What is it: The Roku Netflix player is a set top box that lets you stream Netflix movies over the internet to your TV either wired or wirelessly.

Who is it for: Netflix customers with an unlimited movie account - $9 and up

How much is it: $100

How many movies can I watch: Unlimited from the Instant section

I just received my Roku Netflix player today and am loving it. Lets just jump right in.

First impression on opening the box was that this thing is small. Being only 5 in. x 5 in. x 1.75 in. it is exactly the same size as 4 cd cases stacked. It also weighs less than the 4 cds. Comes with a small remote control.

Setup is very simple. Hook up your audio and video cables(I’ll talk a/v options later), plug it in the wall, turn on your tv and start going through the setup menu. If you are not using wired ethernet it checks for wireless networks in the area. It supports 802.11b and 802.11g open networks and with WEP, WPA and WPA2 encryption. I am using a WPA network, so I entered my password(you only have to do this once, it remembers) and moved on to the activate screen. The box gives you a code to enter online at your Netflix account so your box will activate and sink. Process is done and the box shows you all of the movies in your instant queue in a album art/coverflow type view.

I am pleasantly surprised by the movie quality of the player. I didn’t know what to expect but am really happy with it. The quality is based on a few factors, your internet speed and the video connection type you use. I have a 4-6 Mb connection so that wasn’t a factor but I do only have a 27″ standard def TV. They have a little rating list in the setup booklet ranking the video connections. Composite < S-video < Component < HDMI . I went with the S-video and stereo connections for the audio.(They do have Optical for 5.1 support) I would have to say the quality is just as good as the cable signal if not a little better. I don’t know what it would look like on a bigger HD set since I don’t have one. Maybe someone will let me come over and try it on their tv *cough Thomas cough* and I can update :). When you select a movie it takes 1-2 min to start playing. Which wasn’t really a big deal to me because you have to go through 5-10 minutes of other stuff anyway on Netflix DVDs before you get to the play menu. I’m probably saving time this way.

Couple things. Fast forward/rewind is ok. Probably what you would expect from streaming. One thing I don’t like though is that there is no chapter support. I know why they don’t have it, extra file size, but it would be nice to have. I doubt I will ever use any of the skipping features since it remembers where you left off if you pause or turn off the box. Something I did forget is that HD support is coming some time down the road and the box is HD ready. Probably the signal will be 720p at the max. Broadband connections can’t handle anything over that right now.

So who is this box targeted toward. If you have a unlimited Netflix account($9 and up) you will want to search the play instant section to see if there is enough content for you to watch. If you love documentaries, TV shows and older films then this is right up your ally. If you want new movies this box is not for you. They don’t have new movies as watch instant yet. I doubt they ever will.

This box is going to be something that I use a lot. I probably will watch 365 movies and shows this year. I will get my moneys worth in the first month. If you watch a lot of content then this is something you would want to consider. I’m sure a forgot something so if you have any questions, leave me a comment.