![]() The difference in antenna design is startling, though. I wasn’t able to determine the maker of the Wi-Fi radio devices used since they are under the soldered-on shield and Roku has requested that the FCC delay posting the internal pictures. I’m not sure when flash size was increased from 64 to 256 MB probably in the previous generation HD-XR. SMSC USB2512a Two port USB 2.0 Hub Controllerīottom views of the N1000 and XDS show where extra RAM is stashed. SMSC LAN8700c 10/100 Ethernet TransceiverĪtheros AR2524 BB/MAC / Airoha AL2230 802.11b/g RF transceiver with embedded PA SMSC LAN8710A 10/100 Ethernet Transceiver Nexperia PNX8935E / M101S1R3 multi-format source decoder Nexperia PNX8935E1 / M101S1 multi-format source decoder But once I get the codes for the new buttons programmed into my Harmony One, the new Roku remote will go right into the drawer with the old one.įigure 4: New Enhanced and old Roku remotes The central navigation square is way too spongy and you have to hit the OK button spot on, which I found difficult with single handed operation. I tried it while watching a Netflix stream and it works as advertised.įigure 3: New Enhanced and Basic Roku remotesĮven after only a few minutes of use, I can say that I think Roku has made a mistake with the new remote. The Replay button will be of the most interest, as it replays the last 7 seconds of video, without the annoying rebuffering you still get when using the FF and Rewind buttons. Roku says the new remote can be used with old players after they receive the version 2.7 update. The "Enhanced" model on the left has the basic navigation buttons from the original remote, plus Back, Options and Replay buttons. Neither is backlit, just like the original. The two new remotes are shown in Figure 3. The previous top-of-line HD-XR also sports a USB port. But after multiple tries, I couldn’t get it to appear on my XDS.īy the way, you don’t need to buy an XDS to get a USB port and the attached playback capability. There is a "private" USB Media Browser app available now that is supposed to enable play from drives attached to the USB port. That USB port will support playback of mp4 and m4v (video), mp3, aac and m4a (audio) and jpg and png (photos) files from attached drives when a free firmware upgrade due out in November enables it. But you’ll need to pay extra for cables to access the component video and, of course, HDMI outputs.įigure 2: New Roku player feature comparison Roku bundles in batteries for the remote and a combination analog stereo, composite video cable. Parting with yet another $20 gets you the top-of-line XDS (I’m dropping the "|" from here on) with all the XD’s features plus dual-band N radio, component and optical digital audio outs and a USB 2.0 port. For $20 more, the XD adds 1080p video, 802.11n 2.4 GHz radio and "enhanced" remote. Cost savings and differentiation in the HD limit you to 720p video, 802.11 b/g radio and "basic" remote (more on that shortly). ![]() a front panel location.įigure 1: Rear panels of the new Roku modelsįigure 2 is a feature comparison table that bears a bit of explanation. A better position than on the rear, but still kind of awkward for access vs. The USB port on the XD|S sits at the right front side corner (viewed from the front). They all look the same from the front, except for their model branding, so Figure 1 shows the rear panels. The new players all come in a new lower-profile case that has a slightly smaller footprint than my old N1000 at just under 5" square (4.9 x 4.9 x 1.2 inches ). So when I saw last week that Roku had once again refreshed its line (and driven the entry price down to $60), I ordered the top-of-line XD|S and resolved to finally review a Roku player. The bad news was that there wasn’t very much to watch.īut Roku has been quietly at work driving the cost of its players down and expanding what they can play far beyond just Netflix. while the movie was running, you’d never know that you were watching something streamed from the Internet. The good news was that the viewing experience was flawless, i.e. I’ve been meaning to write a review on it, but never got around to it.īesides, there wasn’t really much to write about-unbox it, connect it up, link it to your Netflix account and watch stuff. Not much use without an Internet connectionĪs soon as I saw Roku’s first N1000 "Netflix box" back in 2008, I ordered it on the spot and ever since have been enjoying trouble-free movies and TV via Netflix’ "Watch Instantly" service.Does not play from DLNA servers or network shares.Intelligent stream buffering for trouble-free playback.Connects to dual-band 802.11n or Ethernet network.Wide variety of apps for audio, video and photo playback.Inexpensive app-based media player with Netflix support
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