Roku!
Say it right and you are listening to the first nail in the coffin of AppleTV and iTunes Movies.
As a Roku owner, I just got a very interesting email in my inbox, telling me that Amazon Video on Demand is coming soon to the Roku. The content of it is also covered on Roku's FAQ site. So now, not only can I watch HD Netflix movies but soon I will be able to sit on my couch and order and play content from Amazon Video on Demand. I like the Amazon downloadable video content selections, the only real thing that has kept me from making good use of it is that it requires a special player on my PC. If you have not checked out the Amazon content range, spend few minutes browsing through their digital movies and TV episodes. They also have a lot of free content available every week.
Even better, Roku informs us that they have opened up their platform and we will see other content providers and channels on the Roku throughout 2009. From their email: "Amazon is just the start. More announcements of new things to watch and enjoy on your Roku player are in the pipeline for 2009." The worst part? We have to wait a few more weeks for the Amazon rollout.
The possibilities have me excited. YouTube? Hulu? Joost? Who is your favorite content provider? What would you lke to see pop up on your Roku box this year?
Depending on how this content rolls out, I could easily imagine downloading my IPTV service to a lower level. No wonder Cable and DSL providers are dreaming of bandwidth caps.
I'm sure you didn't want your first comment to be a detracting one, but I doubt this will be an AppleTV killer. I love my AppleTV. In the past 3 months I've convinced Robin's dad and Brother-in-law to get one. We love the convenience of downloading from the apple store, ripping our own DVDs, having our music, music videos, podcasts, and more, at our finger tips.
ReplyDeleteHowever, this may be a great device. But it's not the end of the ATV
I love comments that start discussion. No problem. In some ways, you are right. Apple users tend to be loyal to the brand. But what if you had the same convenience to get click and get digital content from Amazon instead of the iTunes store, what if they add things like Hulu and Joost and YouTube, which bring us TV, movie and music content for free? I can picture a Pandora player, players for the ABC, ESPN or other channel specific websites that have video players. What if they added an mp3 player and allowed you to connect to your central music library? The cool thing is that the player has been opened wide up... so we are likely to see LOTS of content providers doing development for it-- much like Boxee. Apple remains locked, limiting the channels you wil be able to get on it. Unless of course, Apple gets a clue and starts allowing developers to make applications for AppleTV like they did for iPhone.
ReplyDeleteGo Roku! I got this a year ago when it first came out and it gets better and better. The other day -- we actually lost the remote control for it and our life was almost over. (Hint: $10 for a replacement... Which we bought -- then, of course, found the remote).
ReplyDeleteAnyhow, yes! Especially with HD now available on Roku -- this is way-way cool.
As for alternatives... We could always do what Roku did. As a techy, I could burn discs for the last 8+ years. I don't want to do that. I want to flop down, find a show to watch, and press play. I handed my 7 year old the Roku remote and she had it working without any disruption.