Netflix streaming set top box review

Posted by Joe on May 21st, 2008

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Netflix announced the launch of a new streaming video player that will allow subscribers to view over 10,000 movies and televisions shows on demand over the Internet. The set top box is powered by Roku and will retail for about $99 when it is released later this year.

Since we have yet to test the new Netflix streaming movie service ourselves we have put together a sampling of feedback from trusted sources across the web as a service to our readers.

From Wired’s Mark McClusky:

WIRED Textbook definition of a simple setup. Good video quality from streams. Box automatically upgrades as new software features become available. No cost above normal Netflix subscription.

TIRED Another nondescript black box to clutter up your living room. Just not as much content as we wish was available. Box and remote, while functional, just aren’t very good looking.

From The New York Times’ Saul Hansell:

You can show your non-techie friends the Roku Netflix Player, and they’ll get it right away. Unlike most version 1.0 products, you won’t have to keep making excuses for delays, awkwardness and various bugs. The box does what it says it does well and doesn’t promise to do anything else. In my tests, it was easy to use, responsive, with good video quality. (Disclosure: I didn’t stress it. I have a fast Internet connection and an old small TV that is gentle on fuzzy pictures.)

The product right now isn’t for everybody. If you don’t want old movies or don’t want a $9-a-month subscription, it is clearly not for you. But if you like that deal, you’ll like the box.

From CNET’s John P. Falcone:

Those looking for the HD video quality and polished interface of Apple TV and Vudu will be disappointed. The Netflix Player is strictly barebones–you’re not intended to do anything more than just dive in and watch the movies and TV shows you’ve already queued up via your online Netflix account. The biggest drawback–for now at least–is the dearth of quality content. Thanks to Hollywood’s byzantine licensing system, less than 10 percent of Netflix’s 100,000-plus library of titles is available for streaming to the Player. That means, for now, that only two of Netflix’s top 100 DVDs are available for streaming: March of the Penguins and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

That said, the Netflix Player has a major trump card in terms of price: it retails for $100, and delivers unlimited streaming to any Netflix subscriber on the $8.95 plan or above. That’s a major departure from Apple TV, Vudu, Xbox Live Marketplace, and Amazon Unbox, all of which offer only pay-per-view options, including download-to-own videos and rentals with tight viewing windows (e.g. rental titles must be completely viewed within 24 hours).

From the Associated Press’ Peter Svensson:

For me, the low price was an effective dose of Gold Bond powder on this irritation. Starting a movie takes up to a minute? Yes, but hey, it’s cheap! The picture quality varies a great deal, and there’s no HD? Yes, but you can’t expect the world for $8.99 a month.

Roku’s box is just the first of what Netflix hopes is a whole family of products that get movies from its Web site. LG Electronics is planning to include the streaming capability in a Blu-ray DVD player later this year, and two other unnamed manufacturers are bringing out set-top boxes.

But I don’t see a big reason to wait for them. Even if the Roku player sacrifices a few things to limbo under the $100 price level, it’s a no-brainer for the 8 million-plus Netflix customers out there. If you’re not one, this is an added reason to become one.

From the Washington Post/TechCrunch’s John Biggs:

The Netflix Player by Roku is the first in what portends to be a long line of devices designed to download and stream movies from Netflix. While in its current incarnation the device is fairly limited, I can firmly recommend it with the expectation that the movie selection will improve.

You can learn more about online dvd rental services by visiting our online dvd rental service reviews and comparison.

Update: Thanks to Laurie Boeder at the About.com Classic Movies Blog who points out that the new Netflix set-top box will likely be a convenient option for classic film buffs as well.

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