TheBigDave

Roku has announced a new limited-time model called the Roku SE. It will be available starting on Black Friday (Nov 26th). Retail price is $25.

It will have 1080p video (using HDMI cable). It also has Composite output (Red/White/Yellow), so it's compatible with older, analog TVs. It's WiFi-only (no ethernet port). And it runs the latest Roku OS, which allows you to sign-in to Hotel/Dorm WiFi.

jjcool

So no USB port and the basic remote? Are those the only big differences from the Roku 3?

printerati

No microSD slot, if that matters to you for channel storage. Speculation in the comments on the blog post above is that it's just a repackaged/renamed Roku 1 (2710) since its model number is 2710SE, although it looks like Roku already removed the "2710SE setup instructions" that someone linked to.

hanshotfirst1138

Will Cinemax develop a compatible app for THIS one ?

I've never seen a streaming device with analog compatibility, I've always assumed creating one would be kind of pointless. If you're still using an analog TV, what the hell is point of getting a streaming device?

God, this is even cheaper than my Chromecast, if very Miele less portable. It does look like a good deal, and unlike Chromecast, it'd have a damned remote. I am tempted...

TheBigDave

My parents were still using an analog TV until they moved last year. It was a 36-inch tube. The damn thing weighed almost 300 pounds. It was such a pain to move, they just left it behind in the old house. Anyways, they used a Roku LT which had analog outlets.

I'm sure a lot of people still have analog TVs in their bedroom/guestroom. One of these would be perfect, instead of renting a cable box or buying a DVD player.

Drexl

Yeah, I think that's exactly what it is. It may have the updated OS pre-installed on it, but that doesn't really matter because all of the currently supported models are getting it - eventually (they roll them out gradually).

There was a $25 Roku 1 at Wal-Mart last year on Black Friday, so they probably figured they would do it again but expand it to other retailers and beyond BF.

dvd-4-life

Roku 1 has RCA audio/video out for use on older tv sets.

jjcool

The microSD slot matters so little to me that I didn't even notice it wasn't there. Actually had to search to see what it was actually for.
Interesting point on it possibly being a rebadged Roku 1. Sometimes I think it would be nice to also have composite connections on the 3, just in case. Of course I haven't run into a time when I would have need them yet.

DVD Josh

Serious question - what do people use these for? I have several brands of Smart TVs in my house and all of them have practically all the content of these things.

Alan Smithee

There's a number of "channels" that aren't available on Smart TVs- stuff like Warner Archive, plus a few porn services and lots of free channels that have public-domain stuff although with commercials. My receiver doesn't support ARC so I can't get Dolby Digital Plus out of my TV's built-in Vudu or Netflix apps, the Roku solves that. (Newer Rokus are worthless for Netflix however as they have their incredibly intrusive new interface that interrupts end credits- the Roku 1 doesn't do that.)

whotony

I still have the roku1 that I use often.

My smart tv that I bought a little over a year ago doesn't get updates for the apps anymore as far as I can tell.
The Yahoo Screen is worthless.
That's something the roku is better at.


Well done spoke before checking turns out yahoo has been updated.
Previously it was just a panel on the left side, now it's full screen sooo oo nevermind

Deftones

I have a smart tv. It's a panasonic Plasma. The "smart" feature is shit. I got one of these to instantly be able to access pandora/amazon/netflix/google play without going through 14 menus on my tv.

RichC2

I don't have any Smart TVs. Easy as that.

But beyond that, the Plex app on most TVs is absolute shit, as are most of the apps in terms of actual performance. Also haven't seen Sling TV available on any Smart TVs yet.

TheBigDave

90% of the time I heard someone complain about streaming, they're using a Smart TV/BD Player. Those apps are often buggy, sluggish and infrequently updated. The streaming capability is just an add-on feature.

If you want a better streaming experience, get a dedicated streaming device (Roku, AppleTV, Fire TV). The menus are fast and responsive. The apps are frequently updated. And everything just works so much better.

hanshotfirst1138

AT&T gave us cable boxes for every room once we payed for cable . I'm surprised that if they have an old CRT, they don't have an old DVD player. I get an el cheapo DVD player when my first one died on me which has surprisingly turned out to be nice. HDMI and region-hacked. It' s more usefual than I expected.

Are they the only streaming service which offers it?

My BD player streams Hulu, Vudu, and Netflix pretty well. It does Amazon decently, though the interface sucks like an industrial carpet cleaner. My dad's Smart TV I got him works pretty well, but weirdly can't get certain apps. In my infinite wisdom, I got a Chromecast because it seemed like the cheapest option to cover what else I wanted-mainly premium channel apps. Turns out there was a reason it was the cheapest.

Except for the annoying fact that you need Apple TV for Apple products and iTunes downloads, but it doesn't work with Amazon, and the fact that Cinemax aren't going to release a damned app.

Plus I only have two HDMI ports....

printerati

Easily fixed by a $10 Monoprice HDMI switch, or an A/V receiver that will also allow you to listen to stuff through real speakers.

Alan Smithee

Everything goes through my receiver, my TV has 2 extra HDMI ports that will likely never get used. The front port on the receiver gets manually switched between my Roku 1, Roku Stick, laptop computer and Chromecast.

mndtrp

It's interesting that Roku dropped the single-port composite cable, when did they do that? I thought it was kind of cool, although probably not too easy to replace.

hanshotfirst1138

Link ?

My bedroom currently has no room for speakers, but it's something I'll be looking into at some point. Of course, then I'll spend too much time online researching speakers and receivers .

printerati

http://www.amazon.com/Monoprice-1081.../dp/B0097K47BW

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/monopric...uId=1309329489

http://www.monoprice.com/product?c_i...seq=1&format=2

I should confess that I have no experience with this model, but reviews are generally positive if your home theater components meet its criteria.

lwhy?

I bought one of these on roku.com around 12am this morning. I got it to put in the spare bedroom at my parents house when I go to visit. They removed the satellite box that was in there and there is an old tube tv in there too. So this should make those trips home a bit more enjoyable.

cultshock

Sold out on Roku's website but I just picked one up on Best Buy's site. Nice price!

hanshotfirst1138

Sold out all over online. I shouldn't be surprised. I never do well with these limited time Black Friday sales. Maybe I'll find some if I pick over a Best Buy or something, but I doubt it. Hell of a deal thought. It's hard enough working retail on Black Thursday and Friday, much less buying stuff .

Cardsfan111

Back in stock at Best Buy.

wd40cloud

Picked one up at Wal*Mart this morning for $25 for the living room TV. I found mine on top of a DVD/BD shipper. Noticed close to a dozen in the electronics section.

Very satisfied so far. Picked up a 32" Roku TV at Best Buy a few months ago for the bedroom. The streaming experience has been fantastic. Been streaming through various BD players over the years and have always found it a frustrating and often cumbersome experience.

Upon signing in with my Roku account, all of my channels automatically downloaded to the new device. Unfortunately, I did have to log in to each channel with the proper credentials.

For those who hate the newer Netflix set up of automatically playing the next episode and having the end credits delegated to a corner of the screen, even after a system update it retains an older Netflix software. The toss up is you lose the profile selection at the start screen.

Only problem I had was I had no available outlets to plug it in. Ended up breaking down and unplugging the VCR. I guess I'll just have to remember to plug it back in next time I want to watch Star Wars.