Roku 2 was a foreign name in my household. I was told about Roku at work by a co-worker when we engaged in a conversation about Netflix, cable, and the insane costs to maintain cable. From there I did not hear mention again and disregarded our conversation. However, our family took huge cuts to our budget and eliminate frivolous spending. With that we began to research alternative options to cable and I stumbled across the Roku box and the options and streaming channels with Roku.
Not knowing what it is about I asked to review the Roku2 XS for my husband. We love it. The amount of streaming channels, Netflix, and let’s not forget the full blown edition of Angry Birds, this gadget is great for him and the entire family. In addition to the streaming from Netflix, catch all your live sports, UFC fights (my husband’s favorite), music from Pandora, scroll through your pictures on Flickr, entertain the kids with Disney, movies on Crackle, choice of your favorite shows on Hulu Plus, the options are endless.
In addition to all the cool streaming options and channels, is the full blown edition of Angry Birds. This feeds an addicts urge to slaughter some pigs with those angry birds. Hours of fun to be had!
The setup for the Roku box is the most simple; plug and play, and no need for any fancy or complex remotes and installation instructions. You probably want to go out and buy an HDMI cable for those of you who want your HD like we do, so that is the only additional cost to the box. My husband did all the setup while I was at work and I was blown away at how little this device is, yet how powerful. So not only is it energy efficient, it does not take up a lot of space, it also has the smallest energy footprint, using less than 2 Watts when you’re watching a movie. That’s less power than a nightlight. 15 times less than a DVR. And 60 times less than a popular game console (Roku.com, 2011). A selling factor for this green family when considering purchases for our household.
If you are looking for the perfect gift for him, her, or the entire family the Roku2 is a great gift for any and every member of the family. Prices start at $59.99 and was revered as a CNET best for 2011. For more details visit the Roku site.