Netflix Ready?

Netflix announced the first Netflix Ready device today. You may remember I recently bought an Apple TV and love it, so I am sold on movies/TV over IP.

The Roku box, at 99 bucks, seems a decent entry point for many consumers. But what this does, is basically allow you to do the whole Netflix Now thing on your TV without going through your browser. I have enjoyed my Netflix subscription, and while I like this idea, I am really not sold on the device yet. I am skeptical how it will work without having storage for the average consumer — even just for buffering, not long term storage. If anyone wants to send me a Roku to review, I promise to deliver an honest review.

Many stories I have read today indicate this will kill the Apple TV, but anyone who has used one will immediately see the things missing from the Roku to even be on the same playing field. Those who haven’t used the Apple TV might not be the wiser and below are my initial thoughts. In full disclosure, I am still bitter that Netflix hasn’t allowed Mac users to use the Netflix Now feature.

Missing from Roku’s Netflix Ready device which are on Apple TV :

• Listening to my music collection, seamlessly. I have heard the ‘lessons’ learned of this complexity in earlier Roku products. Complexity is not a problem with iTunes/Apple TV.
• Viewing YouTube Videos on demand
• Purchasing TV shows that have just aired
• Viewing my Photos
• Downloading Video Podcasts on Demand

Missing from Netflix Ready in general:

• HD movies. That’s kind of a big miss.
• Most of the Netflix Collection. Only 10% is available in Watch Now. Go look at your account if you have one. I couldn’t find a single recent movie hit in the top 50 or recently added section. From a content perspective it is about as interesting as Joost or Hulu IMHO.

What I like so far :

• The Roku will work fine on non-HD sets. Technically, my Apple TV did work on my non-HD set, but this offers perhaps broader appeal than Apple TV.
• While the Watch Now catalogue isn’t the hottest content, it is interesting and could fill in what is missing from the iTunes offerings.

What I’d like to see:

• Netflix has hinted the Roku is the first in a series of devices. Netflix Ready would make a wonderful addition to the Apple TV. In fact, such a partnership was the first thing I added to my Apple TV wishlist. That is just a software upgrade — the hardware is all there.
• Continued improvement of these devices in general. I do love my Apple TV, but there is a lot of room for this idea to expand much further.