The Roku Netflix Player represents the first salvo in Netflix's push into the living room with streaming video. Previously, the Web-based movie rental company had announced at CES that it was partnering with LG to provide a box, too. But Roku's is first to market--and as such, garners all the notice.
Compact enough to fit in with other gadgets in your living room, the Netflix Player is unremarkable black, five-inch square that stands just two inches tall. The device sits between your television and your Internet connection (wired or wireless 802.11 b/g). The back of the device is packed with ports, but doesn't overwhelm: The unit outputs HDMI, composite, component, and S-Video ports out the back, along with SPDIF and analog stereo audio.
The installation screen warns you that set-up make take three minutes; in reality, though, it may take longer if you're not also by your computer. Set-up went smoothly, but in order to activate the Netflix Player, I had to log into my Netflix account on my PC, enter an activation code provided by the box, and then return to the unit.
Entering an access code isn't the only thing you'll need to power up your PC for: Roku says it made a conscious decision to keep the Netflix Player as simple as possible by only allowing you to browse titles in your Netflix Instant Queue (Netflix currently offers over 10,000 movies and television shows for immediate viewing). That means this TV companion will likely provide less of an impulse experience than, say, the Apple TV--which lets you browse options directly from the device--or even than, say, a cable service on-demand system like Comcast offers.
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