Roku HD Streaming Player

by Roku

Product Features

• 600+ channels with movies, TV shows, music, sports & more
• High-definition streaming up to 720p HD
• Works with virtually any TV
• Free app for iOS and Android
• Built-in wireless (Wi-Fi b/g/n)

› See more product details

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.

750+ channels and counting. Features the top sources, like Netflix, Hulu Plus, HBO GO, and Amazon Instant Video.

High-definition streaming—up to 720p HD.

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

The easiest 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.

With Roku, you'll always find that perfect movie or show to fit your mood.

Plus even more choices

With over 750+ 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, cat tricks, and... well, you get the idea.

Compare Roku models

750+ entertainment channels
Built-in wireless (Wi-Fi b/g/n compatible)
New on-screen experience with one-stop search*
Plays 720p HD video*
Instant replay control on remote
Plays 1080p HD video
Remote with headphone jack (includes in-ear headphones)
Motion control for games (Angry Birds Space included free)
Dual-band wireless, Ethernet port & USB port**

* Available as free software upgrade by May 2013 on Roku LT, HD (model #2500) and Roku 2
** See product description below for list of file formats supported via USB

It's ridiculously easy

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. And we bet you don't even have to call your nerdy nephew for help.

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

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.
• A wireless router

Product Description

The Roku HD delivers all the streaming entertainment choices, 720p HD video quality, and ease-of-use that Roku is known for, at an amazing price. Enjoy 600+ channels from all the top sources such as Netflix, Hulu Plus, Amazon Instant Video, Pandora, HBO GO and MLB. Includes one-stop search. There’s even a free app for iOS and Android.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1,018 of 1,049 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Not perfect, but still awesome July 28, 2012

By Andrew H. Smith

With cable and satellite bills rising, most people - including myself - don't want to shell out X dollars per month just to watch five shows on a regular basis. Although there are numerous choices out there, the two most popular are Apple TV and Roku. Although I have an iPhone and an iPad, in addition to a MacBook, I didn't want to pay $100 for something that I had no experience with (streaming at-home devices). Plus, Wal-Mart had the Roku HD on sale for $50, and CNET had given the HD - and it's twin, the LT - an Editor's Choice Award, so I took the plunge. Here's my review after almost 2 months of using the box on a regular basis.

Before I begin, though, a word of warning: no, you will not get HuluPlus or Netflix free just because you paid for the Roku box. I seriously doubt anyone thought this was the case, but just in case I'm wrong you still have to pay for those subscriptions if you want to use those channels. Also, you still have to have a cable subscription that includes HBO to access HBO Go - and just because your cable or satellite provider allows you to watch the HBO Go app on your mobile device doesn't mean they'll allow you to access HBO Go on the Roku. Through DirectTV, I can watch HBO Go on my aforementioned mobile devices, but (as of this writing) I can't watch HBO Go on the Roku. I maintain this is more the fault of HBO than Roku or the providers (this fact apparently holds true on the Apple TV as well), but regardless this is something you need to remember if HBO Go is a make-or-break factor in whether to buy one of these devices.

Setup is easy. You plug in an HDMI cable (or a component cable, if you have a non-HDMI TV; another advantage all the Rokus have over the Apple TV), plug in the power supply, and you begin setup. All you have to do is create an account on Roku.com and enter your credit card info (don't worry, you're not going to have to buy most of the channels or shows, you just have to have your info stored in case you buy one of the paid channels or you download something off of Amazon OnDemand. I personally didn't find it a big deal, but I can understand why people would be annoyed by this). Once you're done with the initial setup (which takes about 10 minutes, give or take), the box will automatically download several channels for you: Amazon OnDemand, Crackle, Netflix, HuluPlus, and Pandora. Also, on the Roku HD remote - in contrast to the LT - there are three shortcut buttons for Netflix, Crackle, and Pandora, which is very nice to have.

Content: you go into the Channel Store (on the home screen) and from there download any channel you want that's available. There are dozens upon dozens of channels, ranging from popular ones to obscure. You can get sports, tech, news, obviously movies and TV, and many more channels. Plus, Roku is good about updating new channels on a regular basis (although right now most of the added channels are religious stations). Unfortunately, the Roku HD doesn't have a simple search function, so you're going to have to scroll through these channels manually. Right now, while the number of channels is comparatively small, it's more of an annoyance than a real problem, but as more channels get added in the future, Roku's going to have to add a search function if they want to keep people buying. Once again, remember that some channels do require a monthly subscription or require you to pay to download the channel, so look before you leap. However, the variety is excellent; there's going to be something for everyone. Plus, unlike with cable, if you don't like a channel, you can delete it (although for monthly paid services remember to call them and tell them to cancel your subscription).

Quality of picture: as mentioned everywhere, the maximum picture the Roku HD will broadcast in is 720P/1080i. In other words, it's HD, but not full HD. Right now, while virtually all TV shows are still broadcast in 720P, that's not a big deal - even on larger TVs - and if you have a TV under 42 inches you're probably not going to notice a great difference in picture quality between 720P and 1080P anyway, but for recent Amazon OnDemand movies or with a larger TV (i.e. 50 inches) you might want to shell out for the Roku 2 XS (which is around $100) to take full advantage of your TV's picture quality. However, I have to say the picture quality on the box is excellent. I have a PS3 with Hulu Plus as well, and honestly the picture on the Roku HD is much better: much crisper, slightly less "digital-looking", and just plain better (for the record, I have a 32" LED from LG).

Internet: because the Roku HD is single-bandwith, and because you just plain need a lot of proverbial horsepower to get the most out of streaming digital video, you're going to need a fairly fast internet connection. I would argue that if you're download speed is 1.5 MBPS, for instance, you're going to have a hard time watching stuff on the Roku HD. I have 30 MBPS, so for me streaming is easy EXCEPT when I want to get on my computer. Then audio problems sometimes arise. It's more pronounced on some channels than others; Netflix never has a problem, but Hulu can become unwatchable at times because the sound quality deteriorates so badly. This is apparently a problem on most Roku devices, so be forewarned. Honestly, it doesn't happen that often, and as of late when it does happen, it's usually only for a few seconds while the video buffers, and then it's fine, so don't worry this isn't a deal-breaker.

Other observations/complaints: not every channel you could want is on here. YouTube, Vudu, and Twitter are just some of the channels found on other devices that are not present (as of this review) on any of the Roku boxes. In terms of Facebook, Roku has a channel for your Facebook picture/movie uploads, but it's literally only that; there's no full Facebook integration. A much ballyhooed channel is Plex. Plex allows you to stream movies, videos, and photos off your computer onto your TV. For example, I use iTunes for my music, and what Plex lets me do is stream the music off of iTunes onto my TV. The biggest problem with Plex is you have to have your computer up and running the Plex app in order to do all this. Kind of annoying.

So how much do you save? My mom got one of these as well and dumped DirectTV, for which she was paying around $80/month. After factoring in the monthly cost of a Netflix and Hulu subscription (she hasn't downloaded anything off of Amazon, and she doesn't have any of the other subscription channels), she's saving about $60/month. That's a great deal of money. More importantly, she says she's watching her TV more now than she was with satellite. Roku's not perfect - and certainly not being able to watch live TV (for most things) has its disadvantages - but if you need a cheap way to reduce your cable bill while still enjoying your favorite shows, the Roku HD is the best value around.

358 of 393 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Easy to connect and works great. April 13, 2012

By L. Allen

Amazon Verified Purchase

Was looking for a wireless streaming player for my Netflix and Amazon Instant Video accounts. This is for the bedroom on my 37" 720p LCD, so I didn't need to spend the extra $$ on the Roku 1080p capable players. In reality, you aren't likely going to get true 1080p video from these streaming players anyway. At any rate, this Roku HD player seemed to fill my need and it definitely does. Easy to link to your existing streaming accounts and Crackle is a free channel with movies and TV episodes, although you do have commercials. Doesn't come with a HDMI cable, but I had a spare on hand.

One note on the remote pictured, it's not the one included. The remote that came with this player has the added, dedicated buttons for Netflix, Pandora and Crackle. Other than those additions it's the same as what is pictured. Highly recommended for those who just want a streaming player for under $60, since this is all it does.

80 of 85 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars The Roku HD model runs hot, crashes July 22, 2012

By Swany

Amazon Verified Purchase

Immediately after I received the Roku HD I started having problems with it locking up - the only way to recover is to unplug the power and restart. Then I noticed that it runs very hot, even when it is in standby mode. I assumed I had a defective unit, so I returned it for replacement and got another one. Same problem and had to return the second unit as well. This appears to be a design problem.

I purchased the Roku HD because I got a Roku LT a few months ago, and I love it. Easy to use, runs cool, no problems at all.

I measured the surface temperature of the HD and the LT with an infrared thermometer after they had both been in *standby* mode (LED off) for over 12 hours, not even in use. Side by side, on a table in a 72-degree room, the Roku LT is 80.8 degrees, while the Roku HD is 127 degrees! Before you consider purchasing the HD, I recommend searching the Roku forums and elsewhere for "roku hd hot". There are also other reviews here on Amazon about heat and stability problems with the HD.