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Roku Finally Brings Netflix Box To Reality, Forever Encases Me In Bachelorhood

Reviews for Roku's instant-viewing box for Netflix subscribers are pouring in this morning. It didn't take long for me to order mine.

This $99 device is about as large as a paperback book (something you'll never read again, given access to 10,000 free streaming videos on your TV) and, for an additional $19.99, comes with all the fancy cables you'll need to plug it into a fancy HDTV.

Though Netflix has been streaming videos via Internet Explorer on PCs only for about a year, this little slice of magic is the first ever device that allows anyone with a Netflix membership above $9 to check out videos instantly.

Of course, because Roku is the first contender out of the stables, various sources have expressed problems with the limited selection of videos and the streaming quality. Says the New York Times:

But Roku still faces many of the hurdles that have stunted the appeal of previous boxes, including a limited selection of programming and competition from ever-more-sophisticated offerings from cable and satellite companies. In addition, larger companies, including Hewlett-Packard, are expected to offer their own devices in the near future.

We've known this for a while. In Roku's defense (and in defense of the money I just dropped on the thing), $99 is cheap, cheap, cheap. So even if the big dogs release Blu-Ray DVD players with the Netflix streaming service as an additional selling point, and not the entirety of the device itself, by that point, your $99 will have been well-spent.

Read more about the other reviews, how this will suck up all of my time and why I desperately need a date:

Roku is now in direct competition with Apple TV, a service I never understood and would never consider buying. I feel as though Roku has the upper-hand here, using a service millions already subscribe to and shilling out rentals for an unlimited time. Apple TV, on the other hand, has a higher quality, but requires an expensive box and has limitations on how long one can watch a program.

So while critics like ZDnet say,

While growing, the number of Watch Now titles currently available for streaming is still pretty paltry, especially when it comes to popular recent releases; video quality doesn't come close to DVD or HD; far too many titles don't appear in their original wide-screen version; no surround sound; can't manipulate queue via TV screen; yet another box under the TV.

I say this: for $99, I won't expect to see the latest content available immediately. I'll content myself with the low-budget slasher flicks I'd be far too embarrassed or nitpicky to allow in my queue, and television shows I've never seen but would like to check out. And ... and!!! you still can receive DVDs of any quality in the mail! So where, exactly, do you lose?

In related news, as I'm watching the Masters of Horror series, getting drunk, alone, off Harpoon IPA, I think it's safe to say: date me. I'm much more charming in person.

For more information, check out this huge effing stream of reviews via Google News.