Roku Streaming Player
I watch a lot of TV on my computer. I have Hulu Plus, Netflix, and all those wonderful services that make it easy to get your entertainment through your laptop. But I also have a big, beautiful TV and a lovely living room in which to watch TV. I decided that I wanted to watch less TV on my laptop in bed, and more TV in my living room on the actual TV like a normal person. The only problem was that half the things I wanted to watch were only available via the interwebs on my laptop. OR WERE THEY? Enter the Roku box.
Roku is a tiny box (it fits in the palm of your hand) that connects to your TV and WiFi to bring you your favorite online programming on your TV. The amount of channels Roku has is pretty amazing. They have the heavy hitters: Netflix, Hulu Plus, HBO Go, Showtime, etc. BUT it also has hundreds of niche channels to fit everyone's taste. It's no secret that I love kdramas, and now through the DramaFever channel on Roku I can watch my dramas on the big screen.
The Roku box itself is inexpensive and easy to set up. Mine cost me $70 and I had it up and running in 10 minutes. (There are many different models, ranging in features and price. Also the prices on Amazon are cheaper, but vary from time to time. The one I bought is now $80) The tiny box fits anywhere and is, frankly, adorable. The Roku interface is really easy to use - It reminds me of TiVo, which is so intuitive and straightforward even my dad can use it.
The only downside to the Roku experience is that you have to have subscriptions to just about every channel in order to view them on Roku. The Roku service itself is free, though. If you already have Netflix and the like it's a great addition to your viewing experience, but if you're getting the Roku box AND setting up accounts with Hulu Plus, HBO Go, and Netflix, it may seem kind of pricey. I'd say the Roku box is made for an entertainment addict who already subscribes to multiple entertainment services and is looking to upgrade their viewing setup. I know it's changed the way I watch TV, and I'm never going back to Roku-less life again.
Roku Streaming Player: $50-$100