Roku vs. wi-fi blu-ray

[Craig234]

For a gift for someone without a blu-ray, with a CRT TV:

They want to have access to internet streaming, mainly netflix.

On the one hand, a Roku 2 XS seems great for that.

On the other, they could also use a blu-ray player, and some of those advertise wi-fi access to streaming for about the same price, even less.

So, which makes more sense? Is the Roku better enough than the blu-ray to get both?

 

[Zodiark1593]

Unless this CRT TV is one of those really early model HDTVs, then a blu ray player would be a complete waste. I'm assuming that someone wants to keep that CRT for specific reasons, old video games perhaps? That's why I'm still rolling a CRT.

Anyway, i'd shoot for the Roku myself. I'm not quite sure myself how capable all the varying blu ray players are at streaming media though, so someone more familiar with them might be able to find a gem.

 

[Craig234]

Ya, I'm thinking it's good to plan for when the tv is upgraded also. Thanks but that's the main question.

The streaming is the function - if it's just fine wit a blu-ray without spending more, it makes sense to get the blu-ray. If there's more benefit to Roku to get both, why?

 

[shortylickens]

I got my mom a ROKU LT last Xmas and its awesome. UI is clean and responsive, everything works quickly. The thing plays tons of stuff including a proper Amazon Prime viewer.
Most every other gadget just opens Amazons web page and you gotta dig around for shit.

I had a Sony Wifi bluray player for about a week. It was horrid. Interface was clunky, half the apps would mess up, the other half were just unpleasant to use.
Turned it in and got a Logitech Revue instead. Its much nicer having a full keyboard, makes searching a lot easier.
But recently it had an issue with the Netflix app and I cant fix it. And the other stuff is just mediocre. But I only paid eighty bucks for it and got a full year of heavy use, so I'm not mad.

Overall, I prefer the Roku. And my next gadget purchase will definitely be the hi-end model with precision remote for games.

 

[ImpulsE69]

Blu-Ray players tend not to get updated beyond an initial one. The Roku on the other hand is actively being updated all the time and it's interface is very intuitive. Blu-Ray players are crazy slow as well for some reason. Roku is great for easy to use streaming, and even better for local streaming if you are into that sort of thing.

 

[shortylickens]

My Samsung had two updates but they were both right after the unit came out and they were to fix really basic issues, something that should not have been released.

No updates since and damn sure nothing for disc compatibility.

 

[Kaido]

For a gift for someone without a blu-ray, with a CRT TV:

They want to have access to internet streaming, mainly netflix.

On the one hand, a Roku 2 XS seems great for that.

On the other, they could also use a blu-ray player, and some of those advertise wi-fi access to streaming for about the same price, even less.

So, which makes more sense? Is the Roku better enough than the blu-ray to get both?

I have both. Sometimes the Blu-ray interfaces are terrible, sometimes they are okay. And sometimes they are updated, and sometimes they are left forgotten by their manufacturers. I have an inexpensive Sony Blu-ray player (same interface as a Playstation 3) and it does Netflix pretty well, but overall I wouldn't say it's a joy to use. The Roku is a much better machine for Internet streaming.

Another one to look at is the WDTV Live Streaming player - it does LAN/USB streaming as well as web streaming. However, the Roku has more web-based apps (you can add more manually) and imo a better GUI, but you miss out on local file playback.

If you're planning on getting both, start out with the Blu-ray player (most Sony's are under $100) and see how they like it. If it's mostly going to be Bluray discs & Netflix, that might meet their needs just fine. Just make sure you get a player that has the appropriate outputs to connect to their CRT.

 

[lastig21]

I wouldn't count on a Blu-Ray player to reliably stream from Netflix. The built-in wifi may have problems with persistent connections, and manufacturers have been known to release updates which break working features. If they did break Netflix through an update, you could expect another 3-6 months before having a resolution.

The Roku sounds better to me than the BluRay player, but don't rule out the Apple TV (especially if they already use iTunes). There have been some recent sales on them, which gets them closer in price to the Roku. Apple TV only has HDMI out for video though. I don't know what connections are available on that CRT TV.