Product Description

With over 100,000 movies and shows available from the biggest and best places, Roku instantly delivers that perfect title to match your mood. Start with the best Netflix experience out there, featuring up to 1080p HD video and support for English subtitles. Current TV shows? Try Hulu Plus. Hundreds of free movies from Crackle? Check. The latest Hollywood releases? Right there, on Amazon Instant Video. And the selection gets better every day.

Meet Roku the original, best-selling streaming player. With Roku, it's a snap to enjoy the best movies and TV shows, live sports, music, games and more all instantly on your TV, whenever you want it. Roku connects easily to your TV and wireless (Wi-Fi) network at home. Be up and streaming in minutes. Rokun XS expands this further by adding games into its capability.

With the simple remote, you choose what you want to watch, and it starts instantly. It's even more convenient than watching a DVD. No extra monthly bills. Simply access your existing subscriptions like Netflix. Enjoy tons of free movies, shows, and music. Or browse the latest blockbusters available on demand. Roku brings you endless entertainment choices, and we're adding more all the time. So you'll always find something new to watch, hear and enjoy.

Standard Roku infrared remote control compatible with various universal remotes Size 3.3 x 3.3 x 0.9 inches / Weight 3 ounces Each Roku 2 XD player comes with - IR remote; 2 x AAA batteries; A/V cable; A/C Power adapter; Getting Started guide; Roku USA 30-day money back guarantee; 90 day warranty FREE movie service from Crackle with hundreds of Hollywood movies on demand Works with virtually any TV Enhanced remote with motion control for games FREE full edition of Angry Birds game Ethernet port for wired Internet connection USB port for music, videos & photos

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #18 in Speakers
• Color: Black
• Brand: Roku
• Model: 3100R
• Dimensions: .90" h x 3.30" w x 3.30" l, .2 pounds

Features

• 300+ channels with movies, TV shows, music, sports & more
• High-definition streaming up to 1080p HD
• Works with virtually any TV
• Enhanced remote with motion control for playing games. Uses 2 AA batteries (included)
• Built-in wireless (Wi-Fi b/g/n) and wired Internet connectivity

From the Manufacturer

Meet Roku 2

The flagship Roku 2 XS delivers 1080p HD streaming to your TV, plus fun casual games for an extra dose of great entertainment. Enjoy more than 300 channels featuring the best movies, TV shows, live sports, music, games, and more, including Netflix, Hulu Plus, Amazon Instant Video, Crackle, Pandora, and much more. It also includes built-in wireless, a full version of Angry Birds and works with virtually any TV.

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Features and Benefits of Roku 2

A Large and Growing Entertainment Base

Roku 2 delivers more than just movies and TV shows from the biggest names in instant entertainment. You also get access to over 300 channels and counting: from the latest news to your favorite music to the craziest cat videos from around the world. Plus, new channels are added all the time, so you'll always find something new to watch, hear and enjoy.

Live Sports Channels

Any time you want it. Roku streams the action as soon as you say go with a large selection of live sports packages, including NHL, NBA, UFC, MLB and MLS.

Streaming Music Stations

With Roku 2, you can play any music, any time. Let unlimited music from Pandora or MOG take you in new directions or to the exact tune you're looking for. From Sirius XM to your iTunes library, Roku can stream whatever music genre you are searching for.

Access Casual Games

With the enhanced remote the new Roku 2 XS offers a built-in accelerometer and gyro so you can play games with just a flick of your wrist. Every Roku 2 XS that ships includes a free full version of the Angry Birds game.

A Small Surface-Footprint

Barely larger than a coaster, Roku 2 slips neatly alongside any TV or entertainment center, and uses less power than a nightlight. That's over 80 times less than your average game console.

A Simple, Easy, and Inexpensive Internet TV Alternative

From its simple remote to its easy-to-use interface, Roku 2 was designed connect you to internet television options without the investment in an internet-ready TV. All you need to get started is a high-speed Internet connection, and a TV. The built-in wireless and guided setup mean you can be up and running in minutes.

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Included with the Roku XS Streaming Player

• Enhanced remote with motion control for games
• Angry Birds game
• Two AA batteries
• HDMI video output (for high-definition)
• Composite A/V combo output (for standard-definition; works with included A/V cable)
• Wireless (Wi-Fi b/g/n)
• Ethernet port
• USB port or playing videos, music, and photos**
• A/V cable (red/white/yellow)
• Power adapter
• Get Started guide
• 90-day manufacturer warranty

What you need

• A TV
• High-speed Internet connection with a speed of at least 1.2 Mbps (such as mid-level DSL). For HD video, 5 Mbps is recommended (if you're not sure what your speed is, go to www.speedtest.net and run the simple test)
• A wireless or wired router

Compare Roku models

	Roku 2 HD	Roku 2 XD	Roku 2 XS
300+ channels with movies, TV shows, music, sports & more
FREE movie service from Crackle with hundreds of Hollywood movies
Works with virtually any TV
Built-in wireless (Wi-Fi b/g/n)
Plays high-definition video (720p)*
Plays the best HD video (1080p)*
Enhanced remote with motion control for games
FREE full edition of Angry Birds; game
Ethernet port for wired Internet connection
USB port for music, videos, & photos**

* 720p and 1080p HD availability varies by content partner
** USB 2.0 port (enabled via free Roku USB Media Player channel). Video support: MP4 (H.264). Audio support: MP3, AAC. Image support: JPG, PNG.

Customer Reviews

Most helpful customer reviews

278 of 289 people found the following review helpful.
Smart little puck, as good as (but different from) Apple TV
By Jon Folkers
This little player, about the size of a hockey puck, is exactly what I was looking for. It's cheap, easy, and fun. I got it to play Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Vimeo, and everything else it does is a pleasant add-on, especially motion-controlled Angry Birds. If you're in the market for a Roku 2, I think you might as well get this high-end model (there are stripped-down versions for less money) since it has a few more capabilities, including a game controller, an ethernet jack, and a USB port for playing external files. The software interface is not slick but everything fast and responsive.

UPDATE: I added a star because this unit has proven itself much more stable than it was at launch, due to frequent software updates. Also, the machine now has the HBO Go app, which allows you to stream from HBO on demand from a huge catalog of movies and TV shows.

How is the Roku 2 different from the Apple TV (which it resembles, and I also considered)? It's physically similar and has some overlapping features, but here are the main differences as I see them:

BOTH have Netflix Streaming and sports channels such as NBA and MLB (subscription required for this stuff). Both have wired and wireless network capabilities. Both are tiny, power-sipping, unobtrusive little devices that could probably be embedded in TV hardware.

AppleTV (not the Roku 2!) has tight iTunes integration, including iTunes movie rentals, streaming from a local PC/Mac with iTunes installed, and YouTube. AirPlay (stream to the box from your iOS device) is supported and works well and adds to the usability of this device if you have an iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch. At this time, you can only use the "apps" that are included with the box. The AppleTV remote is made of attractive aluminum but relies on line-of-sight infrared signals. AppleTV requires an HDTV to work and displays up to 720p resolutions.

Roku 2 (the product being reviewed! not AppleTV!) has a "channel" installer which you can easily manage via a web app on your computer. This system is a bit less polished, but a lot more open than the AppleTV system. Roku Channel choices include Amazon Prime videos, Amazon rentals, Vimeo, Hulu Plus, Pandora Radio, and bunch of streaming news and movie services. The Wii-like game remote comes with Angry Birds and more 2D casual games are promised. The game controller has built-in accelerometers and game-friendly buttons, and it works well for this game. This layout would be ideal for Super Nintendo style games, too. I like how it doesn't require an IR receiver like the Wii remote does. The tiny Roku 2 box has an IR receiver so you can use a universal remote with it, but the included remote uses RF signals and doesn't need line-of-sight to the box. Roku 2 XS can run on pretty much any TV (it includes composite cables) and can display up to 1080p resolutions.

As you can see, these two machines are similar, but not the same. I chose this machine because it worked with an old SDTV, could play Amazon Prime videos (lots of kids programming on there, thanks Amazon), and offers a nice, standalone alternative to the Apple ecosystem.

459 of 487 people found the following review helpful.
Great device, user experience could be better
By Mahesh
I've been using Roku 2 XS for a few days now and I must say I like the device, but there are quite a few hiccups. So first the good stuff.

* The Box is tiny and the setup is a breeze. I was up and streaming in under 5 mins.
* Netflix, Huluplus, Amazon and Pandora worked fine
* Streaming in 1080p worked fine without buffering (I use Xfinity) and the quality is superb
* The Ethernet option (available only in XS) is very helpful and the Quality of streaming is far better than wireless

and the not so good stuff:
* The Box does not have adequate memory and needs an external micro-SD card for more capacity
* The device re-booted a few times for me when switching between channels. I was initially very upset with this as the reboot process takes about 3-4 mins. I called support and they asked me to uninstall Angry Birds as it takes up huge amount of space. Did that and then on no re-boots. This sucks as Roku 2 advertises Angry Birds big time and the remote is designed for that, but the device is not capable without additional memory
* It is non-sense that I buy the high end XS version for Ethernet and HD support and I still have to buy HDMI cable and Ethernet cable separately!
* I mainly bought Roku for streaming International Channels and to my horror I found that most of the channels do not work in Roku 2!! Apparently Roku 2's video format is different to that of Roku 1. Roku support says that the Channel provider needs to fix it and the Channel provider's support say that Roku needs to fix it!!! So why advertise them and make me sign up for them then??
* Finally, many channels have sub-channels within them. Switching from One channel is only possible through menus and there are no short-cuts. It takes up to 5 to 6 button press to switch Channels and it obviously sucks.

Verdict:
If Roku is serious of competing with Apple TV and Content is the differentiator, then Roku needs to pay more attention to the content and ensure it works and make the user experience better.

157 of 170 people found the following review helpful.
New Look, New Power, New option.
By Jeremy Johnson
With an upgraded processor and design, it carries most of the same features as the original player in a smaller size; the main changes is the Wii like remote and Angry Birds being included along with a small selection of games that you can purchase from their games store.

My main peeve is the same as the first player; the device never powers off. This messes with my auto switcher and I have to unplug the Roku when I'm not using it and want to watch something else or play games. Roku's whole goal with this is so that the unit will always be able to receive updates. Even with them saying that it consumes little power while idle, I would rather have the option to power off. I know I could get a better switching system that would correct this, but I don't feel like spending the money on that part of the system at this time.

I've heard several complaints of no Optical connections, which depending on your setup can be a big hindrance, for me this isn't a big issue as I don't use optical. All else fails, you can always get a HDMI to Optical converter box. This may be a big reason that a lot of customers stay with the original Roku or go for another system all together.

The Roku 2 no longer supports dual band Wireless N, it only works in the 2.4 Ghz range.

The XS model is the only one that comes with an Ethernet port, so if you have poor or no wireless you'll need to get this version to be able to connect. For the extra $30 dollars this player costs you, it includes the spiffy remote, Free Game, Ethernet port and USB option. So if you have any hesitation, opt for the XS.

They've moved the USB connection to the side of the device, but you'll have to wait till September for the full USB functional to be released in a new firmware update. Until then you'll have limited compatibility and functionality.

They've opted for a Micro SD card to increase device memory when you need more space for games or more channels. I know it's smaller in size, but I would have liked to see a Standard SD card slot so I don't have to buy special memory for this specific device. Just personal preference and doesn't hinder the usability.

I wouldn't be surprised if in the future their next system was an all out gaming console. With the new focus on games, it just opens up the possibility.

Overall, I'm a casual TV watcher, I might watch an hour a day or less and it fits my needs. if you don't care about the games and a little bit of added performance your original Roku will work just fine for you. Otherwise, if you care about size, new technology, and the option for basic games. It's worth the upgrade.