Hello:

To the comment: "Roku 3 prices should come down"

I agree but that is where the new Roku 2 comes in. Pretty much a cheaper Roku 3 but with a basic remote instead of advanced. However, if Roku 4 doesn't get better (in terms of quality) since it is having so many issues, you can somewhat safely predict:

1. Roku 4 units will be sold cheaper at $100 (First re-furbished units then all others)
2. New Roku 3 will be sold in the $80 range
3. Roku 2 in the same $60 range
4. Roku 1/SE (Maybe even HDMI stick) will sell at the Roku LT base price of $40 to $50.

Over time, when Roku sees that there is no longer a demand for an analog connected box they will drop the Roku 1/SE line and then just sell the Roku stick at the entry-level price. You may be able to get a refurbished first generation Roku 3 for the same price as a new entry-level model.

Just my opinion, but if Roku 4 issues are not addressed and they see that units are not selling properly as a result, this may be the pattern they will be following. We will probably see this sales pattern when the holiday season is over. For now, they will try to make as much money as they can in units sold. I strongly recommend to wait a bit and see if Roku 4's get better before spending $130 and then have to deal with exchanges and heating issues.

I have bought a couple refurb ROku 3s, but absolutely would not touch a refurb R oku 4.

I'll buy another Roku 4 if it's redesigned to remove the fan and if they can control the heat. Until that happens, I won't even consider another one. A friend recently asked me if they should upgrade to the 4 and I told them to get the 3 (2015 version) instead...

It's a sad state of affairs as I was really looking forward to the Roku 4...

It's a sad state of affairs as I was really looking forward to the Roku 4...


Hello:

Yeah me too. But I guess I will pick up this year on BFsale:

1. Nexus player ($50)
2. FireTV stick ($25)
3. Roku SE ($25)- As a backup unit in case one of my current Roku's fail

I don't care about 4K so these units will work well and the first 2 support XBMC/Kodi. None use fans so they will not have the same problems as the Roku 4. So, IMO, it is smarter to spend $100 on 3 good reliable streamers than $130 on a flaky/bad quality unit. Until Roku addresses these QA issues, I do not recommend anyone buy a Roku 4.

For now, If 4K is a must, then the new FireTV or Shield will be the streamers to get. If 4K not important then a current Roku 3 or other streamers are good choices. Heck, on a performance comparison test the Roku 3 and 4 performed almost identical so there is no real need to get a 4 if you don't care about 4K. Unless you gotta have a remote finder feature. This feature alone is not worth the risk of the higher expenditure and potential heating issues you may get.

knuckle wrote:

I have a Roku 2 HD and an LT both with a much slower processor than the Roku1/SE and they do a nice job of streaming ... they do not have the latest Netflix with profiles and menu navigation is not as snappy as the R3 but they both have HDMI and composite connections and with over 80 channels on my account I do not need an SD card or extra ram and the performance is rock solid.Whether this will continue to be the case as channels evolve and add more features I cant say but a similar unit like the SE for 25 dollars is an outstanding deal.As for the price of the R3 it is what the market bares and if Roku makes a hefty profit on it I applaud their effort as that is key to their business model

Eh?! Where did that come from, that Roku1/SE (2710) is "much" faster than the others?
I did some benchmarking last year and 27xx models have barely (~15%) faster CPU than the 3xxx series (which Roku 2 HD is). And to "compensate" for that, their graphics is slower.

I can't make statement on the "LT" you mention, since there have been at least 3 different ones:

• Roku LT #2400 behaves exactly the same as Roku 2 #3xxx series
• Roku LT #2450 i have no clue about (nor do i want to know)
• Roku LT #2700 behaves the same as Roku 1/SE #2710 (because, duh)

I agree with the rest you said (your main point) though! With my personal belief note that the sooner the MIPS-based 27xx models are gone (RokuSE included) - the better

the 2450 and the HD have the same processor the BCM7208 at 405 MHz compared to the 600 MHz processor of the 3xxx models and it shows when compared side by side. I also have an LT 2400 with the 600 MHz BCM2835 -- Not sure which benchmarks you used if you have a link or could post them I would like to see your results

-------------------------------------edit------------------

I found the thread you started back in 2014

clocks wrote:

Again, you guys are missing the point. I'm using it as a comparison of hardware specs for the money. I'm sure if the company had setout to make it a streaming box, they could have, but they wanted to design a cheap PC.

My point was the Roku boxes are expensive for the included hardware at this point in time. I hope Roku comes out with an upgraded line soon, with better cpus, 1+ gb ram, and WAY MORE storage thant the 256meg they have now. Buy a SE if your tv is 10+ years old and doesnt have HDMI. But otherwise I wouldn't buy a lessor Roku than the 3.

And I think you missed the point of what i said. I can try to re-state it: think of Roku players as a package deal of hardware+software you buy into together, inseparably. You focus too much on the hardware part.

If RokuCo can fix in software the shortcomings of the hardware - so be it! They have done that on occasions in the past - for example having the "caching" behavior where on low storage (flash) conditions the least-recently-used channel bundles are deleted and "magically" re-installed when needed. Or the "instant start" of Netflix and YouTube channels they implemented, compared to the disastrous launch times at first. AFAIK, those were firsts in the streaming platforms. I have great respect for how Roku engineers have made lemonade of the lemon-ish hardware they were handed.

Well then, imagine how fast Rokus could be with current day tech, that matches their competitors.

So the Roku app lists the Roku SE as a Roku one...

Source: https://www.facebook.com/CordCuttersNew ... =3&theater

Because that's what it IS! There is nothing different except the etching on the plastic and the ink on the box.

Here is the Roku SE vs the Roku 1. http://cordcuttersnews.com/roku-stick-vs-roku-1/

LukeBK wrote:

Here is the Roku SE vs the Roku 1. http://cordcuttersnews.com/roku-stick-vs-roku-1/

That link is for Roku Stick vs Roku 1

LukeBK wrote:

Here is the Roku SE vs the Roku 1. http://cordcuttersnews.com/roku-stick-vs-roku-1/

I like the head-to-head format! There was no point of copy&paste amazon descriptions, since they are somewhat random (i.e. not for comparison).

Here is one more point of comparison: Roku1/SE/RokuTV (#27xx/5xxx) = ~60 games, Roku Stick (#3xxx) = ~90, Roku3 (#4xxx) = ~120 games.
(Admittedly that's a small number and if games are of consideration should head for the $25 FireTV stick BF deal.)