Manage updates with the Download AppRoku N1100 HD player (Netflix)
Manufacturer: Roku Part number: CNETROKUPLAYER
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Product series
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- A low price and growing roster of online content makes the Netflix HD Player a good choice for anyone who wants a quick and easy way to add Netflix--and a variety of other Internet media channels--to any TV.
Read more
Where to buy
| store | customer rating | inventory | tax & shipping | price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |  | In stock | Enter zip code to get total price: Price +Tax +Shipping =Total price | as of 05/13/2013 |
CNET editors' review
Roku N1100 HD player (Netflix) price range: $299.00
- Reviewed by: David Carnoy and John Falcone
- Reviewed on: 03/02/2009
- Released on: 05/19/2008
The good: Affordable sub-$100 price tag; streams a variety of Internet video and audio services, including Netflix, Amazon, Pandora, Major League Baseball games, and Mediafly podcasts; built-in Wi-Fi; works with all TVs; upgradable firmware allows for periodic update of content and features; good HD video quality (on channels and programming that support it).
The bad: Ever cheaper Blu-ray players offer many of the same Internet-viewing options plus disc playback; video quality varies from channel to channel, depending upon provider and source material; setup and content queues usually require at least some PC interaction; yet another box under the TV; no centralized way to access, search, and manipulate channel providers.
The bottom line: A low price and growing roster of online content makes the Netflix HD Player a good choice for anyone who wants a quick and easy way to add Netflix--and a variety of other Internet media channels--to any TV.
User reviews
-
-
It's not for idiots
by dirty55409 on May 23, 2008
Pros: Streams movies to your TV. Firmware is upgradeable. Decent picture quality
Cons: not enough movie selection, needs surround sound, better video quality.
Summary: First I'd like to note how idiotic some people can be. If you thought the picture looked bad on your small computer screen, and expected it to look better ...
Summary: First I'd like to note how idiotic some people can be. If you thought the picture looked bad on your small computer screen, and expected it to look better on a bigger screen you are gravely mistaken. Although internet connections are getting faster, streaming HD content is extremely taxing on a network and since this is the first gen model, I'm pleasantly surprised at it's quality. If you don't think there's much selection you should realize that netflix adds new titles every week!! So the library is constantly growing. They can't get the rights or won't pay the outlandish prices to gain the rights to stream movies. There is a lot of legal red tape involved with getting the rights to putting a movie into a network for people to view and we'll probably never get instant access to new releases(though it could happen). Besides most new movies are garbage, do yourself a favor and browse through older movies and watch some classics, if you don't like it it's not like you had to pay for it.
in the end you have to look at the pricetag. This is priced around the same price as a low end dvd player and it has much more functionality compared to them. I would recommend it to anyone who likes to watch movies period. It's not a huge investment, it's not a perfect fit for everyone BUT remember with firmware upgrades, I am betting that the HDMI output will be getting 5.1 surround sound some time in the near future. If you're waiting for an HD model to come out, remember you may be paying twice as much if not more, for the higher resolution.22 out of 23 users found this user opinion helpful.
-
The Future Is Here!
by sv007 on June 4, 2008
Pros: Simple to Use, Great Price
Cons: None So Far
Summary: We have ours hooked up to a standard def Sony and it absolutely ROCKS! We are by no means early adopters of tech hardware, but this is a no-brainer. Anyone ...
Summary: We have ours hooked up to a standard def Sony and it absolutely ROCKS! We are by no means early adopters of tech hardware, but this is a no-brainer. Anyone giving the Roku low marks has obviously NOT used one. It is simple to operate, the quality is the same as our digital cable, and though selection is limited, we have no problems finding titles to watch.
No question this is the wave of the future. Apple TV and Vudu are flops compared to the Roku. All-you-can-eat titles, great quality, all at NO extra charge. Expect the number of titles to grow tremendously in the next 6 to 12 months as these boxes catch on.
The whole family just loves the Roku. We are ordering a second one for the HD set in our bedroom. I give the Roku a perfect 10 as I don't find "only" 10,000 titles to be a drawback.15 out of 16 users found this user opinion helpful.
-
Way better than anticipated
by McCormick97 on January 29, 2009
Pros: HD quality for some movies, DVD quality for everything else. Easy set up and firmware upgrading. Great deal when combined with Netflix 2 or 3 DVDs at a time by mail. Finally found a replacement for Comcast Cable.
Cons: Unable to browse Netflix library from the TV - have to add movies to your list from a PC. Noticed some lag issues (would exit movie and go to movie loading screen) over wireless network, but this has been resolved with a new Trendnet router.
Summary: I was a bit skeptical about buying this mainly since I was concerned that the picture quality over our wireless network would be terrible. We had a few minor issues ...
Summary: I was a bit skeptical about buying this mainly since I was concerned that the picture quality over our wireless network would be terrible. We had a few minor issues initially, but our router was 5 years old, so we just bought a new one. The selection of movies available to use with this box is pretty good, and is constantly expanding. It's incredibly easy to set up and use. It's great to be able to take as long as you like to watch a movie, and the spot you are at is held in the memory for all movies in your list. Movies aren't automatically deleted when you watch them - this is a good thing since wecan keep all my daughter's favourite TV shows in the queue permanently. We are having a lot of trouble watching everything we have in our queue - so much to choose from! It was great to ditch our $70 a month Comcast Cable, and pay $100 for the box then $17 for unlimited streaming and 3 DVDs at a time (best way to get newer movies). The picture quality has generally been DVD quality. When it has been lower quality, I just exit the movie and reload it, which usually fixes it. There are only a few movies available in HD, but you don't pay extra for them. Only minor gripe is the inability to select movies directly from the TV.
7 out of 7 users found this user opinion helpful.
-
Movies Movies Movies
by tjmile1 on December 10, 2008
Pros: - Surprisingly good selection
- Surprisingly good video quality on a 55" Sony LCD
- Very clean design and GUI
- Easy setup
- Dirt cheap compared to any other movie source
- It does what they say it doesCons: - Some glitches watching certain films, although most stream flawlessly
- Sometimes you only get 2 dots out of 4 (streaming issues that Neflix claims are fixed)
- You may not get much sleep if you buy one (too much good stuff to just "go to bed")Summary: Roku was a whim purchase for me. CNET reviewed it, and I already had a Netflix account, so why not. I was blown away with how good this little box ...
Summary: Roku was a whim purchase for me. CNET reviewed it, and I already had a Netflix account, so why not. I was blown away with how good this little box is. I've watched hundreds of movies in the last two months.
Your equipment you connect to the Roku with has a lot to do with it. I had a problem installing my Roku wirelessly with my Linksys WRT54G router when I first got it. I called Roku and they were very pleasant and offered to send me a new box, but that's not what I wanted. I wasn't convinced the box was broken since it powered up and I was just getting network connection errors. The box itself gave me the answer eventually, I got a error message stating I need to add the Roku's MAC address to my router. I suspect if you have a computer saavy friend help you out, you may find your Roku works just fine. As far as being out money with a dead box, I can't believe Roku won't replace your non-working box or even refund you. I'm sure they would do either. They have a good product, and they're not going to stiff customers over a bad box. Ask them to replace it or send it back and get a refund.
Sometimes I don't make it through the whole movie, but that's the point. In the first five minutes if I find out I'm watching a bad "B" movie that has no redeeming value (some are fun to watch because they're bad), I pick something else. No harm - no foul, I just move on to another movie. I gave up on renting movies due to how many bad movies I went home with. Roku eliminates that and even better, Roku allows you to take chances on movies that you suspect you won't like and certainly wouldn't rent. Sometimes I've been surprised by movies I didn't think I would like.
There are thousands of movies I never saw because I didn't see them in the theater, or rent them. Roku has allowed me to catch up on what I may or may not have missed. It's outstanding for students studying film since so many classics are available.
The final reason I love Roku. Foreign movies. I'm a huge foreign movie fan and Roku has allowed me to watch some extremely moving films. Films that take chances and stay with you. I would have never seen any of these films without Netflix and Roku. I give Roku the credit because I probably wouldn't have rented them through Netflix itself. Like I said, Roku enables you to take chances on films you wouldn't see otherwise.
There have been some streaming issues, but Netflix claims to have fixed them. I don't know about that, but with what I've watched already I have zero regrets, and I use it every day.
Updated on Dec 10, 2008
Updated on Dec 25, 2008Good news. The previous streaming issues seem to be resolved, at least if you upgrade your firmware. I participated in the Roku beta firmware program and the "HD" upgrade is a winner. Doing an upgrade is great, all you have to do is select update on the info screen. It's the easiest firmware upgrade I've ever done, and frankly, I'm still amazed at how well thought out the device is. The Roku is designed for video novices.
I now have the ability to receive 720p (although the HD selections for streaming are very slim right now) and previous problems have disappeared. HD movies do look great, but all videos are streaming better now.
The Roku is the best option, especially if you don't need "BlueRay", or a video game system. $99 + $8.99 per month for unlimited, commercial free, streaming movies? Word of mouth is going to propel this device to become the next big thing, and rightly so.7 out of 7 users found this user opinion helpful.
-
Difficult Set Up - Ok Product
by cnetnoticeacct on July 7, 2008
Pros: Great Concept
Cons: Limited Image Quality with Standard Cable Modum Connection, Difficult Set-up
Summary: Great product in theory, however, it will not play through my brand-new, mid range receiver (Sony STR-DA4300) because of its digital rights management software and image quality is limited without ...
Summary: Great product in theory, however, it will not play through my brand-new, mid range receiver (Sony STR-DA4300) because of its digital rights management software and image quality is limited without a relatively fat internet connection. It took me three calls and one and a half hours to learn that the promised one line HDMI connection promised was not delivered. The tech support crew told me that they do not support or trouble shoot the product when not connected directly to a television--which begs the question, how many early adopters don't use some sort of receiver, switch, or other intermediary device?
9 out of 13 users found this user opinion helpful.
-
a step in the right direction
by THE COMPUTER HEALER on May 20, 2008
Pros: $100, user friendly, inexpensive subscription
Cons: WIDESCREEN, title selection is thin, cant play dvds
Summary: first off, most of my reviews are home theater biased so excuse me if i dont list everything. i appreciate netflix efforts to remain king of video. however, if you ...
Summary: first off, most of my reviews are home theater biased so excuse me if i dont list everything. i appreciate netflix efforts to remain king of video. however, if you already have a pc in your home theater setup you dont need the netflix box and if you dont already have a pc, you dont want this (the hp slimline is still my pick for netflix in the living room).for those of you who have extra inputs, it cant even play dvds so is it even worth taking up space in your setup (except bragging). when i purchased this today i was expecting the online movie roster to be updated with the release of the box. it wasnt and the movies you would want to watch online arent widescreen anyway. also if you're used to being emersed in sound you'll get irritated with this box as surround sound isnt supported yet. i agree with the cnet editor this is a going in my kids room... with less disc to worry about and no moving parts to shove cookies into.
even better as my kids tv on has two hd inputs so i can use the netflix box s-video input for setup. also, apple tv, archos tv, vuduu are much more expensive its really a steal at $100 and if your like most of the country you already have a netflix account for your dvd's anyway so its an added bonus.
you can purchase the netflix box with the refunds they were offering to those of you with hd-dvd players.5 out of 7 users found this user opinion helpful.
-
Couldn't be easier to setup and use
by moviesandtv on June 16, 2008
Pros: Really Easy
Cons: Netflix selection
Summary: The only con is that the pool of Netflix Instant Watch movies is heavily stocked with documentaries, foreign films, and old movies (snoooze, snore, snoooze some more). Occasionally you do ...
Summary: The only con is that the pool of Netflix Instant Watch movies is heavily stocked with documentaries, foreign films, and old movies (snoooze, snore, snoooze some more). Occasionally you do find a good movie available for instant watch or that is already in your dvd mail queue. If you are on a budget like me and only pay for the one dvd at-a-time plan like me, it really helps you out between postal delays waiting for your next dvd to arrive. Netflix might have to rethink this... why would anybody want to upgrade their plan to more movies at a time when there are Free instant watch movies to tide you over until your next DVD arrives?
4 out of 5 users found this user opinion helpful.
-
Affordable, More Compact and Easily Connects
by digitalplayer on September 22, 2009
Pros: The first thing that I do coming home after a tiring work day is spend some time watching one of my favorite TV show on my Roku. There so much great selection of TV episodes and movies to pick from Netflix and Amazon Video On Demand.
Cons: Nothing at all, maybe more content partners, which I?m sure is coming down the pipeline.
Summary: The Roku player is one of the best devices that I have purchased this year. It is really an affordable buy at only $100. And you get so much from ...
Summary: The Roku player is one of the best devices that I have purchased this year. It is really an affordable buy at only $100. And you get so much from the little set top box. That?s amazing. Apart from Netflix and Amazon Video On Demand, with the new partner MLB.com added to Roku?s list, you get even more options. If you are a die-hard baseball fan like me, then you should not miss this.
When it comes to picture quality, Roku is great. One thing I would like to clearly emphasize is that if your broadband connection speed is faster (my is around 2.0 Mbps) then you will certainly see highest quality. Remember, the quality of streaming depends on how fast your broadband speed and you need at least 1.3 Mbps to enjoy the Roku player.3 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
-
A god-send
by BiG-MaTT on March 11, 2009
Pros: Overall easy to set-up and account linking. Now that it streams Amazon it's usefulness has doubled. I am using it on a 1.5 Mbps WiFi connection and a 60in SDTV and get an amazing picture. Your queue is updated instantaneously, no waiting or forcing.
Cons: For the computer novice the set-up might be tricky as it is not 100% compatible with every router. On my cheapo Belkin router I had to turn off my firewall entirely for it to complete the connection.
Summary: Other than it's quirky relationship with many routers out there, this box has been a god-send. While I have not had pay-TV for a year and a half. I ...
Summary: Other than it's quirky relationship with many routers out there, this box has been a god-send. While I have not had pay-TV for a year and a half. I got rid of it after I started playing WoW. Well I recently gave up on WoW and was looking at my entertainment alternatives. I already had Netflix and frequently streamed movies so this was a no brainer for me. I can't speak for it's HD performance, but for you SD hold-outs, its SD performance is excellent. I use it on a 60in old-school bigscreen and it looks perfect on my 1.5 Mbps WiFi connection. The only time I have seen artifacts was when watching Ratatouille when there was a very fast movement in a frame (comicly fast head turn and things of that sort), but it didn't take away from the experience. This is only due to my connection speed though. This device is easily the best investment I have ever made.
3 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
-
Ditch the discs!
by deadzoned on March 9, 2009
Pros: Cheap, small footprint, easy to use, acceptable video quality
Cons: Video quality could be better, current library is limited but getting better
Summary: I ordered the Roku Box last weekend on Sunday night and I received it on Friday morning. Shipping is relatively quick but expensive. Honestly, 15 to 20 dollars to ship ...
Summary: I ordered the Roku Box last weekend on Sunday night and I received it on Friday morning. Shipping is relatively quick but expensive. Honestly, 15 to 20 dollars to ship something so small is kind of a rip-off. Also, they shipped it in it's original packaging rather than packing it in another box. I thought it was weird and kind of irresponsible to ship it that way. Regardless, it shipped just fine with no issues.
The hardware itself, while definitely very basic, seems to of good quality. It's very subtle and discreet - I like that because it's something you can kind of hide and get out of the way. It only includes the composite cables so unless you have a spare HDMI or Component cable, you have to buy one. (If your TV accepts Component or HDMI don't bother with the composite at all!)
Setup was a breeze and I successfully set up the Roku Player in 5 minutes time. I have mine attached via Component input to the TV and opted to use the wired connection for the sake of stability and have it plugged into my Router. (Wireless is an option on the Roku box too!)
Registering my new Roku box and updating it took less than five minutes on my cable connection which if I am not mistaken is a 7/512 connection last I checked. I already was utilizing the Netflix streaming service with my laptop so I had some movies in my "Watch Now" queue. You need to add movies to the "Watch Now" queue before you can utilize the Roku box so keep that in mind. Anyway, I found the video quality to be surprisingly acceptable although I have been watching a lot of the newer material that is available like Pam's Labyrinth and the series Weeds. My connection was always at 4 so this was good, I attribute this in part to the wired connection although I have not yet tried the Wireless connection out.
In summary, I really like the Roku box. My experience thus far has been largely positive and I find little to complain about considering the cost of the box and the service itself. It really is a great deal - 115 bucks and 10 dollars a month for unlimited streaming content and 1 at a time unlimited DVD's is a steal. My only real complaint is that the content available is lacking. It seems to be getting better and better though so at least they appear to be making an effort to add more content. The other thing that kind of sucks is that some "Watch Now" titles are only available for a limited time before they become unavailable. I'm not sure why this is but I am almost certain it has something to do with the Movie/TV studios freaking out for various silly reasons.
My overall opinion? BUT IT! It's a great deal and it seems to be getting better. (I didn't mention the Amazon option that is available to you as well with the Roku box, but it gives you the option to buy or rent new - meaning current - TV shows or Movies!)3 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
Product series
-
Roku N1100 HD player (Netflix)
Manufacturer: Roku
Specs:
-
Manufacturer: Roku
Specs: Digital multimedia receiver,
Digital video playback,
IEEE 802.3 (Ethernet),
IEEE 802.11b (Wi-Fi),
IEEE 802.3u (Fast Ethernet),
IEEE 802.11g,
Remote control -
Manufacturer: Roku
Specs: Digital multimedia receiver,
Digital video playback,
IEEE 802.3 (Ethernet),
IEEE 802.11b (Wi-Fi),
IEEE 802.3u (Fast Ethernet),
IEEE 802.11g,
Remote control
Manufacturer info
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse Roku products on Shopper.com
-
- Manufacturer:Roku
- Address:
399 Sherman Ave., Ste. 12, Palo Alto, CA 94306 - Phone: 1-888-600-7658
- Fax: 650-321-9648
%20-%20Compare%20prices,%20reviews,%20user%20opinions%20-%20Shopper.com&srcUrl=http://shopper.cnet.com/digital-media-receivers/roku-n1100-hd-player/4014-6739_9-33018087.html?%26info%3Dreview&x_breadcrumb=6449:6739&x_arw_bkts=MAD:first_impression){kind=small}