Roku Netflix Media Player

Current best Roku cheap deals

With competition from Apple TV and Boxee TV looming, prices on the Roku media player has been further knocked off - a solid $20 discount for all Roku players at Amazon. We're not sure yet if this is a permanent price drop or just a September instant savings special.

If you buy directly from Roku, your Roku player comes with a 30-day money back guarantee.

Roku SD, Roku HD, and Roku HD-XR comparison

What's the difference between the Roku SD, HD, and HD-XR? Essentially, you choose the Roku based on the television set you have (or the type of media you want to consume).

All Rokus are equipped with Ethernet capability along with Wi-Fi B&G support, while the HD-XR has Wi-FI N support. Video outputs for the Roku SD will be the composite video (480i) option, with video modes at 16:9 anamorphi and 4:3 standard ratio. The audio output on the Roku SD is a standard no-frills stereo audio output.

The Roku HD bumps the specs up a bit with more video output selection and capability. Composite video output at 480i, S-Video output at 480i, component video at 720p or 480p, and finally HDMI output at 720p and 480p. Video modes supported are the same as Roku SD but with the added option of 16:9 high definition. Audio output is also expanded with digital optical out and digital out via HDMI, giving you surround sound options base on media.

The Roku HD-XR is exactly the same as Roku HD, with basically a better Wi-Fi coverage range, with dual band B/G/N capability. Roku HD-XR touts better coverage range, but you should note that unless you have a Wi-Fi N capable router/network setup, you will most likely see little benefit splurging for the HD-XR. Currently, no Roku box can deliver 1080p HD content (video output at 1920x1080), but Roku will most likely introduce a 1080p offering in the future once the media delivery platforms start offering more 1080p content.

The Roku box is best known as the most popular streaming device for Netflix users, and for good reason - you can even manage your Netflix Queue with this bad boy. But it does even more than that. It also gives you instant access to over 40,000 media titles from Amazon Video on Demand and it is capable of connecting to the internet via Ethernet cable or a Wi-Fi network.

Roku plays Netflix, Amazon Video on Demand, MLB.com, Pandora, Facebook Photos, Flickr, and more.

My favorite endorsement of the Roku player came from David Pogue of the New York Times, who said, "This thing could not be simpler. I was watching my first movie six minutes after opening the box."