Saturday, February 6, 2010

Roku XR -- Streaming Netflix Perfection

Tech Note by: Steven Combs, Ph.D.
Roku XD Streaming Player 1080pI just purchased a new, and very inexpensive, Roku to add to our entertainment cabinet. Not familiar with the Roku? Let me hit the highlights for you. The Roku boxes, all three models, provide access to several streaming audio/video services. Most notable for this little black box is Netflix Instant Streaming. Not familiar with Netflix Instant Streaming? Take some time and read this page. I’ll be waiting for you after the “click below” to share my experiences with the Roku. I’ll also discuss why it is a better solution for streaming Netflix movies than a TiVo HD.

TiVo Netflix Instant Streaming Issues:
Netflix Instant Streaming is available for several devices. I use the service on our TiVo HD; however, there are many issues. The most serious being that the TiVo would require a reboot, or worse, reboot on its own (usually while recording a show) after extended Netflix streaming. And it takes FOREVER for a TiVo HD to reboot! But that wasn’t the only thing that lead me to a Roku box purchase.





I have Charter Internet service. The connection is generally quick and during non-peak hours, provides exceptional bandwidth for streaming. During peak hours, things change. Because of the densely populated area of our community, the bandwidth drops considerably when we all decide to surf the web. That’s when the TiVo streaming becomes erratic and chaotic. It often switches between an HD stream to a lower quality stream, rebuffers every two minutes, or in those worse cases, completely locks up the TiVo. I blame the TiVo Netflix streaming software. It should be smarter and when downgrading the signal, it should stay there, not continuously trying to improve the signal by rebuffering every two minutes.

Solution – Roku:
So what’s a Netflix streaming fan to do? One evening when we were particularly interested in a Lost episode (we’ve been mowing through the first five seasons on Netflix instant streaming to watch the last season with the rest of the world) the TiVo began its erratic behavior. I turned off the TV and broke out the MacBook Pro. I fired up Netflix in Safari and we continued to watch the show with nary a problem – no hiccups and no lock ups. Hmmmm. That reinforced my belief that the TiVo software was defective. Time for a new solution and hooking up the MacBook Pro to our HDTV was not the answer.

We needed something easy to use. After a bit of online research and talking with my good friend Mark, I decided the Roku was just the ticket to solve our Netflix streaming woes. And we’ve been happily watching Netflix streaming with nary a hiccup. The Roku does Netflix streaming perfectly and during those peak hours, it figures out a suitable streaming speed and delivers the best possible picture available for the reaminder of the show. No switching back and forth as the bandwidth goes through its peeks and valleys. During peak hours, we’ve found the Roku more consistent than the TiVo in providing HD streams. It is the clear winner.

Roku has Channels:
I’ve focused this post on Netflix Instant Streaming, but Roku has and is adding “channels” to their line up including Amazon Digital Downloads, for movie purchases and rentals; the Twit network for all of your favorite tech audio and video netcasts; and, live games for MLB fans. There’s even a Pandora channel so you can listen to all your favorite customized music. Rumor is – more channels are on the way.

Wi-Fi Problems:
Now before I sound all warm and fuzzy about my Roku, let me share just a bit negativity about my installation. Sure, there’s only two cables to connect (power and HDMI), but I had a bit of problem connecting to my Wi-Fi network out of the box. I purchased the Roku because it included 802.11n Wi-Fi. I wanted the Roku connected to our network wirelessly and I wanted it to have the fastest connection possible.

In our home, I have an Airport Extreme (802.11n) with a bridged Airport Express (802.11g) installed to provide two separate networks for differing devices (read this post for more). Initially I tried to connect the Roku to our faster network (802.11n). It wouldn’t connect no matter what I tried. So, I connected to the slower network (802.11g). No problem. The Roku immediately connected and displayed an upgrade notification. I proceeded with the software upgrade.

After the upgrade I decided to give the faster network another shot. It immediately connected. Moral of the story? If you have an Airport Extreme (n) router, you may have to upgrade the Roku software before you can connect. If you don’t have an 802.11g, you may not be able to connect the Roku to your network via Wi-Fi. Solution? Run a network cable from your router to your Roku, connect via ethernet, update the Roku software, disconnect the ethernet cable, reboot the Roku, connect to the 802.11n network. That should do it for you.

Summing Up:
The Roku wins the Doc’s Tech Notes seal of approval. I’m a huge fan now and I find myself exploring even more of my Netflix Instant Streaming Queue. If you have been streaming Netflix on your TiVo and have experienced the same issues described, I highly recommend you go out and get yourself one of the three Roku’s available. If you have an 802.11n network and an HDTV, that would mean the $99 Roku XDS. For those readers with an 802.11g and an HDTV, consider the $99 Roku HD. Still using a standard definition TV? No worries, the basic Roku is just for you and a steal at $79! If you are like me, you’ll find even greater value with Netflix Instant Streaming. You’ll also be able to explore other IPTV channels. Who knows, you may even find you can do without those expensive premium cable channels.

Are you using a Roku? How has your TiVo Netflix streaming been going? Drop a comment below and tell me about it.
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3 Folk(s) added to this Tech Note.:

  1. Dear Steve,

    After reading the technotes on netflix streaming, I have a
    question. I own a 52" Sharp L.C.D. t.v. I have a Bose Wave radio
    hooked up to it, and an apple macbook connected to airport extreme. A
    short while ago I subscribed to netflix and I enjoy watching their
    instant movies on my macbook with a pair of bose comfort 2 headphones.
    My internet is Verizon DSL, a little under 1 megabite per/second.
    I want to stream netflix to my T.V. Should I buy an HDMI cable and
    use my macbook or order the 129$ Roku box as the article says?
    Which would work better? To be more specific, I have the slowest
    DSL connection that Verizon offers. Movies play well on my macbook. If
    I order the Roku box will the quality of the movies be the same as if
    I connected my macbook to the tv. The article stated that during
    primetime the internet connection slows down and the roku box gives
    lower resolution pictures. I guess "resolution" is what I'm concearned
    with. To put it another way will my macbook give a better resolution
    streaming netflix to my TV, compared to the Roku box.
    I don't want to throw away 129$. I can also up my DSL to 3
    megabits/ per second for 10$ more a month.
    Thanks,
    Scott
    ReplyDelete
  2. {Doc’s Note: Scott originally sent the comment above via e-mail and was gracious enough to repost here so I could comment, below is the e-mail as sent.}

    Thanks for reading and thanks for the question. Here’s what I recommend. First, in order to use the MacBook with HDMI, you are going to need a Display Port to HDMI adapter (not a cheap solution). What you will find is that this adapter does not feed the TV an audio signal, so you will also need an audio cable (another expense) from your MacBook (from the head phone jack) to your HDTV (usually RCA inputs or optionally a TOS). This setup works, but it requires more cables, money, and is a bit gangly when connecting your MacBook.

    Now, concerning quality. I’ve found that the Roku HD-XR provides the best possible Netflix image. I am unsure why, but is seems to adjust the quality better to the bandwidth than does my Mac. I’ve used this setup at a second home were we have Verizon DSL (3Mbps plan) and I never have a downgraded signal on DSL. Only on our cable connection have I seen a downgraded signal - those peak hours. When it does downgrade, you will notice the difference on your HDTV. It will be a bit blocky, but still very watchable and we’ve noticed after a few minutes, we get adjusted. It’s no HDTV stream, but it is usually no worse than VCR quality...ever...and most usually DVD quality. If you want the highest stream, upgrade your plan and I think you will be VERY happy with the quality and shouldn’t experience many downgraded signals. A regular reader and good friend has this same DSL setup and he too is pleased.

    I think you will also find the Roku more convenient when permanently connected to your HDTV and you will use Netflix more often. The remote and additional Roku featuers (channels) will have you exploring other online media on your HDTV. This will also allow you to have access to your MacBook when watching movies. All plusses in my opinion. So, if you want my honest opinion, go for the Roku if you have a bit of extra money. And when you connect the Roku, you will only need a single HDMI cable (get the Amazon cable for around $5) since the Roku feeds both audio and video through the HDMI port. A simple and inexpensive solution.

    If you decide to purchase a Roku, I recommend purchasing through Amazon. Quick, free shipping, and no tax (here’s the link again: Roku HD-XR).
    ReplyDelete
  3. TiVO has long held the position as the best provider for shows with its wide coverage, but along came Netflix and Roku, it lost grounds and from a household name had slowly disintegrated into a memory from years gone by.
    ReplyDelete

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