Roku 2's are great cost-wise. If you have all high def
340991
Roku 2's are great cost-wise. If you have all high def, and your movie tastes are more recent, go with the Roku 3s, even though you loose the value vs. cost price advantage. For office use, as a gift, etc. the R2s provide almost HD quality with a good 1080 qualty set, 60 Hz or above in resolution. If you like older flicks, and prefer savings, remember, the majority of movies available on Amazon Prime and Netflix, plus most subscription services, are not HD., no matter how pricey they are. But the the R3s have a much fancier user inter-face, that's easier to preview movies on and aesthetically more pleasing. They should for the price. I like the older Roku remotes with the select buttons in the center. For the R3s, you are paying for 1) user ineterface, 2) a remote with a few shortcut buttons (dedicated buttons for Amazon, Netflix. etc), 3) 1080 HD when available, 4) Angry Birds and other marginal gaming selections, 5) non-VGA connectability (a pro- or con depending on your set and versatility when travelling)  and 5) a set of ear buds for sound that plug into the remote. My suggestion is to get at least one R3 for your best movie experience at home, if it's affordable. If you don't have premium channels, constant HD, 3 or less subscription services, then go with the R2 overall, or for all secondary sets in the house.
3815593
I bought the roku , as I was tired of high cable bills , not being able to see all my favorite programs etc. I can now watch virtually any program I like, and all the rest. It has channels such as radio stations etc . I love it . The only improvements I would like to see in future is a logitech revue (google tv) type roku box that sells for much cheaper than 300. that and nfl tv streaming as well as espn.com or something like that
1453376
This is my 2nd roku. The other was a refurb, and it went out after 90 days. So, buy new....it's worth the extra couple bucks.
2089752
Make sure you read the little 'price alert' at the top of your screen. Boxes purchased between Nov 14th and Dec 31st (inclusive) require a $20/mo fee and 1 year commitment. After the commitment it's unclear if/when you will be eligible for cheaper service or lifetime service. Keep in mind your cableco may still charge cablecard fees and/or digital outlet fees.

That being said, the Premiere is a "good" box, just not a "great" box. I've had one for about two months and have now purchased a second one. If you used multi-room viewing (MRV) then your transfer speed will likely improve substantially. The box does pretty much everything that a Tivo HD or S3 does.

What's notable though is what the box is lacking: innovation and new features. The high definition user interface (HDUI) is incomplete and has been for 9 months with little or no progress. There's no indication of when (or even "If") it will be completed. Some users report frequent lockups and bugs associated with the HDUI. I personally have only experienced a few minor problems that were easily resolved. You can always turn the HDUI off and use the standard definition (SDUI) interface. It's faster in SD than a comparable THD or S3 and trouble-free.

It feels like there's so much more that the next generation of Tivo should have been able to do. There's no support for whole-home DVR or streaming, something that competitors are eagerly working on. The netflix interface is the same cruddy-looking thing it always has been, falling short of netflix-browsing capabilities on other boxes. The pandora interface is nice, but that's also something you could get on a HD/S3. A lot of people are having issues with copy protection (CCI bit) from their cablecos preventing use of the MRV features. Streaming would have been a viable solution to that problem, so it's uncertain why Tivo is sitting on the sideline without streaming support.

One new feature is the coming iPad interface which is supposed to be Premiere-only. iPad users will see that as a good reason to go for a Premiere over an S3/HD. Non-iPad users probably don't care.

If you presently have a THD or S3, then there is very little reason to upgrade. If you have an S1 or S2, then you should upgrade if you want high-definition capabilities. If you're new to Tivo, then this box is as good a starter box as any of the others, just be prepared to downgrade the user interface from HD to SD if you're one of the unfortunate people who experiences problems with it.

In summary, the box falls short of the potential it could deliver, the pricing structure is nasty ($20/mo? really?), and in general my experience has been better than some of the horror stories reported on the Tivo community forums.

EDIT: Revised my review down to 1 star due to repeated problems with this box. It's now experiencing HDUI remote control lockups daily, the only way to resolve them is to reboot, and frequently it hangs during rebooting as well. The HDUI still isn't completed even a year after release. It's obvious that producing a functional bug-free device is not a priority of Tivo. A shame how far this company has fallen.
2344428
I grabbed this for 169 bucks from Amazon and when you combine the price with the functionality you have very good bang for your buck. Don't go thinking your're going to project this to 100 inches and be blown away by the quality, but it's quite good at the 40 to 50 inch range. ROKU is awesome and just works well...so that's added value. The two things that suck are the sound and the awful focus wheel, but give it a little patience and use some external speakers and you're all good. Very neat little device that my kids LOVE, and we can take on the road. I would absolutely purchase again.
87955
The best thing about Roku is being able to live free of cable television, saving me over $100 per month. If you are considering severing ties with your cable company, Roku will make that transition painless.

The Roku 2 XD is a great improvement over the previous models of Roku. It has a smaller footprint, supports games, and has support for their bluetooth remote, should you decide you want to add it on later.

Improvements from version 1 Roku units:
- Response rate is now lightning fast
- Smaller footprint
- Support for bluetooth remote

Overall pros of Roku:
- Can bid farewell to your cable company. Roku supports Netflix, Hulu Plus, Amazon Video, Crunchyroll and many other streaming video services
- Most models support 1080p, video quality is great.
- It's tiny! Doesn't take up much room in your entertainment set up, and is easily transportable should you want to take it to a friends house or with you when you travel.
- Huge database of add-ons. UFC, MLB, NBA, news casts, internet radio services such as soma.fm and Shoutcast, tons of video content both free and paid, games and a lot more. Roku's add on library has grown tremendously, especially with the release of Roku 2.

Overall cons of Roku:
- Not all models support 1080, so it's worth it to get an upgraded model unless you don't care about quality HD streaming
- Not all models have a wired ethernet port. This is useful to maintain a constant, fast connection. Sometimes wireless can be unstable. Or if you're traveling, sometimes a wired connection is cheaper.

Roku is my favorite home entertainment purchase of the past several years, and I'm happy to have upgraded to Roku 2. I have a Roku player hooked up to every television in my home, and couldn't be more pleased. Guests enjoy the access as well.
2735203
I have a unique internet situation; like a university wifi, my network is verified through a portal of sorts, then your verified device can access the internet with no password. The Roku TV and all Smart TV's DO NOT work with this kind of wifi. I was told by Roku that I would need to get a different wifi network with password. And I'm not going to pay an additional $50 a month just for internet that my tv can use, when my laptop and phone can both use my secure and fast internet that I already pay for. So, no Smart tv for people with verified networks situations.

The tv itself seems cheap. I mean it would've been great, and easy to set up if my internet had done the trick. But the screen and legs feel cheap. Honestly, I'd suggest spending an additional $50-$60 bucks on a Samsung.

I'm just going to get a HDTV flatscreen and a Fire or Chrome stick. Might have to go the old fashioned HDMI cable route. We'll see.
523938
I love my Roku 2.
It is fast, this is what I wanted.

I have it connected directly to my router and it works great.
I use it to connect to Amazon Prime, Netflix, and hulu.

CBS want $6.00 per month so I am just watching CBS thru my antenna.
747461
What can I say, I have a Roku on every TV in  our house now. I bought the Roku2 because I loved that even though it was not the top of the line model, it still could use Wireless-N and the remote supports headphones (they plug right into the remote) so you can listen in private in the event you have people over, your little ones are sleeping or you just want to stick the remote in your pocket like an MP3 player and stream Pandora, Amazon MP3 or Radio Paradise to the ear buds/headphones you are wearing them and working around the house (I get about 30-40 feet of range). The price point is incredible for what you get. The extra hot keys (e.g. Netflix, Amazon) on the remote are a nice touch too; nice that I can just press them once and it goes right to the channel.
3719996
I love this product, clear picture, good sound, easy to operate.  I put up with paying more for a replacement when my first one died in less than two years of only occasional use.  I'm hoping the 1st one's quick demise was an anomaly. The price went up from $85.00 to $143.00 in less than two years when I purchased my second one.  I was considering a back-up of this model.  Now it's $179.00?

Wow.  I can't figure out why the price has gotten so expensive for this item.  Hopefully it now has a longer life then the first one I purchased, otherwise, it's not becoming worth it, no matter how ergonomic it is and pleasant it is to watch Digital TV and DVDs on it!
685798
I also have a Roku 2 which still works well. We put that in the bedroom and have the 3 in the den. It is faster and I like the display better as well.
2433383
I don't have a lot of high definition (HD) content available to me, but this TV does great with standard definition TV and DVDs. The black levels are darker on this generation than previous year Samsungs. I personally don't like the look of Plasma TVs, and LCDs are still a little expensive for the largest models, so right now, DLP is the best type of TV technology for larger sizes at a reasonable price.

Be sure you use the best possible connection from your video sources to this TV for the best possible picture. Hopefully you have at least S-Video (out) on your satellite or cable box and component (out) on your DVD player. Get some good cables (gold connectors), but you don't need the very high cost premium cables.

I also looked at the 50" and 56" versions of this TV, but this size is the best for my room based on viewing distance. IMO, you should choose the size of your TV based on the viewing distance. A rough formula is to divide your viewing distance (in inches) by 2 and also divide your viewing distance by 3. Your TV diagonal size should fall between those sizes. In my case, our viewing distance is at about 12 feet (144 inches) => 144/2 = 72 inches, and 144/3 = 48 inches. Then pick a TV with a diagonal between those numbers.

The lower end of the range will be more like your standard TV viewing and the upper end will be more like a movie theater, "immersive" experience. Choose what's best for you.

EDIT
Update as of October 2006: We still love this TV. There are other reviews here that indicate bulb problems. If your bulb does go out, it is a user repairable item, no need for a tech to look at it. Just order from samsung's replacement part site. Bulbs should last for about 5,000 hours. That's the only downside to this TV, the bulb replacement cost.
404369
Roku has made it mush easier to get access to our various streaming services. Perhaps best of at all it has an HDMI cable, allowing for Netflix and HBOGo content to be streamed in HD. Well worth the low cost.
1618763
I really like this device, and I have not missed paying for the rediculously expensive cable TV services.  I do sometimes have issues with the roku loading and streaming video...at times I have had to disconnect and then reconnect in order to reset it.  Other than that little problem, I absolutely love it.
4107897
I bought mine at Best Buy. If you do as well, be sure to get the Geek Squad protection. If anything happens to your TV, they'll give in-home service at no extra cost.

Anyways, got this TV last week and am super happy with it. I haven't owned a TV in years (over 5), and the last one I had was maybe 23inches. It was a giant box TV. So this is a big upgrade for me.

I paired mine up with a new Roku 3 and a Vizio Soundbar. The speakers on the TV are only meh; get a soundbar for less than $200. You'll be happier with that.

I got the Roku 3 because I did not want to bother with the built in "SMART" apps. I suggest you do the same. When I did fiddle with it before plugging my Roku in, it was kinda sluggish. Plus you can always replace your Roku or other media box should the need arise; but you can't replace the built in software of the TV.

Anyways!

The display itself is beautiful, except for one thing: There is a tiny bit of light leak in the upper corners, but nothing major and I don't see it 90% of the time. Should it become a bigger issue, I'll contact Geek Squad. =)

I altered my picture settings to Calibrated though I sometimes like to switch to Vivid for the brighter colors. The standard one is ugly, don't use it. And Dark Calibrated is, in my opinion, too dark.

Overall I am very happy. I'm sure I'll eventually upgrade to a bigger 4K OLED TV in the future, but that's not for at least another five years. I want to wait for the prices for OLED and 4K to come down first. And once that happens, this TV will become the guest TV. >=D
758961
Netflix now has plenty of great content, making Roku well worth the cost.  An inexpensive Netflix membership gives you all the instant content you can watch.  Though most new movies are not available online through Roku, there are quite a few newer movies, older movies, television shows, documentaries, etc.  It's like having a "bottomless" DVR (Tivo-like) device because you just put something in your queue and it never takes up any space on your DVR.  There's also a screen saver feature on Roku, which is helpful.  Amazon also has a lot of content, but presently the cost for Amazon is a little high.

The video isn't the absolute greatest (1080p), but it's generally good enough at up to 720.  As the content increases and Roku improves, it has an HDMI output and an optical audio output that will ensure it keeps up with the technology advances.  For the convenience and cost, Roku is a great device.

Setup could not have been easier.  Hook the device to your TV and Internet connection and follow the prompts.
3017598
I love this thing, seeming endless amount of channels to add, lots of content.  I also purchased the Western Digital media player, its nowhere as good as the Roku, not even in the same league.