Device that streams Hulu, Amazon Instant (not on demand!)

[Demon10000]

Greetings:

I'm looking for a device that streams Hulu Plus and Amazon Prime OnDemand. I have a TiVo and the Hulu integration is god awful, and it won't do Prime. I was looking at the Roku.

Is there anything else out there that does Hulu and Amazon? Amazon Prime is not the Same thing as Amazon Instant or Amazon On Demand...

I don't want something with a slow interface that barely works <cough>tivo premiere</cough>. I want something that is fast and responsive, and I may end up tossing a PC in, but I would much rather have some small dedicated device like a Roku.

 

[TESLA]

I have yet to use a set-top box which instantly responds to input, but the Roku is among the most responsive that I have used.

I love mine to death, and if you want further functionality (web surfing, games, and home network streaming) and speediness, you are probably looking at an HTPC, in my opinion. It simply does subscription streaming really well.

 

[flyingturtle]

I've got a Roku (Roku 2) and I've largely been happy with it. I got it mainly, after searching around, for Amazon Instant Video since I'm a Prime member, too.

The one thing that the Roku had over other devices for Amazon is that it can do 5.1 surround sound. I almost bought a Panasonic as their devices with Viera Cast have Amazon, Netflix, and Vudu (no Hulu though as of yet) like the Panasonic Blu-ray BDT 110/210/310 models, but for audio, Amazon was only in stereo (Netflix is in 5.1 audio though).

So it seems Roku is one of the better bets for Amazon streaming and I like it a lot. The interface is fast enough for me. If I compare the Netflix interface with the XBOX 360 or Apple TV, I find I can navigate quicker on those devices, but the Roku isn't a slouch.

Hulu Plus has been hit or miss with me, as it'll sometimes hang, and it is slower than the Amazon or Netflix app, but not enough to annoy me. I read that Hulu Plus implementation on most devices, not just the Roku, is not the best, so it just might be a Hulu thing in general. In my case, sometimes I'll watch a video and it'll freeze for a long time. It doesn't happen always, and it could be due to my model as I have the recently released Roku 2 so future updates may fix it. It only happens on some of the newer programs. Old TV show run fine. Roku 2 also supports 1080p so maybe if I lower to 720p, it'll fix that. Dunno. It also could be my wireless network. Maybe the freeze won't happen if I connected directly with ethernet.

If you do decide to go with Roku, just be aware that Roku 2 only outputs audio over HDMI whereas the older Rokus have both optical out (SPDIF) and HDMI. if you aren't using a receiver for your audio, then this won't matter to you. There are some other audio difference, Netflix on Roku 2 using Digital Dolby+ versus regular Digital Dolby on other devices, etc.

The one bonus I like about the Roku is that it can add private channels. Lots of extra content available from 3rd party private channel providers (search the web for them).

So in short, I'm happy with Amazon on my Roku 2. If you want great Hulu support, I can't comment as I'm just started subscribing a week ago, and it could be my wireless network. Also you might want to consider the older Roku 1 models if you want more stability for now. Some private channels still need to be upgrade, I hear, to support Roku 2. The screen resolution though is better on the Roku 2 over 1 though.

 

[theretrogamer7]

i think google tv

 

[Demon10000]

I have yet to use a set-top box which instantly responds to input, but the Roku is among the most responsive that I have used.

I'm not looking for Instant response - I know that isn't going to happen. However, using the Widgets on my TV, it takes me about 5 minutes to just get into the applet, and each key press is like a 20 second delay. I'm using the TV remote, so I know it's not some sort of a delay with the remote. It's painful. Painful enough that I have no interest in using it!!!

and if you want further functionality (web surfing, games, and home network streaming) and speediness, you are probably looking at an HTPC

This is purely for streaming. I've got a Wii, PS3, 360, Dreamcast, N64, and a hardware SNES/NES emulator hooked up to the TV and that covers gaming. I've also got a tablet that lives right where I watch TV, so if I want to do some browsing, I will use that. If I want to play a PC game, I'll step in the other room and use my PC.

The one thing that the Roku had over other devices for Amazon is that it can do 5.1 surround sound.

That is actually a pretty big deal for me - thanks for pointing it out. My Tivo does Amazon VOD, but everything is in stereo and it sounds like crap to me.

If you do decide to go with Roku, just be aware that Roku 2 only outputs audio over HDMI whereas the older Rokus have both optical out (SPDIF) and HDMI. if you aren't using a receiver for your audio, then this won't matter to you. There are some other audio difference, Netflix on Roku 2 using Digital Dolby+ versus regular Digital Dolby on other devices, etc.

I am using a receiver, but I'm not sure how this is a problem with "modern tech". I run all of my devices into my receiver with HDMI (and one Component, thanks Nintendo) then come out of it with one HDMI to my TV. I shouldn't expect any problems with this, right? I'm assuming you were bringing this up in case I needed to split the audio from the video signal? Such as sending video to my TV and audio to my receiver...

i think google tv

It looks like Google TV doesn't do Hulu without Playon. If I'm going to use Playon, I might as well use my PS3 to do it all. I just want a dedicated device with low power requirements, so I don't think this is going to work. I also can't determine if it can do the Amazon Prime streaming. Lots of devices can do the Amazon Instant Video, which is actually different than the Amazon Prime Streaming. However, my PS3 works GREAT for Hulu, so it might not be a dealbreaker.


Overall -- I think I'm still leaning towards the Roku 2. I think I'm going to sit on it another couple of days to be certain.