Roku Announces Roku 3 Set-Top Box

[topmike]

Apple TV works well in Europe

Sadly, as with AppleTv it's only viable in the US, anywhere else not so much.

Well this is true, if you don't have a US iTunes account.

Let's approach a purely theoretical argument here, not a recommendation for anyone to do.

Hypothetically, you could have a US iTunes account, just by creating a new itunes account with any US address. You will need a US credit card OR an itunes gift card (from the US) or a friend from the US who will give/trade you itunes credits.

Then you would need a way to change your DNS settings on your router so it looks like you are coming from the US, like Unblock-us (www.[B]unblock[/B]-us.com/).

While this is all somewhat complicated, hypothetically you would be able to enjoy Apple TV or Roku from Europe or Asia, although it violates the terms of usage and agreements with Netflix, HBO, etc.

 

[JaySoul]

I use my iPhone as an ATV3 remote, it's also got a headphone jack...

Can you listen to the audio on the iPhone whilst watching the AirPlayed video on Apple TV?

 

[Xgm541]

can it stream my existing media from a network share? if so, what codecs?

this is my #1 requirement for a box like this and the main reason why an appletv3 won't be in the running until it gets a jailbreak (so it can run xbmc).

You can with plex media server. Other apps are available but don't have good native codec support. Plex requires a computer to be running to stream because the roku supports very few codecs natively. I got rid of my roku for this very reason. I don't need to pay electricity bills for my pc which draws 400 watts idle to watch shows.

 

[gleepskip]

Honestly, when watching TV in bed my partner will invariably fall asleep within 5 minutes, leaving me to watch the rest of the program at a miniscule volume.

Maybe you should turn up the TV louder so they don't fall asleep in the first place!

 

[UnfetteredMind]

You can with plex media server. Other apps are available but don't have good native codec support. Plex requires a computer to be running to stream because the roku supports very few codecs natively. I got rid of my roku for this very reason. I don't need to pay electricity bills for my pc which draws 400 watts idle to watch shows.

You can also use Plex media server on NAS devices (which should in theory have lower power draws): http://wiki.plexapp.com/index.php/FAQ:_Plex_Media_Server_and_NAS

 

[Xgm541]

You can also use Plex media server on NAS devices (which should in theory have lower power draws): http://wiki.plexapp.com/index.php/FAQ:_Plex_Media_Server_and_NAS

Yeah I have plex media server on my nas but most nas devices do not have nearly the processor power to transcode media. The ones that do, from what I've researched, go for over $1k. My $399 ds213 by synology certainly cannot transcode.

 

[blueroom]

Can you listen to the audio on the iPhone whilst watching the AirPlayed video on Apple TV?

No. But if I'm using headphones I might as well use my MacBook or iPad instead of the TV.

It's neat but not a must have.

 

[samcraig]

Yeah I have plex media server on my nas but most nas devices do not have nearly the processor power to transcode media. The ones that do, from what I've researched, go for over $1k. My $399 ds213 by synology certainly cannot transcode.

time for a mac mini or cheap windows laptop.

 

[Kissaragi]

No. But if I'm using headphones I might as well use my MacBook or iPad instead of the TV.

It's neat but not a must have.

So by your own words, its a good feature and nice to have.

 

[Xgm541]

time for a mac mini or cheap windows laptop.

My nas uses an 8th of the power a Mac mini uses and neither of those you mentioned can give me 8tb of storage like my nas. The nas has no ambient noise, it's very small and does everything I need it to.

It works for me.

 

[Plutonius]

- No YouTube app.

Install Plex for YouTube on the Roku.

 

[interconnect]

I wonder if they've fixed MKV playback via USB. A major drawback (for me anyways) is that to play back a large array of file types, you need to use Plex (which is great, I love Plex btw) and have to transcode most of them.

 

[samcraig]

My nas uses an 8th of the power a Mac mini uses and neither of those you mentioned can give me 8tb of storage like my nas. The nas has no ambient noise, it's very small and does everything I need it to.

It works for me.

Ok. But you just wrote that it won't transcode media. If that's not important - no need to change. I was putting tongue-in-cheek to say that if it wasn't - there are always other options.

I was "lucky" enough to have a 3 year old pc laptop I wasn't ever using. Hooked that up to my tv along with an HDHomerun. That + jailbroken Apple TV = Plex, Hulu, Broadcast TV, DVR, etc.

 

[JaySoul]

No. But if I'm using headphones I might as well use my MacBook or iPad instead of the TV.

It's neat but not a must have.

If you use your MacBook or iPad to watch something, you subsequently can't use it for much else.

I have the TV on and do stuff on my MacBook or iPad at the same time.

Failing to understand your original point here.

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Maybe you should turn up the TV louder so they don't fall asleep in the first place!

Maybe they should make better TV programmes!

 

[Navdakilla]

For me I prefer the Apple tv, and I'll tell you why:

The UI to be is intuitive and much easier to use (dummy proof, not all of the people that use my Apple tv are tech people). For them the folders and the way it's set up is alot easier than any other system I've tried.

Ya it's inconvenient to have to re-cod all my videos and put them into itunes. Ya I wish there was a little more structure where I could group all my tv shows by show and not by season.

But at the end of the day, the pros very much outweigh the cons, so I'm sticking with the apple tv.

 

[curmudgeon32]

These things are so cheap, there's no rule that says you're limited to one streaming box (provided you have a spare HDMI port in your TV). Sure, both do Netflix and Hulu, but Apple TV has amazing iTunes streaming media support and a great YouTube app. Roku has Amazon video rentals, and a ton of other channels Apple will probably never offer natively.

I actually keep an old first-gen Roku alongside my Apple TV and it works just great for certain functions.

 

[gotluck]

PLEX is awesome on my Roku. Transcoding is almost never necessary (unless you want desktop hulu) and streaming has a minimal impact on cpu usage on the host machine

I like the Apple TV (jailbroken) as well, but IMO it's garbage without a jailbreak. ATV 2 is getting ridiculously expensive.

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I wonder if they've fixed MKV playback via USB. A major drawback (for me anyways) is that to play back a large array of file types, you need to use Plex (which is great, I love Plex btw) and have to transcode most of them.

I haven't used many mkv's lately (although I have used a few), but I hardly ever have to transcode.. the only thing that comes to mind is desktop hulu.

 

[milo]

For me I prefer the Apple tv, and I'll tell you why:

The UI to be is intuitive and much easier to use (dummy proof, not all of the people that use my Apple tv are tech people).

Have you actually used a Roku (with Plex)? It's hard to imagine anyone not being able to figure that out.

 

[samcraig]

I prefer Plex for media organization. I have over 500 movies and scanning up and down the list instead of being able to search (am I missing something?) for a movie title via the Apple TV interface is a pain

 

[From A Buick 8]

For me I prefer the Apple tv, and I'll tell you why:

The UI to be is intuitive and much easier to use (dummy proof, not all of the people that use my Apple tv are tech people). For them the folders and the way it's set up is alot easier than any other system I've tried.

Ya it's inconvenient to have to re-cod all my videos and put them into itunes. Ya I wish there was a little more structure where I could group all my tv shows by show and not by season.

But at the end of the day, the pros very much outweigh the cons, so I'm sticking with the apple tv.

I have set up playlist folders and smart playlist. So i have a folder for the show and then inside that folder i have eash season. So as i add each show to iTunes it will show up in the right playlist. Adds an extra click or two of the remote to get to the folders but all of the less techie folks in the house like it.

These things are so cheap, there's no rule that says you're limited to one streaming box (provided you have a spare HDMI port in your TV). Sure, both do Netflix and Hulu, but Apple TV has amazing iTunes streaming media support and a great YouTube app. Roku has Amazon video rentals, and a ton of other channels Apple will probably never offer natively.

I actually keep an old first-gen Roku alongside my Apple TV and it works just great for certain functions.

Nope only allowed one device

I also have one of the last gen Rokus, it was not a big hit in our house, it is now a dedicated netflix device in a back room.

 

[Fofer]

Install Plex for YouTube on the Roku.

Or install Videobuzz:

http://streamingtvguide.blogspot.com/2012/11/how-to-personalize-youtube-on-roku.html

And a "real" (official) YouTube channel (in HTML5) will be coming to Roku soon. Might only be for the newest models that can handle it though...

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The only thing Apple TV has going for it is Airplay as far as I can tell.

And it looks like Roku will be getting something like AirPlay soon enough, via Miracast technology: http://gigaom.com/2013/02/27/roku-airplay-miracast/
Hopefully this won't require new hardware and will work on Macs and PCs.

I have both AppleTV (jailbroken) as well as Roku and I use both for different purposes. And now I've just upgraded one of them to the new Roku 3. I love this stuff!

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I don't have a roku - but two things would make it "perfect" for me

1 - ability to add a tv tuner or built in tv tuner
2 - be able to use usb to attach a hard drive to record (DVR)

Along these lines I have just installed the TWC TV channel on my Roku:
http://www.roku.com/channels/#!details/23048/time-warner-cable
Pretty cool!

Also, ustvnow.com (now requires subscription) and FilmOn.tv both offer live TV streaming.

So we're getting closer!

 

[FightTheFuture]

There's a lot of people that will tell you that a Roku is a hundred times better than an Apple TV, simply due to the wide variety of apps.
Lots of people mess with jailbreaking their Apple TV ... just to do what Roku already does.

I'll wait until October for Apple to update ATV iOS to install Apps. If that doesn't happen, I'll ditch it for this new Roku as a Plex client. There are a few HD movies I paid for on the iTMS but everything else is Plex - Plex - Plex.

I need something reliable because jailbreaking has made my AppleTV a constantly restarted powder keg.

 

[samcraig]

Along these lines I have just installed the TWC TV channel on my Roku:
http://www.roku.com/channels/#!details/23048/time-warner-cable
Pretty cool!

Also, ustvnow.com (now requires subscription) and FilmOn.tv both offer live TV streaming.

So we're getting closer!

Ahh but don't you need a cable plan to get TWC TV via their app? So you can't really cut the cord (using that)

 

[sfrancis928]

See the kinds of little niceties that can be innovated when you have a team focused on a product line instead of treating it as a hobby? I wish Apple would take a tiny fraction of that war chest and put a dedicated team together that focuses on nothing but TV. I'd like to see what the "hobby" would look like after a year or two of dedicated attention.

Apple is dedicating an extreme amount of attention to Apple TV. You just haven't seen the results of it yet. Patience, young padawan.

"It's an area of intense interest." - Tim Cook on TV

 

[vartanarsen]

Why is no one talking about the 50 pages of Apple TV issues re 20 hour downloads????'

https://discussions.apple.com/message/21436028?ac_cid=tw123456#21436028