Versus the Xbox 360

I was debating between getting the Roku box, or using my 360 to stream Netflix. I ended up deciding the Roku was a better fit for me for a variety of reasons. First off, I don't have Xbox Live Gold (required for Netflix) so I'd be paying about $40 per year as opposed to a $99 one time fee for the Roku box. If you game online anyway and already have an Xbox Live Gold account, you're value proposition will change dramatically. Second, since Roku uses only 5 watts, it seems much more efficient to use the Roku as the Xbox is overkill. Third, the Roku is silent as opposed to my 360, which is a bit on the noisy side. Finally, with its small size and built-in wireless, the Roku is very easy to move from room to room, so it has a big advantage that I can easily use it on all my TVs.

Conclusion

If you've got Netflix, The Netflix Box by Roku is an excellent way to leverage the "Watch Instantly" feature past your computer and to the rest of your TVs. It is available directly from Roku for $99.

Chris Gohlke is a Contributing Editor for Digital Home Thoughts. He loves poker, RPGs, and Sci-Fi and loves to get his hands on real-life tech gadgets. He lives in Tallahassee, Florida, USA with his wife and three cats.

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