Whikst I can't see this being anywhere near as good from a travel perspective as the Google ChromeCast, it could be a good competitior for Apple TV and Roku...

Does anyone know if this will have the same major limitation as the chromecast - the ability for it to connect to hotel WiFi which has a login screen?

I guess I'm not seeing the killer feature here... easy voice search is a convenience... and I'm having a hard time seeing this as a gaming platform. Can it help them sell more Amazon Prime subscriptions? Probably. But otherwise it seems just like every other set top box out there.

Exactly how I see it. Apple TV = Roku = Fire TV = whatever else comes next.

Why not a Roku Streaming stick instead? at $49 half the price and definitely more portable.

http://www.roku.com/products/streaming-stick

I just got that in the mail (and also ordered the Fire). Plan to take the stick on my trip tomorrow.

Not a killer feature, but one interesting feature is that they say that it comes pre-configured for your Amazon account.

That potentially lowers the skill level (and certainly the effort) to configure it - but if you're on wireless it's still likely not going to make it foolproof.

OK gadget guy - we are expecting reviews from the bleeding edge

Summary review please on the roku streaming stick? Once setup is it standalone? The literature mentions "casting" from another device like a tablet.

Thanks

Seems to be missing HBO Go.

I can't wait for one of these that can be used abroad

I've used my ChromeCast in multiple countries. NetFlix works through much of Europe. Youtube and the like work everywhere, as done streaming from a PC.

Any of them will work anywhere in the world if you're willing to use a VPN of some form. My family in Australia all have Roku's running via a VPN to the US.

I agree it's not revolutionary, but if it's extremely responsive AND has a plethora of content, it might be the best combination of ATV and Roku. HBO Go seems to be the glaring omission for now, but I can see that changing over time.

It looks like Plex for Android is available for it, so it should offer a better Plex UI than Roku and not require Jailbreaking like the ATV. If XMBC eventually made it on here (or side-loading were at least available) then I might be more interested as I currently prefer it to Plex. If I end up settling on Plex instead of XBMC, I could see having this in the living room and theater and using cheaper Rokus in the bedrooms.

Exceedingly dumb question: The Streaming Stick says it's for HDTV only.

How do I know if I have that? I do have an HDMI port and can display stuff in 1080p (whatever that means).
This extensive review says casting only from the YouTube or Netflix channels.

http://www.tomsguide.com/us/roku-str...view-2086.html

1080p is HDTV (high definition tv). It's shorthand for 1920 x 1080 progressive scan, the resolution of your panel, assuming it does 1080p native (most all do these days.)

SDTV (standard definition tv, the really old TVs nobody has anymore) was 480i, there was something called EDTV, which is in between SDTV and HDTV resolutions. I think 720p, and higher (including 1080i) are all considered to be HDTV.


That article explained it. That's just their term for moving a stream from a handheld/app (ie, netflix) to the streaming stick. The stick just gets the resume point and the stream from the source as I read that article. That's good.

In other words, it's fully capable without needing a handheld device other than their remote (or their remote app).

-David