13 Nov Roku 3
Roku 3 is an internet media streamer that makes it extremely easy for you to enjoy the hottest films, TV programmes, music and games on your TV or monitor.
They have a wide selection of entertainment with over 450 channels, including Netflix, NOW TV, BBC iPlayer, Demand 5 and Spotify. Not all channels are free as some of Roku’s partners, such as Netflix and NOW TV charge subscriptions. However it is up to you if you pay for these or not.
Even though there is a huge range of free channels, I did find that I did not watch most of them. I did however sign up to one of the subscription channels which had a wide range of programmes that I watched and I found the video quality was brilliant, and use it regularly for BBC iPlayer.
The Roku also supports Plex which is a great way to stream your movies from your computer straight to the Roku, along with a USB port allowing you to add a usb hard drive to play your movies directly on the Roku from the hard drive. Although the interface for the USB isn’t great it does a brilliant job playing video off the hard drive.
The Roku 3 is a tiny black box that can be hidden away as the remote control does not need a line of sight to work. This is a fantastic feature, if like me, you do not want your home media equipment on show. I keep all my av equipment in the garage and the Roku remote control works brilliantly.
The Roku 3 is extremely easy to use. It connects directly to your TV and to your high-speed Internet service via your home network. All you have to do is select what you want to watch, whenever you want to watch it using the fabulous Roku remote control. Roku have created a range of media streamers to suit every household. There are currently four on the market; the Roku LT, Roku 1, Roku 2 and Roku 3.
The chart below shows the differences between the four Roku streamers to help you find the right media streamer for you. 
One feature I love about the Roku is that there is no standby, it is always on. You simply turn to the correct HDMI channel on your TV/amp and it is ready to go.
In use the Roku uses about 2 watts of power which is equivalent to a fraction of the power of a light bulb. There is also a clock screensaver for when the device is not in use. The fact it is always on makes it so convenient; no powering up a media pc, turning on a games console or Sky HD, the Roku is just ready to go.
The Roku 2 and 3 also have a headphone jack built directly into the remote control which is perfect when watching movies and don’t want to disturb anyone. The 3 also supports games with the motion controller which works surprisingly well. The children love playing Angry Birds on the big screen.
The Roku 3 is a brilliant media streamer that I now use daily. It is very simple to use and I would highly recommend having one in your home.
