Cutting the cord

[ken0042]

I also think Target had them on sale this week. There wasn't much stock on the shelf however; at least not at the Shawnessy location. Maybe 2 units there.

[Rathji]

Originally Posted by shane_c

Are you in Canada?

Normally, yes.

[1_Flames_Fan]

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.

I didn't think they had any distributors for the Roku 3 in Canada yet which is why I ordered from amazon.

[Rathji]

I am in the US atm, I guess I should have made that more obvious as to avoid confusion.

[Jimmy Stang]

Although it has already been covered somewhat: Don't bother with Boxee Box. I own one, and it is adequate for Netflix, streaming local files, and a handful of "channels", but it is essentially an abandoned project. It doesn't even do Flash very well anymore because many of the sites have updated their Flash version, and the Boxee folk either can't or won't update the version on the box.

So the best part about the Boxee - the ability to have a nice front end to legally-available content from TV channels - is quickly disappearing. It now sits in the play room so my son can watch Postman Pat on Netflix. He'll say that it was worth the $180, but there are cheaper ways to get Netflix for the play room.

[shane_c]

I think I'm going to hold off a little while longer to see if the Roku 3 becomes available in Canada.

My cable company charges in advance so I'm paid up until June 27. Hopefully in that month the 3 will show up on store shelves.

[Street Pharmacist]

I finally decided that the lower image quality for sports and tv shows is not worth the few dollars I'll save. If the Roku 3 can deliver a better stream I'll reconsider, but my internet speed here is spotty and with so many devices already using the internet, I'm guessing it won't be a good enough stream to not be annoyed all the time

[shane_c]

So I called the cable company a few days ago and cancelled it as of June 26 since I’m paid up until this point. I have my Terk antenna set up in the closet and can get CTV and CBC at 98% signal. It’s going to save $55/month which is better in my pocket than theirs.

I’m wanting to get a Roku 3 (mainly because it’s supposed to have a quicker processor and better wi-fi) but can’t seem to find when they’ll be available in Canada. I contacted Roku Canada yesterday and here is their response:

"Well, at this point we do not have an specific date for this release in Canada. The options we have available are Roku 2 XD and XS. However, at this moment I recomend you to take the Roku 2 XS model. The differences between this one and Roku 3 for Canada are minimm: both have USB port for external disks, LAN connection port, gaming remote control and both support HD formats. The main doffferences between them are the earphones and the control in the Roku 3 and the availability of more channels, but for US users. The Roku 2 can be used with almost any TV, and Roku 3 just can use HDMI connection."

From what I’ve read online there wasn’t a specific launch date in the US and that it just kind of showed up on shelves one day. I noticed that Future Shop has put the Roku 2 XD and XS on sale until June 21 so I’m wondering if they’re trying to clear some stock for the new model.

[Rathji]

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.

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.

[shane_c]

Thanks for the review.

I see Staples also has both Roku 2 units on for $10 off. I'm going to wait a bit longer. I'd hate to buy it now only for the new one to come out in a month or so. It's summer so I'm sure I can find better things to do than sit in front of the TV.

[1_Flames_Fan]

Thanks for your thoughts on the Roku 3. I just got mine from Amazon.com a couple days ago and have been playing around with it. I'll add my thoughts as well.

I wanted to be able to use my unblock us subscription so I could have all the US channels on my Roku 3 (netflix, hulu+, pandora,etc) but you can't sign up for a roku account without a credit card or paypal account online. It also seems that unblock us's DNS settings don't work on the roku home pages. What I did to get around this is clicked support and then opened a livechat with one of their customer service reps. I explained I purchased a Roku 3 and I wanted to create a US account but I didn't have paypal or a credit card. The rep asked where I got the Roku 3 from then asked for my address. I didn't have a US address so I gave him the zipcode I wanted to use. He said his chat window showed I was in Canada but I told him I was in the US and wanted a US account. He asked for the serial number and the authorization code that was on the screen when the roku was turned off (after all the updates) then he created an account and gave me a temp password. As soon as the account was created the ROKU 3 went to the home screen and all the US only apps were there. I was also able to add any of the apps via the device or by logging into my Roku account on my laptop. Kind of a pain in the ass workaround to get it set-up but worth it in my opinion.

The GUI on the unit is very good. Super fast and responsive especially comparable to the older versions of the device. I put it through its paces with no lag or issues.

The amount of apps or channels available as they are called on the Roku is very impressive. The company says they have over 750 channels, but I would guess many of them wouldn't be much use to the average user but having more options of content is always better than less options. In addition you can add "private channels" You just need a code work from that channel to add them. I didn't play around with this much but I did add the "nowhere music" channel which enabled me to access my google music account which was very cool and worked well. Apparently there is a workaround channel for youtube as well but I didn't get a chance to research that yet.

The Plex app works very well for streaming your personal collection of movies, TV shows and music. The interface is a little clunky and not as polished as the Plex client app on the Apple TV 2 but its functional, fast and works well. I streamed a variety of content through plex at different bitrates and had no issued with lag or crashing. I have a Plex server set up on my Synology NAS which is on 24/7 so individual results may vary depending on what your plex set-up is. I was used to using XBMC from my Apple TV2 to catalog and access my media but I am really starting to prefer the plex setup. You only need to update the database on the server itself and the process is very simple and intuitive. Also its nice to be able to start a movie or TV show on one device in the living room for example and then be able to continue from the same point on the bedroom TV.

As mentioned the remote looks like a mini wii mote, it works fine but its nothing special. It was very easy to add the Roku 3 as a device on my harmony remote and set up an activity for it. If anyone does this you have to select "DVD player" as the device to find the ROKU. This took me a bit of searching and trial and error so it may save someone some time. You can also use the Roku app on the android to control it (I'm sure its probably available for ios too but I don't have an iphone anymore) There were some third party remote type apps on the google play store but I didn't get into trying any of those yet. My preference was to Harmony and it worked very well for what I needed it to do.

Overall I'm pretty impressed with it so far and I would consider it a solid purchase for anyone who is in the market for a new set top media streaming device.

[dissentowner]

I am looking at going with this G-box but I am new to this. Does it look ok?
http://www.gboxcanada.com/#!g-box-midnight-mx2/cxu3

[Rathji]

Seems a little expensive unless you really want to leverage the Play Store component.

[MrMastodonFarm]

That horrible website and youtube video they've made would make me stay clear of their product.

[dissentowner]

Ok, so what is the best alternative to that? I am not a tech savvy guy.

[Rathji]

What are you looking to do with it? Anything specific?

Netflix? Plex? Have your own content?

Does it need 1080p?

[dissentowner]

Originally Posted by Rathji

What are you looking to do with it? Anything specific?

Netflix? Plex? Have your own content?

Does it need 1080p?

Just watch tv, can be 720p, netflix and that ice movie app. Nothing fancy, I don't watch much tv.

[Rathji]

if Icefilms is a priority, then you will likely have limited options, and would likely be best off just getting the gbox

Off the top of my head, a jail-broken Apple TV2 could get you IceFilms with an XBMC plugin.

[shane_c]

I'm bringing the cable box back today and have my antenna ready to go. I still can't find any info on the Roku 3 launch date in Canada. I'll wait it out a little longer before caving and settling for the Roku 2 XS.

[Cheese]

Im also considering "cutting the cord". I just cant comprehend the cost anymore for poor or no service and all the channels I simply don't watch. Ill be following this closely over the next month or so. I also looked at the Roku and I hop down to the states regularly so could pick up the 3 easily.