I’m a tech geek, not to the point where I’m just blowing cash on stupid devices for no reason, but I indulge in technology when there are new advances in things that I love, typically viewing entertainment. The Roku 3 is definitely a step towards perfection for a media box.
We first got the Roku 2 a little over a year ago and I did a review of it on this blog. Over time, I became less impressed with it as it frequently gave me problems and had a difficult time latching onto a strong wireless connection. It was pretty annoying, but I dealt with it. When we lost the remote for it when packing, I used it as a good excuse to replace it with the Roku 3. I was interested in this device for a number of reasons, two being: the great reviews on Amazon and the Wifi Booster (I don’t think its technically called that, but you get the idea). With the terrible reception of the wifi the first time around, I wanted something with some balls this time around. So I took a chance with the Roku 3.
The Roku 3 retails at about $99.00 and is the Cadillac of the Roku products. It comes with a remote that is cable of motion control actions when playing Roku App Games, and also has the ability to plug in headphones to watch a movie, and the headphones plug right into the remote. This option is pretty awesome if you want to crank some stereo sound while your kid is sleeping. I’m sure I’ll be trying this out in my future.
I am a month into using this little gem and I am super impressed. So impressed that we have cut the chord on cable/satellite. No more nonsense cable bill! In reality, I turned the cable box on for 1 reason, sports. I watch Hockey and Football. With the Roku I was able to get the NHL Gamecenter Live Package (which I will review later this week). This allowed me to get my hockey in HD, and gave me the excuse I needed to get rid of my cable provider.
The Roku 3 works flawlessly with Neflix, Amazon Prime, and all other apps I have tried. It is a great step in the “a la carte” direction that entertainment is going in, and with the Spotify App, its almost the complete package.
