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Originally Posted by Rathji
Heading to Walmart to pick up a Roku 3 today. Assuming they have one in stock somewhere here, I will give a review in the next couple days.
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So been playing with the Roku 3 for the last week and wanted to give some thoughts. I paid $99 USD for it, am not sure it is available anywhere in Canada yet, but it is coming soon.
For perspective, I currently have an Apple TV 2 on my main level and we are looking for a Netflix (and Plex if possible) box for our bedroom TV, so our plan was to put Roku on our main TV and move the ATV to our bedroom . My wife runs an iPad and iPhone, and my kids have an iPod touch. I have Android.
The box is small, as is expected. The power adapter causes some trouble in my power bar, effectively taking up 2 outlets. It only has an HDMI output, which actually messes with my current HT setup, since my audio needs to be fiber/rca.
The remote is an interesting item. Shaped like a slightly small Wiimote, it includes a headphone jack so the included earphones can be plugged in so you can watch without disturbing others. I tried this a couple times when I was cleaning, and in my pocket the buttons would keep getting pressed if I bent over, or moved wrong. The audio also seemed to cut out at random times, but I am unsure if it was distance issues, or I was hitting the button and actually pausing the show very briefly - I have no doubt that it would be great for sitting still in bed. It also includes motion controls, which my kids enjoy - allowing them to play Angry Birds on the TV.
There is also remote apps for both Android and iOS. I have no played with the iOS version, but the Android version is responsive and easy to setup - just connect to Wifi and enter your Roku account info. There are even voice controls.
The device is responsive and I have never noticed any lag in the controls, but on a couple occasions when my kids were using it, they said it stopped responding.
Available channels seem pretty standard. Netflix, NHL, MLB, some free content channels like old Cartoons. There are games, but I have only tried the Angry Birds.
Overall, I am satisfied with it. The lack of dedicated audio output and the headphones on the remote, might lead it to become my bedroom box until such time that I can resolve the issues associated with me only being able to use my TV audio with the Roku.