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The cheap streaming mini-marvel of a set-top box that our American cousins have been raving about for years is finally available on our shores. It’s shipping right now and has even had the BBC iPlayer bundled in for good measure.
Two models are available; a £50 720p-pusher the Roku LT and the £100 Roku 2 XS, which ups its game to 1080p and bundles in a Bluetooth motion-controller for a bit of casual gaming.
If you’re looking for a cheap and small box to bring Netflix, BBC iPlayer and a load of other on-demand streaming media “channels” then you won’t go far wrong with a Roku or two.
So should I get one of these or a Raspberry Pi?
One of these will probably be a smoother media streamer experience, but the Raspberry Pi has a lot more potential if you’re prepared to work at it. Why not buy both?
1.Money 2.Space 3.Necessity
I am loving NetFlix on the Roku, new in the UK, especially as Amazon seems to have fumbled the ball, and although they are the only people selling the Roku in the UK, have overlooked providing their own streaming service that will work on the device.
The US version of Amazon Streaming is blocked in the UK, Amazon.co.uk does not currently have a streaming service available, LoveFilm a british company that Amazon brought recently (presumably to plug the gap in streaming services provided by Amazon.co.uk), does not support the Roku device.
So as I say Amazon seem to have fumbled the ball, selling what I predict will be the most popular streaming device in the UK (already the most popular device in the US), and the company is giving their competitors a clear shot at the market.
There is a but in all of this, why oh why are customers of Netflix in the UK treated as second class citizens as far as the programmes available. A brief look at Netflix (US) and comparing it to Netflix (UK) and it is obvious that currently the UK customers are seeing only a small subset of the programs available.
Companies like Amazon and Netflix need to realise that with the freedom that streaming gives the customer, they are starting to see program content recorded in the US, and when these shows are raving about how good Netflix is and how, if your on Netflix you should play catchup on show such as Friday Night Lights, a show that is just starting to be shown on Murdocks Sky TV, it’s easy to get disappointed by the discovery that this is a show that only US Netflix users are permitted to see. If I was a conspiracist I would suggest that Murdock is trying to throttle the life out of streaming in the UK, something that will effect the Sky broadcaster more than anybody else.
I hope that both Amazon and Netflix really give the battle for UK viewers a serious go, I would hate for either company to see the UK market as a no go area.
If on a budget, I would definitely say the Roku is one of the best boxes to get. Might be a bit better than an AppleTV too