Is AppleTV better than Roku?
This week, Roku, a company based in Saratoga, California, launched a new lineup of video players designed to stream high-definition content from Internet destinations such as Netflix, Amazon, and Pandora. The cost will be $60 for a basic player and $100 for one that offers a variety of ways to connect to other devices. Both are equipped for high-definition playback.
Roku was one of the first companies to stream Internet content to televisions; it released its first video player in May 2008. Since then, the market for Internet-connected set-top boxes for televisions has become much more crowded. Competition is intense because, along with free shows and clips, the Internet can be used to deliver premium, cable-like content. An Internet-connected set-top box can also be used to deliver ads that are closely tailored to viewing habits. "People are zeroing in on the same answer from multiple directions," says David Krall, Roku's president.
Many electronics companies sell televisions that can connect directly to the Internet, and last month Apple announced a new version of its set-top device, Apple TV, that will be considerably cheaper ($99 instead of $229) and sleeker, and will let viewers rent episodes of popular TV shows for 99 cents each. Boxee, a startup based in New York, is taking preorders for the new version of its Internet streaming device, which offers a wealth of free Internet content and a slick user interface. Even Google has decided it wants a slice of the television business, announcing a set-top box and service that is expected to launch later this year.
Roku has about 700,000 users--far fewer than the number of Apple iTunes users out there--but the company hopes to attract users by offering lower-cost hardware and high performance.
Networks have historically been reluctant to provide the most sought-after TV shows and movies to Internet-connected set-top boxes. They are worried that allowing consumers to watch content for free or pay low prices for individual shows will reduce other revenues. This sort of licensing problem is why the Internet TV site Hulu has attempted to block Boxee from pulling its content onto users' television screens. Roku only delivers content that's already been licensed for all screens, such as Netflix's streaming video.
What is the user going to choose in terms of the way they keep track of this or interact with it or discover this content?" Reddy says. "That's really what the battle is. It's thinking about what's the 'start' page, because that's how people decide where to go." Reddy believes that Internet-connected TV solutions haven't taken off so far because of the limited memory of set-top boxes. This is now changing, he says, because more data can be stored in the cloud rather than on the devices themselves. However, Reddy says, "it's going to take time" before it's commonplace for users to pull in content from the Internet.
Smarthome & Theater Systems is a systems integrator in Connecticut and has been for nearly 10 years. Smarthome & Theater Solutions of Milford, Connecticut are the local authorities for home theater and automation systems and continue to stay at the top with education and training of the most complicated products on the market. We cover the entire state from the greenwich, darien, westport, fairfield area up north to farmington, west hartford, glastonbury area and up the shoreline to branford, guilford, madison and clinton. We have traveled as far as the litchfield hills, marlborough and near the casino at montville.
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