Video: Netflix Streaming Made Simple

It has been made plainly clear that one of the fastest growing trends in media consumption is the act of streaming movies and TV shows over the internet — by way of Netflix.

The indisputable ease of use and accessibility Netflix affords its users is now gaining the attention of Steve Jobs, with the Netflix App for iPhone, iPod & iPad having been recently released via Apple’s App Store.  Word on the street is that the new Apple TV device will also allow users access to their Netflix accounts.

While these advancements are spectacular for the Apple crew and iTunes generation alike — and while they have dropped the price of the Apple TV unit to $99 — we anticipate many consumers will follow suit in remaining faithful Roku owners.

In today’s posting we aim to honestly express what a sincere joy it has been for many of us here at AudioAcrobat to  have welcomed the Roku HD-XR into our living rooms, offices, bedrooms and boardrooms while also highlighting several of the main features which originally had attracted us to the product.

Love At First Sight

While the Roku certainly doesn’t fit into your pocket as neatly as an iPhone, there are several facets of this device that did have us reaching into ours to fork out $99 a pop, such as:

*Wi-Fi Enabled
*HD Compatibility
*Netflix ‘Watch Instantly’
*Amazon Video On Demand
*Vimeo Channel

Having a Wi-Fi enabled device connected to your (HD)TV and Home Theater not only alleviates the need to run an Ethernet cable between the device and your router/modem, but also enables the powerful DVPRemote’s access as a much faster, easier to use remote (especially when searching; using the keypad instead of the ‘hunt and peck’ method).

HD Compatibility is especially important when connecting to TVs that broadcast to resolutions that are drastically larger than a normal “SD” or Standard Definition screen.

Want to test the difference?  Start by connecting the usual yellow, red & white RCA connectors from the Roku to your big screen HDTV, watch your favorite action film and then remove the cables.  Connect the Roku and your HDTV using an HDMI cable and watch the most standard, common, even “boring” television show you can fathom … and we guarantee that it will be the ride of a lifetime!

Fact: Roku began as a “Netflix Streaming Device”

The Roku player has been out for two and a half years now, and the only other device to even come close to matching the Roku’s Netflix interface will be the new Apple TV.  We confidently stand behind the player who has been in the field the longest and who has built their product around a core need … Streaming Netflix to the TV.

Can’t find what you’re looking for on Netflix?  Either stream *a lot* more Netflix movies (yes, the more you stream, the more titles become “unlocked”; also, if you don’t stream to the end … it doesn’t count as having been watched) or check out Amazon’s Video On Demand selection for a selection that literally spans thousands of movies and TV shows.  Have a “Watch Later” queue on Vimeo?  Check out their Roku channel for a constantly updated, ‘hip’ stream of innovative, high-quality user-generated content.

Sometimes, we like listening to music with the Vimeo visuals on as unique audio-visual experience for enhancing social atmospheres … but the sound from the videos works great too!

All-in-all, we’ve been extremely satisfied with this nifty little device, and we think our readers will be as well.  Did we mention that Roku has made their SDK available for anyone in the world to to start tinkering with?  That’s right … get your lab coats on and fire up the ‘ol creativity helmet!

Want to learn more about AudioAcrobat?  Go ahead, give it a try yourself by signing up for a 30 day Free Trial or join one of our FREE Training Classes without signing up for squat.  Already have an account?  Login HERE.

Coming up next … our new favorite wireless keyboard + mouse!