Roku

Whether it's someone looking to "cut the cord" and save money, or just a way to expand your on-demand video options, online streaming video is more popular than ever. But with so many options now available, what's the best solution -- be it for Netflix, Hulu Plus, Vudu, Amazon, iTunes, or any of the myriad other online video sources?

As with anything in real life, there isn't one simple, straightforward answer that works for everyone. But we've created a set of different recommendations that should work for nearly anybody, based upon your individual priorities.

The best news for anyone shopping in late 2012? Prices for excellent media-streaming devices now start at just $50, with plenty of other great options (including brand-new Blu-ray players) at less than $120.… Read more

In the digital-media box market, it seems like Apple and Roku have been getting the most attention lately, but companies like Seagate and Western Digital are trying to differentiate their boxes from the rest by offering tie-ins to their companies' portable hard drives. However, in the case of the WD TV Live Hub ($199.99), Western Digital has taken things a step further and built a networked 1TB hard drive right into the unit itself.

With that embedded hard drive, this box is bigger than the Apple TV and the latest crop of Roku players, but it is still relatively … Read more

Streaming-video boxes have been getting tons of press this holiday season, but it's easy to forget that Blu-ray players with streaming-video capabilities are only slightly more expensive, especially with holiday discounts. For example, Amazon is selling the LG BD570 for just $140 right now (and it was as low as $117 earlier this week), a player that includes Netflix, Pandora, and Vudu, plus it has built-in Wi-Fi.

And if you don't need Wi-Fi, there's even less reason to opt for a streaming-video box over a Blu-ray player. In fact, if you're only looking to add basic … Read more

Some things are better the second time around.

We looked at the Roku XDS when it was first released in September 2010. At the time, we liked what we saw, but ultimately it was little different from the previous incarnation of the Roku box. Moreover, we were anticipating the release of several major competitors in the upcoming weeks: the $99 Apple TV, the $129 Sony SMP-N100, the $199 Boxee Box, and a slate of Google TV products ($299 and up).

Now that we've had a chance to test all of those products, we've looped back to the Roku. Yes, it's still largely the same box--albeit with the notable addition of Hulu Plus to its channel list. But Roku is now a better deal than ever, especially when compared with its aforementioned competitors.

In fact, we think it's the best sub-$100 streaming media box you can buy. … Read more

Links from Wednesday's episode of Loaded:

Google launches Boutiques.com for highfalutin shoppers

Google creates Hotspot to help you discover your friends' favorite haunts

Hulu Plus is now $2 per month cheaper and available on the Roku set-top box

Yahoo launches Amazon Studios goes live in a quest for the next big thing in movies

Yahoo Clues lets you track trending search topics

The Emergency Broadcast System is coming to your cell phone

Intel wants to put computer chips in football helmets to measure head trauma

A New York University professor is going to live-stream his life from a … Read more

National Hockey League fans now have three more ways to watch their favorite teams play live.

The NHL announced today that its game-streaming service, GameCenter Live, has made its way to the PlayStation 3, Boxee, and Roku set-top boxes.

GameCenter Live allows customers to watch 40 out-of-market NHL games live in HD each week. The app offers the ability to watch entire games up to 48 hours after they were played. In addition, GameCenter Live provides access to over 500 classic games from the NHL Vault.

The PlayStation 3 version of GameCenter Live is available for download on the PlayStation … Read more

Editors' note: As of July 2011, this product has been discontinued and replaced by the Roku 2 XD.

A Netgear-branded Roku XD box is making its way to several retailers.

Dubbed Netgear Roku Player NTV250, the device is the Roku XD featuring Netgear branding. It enables users to access several channels from Roku's service, including Amazon Video On Demand, Netflix, Pandora, and others. The offering also includes the ability to view Flickr photos and UFC content. Unlike the competing Apple TV, which boasts 720p video content, the Roku XD supports 1080p content.

Netgear isn't selling branded versions of … Read more

OK, we've got a hot little device to give away this week, the top-of-the-line Roku Player, the XDS.

This is Roku's answer to Apple TV and some might argue that it's currently the superior media player (read CNET editor John Falcone's comparison). If you're willing to give up a few features, you can get the entry-level Roku HD, which retails for only $59.99. And it's worth mentioning that Roku recently announced that Hulu Plus will be coming to its selection of channels, which already includes Netflix streaming. (Read the full review).

Normally, this … Read more

The great Internet TV battle royale of 2010 is officially underway, with new boxes from Roku and Apple TV leading the charge. On paper, it's a very even-handed match-up: both are miniscule $99 streaming-media boxes that promise to offer an expanded slate of TV shows, movies, and music for consumers. Other matching features: both offer Netflix streaming, dual-band 802.11n Wi-Fi and Ethernet networking, and HDMI output. So, which is worth your hard-earned Benjamin Franklin?

Unfortunately, it's not a cut-and-dry situation. Both units scored an identical 3.5 stars on our CNET rating scale. But if you look at the sub-ratings (design, features, performance), you'll see that each box has a relative strength and weakness. Right now, it shakes out as follows:… Read more