Thursday, May 22, 2008

New Netflix Set Top Box by Roku

The death of DVDs is one step closer. Via manufacturer Roku, Netflix has just released its first set top box for television sets. Joining the ranks of Apple TV and Xbox, Netflix is entering the set top digital distribution arena.

For a one time payment of $99 and a monthly Netflix plan of $8.99 or more, the box brings to your TV unlimited viewing of Netflix’s “instant viewing” online movie and television collection via your household Wifi or Ethernet connection. For more information and specs on the Roku Netflix set top box, click here.

Should the set top box sell like hot cakes (which is possible considering Netlix’s large subscriber base), digital distribution will be one step closer to becoming mainstream. Distributors will no longer have to press DVDs, they will just send the movie as data to Netflix and other companies, who will stream the content directly to television sets.

Although I would wait for the second generation of the Netflix set top box, I am impressed by their efforts in progressing the digital revolution.

-Patrick Ng