You’ve cut the cable and now you want to be able to watch videos, listen to music, and look at the (thousands!) of digital photos you’ve taken; but you (or your spouse) don’t want that “big, noisy, ugly computer” in the living room, where your biggest HDTV is.

Fear not, my friend! If you already have a Roku digital media player and a network at home (wired or wireless; I prefer wired, but not everyone has the luxury of being able to poke cables through the walls and floors), you’re already three-quarters of the way to streaming your own movies, music, and photos. There are other ways, of course, but this is definitely the least expensive option; Roku players start at around US$50, and the most expensive streaming option we’re going to talk about here is US$15. You can’t buy a general-purpose PC that can play steaming video well for US$65, and even a wireless remote by itself would cost around half of that, so this is the most cost-effective solution I have found.

What you need:

• The afore-mentioned Roku player
• A wired or wireless home network.
• A computer that will act as the server for your streaming needs. More on that below.
• The server software.
• The client-side app for the Roku.
• Software for converting files to the necessary format, if they aren’t already in that format.
• An account at the Roku Web site (which is free).

Preparing your home media center:

While it’s true that Microsoft has a popular Windows Media Center package, the biggest problem with it is cost (you have to either buy a new PC with Windows installed, or spend US$90 or more to get Windows). Other issues are the noise and power requirements (which translates into unwanted heat in the summer), and that bulky computer. So, the first thing you need to do is get the Roku player set up and connected to your TV and network (and presumably the Internet; that was why you got a Roku in the first place, right?).

Next, select the home PC you’re going to use as your media server. This does not have to be dedicated solely to the purpose, but it’s not a good plan to have someone playing games on the PC while you’re trying to stream video from it. If you have only one PC, and it’s running Windows XP or Windows 7, it will work. Again, if it’s going to be a shared-use PC, plan accordingly, because most games will cause degraded streaming. Right now, just about the least-expensive PC you can buy with Windows 7 (or Windows Home Server) will be more than sufficient for your server, so if your budget allows, you probably ought to consider it. Whatever you decide, we’re going to call this PC your “server” from now on.

Make sure the server is set up in a place with adequate ventilation (to prevent overheating) and where any noise it makes won’t bother you when you’re watching the TV. Also make sure it has a reliable connection to your network. This is critical to the success of your home media enjoyment; if you can use a wired connection to your router, it is your best choice.

Now you’re ready to decide which server-client system you want to use. Since you can always change your mind, it might be a good idea to start with the least-expensive (e.g., free) choice and make sure everything is functional before you spend any more of your hard-earned cash (even if it’s only 99 cents).

The Server Options: In order of cost we have three tested choices.

• MyMedia for Roku is freeware.
• roConnect is freeware, but the Roku client app will cost you 99 cents. There is also an Android app available. If you want to stream to an Android device without hassle, this is really your only choice.
• Roksbox is $15. There is a 30-day free trial period.

Putting it all together: I’m going to address only the video streaming in this article, but please be aware that all three solutions also support audio streaming as well as still pictures.

First we’ll talk about the free system, MyMedia. The detailed instructions are linked above, but here’s the short version:

1. Install the private channel on your Roku.
2. Register (for free) the app that you just installed.
3. Download and install the server-side software on the PC you’ve chosen for that purpose.

Because the server is written in the Python language, it’s not going to be simple to run as a service (a “service” in Windows runs in the background without needing to have any desktop windows open). Thus you may want to set up a special user account on your server, if it’s not dedicated to being a server, use that account to run the MyMedia server, and then “switch user” to a different account, to prevent someone from accidentally closing the server window.

You will have to configure the server and client to “talk to” each other; all those instructions are on the MyMedia pages.

Because MyMedia is freeware, it’s the best way to be sure your network is going to support streaming video; it won’t cost anything that you haven’t already spent, except some of your time. This is the client/server combination I used for over a year with satisfactory results. If you try it and you are happy with it, feel free to stop reading here.

Next up: roConnect

roConnect has a slick setup program that installs everything you need on the server in one bundle. If you’ve looked at the roConnect Web site, you can see that the developer has a well-developed sense of pleasing design, and the roConnect interface is undeniably pretty. Everything (other than file conversion software) is integrated into the Web-based front end to the package, and when it works, it works smoothly. There’s an active community of users who try to help each other out when things don’t go right, as well. For roConnect, you will follow these steps:

1. Download the installation package from the roConnect Web site.
2. Install it on your server.
3. Add the roConnect app on your Roku. This will cost you 99 cents. Come on, be a sport!
4. Run the Web interface either directly on your server, or from another computer on your network, and configure the server (so it can find your media).
5. Run the Web interface and “connect” the Roku.
6. Index your media.

Because roConnect has built-in IMdB integration, it can find a great deal of information for each video, if that video is named properly and if it’s listed at IMdB. The developer recommends running with IMdB auto-lookups turned off, however, and my experience agrees; you’re better off to “edit” each video’s info after indexing. roConnect will still perform the IMdB lookup, but it won’t hang up your indexing when a video can’t be found on IMdB.

When I first installed roConnect it was on version 1.2 and I had to fiddle around a bit to get it working. The client end is a lot more “elegant” than MyMedia’s rather Spartan look, closely matching the Netflix look on the Roku. Unfortunately, I was never able to get the current version (2.0 as of this writing) to index completely. Not everyone is having problems with it, though, and the nice Web interface and Android app are big pluses, so you should still consider roConnect.

My final choice: Roksbox

1. The first thing you’ll do here is add the Roksbox private channel. Instructions are provided in the Roksbox tutorial. It won’t cost anything immediately because you have the free 30-day trial period.
2. Next, you’ll choose and install a Web server package, and configure it for use with Roksbox. This is a lot easier than it sounds. Instructions are provided for several Windows server packages, Mac OS X, Linux, and two ready-built NAS systems. I recommend using Apache on Windows, mostly because it can be easily installed to run as a service, and configuration is in plain text so you can easily see what you’ve done. I am, of course, assuming you’re not using a USB drive plugged right into the Roku (which Roksbox supports).
3. Decide how you’re going to index your files. Roksbox lets you choose either a “regular” file system or an XML file. I tried both ways, and for my money, the simple file system is better; I had 969 video files when running my tests, and the XML would have to be regenerated every time I added another one. That’s too much work.
4. Configure your Roku client app to tell it where the server is.

At this point, you’re ready to start streaming video, music, and photos.

Why I settled on Roksbox in the end:

If you go to the Roksbox Web site, you’ll find detailed instructions for setup of the server, and for creating beautiful “movie sheets” using the freeware program Thumbgen. While this part can be time-consuming, the end result is very worthwhile on the Roku. Here’s a sample sheet, using the default template (I actually use a different template; you’ll find links to download other templates both at the Roksbox site and on the Thumbgen site):

[Click to Enlarge]

Summary:

You can stream your media for free (MyMedia), for very little (roConnect), or for only a little more (Roksbox), and keep that annoying PC noise out of your TV viewing area. You can even stream to (and from) Android devices without a lot of hassle, in addition to the Roku.

The age of streaming home video is here. Don’t be left out.

Recently, the owners of a site I do webmastering for decided to give me a bonus; it was exactly enough for me to order the Roku Player, which I’ve been interested in for quite a while.

So off I went to the Amazon.com Web site, and placed my order, using PayPal as my preferred method of payment. Two weeks passed. No Roku. No email saying the order was delayed. No tracking number. Nada. Zip Zilch. And Amazon (mercifully) had not charged my PayPal account. A few emails back and forth, and I figured out that Amazon had totally dropped the ball on this order; somehow, it fell through the cracks, and Roku was never notified that I wanted their product. So, I canceled the Amazon order, and ordered direct from Roku (for exactly the same price, and the same shipping). Three days later, a smallish purple package arrived; not much thicker than a standard desktop encyclopedia (the dead-tree kind, not the desktop PC kind), it was lightweight and said “Roku” in large white letters.

I eagerly opened the box, of course. Now, I am not the kind of guy who thinks an “unboxing” is a major event (I rank it right up there with the “unbagging” of the groceries), so I didn’t bother to take pics of that. The contents, though, are pretty interesting. the most important ones have photos here.

First, here’s the Roku Player, the remote for the Roku Player, and a standard sheet of 8 1/2 x 11 printer paper for size comparison, sitting on a 1-inch square grid (my wife’s sewing pattern guide, if you must know).

Roku with Remote

As you can see, the Player is a mere five inches square, give or take a quarter-inch. Here you can see the back panel, with the plethora of connectors, and note that the Player is only about 2 1/2 inches thick. This is a very tiny device!

Roku Back Panel

And the front panel:

Roku Front Panel

Note that there is no power switch whatsoever. I’ll talk about that more shortly. I neglected to take pics of the power supply, but it’s a tiny “wall-wart” style unit, about the same as the one I use for charging my cell phone. Here’s a pic of it from the Roku Web site (you can buy replacements for the power supply and the remote for only about ten bucks each):

Roku Power Supply

The player comes with the usual red/white/yellow RCA cables for lowest-possible-video-quality connections. I had purchased an HDMI cable in a separate order from Amazon, which they managed to handle correctly; actually, I got two cables, at 1 cent each, and $6.98 shipping for the two of them together, so I have an extra. There is also a fold-out “Getting Started” guide. The Web site also has a more detailed  User Guide. Anyhow, I finished getting everything out of the box except the superfluous RCA cables, hooked everything up (power, cat5e network cable, and HDMI to the TV), turned on the TV, and was rewarded with a fast system software update to the Roku box. At some point, I think it asked me if I was going to use a wired or wireless connection (Wifi is built in, but I prefer my high-speed wired network). Anyhow, after the software update, the player rebooted itself, and asked what kind of TV I have – HDTV, old-school 4:3, or 16:9 anamorphic, if your widescreen TV doesn’t support 720p video. This can be changed later if you get a new TV, of course.

Finally, you’ll be asked which service you want to use. Right now (September 2009), Netflix Watch Instantly, Amazon Video on Demand, and MLB.com are supported. When more services are added, they’ll show up after your automatic software update. I chose Netflix, because while I have an Amazon account, I never use the VOD option; and I am about as interested in MLB.com as I am in having my chest waxed.

The first question you’ll be asked after selecting your service boils down to, “do you already have an account, or do you want to open a trial account?” I have a Netflix account, so a code was generated which I had to put into a Web page using my PC. Simple enough, I have a PC in the entertainment center; here is a pic showing the Roku Player, a DVD clamshell case for size comparison, and the humongous Dell PC all together:

Roku, DVD case, and Dell PC

By the time I had the TV switched back to the Roku Player, it was showing my Netflix Watch Instantly queue. I selected an episode of “The IT Crowd,” waited a couple of seconds while Netflix determined my Internet connection quality (which vastly exceeds the 4 Mbps required for HD streaming; I have 20 Mbps FiOS), and was enjoying a great HD comedy series almost immediately. Even better, the Roku Player remembers where you are in the queue, so if you are watching a series, you can come back to the next episode the next time you feel like watching it; no need to scroll through the queue if you haven’t watched something else in the same queue in the meantime.

Now, about that no power switch thing: The Roku Player goes into deep sleep mode after a few minutes of no activity. The power light (the only visible sign of life on the front panel) goes off. Even at the maximum possible power draw from the wall-wart, it’s under 7 watts, so you’re not going to save a lot, but it’s nice to know that Roku is as “green” as humanly possible.

Bottom line: If you have a good, solid, fast Internet connection, and your monthly download bandwidth is uncapped, and you want great HDTV streaming video, the Roku Player is a great piece of equipment. For me, it’s the best hundred bucks I’ve ever spent on an electronic entertainment device.

UPDATE: 1 December 2009
Last month, Roku added 10 more channels to the available lineup. You can read about them at Roku’s site. However, that’s not what I want to talk about now. Right now, I feel I should give you two warnings: First warning: Roku’s tech support is pathetically bad. As is normal for anything tech-related nowadays, the “technicians” are very obviously in India; that would be OK, if they were actually competent to answer questions, but they are not. Email support is pretty much non-existent; they never actually address any questions you ask them. The toll-free support line is simply some guy reading a script (also, unfortunately, quite normal in the industry), which is bad enough, but even after you tell him you have already done several of the obvious steps, like disconnecting the power, waiting a few minutes, and reconnecting it, he will read that question off the script and ask you again. I’ve called several times, and this is not just one guy; apparently it is company policy to assume all customers are liars and idiots. And that brings me to the Second Warning: Under no circumstances should you give an email address to Roku if you don’t want spam at that address. Mind you, it’s not a lot of spam, but Roku is now trying to sell me the exact same box I already have, via “email marketing” (also known as “unsolicited bulk email,” or “spam” to normal people). I get enough spam, as I am sure everyone else does; I don’t need more from Roku, especially when it’s such brain-dead content.

I’m still glad I bought the device, but I will forever rue the day I let Roku know my email address.

UPDATE: 21 December 2009
Belated report on the firmware update: As it turns out, the “factory default reset” which was advised by Roku’s India-based “customer support” was not merely unnecessary, it was counter-productive, since I had to re-associate my Roku player with my Netflix and Amazon VOD accounts afterward, and still didn’t get the update. I found out that it was unnecessary by reading through the Roku customer forums for a couple of hours, until I discovered a post that claimed the update could be forced to happen by trying it twice within 20 seconds. I tried it, and viola!

UPDATE: 22 July 2010 Since December, Roku has continued to add channels, and my aggravation has decreased massively. There are almost enough channels now to allow me to dump my satellite TV provider (which I’m stuck with until the end of the contract in November anyhow), including among others: Revision 3, Flickr, MediaFly, TwitTV, Pandora, and a plethora of others. There is also at least one app available that lets you stream your own media – video, photos, and music – from a home server to the Roku box so you don’t have to have a noisy (and usually unattractive) PC in the same room with the TV. I’m running MyMedia on my Windows Home Server and watching my video collection without bothering to get up and find the DVD. So at this point, the Roku HD player is back on my “must have” list.

UPDATE: 31 August 2010 As of now, you can get the Roku HD (the model I reviewed here) for less than $70, with free shipping, AND with a $10 gift card for Amazon Video On Demand. I am seriously considering getting a second one. I’m not sure why yet.

And the “technical support” is still abysmal; no matter what the problem is, the drones in Mumbai still tell you to perform a factory reset. The *correct* answer is usually the same as for any PC – disconnect power, wait a minute or two, reconnect power. In other words, reboot. Or as my friends on “The I.T. Crowd” like to say, “Have you tried turning it off and turning it back on again?”