Roku 2 XS ($80) vs. Logitech Revue ($80) vs. WDTV Live ($99-130)

[krackato]

Noticed some decent deals.  The Roku XS will go fast.  Which of these is the best to get if you're using unRAID?

 

Roku 2 XS - $80 ($99 without deal)

http://www.amazon.com/gp/goldbox/ref=cs_top_nav_gb27

http://www.amazon.com/Roku-XS-1080p-Streaming-Player/dp/B005CLPP84/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1324958130&sr=8-1

 

Logitech Revue (refurbished) - $80

http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-Revue-Google-TV-Refurbished/dp/B006HFVXSU/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1324958686&sr=8-2

 

WDTV Live - (Not sure why there are 3-4 price points)

$99 - http://www.amazon.com/Western-Digital-Streaming-Media-Player/dp/B005KOZNBW/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1324958726&sr=1-1

$119 - http://www.amazon.com/Western-Digital-Network-ready-Media-Player/dp/B002KKFP9Y/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1324958726&sr=1-3

$129 - http://www.amazon.com/Western-Digital-1080p-Media-Player/dp/B003MVZ60I/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1324957970&sr=8-2

$129 - http://www.amazon.com/Western-Digital-1080P-Media-Player/dp/B002USAIYS/ref=sr_1_10?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1324958726&sr=1-10

 

[One2go]

I bought a WD TV Live (SMP) unit for $80 from Staples and at one time you could get it for $70 when Amazon was selling it for $89. Slickdeals.net has all the details. Basically you call up Staples & they will price match Amazon then you buy for $1.86 a coupon that will take off $25 and depending on the taxes in  your state it should be about $80 with free shipping. I know my coupon would have expired 12/27/2011. The WD TV Live unit is excellent and works decently with network shares even though the latest firm ware release has broken the NFS shares.

[WeeboTech]

I've bought so many of these boxes over the years, I got tired of upgrading.

I still have an ITX popcorn hour unused in the box.

 

I think one of the better options is to spend a little more on one of the net top machines and run XBMC or some derivative.

[beaudreaux]

I've tried several alternatives and have settle on the Popcorn Hour line. Their new A-300 with built-in movie jukebox is the simplest and most visually pleasing alternative i've found.

[rgb30]

I've tried several alternatives and have settle on the Popcorn Hour line. Their new A-300 with built-in movie jukebox is the simplest and most visually pleasing alternative i've found.

 

Yep, I have every model of the PCH except the 300 series, and if I needed one I would buy it. 

[madburg]

All depends where its going and what you need it to do.

 

I can share my exp. with a Roku XDS (Gen 1) I just picked up ($65). I needed it to work with TV's had no HDMI input (thus the Gen1). It's going to a guest bedroom on a Sony XBR Tube TV for my daughter to watch movie/shows. From patching in the outlet in my patch panel to adding PLEX (private channel, free, no hacks, etc...) as the last step it took me 25 minutes and we were watching our library in that room.

 

Few tests that I ran, PLEX transcoded 1080P flicks to this SD TV no problem, and the picture was as good as that TV will display. I am not sure but I think the Roku XDS cant play AVI. When I tried I heard the sound but saw a black screen. Have not had the chance to find others and test to see if that is the case for ALL avi's. Not a big issue for me as I mostly have MKV's.

 

I was thinking about the Revue, but it fails in many area's and their dropping it. The Sony has more internals and supports more media, etc.. and what I would go for it I were to choose between the two.

 

As WeeboTech pointed out, will this be you Grand Master HD, impress everyone player then you may want to look at something completely different... (Mac mini, custom HTPC, Popcorn Hour, etc...).

[okolowicz]

My 2 cents:

 

The WD Live is cheap and plays virtually every file format you can throw at it. The downside to it is the interface is clunky. That said, I bought one for my parents and they seem to have no trouble operating it and they are not that tech savvy.

 

The Revue is much improved with the release of Google TV 2.0. The interface is one of the better ones out there now and has access to lots of apps through the Android Market. However, it does not play DTS audio which, depending on how you play movies, might be a dealbreaker. Many of my movies are DTS audio making it practically unusable. I had bought it for my wife's parents and had to convert movies for about 4 days straight to be able to send them a hard drive of media to play.

 

I've never played with the Roku so, I can't comment on it

 

Another option worth checking out is the boxee box. Best Buy sells them online for 130 refurbished and even has them for 99.99 refurbished on occasion. I just picked one up myself so have yet to fully check it out but so far I am pretty happy. It has a clean, simple interface, appears to play all files, and has access to a decent selection of web content. While I have a full fledged htpc in my living room I wanted something for the bedroom. And, so far I think the boxee is the best of the non-htpc options available.

[JackBauer]

Can someone recommend a very basic NF player?

 

I bought my Dune 3.0 like 1.5 years ago knowing that someday it would play Netflix - well that has never come true.

 

I have an old TV that I'm happy with until it dies - has one component input (Dune), one rear S-Video (cable box), one front S-Video (free) and a rear composite input.

 

So I'm really just looking for something preferably S-video to tide me over until I replace the TV and/or receiver (and/or Dune)

 

But since I expect it to be a short term thing, I'm fine with a basic and cheap player.

[Dmtalon]

Can someone recommend a very basic NF player?

 

I bought my Dune 3.0 like 1.5 years ago knowing that someday it would play Netflix - well that has never come true.

 

I have an old TV that I'm happy with until it dies - has one component input (Dune), one rear S-Video (cable box), one front S-Video (free) and a rear composite input.

 

So I'm really just looking for something preferably S-video to tide me over until I replace the TV and/or receiver (and/or Dune)

 

But since I expect it to be a short term thing, I'm fine with a basic and cheap player.

 

I have an unopened Roku 1 (XDS) that has both Composite (Yellow+ Red/White) and HDMI.  I got it off Woot, however ended up getting a deal on a Roku2 and bought one of them too :-/  I will sell the roku 1 for $40 bux (Its refurbished.  I paid $50+5 shipping about two weeks ago)

 

 

[JackBauer]

 

I have an unopened Roku 1 (XDS) that has both Composite (Yellow+ Red/White) and HDMI.  I got it off Woot, however ended up getting a deal on a Roku2 and bought one of them too :-/  I will sell the roku 1 for $40 bux (Its refurbished.  I paid $50+5 shipping about two weeks ago)

 

 

Thanks - but I'm toying with the idea of getting a Roku 2 to have some future-proofing.  (I don't need 1080p right now - but if my TV dies in 6 months...)

 

Unless I find a box that does S-Video in addition to HDMI, and then I'll go with that over the Roku 2 .

[Dmtalon]

I ended up buying both a Boxee Box and Roku2 XS.  the Roku is mostly a toy with a few nice features such as UFC.TV Amazon instant.  But primarily I use Boxee Box.  I like the UI better (used it on my HTPC too) and it plays local media out of the box w/o any nonsense such as having to install a Plex media server on another box to transcode into "roku" format media.

 

 

[JackBauer]

Yeah - if the Boxee wasn't HDMI only, I'd consider it.

 

At times I hate being so fiscally conservative.    My television is 12 years old and I'm the only one in my family without an HD set.  (It's was top of the line at the time) 

[WeeboTech]

Yeah - if the Boxee wasn't HDMI only, I'd consider it.

 

At times I hate being so fiscally conservative.    My television is 12 years old and I'm the only one in my family without an HD set.  (It's was top of the line at the time) 

 

I waited until mine died too. 

The day it started to pop and sizzle, I started shopping, then found a black Friday deal I could not refuse!

 

Sometimes you need to compare the electricity used over time to see where you might save.

There was a 150w difference from the 27" tube vs 40"LCD and a convenience/appreciation factor that was priceless.

 

It was how I justified giving away 21" CRT's in favor of a 24" LCD about 5 years ago.

[JackBauer]

Sometimes you need to compare the electricity used over time to see where you might save.

There was a 150w difference from the 27" tube vs 40"LCD and a convenience/appreciation factor that was priceless.

 

It was how I justified giving away 21" CRT's in favor of a 24" LCD about 5 years ago.

 

I've thought of it but never really researched it - your post prodded me enough though.

 

My current tube pulls a max of 240w.  If I were to buy a new LED LCD, it would be larger - and would draw probably 160-200w.  That delta isn't enough since I probably only have the TV on an average of 3 hours a day.

 

My flat screen NEC MultiSync FP955 CRT though - that's on probably more than 3 hours a day.  (And I have toyed seriously with replacing it)

 

There just are so many nice technologies always right around the corner...  I'd hate to buy a new (high end) set when my current one is still working fine - and then less than 2 years later they get the OLED life issue resolved.

[WeeboTech]

Sometimes you need to compare the electricity used over time to see where you might save.

There was a 150w difference from the 27" tube vs 40"LCD and a convenience/appreciation factor that was priceless.

 

It was how I justified giving away 21" CRT's in favor of a 24" LCD about 5 years ago.

 

I've thought of it but never really researched it - your post prodded me enough though.

 

My current tube pulls a max of 240w.  If I were to buy a new LED LCD, it would be larger - and would draw probably 160-200w.  That delta isn't enough since I probably only have the TV on an average of 3 hours a day.

 

My flat screen NEC MultiSync FP955 CRT though - that's on probably more than 3 hours a day.  (And I have toyed seriously with replacing it)

 

There just are so many nice technologies always right around the corner...  I'd hate to buy a new (high end) set when my current one is still working fine - and then less than 2 years later they get the OLED life issue resolved.

 

Have you thought of buying one new LCD that could replace the tube and the NEC monitor?

Or not going with high end, but going good enough?

 

My 40" LCD is capable of VGA and multiple HDMI inputs.

Then there is the ole'..... HD appreciation factor.

 

Oh... then you could get a BOXEE box or something like that. Or just use your PC on the big screen with XBMC or something like that.

 

The other thing is if could donate the TV to some non-profit, you can write it off your taxes.

I did that one year.

[Unqualified Spectator]

There is another set top box that does SD output and HDMI...It is the Patriot Box Office. I have seen it new for $60. I use it - it plays nearly everything - even AVIs, can take an internal HD up to a Gig, draws only 27 watts when running and 4 watts idle. the downside is that the interface sucks...you can overburn the firmware with other devices to overcome this.  It can stream from NFS or samba shares and also works with several online services.

 

It isn't pretty...it just works.

[JackBauer]

Thanks - but seems like it doesn't support Netflix natively...

[JackBauer]

Now I'm thinking about getting the latest generation WD device.

 

I saw review comments on the Roku - and I do NOT like having to sign up for an account (with payment info) just to use the damn device.  I ONLY want it for Netflix, not to purchase other crap from Roku - so them forcing me to give them personal information really ticks me off.

[SeeDrs]

Check out http://www.nixeus.com/

[kingpin]

i have 4 of the WDTV Live (Gen 2) and 1 of the newest WDTV Live  (not sure what they call it, but it is not the hub or the plus, they still just call it the live). All in all they are great little boxes. The are relatively cheap and play almost everything i can throw at it. The only real downfall is the GUI, it is rather clunky. I know that you can replace the firmware and add movie sheets, but i haven't really looked into it that much. i have not used any other set top boxes so i can't speak for them, but i was blown away by the WDTV boxes (not the gen 1) so much that i stuck with them.

 

[JackBauer]

Check out http://www.nixeus.com/

 

I already have a high end media player - it just doesn't do Netflix like it was supposed to be able to do.

 

The Nixeus boxes don't do Netflix either unfortunately.

[Unqualified Spectator]

Jack, what media player do you have? I am on the prowl for a better solution and right now the top contenders are the Dune HD, the PopBox, and the Popcorn Hour devices.

 

Yes - correct - the PBO does not do Netflix natively. Some of the other firmware options allow it, but it doesn't do it natively.  It is rather comic - either the media player works great but doesn't have a nice interface or doesn't have apps - I don't use Netflix so that isn't a dealbreaker for me. The PBO allows you to setup "Network Shortcuts" natively...no video wall. On the other hand, I bought it to take to grandma's house so I don't have to take a box full of DVDs. It helps that it isn't made out of plastic and that it does SD/HD output and supports Composite video and HDMI in a small device.

[JackBauer]

Jack, what media player do you have? I am on the prowl for a better solution and right now the top contenders are the Dune HD, the PopBox, and the Popcorn Hour devices.

 

I have a Dune 3.0 Prime.  Paid like $449 for it - because I wanted full blu ray menu capability and component output.  It's the only one that does that (other than the base model).  At least at the time.

 

Their lack of a delivered Netflix solution is a pretty big annoyance - it may be due to NF's copy protection requirements - not sure, all I know is that they still are promising Netflix via  FW upgrade on their website.

 

I looked at the PopBox just the other day - but it really has a lot of bad reviews.

 

To be honest - right now, I'd get something to "tide me over" rather than buy a high end player.  None of them seem to be delivering everything promised - still a lot of maturing to be done. 

 

(Well - I may be wrong here, haven't researched it lately - just when I checked out the PopBox, was surprised that something that had been out for a while still had a ton of complaints - it is as if the industry hasn't matured at all since I bought my Dune)

 

(Interesting enough - other than the component output, I don't really have a need for full blu ray menu support, or even the blu ray drive.  So I could have gotten away with something cheaper - like a Popcorn Hour model)

 

 

 

[JackBauer]

Actually I've been thinking more about it...

 

The Roku might still be the better choice as it is more likely to get additional free channels than WD.

 

For instance I imagine some TV networks that stream shows might eventually setup channels on Roku.  I'd love a TV Land channel for instance. 

[bcboncs]

I got my brother an AppleTV 2 (black edition) for Christmas and he loves it natively.  Of course, he's going to hack it and put on XBMC or Plex which I read up a lot on... hacking it that is.  I believe the youtube video instructions on Plex/XBMC hacking is between 12-20 minute steps.  It would be worth it IMO if you use unRAID.

 

Reason?

 

AppleTV2's device has built-in IR Receiver and can be hacked with XBMC/Plex (aka nice video interface for TV Shows and Movies). The IR Receiver I mention because you may be able to switch everything to a universal remote control. My brother accepted his gift instead of rejecting it (which I kind of hoped for in a way ) so I didn't get to fully exploit it's potential. It's worth reading more into on those other forums if you're interested.

 

WD TV Plus (I have this as well) cannot be hacked for the video interface and use the file names to view the movies/tv shows. This is fine, but Plex/XBMC is more sexy. WD TV can be hacked to have sab/sb/cp on it though I hear.

 

Good luck!