Roku 2 XS 1080p HD Streaming Video Player w/ Wi-Fi, Angry Birds & Motion Sensor Remote Control $64.99 f/s

I agree. Also, the remote on the XS is much, much better. You can use it anywhere in the room. The other remote requires direct line of site (no hiding it behind the TV), and is too small for my hands. Not to mention, much cheaper plasticy feeling. I have four Rokus of varying models, I would definitely recommend you spend the extra dough and get the XS for the much better remote and the ethernet port.

yes, does require activation and Roku will ask for credit card info. You may be able to contact them by phone and side step the credit card part. also, you are able to delete the credit card info after registration.

I agree. Also, the remote on the XS is much, much better. You can use it anywhere in the room. The other remote requires direct line of site (no hiding it behind the TV), and is too small for my hands. Not to mention, much cheaper plasticy feeling. I have four Rokus of varying models, I would definitely recommend you spend the extra dough and get the XS for the much better remote and the ethernet port.

FWIW, you cannot program a learning remote with BT.

yes, does require activation and Roku will ask for credit card info. You may be able to contact them by phone and side step the credit card part. also, you are able to delete the credit card info after registration.

Thanks. This is a deal-breaker for me. You shouldn't have to verify yourself for a hardware purchase - it makes no sense.

Personally I prefer Netflix over Hulu+, but the wife usually watches Hulu to catch up on lot of her retarded shows (reality mostly). It really depends on if you want to watch complete seasons over catching what was on last week. It sucks that it takes Netflix so long to get the latest season of a show (they're about 2 years behind on a lot of shows). I don't really go for Netflix movies as there is no 5.1 supported in silverlight or my Sony TV which brings me to my next question;
Does anyone know if this Roku2XS supports 5.1 from Netflix? If it does, that alone would make this worthwhile for me.

The credit card info is for purchasing premium channels or games. You can easily remove the credit card information on their website at https://owner.roku.com/PaymentMethod/Remove after you create the account.

Just use a Visa gift card to register an account and then remove the payment information.

. . . is this a place where I can gripe just a little bit about the MLB.tv blackout restrictions.

I love the ROKU and, generally, MLB.tv - but can't go without the cable (on good moral ground) because of the blackout restrictions - anybody hearing any news about this changing.

I am so ready to dump the cable.

. . . is this a place where I can gripe just a little bit about the MLB.tv blackout restrictions.

I love the ROKU and, generally, MLB.tv - but can't go without the cable (on good moral ground) because of the blackout restrictions - anybody hearing any news about this changing.

I am so ready to dump the cable.

too bad Roku want a credit card in order to set up the devise.

I got one from a similar deal a few months ago. I use it about 3-5 times a week in the bedroom. It's a pretty good machine for my Netflix/Amazon subscriptions. There are a lot of crappy channels so just download the big named ones. Also Crackle doesn't always work if you you download too many apps (more than 10)

This is really off topic, so let me start by saying a Roku is a great way to watch Netflix, Crackle, and other streamed services. I love using this with Playon because that adds channels like Hulu, the Food Network, and the History Channel I liked when I had cable plus some awesome archives of classic shows and movies. The XS is my favorite Roku due to the fact that its usb port can stream local media.

That said, we spend less than 10% of our viewing time looking at streamed media. Most of that is Netflix and you can stream Netflix to most new devices. If you are going to cut the cable, you are going to need solid broadcast for news, sports, and live programming. That means a good antenna pointed in the right direction and a decent distribution system. You will likely miss your DVR as much as anything once you pull the plug.

Do some reading [wordpress.com] and you will be a happy cable cutter.

Well worth it to be able to dump cable.

*edit* Here's the company I used last year: http://www.unblock-us.com/