Netflix fans dreaming of having their movies streamed in their sets instead of their computers are in for a treat with the new Netflix Player by Roku. The Netflix player is an on-demand video streaming device that works with the popular movie rental service. It comes in a non-descript black box measuring only 5.1 by 5.1 by 1.6 inches. Behind the units are the output ports that includes HDMI, component, composite, and S-Video outputs. A basic-looking remote control comes with the player. The reviewer noted that the user interface resembles that of Apple’s Cover Flow. You can access the menu using the remote control but settings are very limited. The player also decides the bit rate at which to stream movies based on your network connection. While this is ingenious, it also presents a flaw, as it can stream your video at 0.5 Mbps, giving you the worst possible resolution. The biggest caveat with the Netflix player is the number of titles available. It only offers 10,000 titles - a mere 10% of what Netflix offers in DVD. Nonetheless, the Netflix Player by Roku is a good choice for those who want to easily stream their movies into their TVs.

Many digital media adapters are trying to do a lot of things all at the same time. Roku, on the other hand, sticks to one and does it very well. The Roku Netflix Player is just as big as the average hand and weighs in at half a pound. Getting the player up and running with your existing Netflix account is a walk in the park. Just plug in the HDMI cable, turn the player on, connect to the network, type in a code and you’re all set to watch. While the user interface might seem bland, it does the job quite well. For you to watch movies, it streams it over a wired or wireless Internet connection. It streams movies at a very watchable 2.2-Mbps bitrate. While it doesn’t currently play HD movies, the Roku uses a powerful codec to stream movies with good color quality, high sharpness, and 2-channel audio. The reviewer noted that the major caveat with the Netflix Player is its very limited movie and TV-show selection. Nevertheless, the Roku Netflix Player does exactly what it was made to do - and that is to stream movies.