Roku Overview

Recently, I began to look into alternatives to satellite and cable television.  My main interest was looking for a way to save money, but at the same time still be able to get good programming.

With the rise of the availability of great content over the internet, I knew this was very feasible.  I already had a netflix subscription and had been watching their instant movies on my computer.

So, I bit the bullet and took the plunge.  Last month I bought a little box called a roku and cancelled my television subscriptions.  This small change saved me almost $80 a month.

This is my journey with the roku.

What is the Roku?

The Roku is a small box that connects to a television that streams you content to the tv over the internet.




What does this mean in plain English?  This device takes Netflix (and other content) from the internet and puts it on my TV.

The Roku devices have a price range between $59.99 and 99.99.  I ended up chosing the higher end XDS model which is supposed to have the best wi-fi range.

Here are a few of the features of the Roku XDS Device:

• Works with virtually any TV
• Plays HD Video at 720p
• Built in wireless and wired connectors
• HDMI video output for HDTVs
• Enhanced remote with Instant Replay
• Extended range Wireless N
• Dual Band wireless technology
• Component video and optical audio output
• USB port for playing photos, music and videos

Of course, for me one of the best features is the overall savings of switching from my standard satellite subscription to using the Roku box for my television needs.

You can read more about the technical specs and reviews at the Roku's amazon page here.