What Is The Roku 3?
De BISAWiki
The remote is a bit different for the Roku 3; it now has a headphone jack and a volume control. Plug in headphones (these are included, though they are not great), and the audio will instantly shift from your speakers to your ears. Unplug and it shifts back. The volume control only works when headphones are plugged in, unfortunately, but otherwise this works perfectly. Want to watch Scott Pilgrim vs. The World at the (very high) volume that movie requires, but your apartment is made of cardboard or some lesser paper product and you don't want to wake your roommates? Plug 'er right in. What It Does
The next true differentiator is the actual navigation. Roku has gone out of their way to make navigation very simply and quick. Almost all menus and icon style options will automatically cycle back to the beginning when you reach the end of a list, so you don’t get stuck at the bottom and have to scroll all the way back to the top again. Scroll up and down to see more options in the current category, or right drill deeper into an option or left to pull up a level higher. It is very simple. As simple as they should all be.
Having said this, the overall Roku 3 experience is pleasant and engaging to use (be sure to hit up the link above). It is good enough that I do not intend to switch to another device anytime in the near future. The channel selection, system speed, wireless headphones, Plex support etc. makes this a very compelling device. I am always exited to view content from my computer that I have accumulated over the years, in a convenient, effortless manner using the Plex channel. One thing to note is that with Google ChromeCast out in the marketplace, it is unlikely that Roku 3 with support YouTube anytime soon.
Some competitors to the Roku 3 include the Apple TV at $99, which offers much of the same functionality such as on-demand movies and TV shows, but is more integrated into the Apple ecosystem; and requires one computer to be the dedicated iTunes server in order to watch local video files. Next, the Boxee Box at around $180, offers more or less the same features, but isn’t quite as complete. Boxee is also known to erratically drop support on existing customers and phase out products really quickly. Judging from what’s happening in Boxee’s support forum, the Boxee Box could have very well reached the end of its life. Packaging
Popular with consumers who have ditched expensive cable and cut the cord, Roku hardware has long offered access to many popular streaming video applications for a fairly low cost. Released during March 2013, the new roku 3 hardware provides upgraded speed, a slick interface and a nifty feature on the remote control that helps you watch content privately. At a $99 price point, the Roku 3 replaces the Roku 2 XS in the Roku lineup. Roku is continuing to offer the Roku LT , Roku HD and Roku 2 XD at prices ranging from $49.99 to 79.99. Hardware
My initial rating was 4 stars due to the lack of YouTube. After a few days with Roku 3 I upgraded it to a 5-star. I still wish Roku supported YouTube natively but the lack of it is mitigated by the major improvements this new Roku has over its predecessors. Amazon's reviewing guideline suggests that 5 stars means "I love it" and I absolutely do love Roku 3. Indeed, I can easily switch to my PS3 or Blu-ray player if I wanted to watch YouTube but there's no other device with such a great selection of channels and the better, faster user interface alone is worth one extra star. -Amazon.com
