I bought the Roku HD1000 so that I could display digital photos in HD on my TV. I was not disappointed. In fact, the results were outstanding! If you use a memory stick, SD card, or compact flash disk, the setup couldn’t be easier.

If you want to get files from your PC over a network things get more complicated. Not complicated in a technology sense, but in a user interface sense. You need to do a bunch of clicking to get things set up.

If you want to play music from your computer, the interface becomes a hassle. You end up browsing through a hierarchy of folders to find the song you want, and it’s basically not worth the trouble.

I already own an Audiotron, which does for music what the Roku does for photos, and it’s so much easier to use that the Roku will be a photo-only device for me. The Audiotron saves you the endless folder browsing by automatically searching the entire network for music, and then organizing it for you. It allows you to very quickly choose music by artist, album name, song title, or genre. The Roku could do with a lot of improvement in this area.

The irony is that if the Roku had been billed as being for photos only, I’d have given it 5 stars. It’s really the only game in town if you want high definition photo display on a TV, and it’s terrific! For trying to be a video and music solution as well, and being poor to fair in those categories, I deduct a star. If you want a solution for music or video, buy something else.

Roku HD1000 High-Definition Digital Media Player Feature

• High-definition media player supports 1080i, 720p, and 480p outputs for optimal viewing on high-definition and HD-ready TVs
• Designed for convenient living room slide shows and MP3/linear PCM music playback from your memory cards or personal computer
• Compatible with Roku Art Packs and LiveArt (not included) for high-definition wall art from still and motion images
• CompactFlash, SD, MMC, Memory Stick, and SmartMedia slots
• Can be networked with your PC through an Ethernet port or Wi-Fi

Roku HD1000 High-Definition Digital Media Player Overview

The Roku HD1000 is the first high-definition digital media player, designed to make the most of your HDTV’s brilliant color and clarity. Tap into your home computer network or pop in a memory card to enjoy high-definition digital photos, art, LiveArt, music, and third party applications. The Roku HD1000 is based on the Roku OS, an open platform that includes Roku’s advanced media APIs and the Linux Kernel.

Roku HD1000 High-Definition Digital Media Player Specifications

Amazon.com Product Description Early Adopters Pick: October 2003. This is the world’s first high-definition digital media player.

Whether you’re already equipped with a high-definition TV or still using a standard CRT set, the HD1000 from Roku puts all manner of digital entertainment before your eyes and ears. Tap into a home computer network, hook the unit up to a stereo, or simply pop in a memory card–then sit back and enjoy your favorite photos, artworks, music, or LiveArt (full-motion images of beaches, waterfalls, etc.).

While it will work on nearly any monitor, the HD1000 was designed to make the most of a high-definition television’s brilliant color and pristine clarity. The HD1000 makes viewing and sharing treasured digital photos easier and more exciting than ever. Photos displayed through the device will look crystal-clear on your high-definition or big-screen TV. No more crowding around a PC monitor in your cluttered den–the HD1000 lets you relax and view digital slideshows in a leisurely atmosphere.

Not watching a program on your wall-mounted plasma display? Now you can create stunning wall art with a click of your remote. Roku’s Art Packs (not included) are a simple way to enhance your décor and make use out of an idle HDTV. Choose from a range of images–classic masterpieces, stunning nature scenes, or a lifelike aquarium–and bring them to life in your living room. Or, use LiveArt to change your surroundings without changing your location. Bring a rippling mountain lake, a leafy summer forest, or a white sand beach with soothing waves to turn your living room into a pool of peace and tranquility. The HD1000 supports looping HD MPEG2, standard JPEG images, and MPEG clips. (Art Packs come on CompactFlash memory cards; just pop in the card and choose your favorite scenery.)

Next, liberate your growing library of digital music files from your PC and listen to them through a home stereo. Roku lets you listen to files on any of various memory cards (CompactFlash, SD, MMC, Memory Stick, SmartMedia) or over a simple Ethernet or Wi-Fi connection, so you can enjoy your favorite music through the high-quality sound system in your living room. Its attractive onscreen display shows the current media source and displays its contents as well as the media file in play, with full ID3 data for music files.

The HD1000 offers built-in protection to reduce the risk of image burn-in on your TV screen, too. (The unit can’t prevent all types of burn-in, of course–it’s ultimately your responsibility to use your display’s manual and common sense to prevent burn-in.) The HD1000’s Screen Saver mode engages when the HD1000 is your primary video source, and it can even step in whenever one of your other video sources stops moving. When placed in a pass-through configuration–with the signal from a DVD player, say, passing through the HD1000 on its way to a screen–the HD1000 can detect when the video input source is still and will automatically generate a changing Screen Saver.

The HD1000 is based on the Roku OS, an open platform that includes Roku’s advanced media APIs and the Linux Kernel, and for which other companies can design as-yet-undreamed-of accessories.

What’s in the Box
HD1000, user’s manual, remote control, remote batteries (two AAA), a component-video cable, a stereo analog audio interconnect, and an AC power cable.

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Building a no-monitor, low-power spare system

If the screen on one’s laptop is not running fine then one should connect it with network cable, and then analyze how to set up the system. However, if one’s system lacks Wake on LAN abilities, then it is not accessible.

Transforming it to a home server

Due to laptop’s outstanding abilities, one can even keep the server next to his/her printer thus enabling printing from anywhere, employ a browser to get it grabbing bit torrents in windows or Mac systems, or set up one’s own web server for grabbing files or hosting things like one’s own personal Wiki. Here, a multi-purpose media player can play a very crucial role.

An improved digital photo frame

For one’s laptop one should go to make for a sizable, attention-grabbing frame that can show whatever user want and possibly even grab photos as they’re dropped on a main computer.

Open-source recommendations

1. Puppy Linux: Distribution of 97 MB, smooth interface, with basic uses.

2. Damn small Linux: A system with 50 MB capacity and 16 MB memory.

Change its LCD into a Stand-Alone Monitor

The user can also turni a perfectly good LCD laptop screen into a vertical-mounted monitor.

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This past week, Warner announced that the studio would release its films exclusively in Blu-ray beginning in June. Today, Paramount has decided to drop its support for HD DVD as well. Both studios now join Walt Disney, 20th Century Fox, and MGM as exclusive backers of the Sony format. Universal Pictures remains the sole major studio in support of HD DVD.

The recent moves to Blu-ray are a sign that the studios no longer wish to partake in the format war. Robin Harris of ZDNet wrote on his blog that “DVD sales have weakened and Hollywood suspects the HD format war is part of the problem.” While competition is always good for consumers, the high price tags and the uncertain future of the two competing formats have definitely been limiting their growth potential.

With generous mark-downs during the holiday shopping seasons, HD DVD and Blu-ray players still cost over $200 per unit, compared to the progressive scan DVD player at $50 or less. It’s understandable that shoppers may not wish to risk hundreds of dollars on a potentially dead format, especially after they have just invested in an expensive HDTV. On the flip side, consumers might be holding off on buying soon-to-be outdated traditional DVDs in anticipation of the new format. Recently flourishing mail/web video rental market (Netflix and Blockbuster) has also contributed to the decrease in traditional DVD sales, after years of double-digit growth.

Another speculation is that Apple could soon be offering Blu-ray drives as an upgrade option for its MacBooks. On January 6th, Panasonic introduced thin Blu-ray drive for laptops. Since Apple is on the Board of Directors of the Blu-ray Disc Association and Panasonic is a major manufacturer for all MacBook drives, the probability of Apple unveiling Blu-ray capable MacBooks at the next MacWorld is high.

What does this mean for consumers? Focusing on a single format will help manufacturers lower production costs and help retail stores save floor space and concentrate their marketing efforts. With analog broadcasting coming to an end, a single format would help consumers adopt digital TV and the next-gen format. If Blu-ray does win out, however, it will be a real downer for those who put down the money for a XBox 360 HD DVD add-on. But hey, no one wants to see Sony lose two media format wars in a row, right?

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I won’t outline the many features as they can be quickly viewed at Patriot’s website. This is a shockingly good device (for lack of a better word), especially given the price. It’s a very new product category. While it plays nice with pc’s and macs, it is a standalone device that does not require a computer to feed from. It even has a built in BitTorrent client that can be used independently of a computer. I don’t know how much power it draws but it’s probably very little (

Patriot Box Office 1080p High-Definition Media Player PCMPBO25 (Black) Feature

• All anodized aluminum
• Full 1080p Media Play back
• Support 2.5-Inch HD
• Support H. 264
• Support HDMI

Patriot Box Office 1080p High-Definition Media Player PCMPBO25 (Black) Overview

Patriot Box Office High Definition Media Player is an All-In-One Media Player which supports 1080p playback from various files sources such as VOB, H. 264, ISO, WAV, etc.

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The Roku SD box was incredibly easy to install and connect to my home wireless network. The device has performed flawlessly over the last two months. The video and sound quality of all Netflix streamed videos was amazing – everything was crisp and clear. I have not purchased anything via Amazon on Demand, so I can’t speak to that. The Roku SD box is an extremely affordable way to access Netflix content through your television set. However, if you are a person who watches a lot of online video through Youtube, Vimeo, etc., or have a lot of video on your desktop/laptop from Itunes or other sources, you should buy something else (or ‘roll your own’ – [...]).

Roku SD Player Feature

• Start watching movies on your TV in seconds using your high-speed Internet connection
• Instantly plays the entire Netflix Instant Watch library with your Netflix membership – no additional subscription cost required
• Plays DVD-quality video on any TV
• Built-in wireless (Wi-Fi) as well as wired internet connectivity
• Sets up in 5 minutes

Roku SD Player Overview

With built-in Wi-Fi, Roku SD Player is the easiest way to stream instant movies and shows from Netflix and Amazon Video On Demand directly to your TV. Now at our most affordable price ever, the SD Player comes with everything you need to access a world of great entertainment on your terms including the FREE Roku Channel Store to access even more shows, music, and more instantly to your TV.  No wonder Roku is Netflix members’ top rated streaming player.

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Hornettek Phantom MP-2020 1080P HDMI 2.5-Inch HDD Media Player Feature

• Full-HD 1080P video play back on your TV system
• 2.5-inches HDD can be easily install into Phantom unit
• Browse photo with background music playing
• Stream and transfer files through Ethernet and USB 2.0 Host port
• Support various multimedia formats such as RMVB, MKV

Hornettek Phantom MP-2020 1080P HDMI 2.5-Inch HDD Media Player Overview

Hornettek Phantom MP-2020 1080P HDMI 2.5″ HDD Media Player

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