Roku - 2 Streaming Player - Black

Don't get me wrong cable's amazing, but it really comes down to how much you are willing to spend . . . The Roku 2 works great; it's easy to install, interface is simple to use, and subscription rates are a fraction of the cost compared to cable. If you are on a budget, and debating on cable vs Roku, definitely go Roku.

I was using my laptop for streaming vid to my tv, this is way faster easier and prevents wear n tear on my PC. But make sure you have decent internet...basic DSL is not enough. Powers on and connects automatically so one less thing to switch on. Also the phone remote app you can download is pretty slick

I have a HTPC running Emby... my wife kept complaining that the setup was not user friendly (specially because of the lack of a good remote control). So I bought the roku-2 and now my wife is happy and I still have access to Emby (thru a roku app)... everyone is happy.

I had used the stick before but this has many more options. I enjoy it nearly everyday.

Roku is great because I can used all the time and is easy to watch

Great sound in minutes, very easy setup and within 5 minutes I had music again!

I chose the Roku 2 over the stick, 3 or 4 primarily because the 2 can be used with an infrared remote. The 3, 4, and stick all have RF-only remote capability, and I use a Harmony One universal remote to control my gear, and that is IR-only. I primarily use the Roku to stream content from my Plex server, but also it works great to stream many channels on-demand in conjunction with my U-Verse TV service. Also have Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime subscriptions, plus there are tons of free streaming choices available through Roku. You could probably find over 10,000 different things to watch at any give time. The Roku itself was easy to set up and configure.

I bought this mainly to watch Netflix streaming. I had been using an expensive Sony Blu-ray player with Netflix app. But in July of 2015, it started having issues where the video would freeze from one to five seconds, but audio would continue. This would happen up to a couple dozen times per show. More and more shows became affected, to the point that watching anything was painfully annoying. Plus, the freezing would always occur in the same spot if you watched the show again, or rewound. It would not happen when watching the same episodes via PC or tablet, proving it was not Internet connection. Went to Sony online support, found out NUMEROUS people were experiencing the exact same problem, across multiple Sony models. Most likely it was a firmware issue. But Sony NEVER acknowledged the issue, never even responded to multiple requests for help, nor did they do anything to address it or fix it. I have bought my last Sony product ever, and heartily warn everyone to stay away from Sony products. A company that will not even acknowledge an issue but totally ignores numerous customers does not deserve your business. The Roku has been great. It is SOOO fast compared to the Sony Blu-ray player, even when it was working right; it loads episodes almost immediately. I heartily recommend it. The only issue I have noticed that I don't like is there is no OFF switch even on the remote. It is just supposed to go into stand-by, which sometimes it doesn't, and the light will just flash until the next time you use it. More of an annoyance, so I still give it five stars.