The Roku Netflix player has been out for a bit now, but I had held off considering it. It seemed a little too much money (about $110, shipped) for the amount of content available. Plus, we were able to watch the shows on the computer (which we have in the bedroom), so there wasn’t too much point.

However, ever since Netflix made their on-demand service unlimited we’ve been using it like crazy. We don’t use it for current movies or anything, but old TV programs. Stuff like Dragnet, Emergency, Adam 12, and other 60s-70s TV shows. And a good selection of Mystery and PBS and BBC, too. We don’t have cable TV, so Netflix on-demand has been a great way to watch good TV without all the BS.

Recently, after reading some updated (positive) reviews, I decided to get their player. It arrived today and I’ve been playing around with it a bit. Here’s what it looks like:

it’s about five inches square and about two inches high. The front panel just has a little white LED to indicate status (thankfully, it’s not a super-bright-blind-you blue LED). The top is vented and so far it’s running pretty cool (no fan, so it’s silent).

Here’s the back view. It has an amazing amount of outputs, making it super easy to hook up to your existing TV setup. Doesn’t matter if it’s a 10 year old CRT or a brand new LCD. Take a look:

It’s really quite amazing what they can stuff into a little box these days. You’ve got S-Video, Composite Video, Component Video, Optical Audo, and HDMI. Talk about the kitchen-sink! In addition, you have a wired ethernet connection and the power jack. Wired ethernet? Don’t worry, it has wireless, too. So, if you have good wireless reception, use that. If not, you can fall back to copper.

To hook it up to your TV, just choose your connection (I used HDMI) and plug the thing in. It literally took me longer to figure out how to open the remote (for the batteries) than it did to connect the unit.

Once you have it connected to your TV and powered up it walks you through the setup process. You can choose either wired or wireless. If you choose wireless, it scans the local network, at which point you can either choose from the list or enter your own SSID (if you have yours hidden, as you should). You can also enter a wireless password, if you use one (you should). Even on my cranky network, it took all of 2 minutes to configure the wireless.

Once the network is set up, it give you an Authorization code. What you do is go to Netflix and enter the code. Your device is then validated and connected to your Netflix account.

I really have to give credit to the team who designed the setup process. It really is dead simple. Very step-by-step, very clear. It took me longer to find a free power jack than it did to configure the device. It’s nice when something is properly designed! The “getting started” guide is also very clear.

So, how do you watch programs on it? Well, you can’t add programs with the player. You have to add them to your Netflix On Demand queue (the Roku player is one of the reasons why you now have that “On Demand” queue). Once you have added programs to your queue, they automatically appear on the player. You scroll through them kinda like the “cover art” view in iTunes. Very simple.

Dealing with TV Series programs is also dead-simple. You first go into the series (ex. “Yes, Minister”) and then you can scroll through the episodes. Each one shows a little synopsis, so it’s easy to find the esisode you want to play. It also keeps track of what you’ve watched, and where you left off, which is very handy.

To control all this, you use what must be my new favorite remote control:

Ah, I love it. Menu (home), directions & select, reverse, play/pause, and forward. That’s it. It’s a beautiful thing (though, I don’t look forward to having another remote in the house; maybe Logitech has codes for it, I’ll have to check). Home brings you to the browsing menu, where you use the direction keys to select a show, and the big Select button in the middle is your “click”. It’s very easy to deal with.

So, how’s the video quality? Well, I live in a crowded wireless area, and it’s pretty darn good on my 37″ Sharp Aquos. When I first started it, it switched to lower (1 of 4) quality, but that may have been a fluke. Ever since then I’ve been getting high (4 of 4) quality over the wireless. I’ve got wired near the TV if I find the wireless a problem, but so far so good.

It takes about 10-15 seconds for a program to start up (similar to the computer version; but no need to hit that damn “full screen” button all the time–Netflix users know what I mean). I’ve yet to have it stutter at all; though most of my connection problems are due to the cable company and not Netflix.

Note that this is NOT some HD device. It runs at 480p. It ain’t BluRay, but I’m also watching shows from the 60′s, so who cares? Also, it comes with composite cables, which is nice, but if you want HDMI you need your own cable. (Be sure to hunt down a cheap one; overpriced cables are just that–overpriced. It’s digital. All the ‘gold plated oxygen free’ hype won’t mean anything.)

If you have a Netflix subscription already, and can find enough programming on their On Demand service, then I’d recommend getting this little box. I have a feeling that the content is going to improve over time and it’s nice to watch old TV shows on the bigger screen in the living room.

On the downside, it’s tied to the Netflix service, so if the content you want isn’t there, then it will serve you no purpose. However, I’ve heard that Roku is making their firmware Open Source. Methinks you’ll soon see the coders out there writing firmware updates to allow for other service tie-ins. YouTube? Joost? Comedy Central? Who knows.

Those are some of my initial thoughts. I’ll post an update in a couple of weeks, after I’ve lived with it for a while. But, so far so good.

Update: I’ve watched a couple of programs on it and things seem good. It actually takes between 25 and 30 seconds to start a program (over wireless). Not sure if wired is any faster. Other than that, it’s fine. Images seem a little more blocky, but that might because I’m watching it on a much bigger screen than usual (37″ versus 20″).

Also, my Logitech Harmony 880 universal remote works fine with it, so I don’t need to have the extra remote. That’s nice. Just make sure you’re using the latest Logitech software, or simply do the IR programming. I looked for Roku under the PVR/DVR section. The heading doesn’t matter, as you can rename everything on the Harmony 880. I have mine as “Netflix Roku”.