One of the best tech purchases made recently was the Netflix / Roku Watch Instantly box, now dubbed the “Roku Player.” It brings Netflix Watch Instantly to your television.

The best things about it are the price – right around that “what the heck” point of $100 – and its ease of use. It’s designed for the masses (as opposed to early adopters) so it’s brain dead simple to set up and navigate, even simpler (surprisingly) than the Apple TV. It works with a Harmony Remote, or an iPhone app so you can control it using WiFi. It even passes the spouse-test, as my wife has watched Beverly Hills Chihuahua several times over without any involvement from me, much to my discontent. This device is perhaps, too easy to use.

Anyhow, Roku is now selling three models of the Roku Player:

• Roku SD: $79.99, WiFi Wireless b/g or Ethernet, and RCA jacks for video out.
• Roku HD: $99 (basically the old model), primed for HD content with HDMI, component, and optical audio out.
• Roku HD XR: $129, WiFi Wireless N and a mystery USB port – functionality to be divulged later.

The USB port on the Roku HD XR inspires speculation, perhaps playing back content via an attached external hard drive, or inviting future hackery with a USB stick. Netflix also pre-announced new content channels “later this fall” meaning this already solid product will continue to get better as time goes on.

Anyhow, if you already have a Netflix account to get DVDs, and don’t have an XBox or some other device that has the Netflix Watch Instantly service – the Netflix box is a no-brainer. The chihuahuas are waiting.

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