Hands-on with the Roku XDS streaming media player
Roku just announced three new streaming media players to replace their lineup dating back to late 2009. The new players all have integrated wireless capabilities with 720p and 1080p (top two models) support. Roku currently has over 85 channels of content for you to enjoy and you will never be bored again with your TV and a Roku player. Check out the full review for more information.
You will find the Roku player, A/V cable, A/C adapter, remote control, and AAA batteries in the retail package.
To insert the batteries into the new remote control you simply slide down the bottom of the remote, insert them, and slide the cover back up.
There are new buttons and redesigned buttons on the Roku remote to give you even more functionality and capability on the players.
A material purple flag sticks out of both the Roku player and remote control.
The USB port has been moved from the back to the side. A USB channel app is planned to roll out in November.
The ports have been slimmed down from the Roku HD-XR by removing the three component ports and replacing them with a single component video port. The USB port has also been moved from the back to the side.
The last generation remote is on the left and the new remote is on the right. Notice how the new one is narrower and longer than the last generation Roku remote.
The Roku XDS is on top of the Roku HD-XR and you can easily see the height difference between the two.
Note that the USB port on the new Roku XDS is moved from the back to the side.
Here you can see how Roku was able to slim down the XDS compared to the HD-XR.
The new Roku is slightly smaller than the Roku HD-XR.
I was pretty amazed by how many channels are now available for the Roku players and counted 86 at present.
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The new Roku with Netflix channel in action.