When Steve Jobs first announced the Apple TV, a device for playing digital content from iTunes, he was probably expecting it to become more of a hit than what it is. Sales aren’t exactly stellar which leaves plenty of room for competition to come in and steal the show. In this case, it’s Netflix’s first streaming box made by Roku which in some ways, is coming in to shine brighter than the Apple TV. It’s priced at an affordable $99 dollars compared to $229 or $329 for the Apple TV.
The one thing both devices have in common is that they allow users to watch movies. In the situation with the set-top box from Roku, Netflix subscribers will be able to access the Netflix library of about 10,000 movies and have them streamed. The only cost to Netflix subscribers is the cost of the box and the monthly service plan of at least $9 dollars. The cost to Apple TV users is higher because they are required to pay for every movie that they want to rent or purchase from iTunes which can quickly add up.
Above is the image of the Roku Netflix Player and the one thing it doesn’t have that the Apple TV does is a case that looks sharp. Apple sure does know how to design, don’t they? The Apple TV looks classy while the Roku set-top-box is lacking in the “aesthetically pleasing” category. Another downside for Netflix subscribers who purchase a box is that there’s no HD support quite yet. It is easy to set-up though and automatically syncs your Instant Queue says PCMag.com who reviewed it and gave it a 4 out of 5.
For any of you that are Netflix subscribers, is this box something worth buying given its affordable price and are the movies that Netflix offers for streaming ones you’d want to watch?
Thanks for the tip Omar!
Source: Engadget
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Tags: Gadgets, Apple, iTunes, Movies
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I wouldn’t buy this simply because if I do want to watch a movie on Watch Now, I could watch them on my PC. Secondly, this lacks in the area of new releases because Netflix for some reason doesn’t add the newest movies to Watch Now. Apple has the newest stuff. If I want the newest movies from Netflix, I can only get them by mail.
I’m guessing it will still be a little while before Netflix adds new releases to Watch Now, but once they do devices like this will explode in popularity. I don’t have a Netflix account right now, but I would pay $10 a month if I could stream new releases.
The “Watch Now” selection is poor - mostly older movies or ones you wouldn’t want to watch anyway (b movies). There are a few gems in there but not enough to get me to buy a separate component for my living room.
Once Netflix offers every movie as a “Watch Now” selection then I’m all in.
The idea of buying a set top box locked into a single provider is stupid and more proof that these companies don’t understand why the internet is so amazing. Its a sensible idea that four or five companies could compete in the online rental market - so thats 5 boxes on one TV? Just give me a DVD…
No thanks. I don’t need yet another box on/under/around my TV. My DVD/VCR, analog-to-digital converter, and 2 gaming consoles are plenty.
You bring up a good point Kat - there are so many darn boxes that you could potentially have sitting around your TV. Eventually people are simply going to run out of room!