We find out that streaming success is
not a global certainly
In the USA, Roku is a big brand, because they
have sold more of these TV streaming boxes than Apple has moved of its own
Apple TV kit.
Now it has come to the UK, we were curious
to find out what the fuss was about, so we were pleased to get our hands on the
LT model you see here. We assume that the LT stands for ‘light’ (or lite, lore
likely), because on initial inspection this device is missing many of the
features that I have come to expect from similar gear.
Good
streaming TV technology that needs more UK channels
It connects only via Wi-Fi, as there’s no
Ethernet port, it can’t access files from a USB stick because it doesn’t have
that port either, and the best display mode is just 720p. it’s also ‘missing’ a
power button, being on from the point you plug it in, and the remote has very
few buttons on it. All those things acknowledged, this is actually a rather
neat looking device that’s being sold at what looks like a bargain price.
Firing up the tiny Roku LT is very simple.
You attach it to your TV and, once it’s running, you’ll be able to select the
Wi-Fi network and provide a password to use that. After that you need to
register the device, which involves utilizing web access through a PC or mobile
device, and using a code the Roku LT provides. You will need to provide a
payment card or Paypal account here, so that you can pay for content that’s not
free.
You
attach it to your TV and, once it’s running, you’ll be able to select the Wi-Fi
network and provide a password to use that
Once you’ve jumped through those hoops, and
you only need to do that once, you can get access to a huge store of free and
paid content, which Roku claims is in excess of 300 channels. What they don’t
tell you is how many of those are dross, and a disturbing number are asking for
cash to be closer to God. Ignoring those, there are also some real gems here
TV, Crackle, Spotify and BBC iPlayer. Now TV and Netflix are especially useful
if you’re prepared to subscribe, because they can give you a means to watch
recent movies. What was slightly disconcerting was that for the UK audience
they did not manage to get 4oD or ITVPlayer on there, which rather obvious
omissions seem. That’s a problem, because if you’ve got an Xbox 360 then you’ll
have most of the channels mentioned here, with the exception of Spotify,
already.
A higher specification version, the Roku 2
XS ($150), addresses most of the technical points (it has Ethernet and a USB
port), yet it doesn’t have any more relevant UK programming, unfortunately.
Looking back at the origins of the Roku brand, it appears that these sold well
in the USA almost entirely due to its ability to access Netflix, but that’s not
something that would guarantee the same interest here.
We like this tiny purple device that draws
only two watts while working, its simple interface and the iOS and Android apps
that they provide to control it. Yet these can’t hide that the Roku content
selection needs a serious revamp for this region, as giving us iPlayer and Dave
just isn’t going to close the deal.
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Details
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Price: $75
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Ratings: 6/10
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Manufacturer: Roku
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Website: www.roku.com
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Required spec: Wi-Fi access to the internet
with at least 1.2Mbps speed, HDMI or composite video inputs to a TV or
monitor
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