New Roku Units Aim Straight at the Apple TV

September 23, 2010 by Christina Warren
Filed under Apple TV, Channels, connected tv, roku, roku hd, roku xd, roku xds, Television

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style="float:left;margin-bottom:10px;"> src="http://cdn.mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/Roku-XDS-Beauty-Shot-225.jpg" alt="" title="Roku-XDS-Beauty-Shot-225" width="225" height="225" class="alignright size-full wp-image-388626" />

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The connected-device market just got a little bit hotter; href="http://mashable.com/tag/roku">Roku has just announced its new lineup of streaming media players. Competing head-to-head with the upcoming href="http://mashable.com/tag/apple-tv">Apple TV, the href="http://mashable.com/tag/boxee-box">Boxee Box and href="http://mashable.com/tag/google-tv">Google TV, Roku is hoping to entice customers to its newest units. Roku is introducing three models, priced to sell at $59.99, $79.99 and $99.99. Each model supports HD streaming and has built-in wireless connectivity. The $79.99 and $99.99 models support 1080p streaming — a feature the $99 Apple TV won’t be able to match. /> id="more-388624"> /> Like the older Roku devices, the new boxes support a slew of content networks, including href="http://mashable.com/tag/netflix">Netflix, Amazon Video On Demand, MLB.TV, Pandora, Flickr and MOG. As small as the old Roku boxes were, the new units are even smaller. The Apple TV hasn’t shipped yet, so we’re not sure which device is smaller, but he new Roku is tiny and should be easy to hide away. Check out a quick run-down of what each model offers: Roku HD Priced at $59.99, this entry-level Roku box supports 720p streaming and has built-in ethernet and 802.11 b/g and supports 5.1 surround sound. It includes both HDMI and composite video, so you can use this on standard-definition TVs or on newer models. Roku XD src="http://cdn.mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/Roku-XDS-front-right-angle.jpg" alt="" title="Roku-XDS-front-right-angle" width="640" height="249" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-388628" /> At $79.99, the mid-tier Roku box jumps from 720p to 1080p and gains extended range Wireless-N Wi-Fi support, plus the ability to do stuff like instant-replay with the new enhanced Roku remote. Roku XDS src="http://cdn.mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/Roku-XDS-back-straight.jpg" alt="" title="Roku-XDS-back-straight" width="640" height="159" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-388630" /> The $99.99 Roku XDS is priced the same as the Apple TV, but it offers 1080p HD streaming and dual-band extended range Wireless-N Wi-Fi. It can also play content via a USB drive. The ability to play back external content is completely new for Roku. Using USB, customers can play stored music, photos and 1080p video. Roku will be introducing this new feature as part of a free software update, which we expect to roll out in November.

Taking on the Apple TV Head-on

/> It’s hard not to compare the new Roku units with Apple’s upcoming Apple TV. Both units offers similar capabilities and are of a similar form factor. The big distinguishing factor is content selection. Apple TV has direct access to the iTunes Store and can also connect to home networks. Roku has access to Amazon and an increasing number of partners and can now play content over USB. Both units offer Netflix support, though Roku will be able to handle 1080p streaming. Roku provided us with a review unit of the Roku XDS, and we’ll be posting our full review soon. What do you think of the new Roku boxes? Are you considering adding one to your living room? Let us know.

/>Reviews: href="http://www.blippr.com/apps/336659-Flickr" >Flickr, href="http://www.blippr.com/apps/336924-Pandora" >Pandora More About: href="http://mashable.com/tag/apple-tv/">Apple TV, href="http://mashable.com/tag/connected-tv/">connected tv, href="http://mashable.com/tag/roku/">roku, href="http://mashable.com/tag/roku-hd/">roku hd, href="http://mashable.com/tag/roku-xd/">roku xd, href="http://mashable.com/tag/roku-xds/">roku xds style="margin-top:10px;">For more href="http://mashable.com/tech/">Tech coverage: