Rating: 
Summary: Almost there, but not just ...
Review: This is almost a good attempt from Roku to solve the problem of media glut at home. Enabling HDTV set owners to view digital pictures on their large screen TV is a good idea. However, a device that has various flash card slots is probably not the best solution. Flash cards are a good media solution for temporary storage of digital pictures, but almost all digital camera users I know transfer their pictures to their computer and keep them organized using some type of a S/W solution. And for backups, CD-R discs seem to be a cheaper and more reliable solution. Instead of the 4 flash card slots, Roku should have added a DVD/CD drive that can play CD-R/CD-RW disks to this system. That way, the unit could not only show pictures from a CD/DVD but also could be used as a progressive scan DVD player.Another mistake Roku made was to provide wireline only network connectivity. I would expect a device in Roku HD-1000s price range to come with at least built-in 802.11b connectivity, preferably with 802.11g connectivity. Having a separate USB-to-wireless adapter (and its power adapter, etc.) will spoil the elegence and simplicity of a possible solution.
Rating:
Summary: Second thoughts
Review: This product is truly designed for owners of digital cameras with various types of memory cards. The image quality on large format HD screens is quite impressive. Downside, you have to have a compact flash card and reader in order to import the updated software. Looking at prices at Amazon this could cost more than half the price of the unit itself. This is a serious shortcoming for this product and my reason for a average rating. I have still not been able to get the unit to work on either of my networks using Windows XP. Most people keep their photo's on CD's and a CD slot would have been a great feature, even over the assortment of memory card slots they provide. I would believe that most images are moved from memory cards to hard drives and cd's for long term storage and later viewing making a CD drive much more practical.
Rating:
Summary: Second thoughts
Review: This product is truly designed for owners of digital cameras with various types of memory cards. The image quality on large format HD screens is quite impressive. Downside, you have to have a compact flash card and reader in order to import the updated software. Looking at prices at Amazon this could cost more than half the price of the unit itself. This is a serious shortcoming for this product and my reason for a average rating. I have still not been able to get the unit to work on either of my networks using Windows XP. Most people keep their photo's on CD's and a CD slot would have been a great feature, even over the assortment of memory card slots they provide. I would believe that most images are moved from memory cards to hard drives and cd's for long term storage and later viewing making a CD drive much more practical.
Rating: 
Summary: Rock on Roku!
Review: This unit provides a quality media player for the high-end AV officianado. It does not try to be everything to everyone -- it does its job and it does it well. It focuses on the delivery of your personal digital content to your HD-based AV system. It does not play DVD's, it does not attempt to funnel high-bandwidth HD-quality media through a wireless connection that may not meet the speed requirements for video, nor does it try to force you to one media format like so many other media players. In the same vein, it does not exclude you from doing anything you'd like through its support of pass-through component signals, a wide variety of memory card formats, integrated Ethernet with support for external WiFi adapters, the use of standard file services on your servers, and standard MPEG2, JPEG, and MP3 & playlist support (NOT some vendors' proprietary or DRM-restricted file format!) As if the HD1000 doesn't come with enough features today, the open-source nature of this device allows for a lot of future software features and upgrades from RokuLabs, 3rd party developers, and hobbyists. The ability to connect to any kind of server with no specialized server software required is a big plus in my book. The included ability to easily script your own programs in the simple language included can make for some great custom scenes on your HD display with corresponding soundtracks; if that's not enough, a full-blown C/C++ SDK is in the works for the diehard hobbyist. The future of this unit is wide-open! The sleek, clean design looks even better in person than the online photos lead you to believe. The remote control is simple and easy to use, as is the user interface. The wealth of connections on the back are clearly labeled (even without my reading glasses!) and leave enough room for fingers to plug and unplug cables. This is the device I've been waiting for, and I've confirmed that desire with actual hands-on testing -- it's definitely on my xmas list!
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