Netflix Player by Roku Activation Thread

Post here when you get your Netflix Player by Roku box installed and activated, let us know how it goes. The first batch of orders shipped on Tues 20th, the announcement date.

Roku have been swamped with orders, so if you didn't get your order in in the first day or so, there is going to be a delay of a few weeks as they ramp up production.

If the software delivered on the box itself is down-rev, then the first thing that will happen on installation after it is connected to the Internet is a quick update and restart.

Adrian from Netflix

Tags: roku

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Permalink Reply by DanielS on June 5, 2008 at 10:56am: I'm glad that I'm not the only one.

But, those poor lions. Should we call the SPCA?; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Obelus on June 5, 2008 at 12:56pm: Ooooh, Ouch. Two big dudes (or dudettes, who can tell for sure on the internets) ganging up on the least of all iPods.

Well, you might be surprised to know that this was an SPCA-sponsored lion kill. I think you got that acronym wrong though. I think it is SPKA--Sinister People for the Killing of Animals.

Oh, and thank you, Daniel (and Spindaddydad), for the replies, my mail box is now quite content.

BTW, there is an article in this morning's Washington Post about Netflix, the Roku, and the studios. The article noted the comparative lack of choice on Netflix--downloads (10k) vs DVD (100k)--and pointed the finger at the studios, not Netflix, for standing in the way of progress. And the Roku was generally praised.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Joe Reichert on June 5, 2008 at 4:17pm: What a great device! Got mine today. Ordered maybe 10 days ago. Set up quick and easy (wireless with WPA). So nice and easy to use. EVERYONE sould have one of these.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by PBGVLOVER on July 8, 2008 at 7:08am: Our Roku came yesterday. We set it up in five minutes running it through our Denon receiver. Watched it for hours!!! jazz, Edith Piaf movie, more music - WE ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT!!; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by InPinkClover on July 22, 2008 at 9:12am: I got my box when it first came out and I absolutely love it. It works very well and was very easy to set up and use. As many others, I would like to see "better" content (such as more recent TV shows), but knowing a tiny bit about how these things work between the companies, I am willing to bet that Netflix would also like to be able to show more current shows and movies. I will say, though, that it's better than it was when they first started the Instant Watch programming. I use a Polaroid under-cabinet TV/DVD system with a 7" screen to watch (it's right next to my computer monitor - I live at my desk) so everything looks perfect for me.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Susan on August 17, 2008 at 6:44pm: I needed help to configure my d-link, but once it was up and running, we have been enjoying the old TV series and British films. Lately, however, the show will stop and start loading again. Last night it took fully 10 minutes of loading, 3 different times to watch one episode of Columbo. I have Cable TV, wireless, 5000+ mgs download speed. Any ideas? No one else was using a computer.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Adrian on August 18, 2008 at 2:31pm: The Netflix instant watch streaming service was running smoothly over the weekend, so the problem is most likely to be in the network. Its possible that all the other people who live near you were competing on the cable internet system and slowing it down.

One thing you could try is to run a speed test from a laptop computer over WiFi from the same room as the Roku. Visit http://www.dslreports.com/speedtest and try the flash or java based test to a test site somewhere near you. Run it when the Roku is paused or stopped. You could also try it at a time when the Roku was working fine, to see how it performs on a good day, then look for the difference when its misbehaving.

There is a Roku user forum for more help with this kind of issue....

Happy watching
Adrian; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by J Derek on August 18, 2008 at 3:28pm: I got mine about a month ago. Set it up with no problems. Works a lot nicer than when I had my pc hooked up to my tv.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Susan on August 23, 2008 at 6:56am: thank you. I took my laptop in last night and while watching a TV movie, Burns and Allen, ran the speed test--while the roku was working, while it was reloading, which it did about 4 times during a 45 minute period. It was always about same, 5625 upload speed. So it's not the cable. The wireless signal is low in that room, but the internet runs just fine on my laptop. Any other suggestions?
Susan; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Spindaddydad on August 23, 2008 at 10:41am: What was your download speed? That's the important number. Sounds like an inconsistent stream. For the Roku to work properly it will need a rather consistent, steady download speed. With your wireless signal being low in that room, it might be that it is actually fluctuating, which wouldn't affect your computer connectivity, but when Roku detects an inconsistent stream, it will automatically select a lower quality stream because of the inconsistency.

Another test would be to take the Roku box closer to your wireless router, or even plug it into it directly and test that way. You also may want to try it on a couple different movies. I've had only a handful that for some reason couldn't get a high quality stream at certain times.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Susan on August 23, 2008 at 11:15am: Sorry, I meant that 5625 is the download speed. I have cable. I don't know how I can test the Roku box closer to the wireless router since there is no TV in that room. This has happened with every movie we've watched on Roku. But you might be right that the wireless signal being low in that room is the problem. I will try the netflix watch instantly feature on my laptop in that room and see if it has the same difficulty.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by jampony on August 23, 2008 at 2:53pm: "...but when Roku detects an inconsistent stream, it will automatically select a lower quality stream because of the inconsistency."

The frustrating thing about this is that the Roku keeps adjusting itself up and down. If it detects a little burst of speed, it'll go back up to three or four dots. Until I learned how to force the speed I wanted (I'm happy enough with two dots), I was having the same kind of problems as Susan. I also had more fluctuation problems with Comcast than I do with my current ISP. I never did figure out why. Probably like what Adrian said ("Its possible that all the other people who live near you were competing on the cable internet system and slowing it down.").; ▶ Reply to This