Set Box Tops

Many tech pundits feel that video set-top boxes will be gone in a few years, as more TV’s offer built-in Internet video. I tend to disagree.

TV’s with integrated VHS or DVD were/are a tiny segment of the market. They had a place in mobile homes and boats, and maybe in the kitchen, but that was about it. Streaming video players require no physical media, and they’re so small they can be put on a circuit board inside of a TV, yet I don’t see set-top boxes going away; in part because the boxes can be so small, but also because consumers like having a choice. Being stuck with whatever streaming video feature comes with a new TV might be enough for some people, but I suspect for many it will be an introduction to the format, and lead them to look for a dedicated box.

Internet video players are flooding the market, with Apple and Google following Roku’s lead with small, diskless models. Despite Netflix being available on all three products, they are as different as they are similar, and nobody knows how this market will shake out. I favor Roku, in part because it simply works great, and in part because I wince at the idea of being locked into iTunes. A few days ago I said Roku had sold 500,000 units, but Roku founder and CEO Anthony Wood says the sales number is now closer to one million.

Wood looks a little nervous to me, which is to be expected, with not only Apple, but Google too, about to break into the STB market. I suspect D-Link’s $200 Boxee Box will be a specialty item for hobbyists, and Logitech’s Revue for Google is overpriced at $300, but Apple is in a position to roll over tiny Roku, now that Steve Jobs no longer considers IPTV to be a hobby.

Over on PCMag.com, a reviewer named Tim Gideon pretty much pans the new Roku XDS. Gideon undermines his technical credibility, however, because of his statement that, “If you live in proximity to multiple routers, good luck getting anything approximating an HD stream. In fact, you’re unlikely to get a wireless stream that doesn’t need to stop to buffer often.” Huh? I have no trouble at all with 720p on my Roku HD over 802.11g Wifi, and not only are there multiple wireless routers in my neighborhood, three of them are in my house, with the Roku having to jump from one to another to get onto the Net.

A more meaningful comparison of the Apple TV and Roku XDS is on Engadget, with a close-up screen shot from each player. Apple has the edge in picture quality here, I admit, but it’s possible that other examples would favor Roku. Netflix should look the same on both platforms.

Something else I had stated was my intention to buy a Roku XDS for use with my projector. But when I saw that Amazon had the discontinued XR model in stock, brand-new, for $100, the same price as the XDS, I ordered one, because I want the option of using component video without having to buy a special adapter, as required for the XDS. (My Kenwood THX receiver is seven years old and can switch component video, but has no HDMI jacks. I have no intention of replacing it, because it includes a phono input and it can switch the Dolby EX speaker terminal to LFE to power my passive sub-woofer.) Also, I prefer the original chunky Roku remote. It has a great feel, and I never need to look at the buttons. The new remote, without a backlight, looks like it will be as difficult to use as the remote on my Sony Blu-ray player is in the dark when the projector is on.

Talking about set-top boxes makes me think about one of my all-time top 10 singles, “The Letter” by The Box Tops. I was very pleased to hear, while conversing with Prudence Bury, that she absolutely loves the song.