Haven't seen anything on the forum about this yet. So I've decided to purchase one and right a small review to help you all out. Sorry no pretty pictures yet.
The "Box"
This is a 720p ARM based media box. This box is actually subsidized from the Roku 2, with a cut down motherboard, has no USB/Ethernet chip. Roku also sell the exact same box as the Now TV one called Roku LT. This retails for £39.99 (400% more) however it allows full access to the Roku channel store.
What's in the box?
When you open the box you are welcomed by a quick setup guide. Under this is the Now TV box and the remote (batteries included). Below hides the HDMI cable and the power adaptor.
Hard to use?
No, not at all. Takes about 5 mins to set up including a patch it needs to do. I feel confident I could give this to my Grandma and she would be able to use it. The interface seems to 'flow' really nice.
Apps
One of the features of the Now TV box is the Roku Channel store. This allows you to download channels (more commonly known as apps) that developers have made. You can download apps such as Spotify, iPlayer, Demand 5, Vimeo and Flickr to name a few. The flickr app is brilliant!
Downsides
These only operate at 60Hz which can cause some issue with playback and brittish TV is all done in 50Hz. However, they actually use the same Broadcom chip that's in the Raspberry Pi, which operates at 50Hz so it may be possible in the future.
What would I like to see in the future?
It would be nice to have a BB10, iOS or Android remote control just like XBMC has to make it easier to navigate.
What's that, the small print says you need a Now TV account?
Sneaky ehh? According to Sky, you can only get a Now TV account by having a Sky Movies trial, which will then continue to take money out your account until you cancel. So their "A one off, £9.99 fee" message on the advert isn't strictly correct. But...
There is a way around giving them your card details. Fill out this form, then close the page when it asks for credit card details. You're now set to go.
Final Verdict
It's a shame that it doesn't support full 1080p HD, no YouTube, has no mobile remote control app and that the Roku channel store is limited (meaning no Netflix, but this will never be available unless someone hacks the box as it is the main competitor). However for £9.99 including a free HDMI cable, and shipping you can't turn it down at all. I would recommend it to anyone, especially if you want a cheap alternative to a Smart TV.
I will update this more once I've had more time to play. I hope this helps some of you out.
For those of you that have a Plex media server
You can actually use plex on this device, by sideloading it. Plenty of information of the net so I will not be explaining how to do this. More info: http://www.automatedhome.co.uk/av-d...inute-hack-10-wireless-plex-media-player.html
The "Box"
This is a 720p ARM based media box. This box is actually subsidized from the Roku 2, with a cut down motherboard, has no USB/Ethernet chip. Roku also sell the exact same box as the Now TV one called Roku LT. This retails for £39.99 (400% more) however it allows full access to the Roku channel store.
What's in the box?
When you open the box you are welcomed by a quick setup guide. Under this is the Now TV box and the remote (batteries included). Below hides the HDMI cable and the power adaptor.
Hard to use?
No, not at all. Takes about 5 mins to set up including a patch it needs to do. I feel confident I could give this to my Grandma and she would be able to use it. The interface seems to 'flow' really nice.
Apps
One of the features of the Now TV box is the Roku Channel store. This allows you to download channels (more commonly known as apps) that developers have made. You can download apps such as Spotify, iPlayer, Demand 5, Vimeo and Flickr to name a few. The flickr app is brilliant!
Downsides
These only operate at 60Hz which can cause some issue with playback and brittish TV is all done in 50Hz. However, they actually use the same Broadcom chip that's in the Raspberry Pi, which operates at 50Hz so it may be possible in the future.
What would I like to see in the future?
It would be nice to have a BB10, iOS or Android remote control just like XBMC has to make it easier to navigate.
What's that, the small print says you need a Now TV account?
Sneaky ehh? According to Sky, you can only get a Now TV account by having a Sky Movies trial, which will then continue to take money out your account until you cancel. So their "A one off, £9.99 fee" message on the advert isn't strictly correct. But...
There is a way around giving them your card details. Fill out this form, then close the page when it asks for credit card details. You're now set to go.
Final Verdict
It's a shame that it doesn't support full 1080p HD, no YouTube, has no mobile remote control app and that the Roku channel store is limited (meaning no Netflix, but this will never be available unless someone hacks the box as it is the main competitor). However for £9.99 including a free HDMI cable, and shipping you can't turn it down at all. I would recommend it to anyone, especially if you want a cheap alternative to a Smart TV.
I will update this more once I've had more time to play. I hope this helps some of you out.
For those of you that have a Plex media server
You can actually use plex on this device, by sideloading it. Plenty of information of the net so I will not be explaining how to do this. More info: http://www.automatedhome.co.uk/av-d...inute-hack-10-wireless-plex-media-player.html
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