While I have mentioned that the PS3 is an excellent all-round multimedia device, the downside is that it is hard drive based and therefore takes a while to boot up and get going, etc. And to get the best out of it requires that you pay Sony a quarterly or yearly subscription (automatic updates, free games, etc). Even in it’s slimline edition, it takes up valuable living room space.
(For somebody that didn’t even own a TV a few years ago, I’m sure as hell making it up for it now)
I’ve found a replacement media streaming device that is flash based, is only slightly larger than the Apple TV, but much more useful. Based on my experiences on the NOW TV box, I’ve bought the Roku 3. Its Channel Store offers a variety of different content including NOW TV, Sky Store, BBC iPlayer, Demand 5, 4oD, Netflix and many more besides. It outputs in 1080p and has ethernet connectivity.
Furthermore, the remote control is motion-based and can be used for playing games. But unfortunately, like the NOW TV box, there were set-up problems with the Virgin Superhub 2 – even with ethernet connectivity. I had to access yet another hidden menu to persuade the box to finish setup. It still insists it’s not connected despite the diagnostic screens showing a correctly configured DHCP address. The box functions fine, however, but these silly bugs do spoil things a bit, otherwise the Roku is an excellent replacement for the Apple TV.
While Blinkbox have said there should be a channel for the Roku reasonably soon, LOVEFiLM have practically implied there won’t be anything forthcoming soon, so I’ve cancelled my account with them despite them having some reasonable exclusive content, but there’s still a lot of it is duplicated with Netflix so there’s not much I’m going to miss (okay, maybe Stargate SG-1).
As for ITV Player, ITV need to pull their finger out. Support for the ITV Player on most platforms is appalling – even on the PS3. Even Richard Desmond’s Channel 5 has done a better job of providing on demand content across multiple devices.
The Roku range of devices are impressive, but without ITV and LOVEFiLM on board and a few silly set-up bugs spoil things a bit. Perhaps Roku should join the Smart TV alliance to push broadcasters and VoD services into developing for it.
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