Roku HD XR unboxing and first impressions

Roku has just officially introduced the Roku HD XR, a box that lets you watch Netflix and Amazon Video movies directly on your TV, without the need for a PC/Mac. The Roku HD-XR sells for $130 and when compared to the Roku HD ($100), it has Wifi-N and a USB port for “future use”. You could argue that a Roku Box can be replaced by a PC, even a beefed up Netbook. That said, the Roku box is just cheaper and simpler to use if what you want is watch/rent from the two video services mentioned above. The significant downside of Roku is that you can’t browse Netflix movies (for now). Instead you only have access to your “instant queue”. It is possible to browse the Amazon videos and even get a 2mn preview, which is nice. Note that Roku also has a $80 Roku SD box. As its name indicates, it connects only via composite video and connect via WIFI-G or wired Ethernet. Product page