Roku 2 HD Streaming Player

by Roku

Product Features

• 300+ channels with movies, TV shows, music, sports & more
• High-definition streaming up to 720p HD
• Works with virtually any TV
• Built-in wireless (Wi-Fi b/g/n)
• Smaller and more energy-efficient than any other streaming device

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Product Description

From the Manufacturer

Roku 2 HD makes it so easy (and so affordable!) to stream tons of entertainment to your TV instantly—without a PC.

350 channels and counting: Features the top sources, like Netflix, Hulu Plus, HBO GO, and Amazon Instant Video

High-definition streaming: Up to 720p HD

Small footprint: The size of a hockey puck, Roku 2 uses less power than a night-light

Easy setup: Works with virtually any TV, includes built-in wireless, and sets up in minutes

The Best in Movies and TV

Roku puts over 150,000 titles at your fingertips, including:

• The biggest Netflix experience around, with support for HD video, Dolby Digital+ surround sound, and English subtitles
• Hulu Plus, with an amazing selection of current TV shows from the biggest networks
• Amazon Instant Video, featuring the latest movie releases, virtually all the blockbusters of the past, hit TV series, and much more—all on demand
• Hundreds of free Hollywood movies from Crackle
• Access to premium services like HBO GO and EPIX, available via participating providers

More Choices

With over 350 entertainment channels and counting, there’s something for virtually everyone, including:

• Unlimited music from Pandora, MOG, Rdio, and Live365
• Live sports packages including NBA League Pass, NHL GameCenter Live, MLS Matchday, UFC, and MLB.TV
• Photo and video sharing via Facebook, Flickr, and Picasa
• The top news sources like NBC, FoxNews.com, and CNN

Of course, there are also tons of international and lifestyle programming, tech news, social networking, podcasts, cartoons, clips, and more.

Compare Roku Models

350+ entertainment channels available, including hundreds of free movies
Works with virtually any TV
Built-in wireless (Wi-Fi b/g/n)
Plays high-definition video (720p)*
Expandable memory slot plus Bluetooth**
Plays the best HD video (1080p)*
Enhanced RF remote with motion control for games
FREE full edition of Angry Birds™ game
Ethernet port for wired Internet connection

* Availability of 720p or 1080p HD video varies by entertainment channel.
**All Roku 2 models feature a MicroSD memory slot for adding additional storage capacity, plus Bluetooth for adding an RF remote control.
***See specs for list of file formats supported via USB

Easy Setup

From the simple remote to the easy-to-use interface, Roku was designed to please everyone. All you need to get started is a high-speed Internet connection (and a TV, of course). The built-in wireless and guided setup mean you can be up and running in minutes.

Included with the Roku 2 HD

• Remote control
• 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)
• Bluetooth (for using Roku Game Remote, sold separately)
• MicroSD memory card slot (for adding extra storage for channels and games)
• A/V cable (red/white/yellow)
• Power adapter
• Get Started guide
• 90-day manufacturer warranty

What you need

• A TV
• High-speed Internet service 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 broadband speed is, go to www.speedtest.net and run the simple test)
• A wireless router

Product Description

The best value in high-definition streaming to your TV with more than 300 channels of movies, TV shows, live sports, and more. Enjoy Netflix, Hulu Plus, Amazon Instant Video, Crackle, Pandora, and much more. Includes built-in wireless, and works with virtually any TV.Video Interface: (1) Composite RCA Video Port; (1) HDMI Port;Audio Interface (1) Composite RCA Audio Ports; (1) HDMI Port,Ports and Connectors (1) 10/100 RJ-45 Ethernet Port; (1) microSD Card Slot; (1) HDMI Port; (1) A/V Output Jack.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

439 of 445 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars So tiny, so simple August 2, 2011

By RavenRing

Amazon Verified Purchase

Why Roku:
I have been looking at getting a Roku for a few months now and when I saw that the Roku 2 had just been released, I figured it was time to take action. I've never owned a streaming video box like the Roku before, but I have a Wii I use to watch Netflix and my parents have an Apple TV that I've watched Netflix and other video on. I was originally planing to get an Apple TV, but decided on the Roku for a few reasons. First, the Apple TV requires a HD TV, which I don't have, whereas the Roku can handle both a regular TV and HD (nice if I upgrade :). Second, as much as I love Apple products, I wanted a device that had more streaming selection. Specifically, a device that had a Crunchyroll channel. And finally, the Roku is just the least expensive device of this kind.

Setup:
So I got my Roku yesterday and had it set up in about 10 minutes. It would have been quicker if I had been using a computer instead of an iPad. The Roku itself is TINY. A little taller than the Apple TV, but much smaller around (it fits in the palm of my hand). It comes with an A/V cable, the power cord, a remote, 2 AAA batteries (for the remote), and a very short manual (it doesn't need a long one). To set it up, you plug in the cable and cord, hook it up to the TV and power, then turn on TV and set to the correct input. Like the Apple TV, the Roku doesn't need to be turned on and off, it take so little power in its standby state that you just leave it running. Once the Roku is connected to the TV you have to set up the network connection, which is super easy. Then you have to create an account on Roku.com (this requires a computer), which is where you are required to enter a credit card for any purchases you might make on the device. Once this step is done you pick out some channels to install on your home screen, wait a minute for a software update, and then voila! your Roku is ready for use. (It took me additional 10 minutes to sign in to all of my various accounts for the different channels (3 total), two required a computer, one (Netflix) did not)

Interface:
The interface for the Roku is very simple and easy to use. The channels, channel store, and settings are all presented in a single line across the screen (settings to the very left). It is super easy to install new channels and just as easy to remove them! To remove, go to the channel store and the "Your Channels" row and select the channel you want to remove and go into it. There is a description of the channel and an option to remove. It just takes a second, and you can always reinstall it if you change your mind. Browsing the channels store is a decent experience, but it lacks a search option. It sorts the channels into categories, i.e. Most Popular, Highest Rated, Sports, etc. Each category gets a row you can scroll through. It reminds me of the Wii Netflix interface.
The Roku's interface is much simpler and easier to navigate than both the Wii and the Apple TV. Of course, if you get a ton of channels it might make it a little more difficult to find things.

Watching:
I watched a few episodes of Anime using the Crunchyroll channel (I have a Premium account, so no ads!) and the viewing experience was as good as a DVD, though naturally the scanning isn't as smooth. Scanning brings up a timeline bar which you can track as you go forward or backward, but it doesn't have any video attached to this scan. This means that you have to know exactly how far you want to go. I think this is standard for streaming media, so not a mark against the Roku. UPDATE 10/5/11: Scanning improved! Now, instead of a black screen with no indication of where you are in the video, it has a line of little pictures representing X seconds of video (5 seconds maybe?), so you can see approximately where you are, where you are going, and where you have been! Very handy!
I also tested an episode on Crackle, a free channel that has free movies and TV shows (albeit with lots of ads). Again, the video and audio were great, no glitches or problems, just lots of ads. For a 20 minute episode I saw no less then 4 ads.
I also tried the Pandora channel. I normally use Pandora on my iPad and I like the iPad interface. The Roku Pandora channel was nicely designed and easy to use and the audio was good.

Finally:
I've read reviews on the original Roku about how bad the customer service is, which is part of the reason I bought it from Amazon and not directly from Roku (HD is $10 cheaper on Roku.com, but shipping is around that same amount, so not much savings).
For $70, I think this device is an excellent deal. Admittedly I've only used it for a few hours so far, but those few hours were smooth as silk. It is easy to set up and use and if you buy from Amazon you have at least 30 days to discover problems, which is normally plenty of time for electronics.
Do I recommend it? Absolutely.

UPDATE 8/15/12:
I've had the Roku for a year now and watched over 125 hours of video on it. Have had a couple of minor issues with lines through the video (this has happened maybe 3 or 4 times), but not really bothersome and probably a problem with the video stream rather than the device. Anyway, I still love my Roku!

71 of 74 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Roku Rocks! And still Does!!!! 12-31-2011 Update July 29, 2011

By B. Short

Amazon Verified Purchase

Bye Bye Cable! Just got my first Roku Box today, although we have been streaming TV (PS3 and Wii) for awhile now. I linked my Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hulu Plus accounts to the box in a matter of minutes. Set up was easy and the free content is excellent! The box itself is tiny you dont even notice it next to the TV. We dumped our cable provider a few months ago and got by with just streaming through the Wii and PS3, but with the Roku Boxes there is a TON more content and I dont really care for the Wii platform/dashboard. The box is about 25 feet away from my wireless router and signal is full. Im very happy with this purchase and will be ordering 2-3 more for the rest of the TVs in the house.

*******UPDATE*******
12-31-2011
I now have 2 of these little boxes one connected to a HD TV and one connected to my old 27 inch CRT TV. I'm just as impressed today as I was when I got my first one back in August. They at Roku have continued to add content both free and paid. I only have one complaint and its not all due to the Roku itself, the live content just isnt there yet, I have NBA Broadband and I gotta tell ya if ya wanna stream on ROKU WAIT!! The NBA has it all messed up and I have yet to be able to watch anything (even tho I'm paying for it.
Please make sure before you buy that you have a good internet service provider (ISP) and a decent wireless router. If you don't have enough bandwidth Roku cannot perform correctly, and there is nothing worse that choppy movies that need to keep reloading!! Rule of thumb 5Mbps absolute minimum some will tell you it will work with as little as 1Mbps, it'll work but barley! Be sure to test your speed at a site like speedtest net to get you download speeds.

144 of 158 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Simple to use, but doesn't live up to the original October 3, 2011

By Jason Stokes VINE™ VOICE

Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

I have an original Roku Netflix player. I swapped it out for this new Roku2 HD, and was sorely disappointed!

Pros:
- It's small. Like really small. About half the size of the original, and a bit bigger than a couple decks of cards.
- Comes with HDMI. Not a bunch of inputs/outputs to confuse unsophisticated users.
- Extremely easy to set up. Head to the website, and 2 minutes later, you're ready to go.
- Sets up via wireless.

Cons:
- No indicator showing the current picture quality level
- The picture quality was very, very, very poor. I swapped the old and new ones a few times, and consistently got a much, much lower quality and lower bandwidth picture from the new one.

Overall, I can't recommend this due to the picture quality issues. This unit uses dynamic bandwidth, so I couldn't determine if it was messed up due to this unit's design, or if it was just drawing poor bandwidth. An item like this is pointless if every picture looks like circa 1987 picture quality on an old, beaten up VHS.

Update: 12/3/2011 - in response to several comments, I've used this back to back with the original Roku Netflix player. The original has the bandwidth for the highest quality every single time. This one, as stated, doesn't show the current picture quality level with an indicator, and consistently looks much more pixellated, artifact filled, and lower quality than my original box from ~2-3 years ago. I still can't recommend this new version.