Starting at 11 a.m. EST, Netflix and Amazon streaming high definition streaming device the Roku HD-XR will be available for 50 percent off via the company's Website, but only for the first 500 customers.
Roku has announced a special Black Friday offer on its HD-XR Player, a
Netflix streaming appliance that is Wi-Fi enabled and can also play high-definition
video.
The offer begins at 11 a.m. EST (8 a.m. PST) Nov. 27 and is available only to the
first 500 customers who visit the company's Website. The device, which normally retails
for $129.99, will be available for $65, including free shipping. The XR is also
notable because it includes the fastest Wi-Fi on the market, wireless N.
In October, the company announced the release of the HD-XR as
well as the Roku SD player, retailing for $79.99. The addition of these two
models expands the family of digital video players to three; the original
$99.99 Roku HD player debuted in 2008. All players stream video from Netflix,
Amazon's Video On Demand service and MLB.TV.
Roku is offering free shipping on all Roku devices if purchased through
Amazon.com or the company's Website.
The HD-XR Player comes with its own remote control and includes all the
cables required to connect to a standard television. The Roku players feature
composite, S-video and component video outputs; stereo and optical audio
outputs; and HDMI integrated audio and video connections. Roku claims the
devices, which are about the size of a jewelry box, take only 5 minutes to set
up.
The Roku SD player connects to the TV using the included yellow-red-white
video/audio cable and incorporates the aforementioned Wi-Fi (802.11b/g)
technology and an Ethernet port for broadband connectivity. The Roku HD and
HD-XR players feature high-definition streaming capability, connecting to any
TV using HDMI or component video (both products also include S-video or
Composite video outputs as well). The Roku HD-XR adds the latest Wi-Fi standard
and 802.11n dual-band, and works with legacy routers. Roku notes the HD-XR
player also includes a USB port for future
use.
Recently, the company also announced the Roku Channel store, which offers
free channels such as Twit.tv, Facebook Photos, Flickr, Pandora Internet Radio,
Blip.tv and FrameChannel. The company said many other developers are working on
Roku Channels now, and they expect additional developers to adopt the Roku
platform over time. New channels will appear in the Roku Channel Store
automatically as they become available, Roku stated in a company release.
All Roku players are compatible with the Roku Channel Store, and the store
will be delivered as an automatic and free upgrade to all existing Roku
customers over the course of the next two weeks, the company claimed. New
customers will automatically be upgraded when they first install their Roku
player.
Nathan Eddy is Associate Editor, Midmarket, at eWEEK.com. Before joining eWEEK.com, Nate was a writer with ChannelWeb and he served as an editor at FierceMarkets. He is a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.
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