Building up my DVD collection was a long-term commitment. I would go into Blockbuster and look for the 4 for $20 sales, and I built up my DVD collection pretty nicely that way. A few years ago I tried Netflix, and although I was pretty happy with it, I always seemed to be too busy with too much travel to really enjoy and use the service enough to justify the monthly expense.
More recently, I found myself passing by the Redbox Kiosk in my supermarket – but if you like classic DVD’s like I 
do, Redbox doesn’t quite cut it. And, although its fee structure is simple and very reasonable ($1 a night) – it can and does add up if you forget or are too busy (or traveling) to return it.
We will, we will “ROCK YOU”
Recently I read an article on a device called a Roku (they pronounce it “Row-Queue” – but I think it’s better, as in “we will Rock You!” www.roku.com ) a very innovative, indispensable, and frankly inspirational value prop in the world of video. 
It is about the size of a five-pack of CDs. And it connects my TV to a huge library of movies and television shows.
The initial attraction to the device is that it can stream movies from Netflix. As I have a standard Netflix account, the streaming service is free. The second very attractive feature is the device is wireless. There are no connections to figure out to make it link to my home wireless network. The overall setup was very easy. It supports standard definition and HD (more or less).
A recently added advantage is it can now tap into Amazon’s video streaming service, which has (Amazon says) over 40,000 videos. This service is not free, however, and works similar to iTunes: you can purchase, or you can rent for 24 hours.
I’ve watched several movies, and all looked and sounded very good. I can pause, rewind, fast-forward like a DVD.
The Roku player comes complete with everything you need to get connected right away. It even includes the standard yellow, white and red cables. Or use the HDMI or component connections with your new HDTV. All you need to do is just plug it into your TV. As to connecting to your broadband connection – wired or wireless – it’s your choice. With built-in Wi-Fi, the Roku player is easy to connect to your home network. All you need is a high-speed Internet connection with at least 1.2 Mbps (such as a mid-level DSL connection). It only takes a few minutes to set up.
So what did I get for $8.99 a month: I get one (usually newly released) movie sent to me by mail (I’ll manage about 4 in a month) – the classic Netflix value proposition - but what I also get access to is streaming video on the Roku device, with over 10,000 movies and shows, with many old favorites and so on. You get the best of the new through DVD delivery, but also TV shows and classic movies (I enjoy Gary Cooper, Humphrey Bogart and Bette Davis – which is why my kids think I had visited dinosaur petting zoos as a child). Of course, NetFlix’s on demand library has plenty of newer fare too. Amazon’s offering is pay-per-selection, so I don’t use that as much – but it’s there and it just works.
So you get the best of both worlds – the newest movies delivered to your house, and the classics “on demand” in real-time through the Roku device with no incremental cost (via NetFlix), streamed straight to your entertainment system as long as you have a good broadband connection. I even have an iPhone app to control my NetFlix queue. If I want Blue Ray DVD’s, I can get those through Netflix – under the same program.
So why is this important?
Well, it’s not “world peace” important, but the point is that someone finally made a movie service feel like “what I want, when I want it, and with no hasssles or crazy costs.” All you can eat video entertainment for under ten bucks a month!
There’s major innovation (sure to be short-lived in this kind of tech category, of course), indispensibility (it will permanently change how its customers “do” movies) and inspiration (it is easy, fast and “wow” – did I mention it gives me what I want, when I want it?).
With the introduction of this great device and their brilliant partnership with both Netflix and Amazon Video-on-Demand – I’ll never buy a DVD again!
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Absolutely can relate to the value prop with service. Though we get it through a recently purchased BlueRay disc player. It too is wireless and can stream to the TV from Netflix, Blockbuster, YouTube and Pandora internet radio.
The idea of selecting a movie at a time that is convenient – to be viewed at a time that is convenient (and is much less expensive than on-demand from cable/fios provider) is a “power” value prop in my opinion.
Jose, I’m loving this idea. One goal for 2009 (fast approaching expiration date) is to decouple from Comcast as much as possible. Eliminating OnDemand would achieve that, and ends up netting me a savings, too.
We aren’t big movie watchers for the very reason we never get to the movie store, RebBox seems prone to credit card copier installations (risking identity theft) and Comcast’s movie search is a disaster.