
problem. When we first connected our media hard drive, with a terabyte of films
and TV shows, the Roku took around 15 minutes to find it and then proceeded to
inform us it could only identify less than a third of the media. We tried
several times, but each time it came up short. We were hoping for a combination
streamer/media player, but it seems the Roku is first and foremost for internet
content, with the USB port being added seemingly as an afterthought.
As an alternative (and much cheaper) way to have an Apple
TV, without having to have an Apple TV, the Roku could be for you. Although the
level and depth of content isn’t as big as iTunes, we found that the Roku was
worth the price just for full-screen access to the iPlayer and to enjoy our
Netflix account. For that alone with give the XS a mighty thumbs up and high
(def) five!
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