*Official* Roku 2 Media Streamer Thread - Page 28

Quick Google search says 32GB....

The SD card can only be used to store added channels right? You cannot play media from it.

My understanding is that it's used for buffering as well.

Why would it need to use the Sd card for buffering?

Even properly configured, as you are now, there will be times where you won't be able to get 5.1 audio on Netflix titles that have it.

If you are not getting a HD stream due to bandwidth/signal (be it a bottleneck on your end, netflix's end or anywhere in between) you'll only get 2.0 audio. Four dots and the HD symbol and you'll have DD+ audio. Four dots (or less) without the HD symbol and you'll get 2.0.

There are times when I can get a HD stream on Netflix but not Amazon and vice versa. Those times are rare but they happen and they usually clear up after a few minutes.

It doesn't. The SD card is only for storing excess additional channels and games. It currently has no other capability or use (nor does Roku appear to be planning any future use for it)

Frankly, unless you plan on adding an obscene number of channels or games, it's worthless. I do have a 8 gb card in mine only because I had one laying around but, for me, it is serving no actual purpose.

This whole thing started from reading reviews at Roku on the XS unit. Some guy was complaining about games not working on it and Roku told him he needed to use an SD card in order to have enough storage to use them. I have an XD on the BR tv and like you, had a mini SD laying around and stuck that in there to no apparent good. I just ordered an XS for a new TV in the LR so I ordered 2 8 gb Kingstons (5 bucks apiece) now I will have enough storage to last a lifetime for these two. Oh well, maybe my Angry Birds will be somewhat mollified.

I can certainly see how, depending on the number (and complexity)of games one had, a SD could be needed for some of those games to play properly.

But, because I just wanted to be clear and I read alot of people still wondering, the Roku 2 XS does not utilize the SD card for any streaming video buffering nor does the presence (or lack thereof) of a SD card have any effect on video streaming. And, as has been said many times before, no media can be played from the SD card. Certain media can be played from USB on the appropriate USB channel.

i bought an 8 gb card to stick in my roku2 and when i did there was nothing noticeable. it was not until i did a factory reset that the roku player noticed the card and formatted it for use by the player. unless your roku formatted the card for use, you will need to do a factory reset.

Good to know. I got the XS in and put the 8gb in it but haven't installed it to the tv yet. I'll make sure it recognizes it. Are you talking about the reset from the menu?

i've had roku media streamers or the past 5 years, basically since i first heard about them. i've never had cable tv and get 28 semi worthless channels from an antennae in my attic. my old original roku player lasted until feb 2012, so i bought a new roku2 angry birds version...

my roku2 worked well for a couple of months and then started to slow down loading programs and had buffering issues. i tried to stick an 8 gb micro card in it to see if that would fix it (read post above). it was taking 30 to 90 seconds to load netflix programs, hbogo was longer, i could make popcorn in the kitchen before it loaded. i couldn't replay or go forward without fear of waiting again.

i have a 6 to 10 mbps cable connection, a linksys e2000 router behind my pc and a linksys 4 port switch behind my av stack. router to av switch, hardwired to my roku2, hk avr1700 receiver and bluray.

i emailed roku tech support, they suggest the usual bogus stuff: reset router, factory reset roku player, delete programs and re-install. which i faithfully tried to no avail. after my 4th email to them, roku had their tier 2 tech support call me. we went thru the same song and dance before he asked me to set up 2 static dns addresses in my router. wow, that worked. i'm back to near instantaneous connections.

static dns 1: 8.8.8.8
static dns 2: 8.8.4.4



i hope this helps someone here. i now load video in a second or two vs the 30-90 seconds i was experiencing.
i'm a happy camper again

yes, in the menu. it resets the roku2 to factory setup. you'll need to enter set up information again.
there may be a better way to recognize the card, but i didn't see it.

a simple power down won't do it.
i have a smart power strip behind my av setup.
it cuts the power to everything plugged into it when i turn off the avr1700 receiver.

Strange. All I had to do with my Roku2s was to just unplug the power, re-plug in and they came up with the 'format' notice and then I just said yes.

Just curious, but what is the purpose behind adding a SD card?

Do you all have so many channels added that you need space for more? Does it speed up usual operations?

Not trying to be a smart-ass just wondering?

For most, they may not need the extra storage. If you install a lot of games (we installed all of the Angry Birds and other games), then the extra memory is needed to run smoothly. There is no difference in the speed of usual operations such as watching Amazon Prime, Hulu, Netflix etc. How many channels do we have, over 40 channels + games on our Roku's (and as you know all of them update to all the same channels/games once you update/install on one.

Also, some channels require the microSD card if over 50+MB. From the Roku website:

http://support.roku.com/entries/20292886-how-do-i-install-a-microsd-card-for-my-roku-2-player

"Your Roku player will automatically sync to the Roku Channel Store to install the latest channel and game updates. Once this sync is complete, your microSD card is ready for use. (Note: This sync will push any 50MB+ channels that previously could not be installed.)"
Edited by cavchameleon - 2/1/13 at 11:02pm

For reference, these are Google's DNS servers. They make them publically available, but remember that they can (and likely do) monitor your internet requests to them.

It's government agency's request of Google that is of more concern.

They could make the same requests of your ISP.

all i know is my roku loads near instantaneously now. that makes me a happy camper

You can use this DNS Benchmark tool to find the fastest DNS servers for your connection.

I was having issues with only the VUDU channel, and that is what the tier 2 tech support gave me to do also, it did not fix my roku 2xs but a few days later when I tried the vudu channel again I got an internet connection error that I had not gotten before, I hit the back button then it connected and now my vudu works great. I still feel the settings had nothing to do with it, it was a vudu problem from the beginning since I had similar issues with my PS3/XBOX 360.

I hope that I am posting this in the right spot. I am looking into possibly getting a Roku 2 XS but want to make sure that it will do what we are looking for. We currently have a Samsung BD player (BD-C5500).

http://www.samsung.com/us/support/owners/product/BD-C5500/XAA

We really only use it for playing BD's and streaming Netflix. It does great on any disk that we throw at it but it is lacking when streaming Netflix. It doesn't have built-in wireless so I connected a dongle. Unfortunately, it usually takes 7-10 minutes to connect to the wireless network. Once connected, it's OK but only streams in 720p. The BD player is connected via HDMI to my HW-E450 soundbar, which processes Dolby Digital and DTS.

http://www.samsung.com/us/video/home-theater/HW-E450/ZA

The sound from the BD player is more than good enough for us. I was looking around for a new BD player that has built-in wireless, can stream Netflix in 1080p, and outputs audio that is as good as my older player or better. These are the models that I am looking at:

http://www.samsung.com/us/video/blu-ray-dvd/BD-E6500/ZA
http://www.samsung.com/us/video/blu-ray-dvd/BD-ES6000/ZA
http://www.samsung.com/us/video/blu-ray-dvd/BD-E5900/ZA

My wife would prefer a Samsung to consolidate remotes and I'm not going to fight her there. In reading some of the reviews, it got me thinking that getting a Roku 2 XS might be the better option. It's definitely cheaper than a BD player. I am using a 5X1 HDMI switch so I have an extra port to connect the Roku to it and then to the soundbar. Having 1 more piece of equipment (and remote) isn't ideal but it's small enough not to really matter.

Basically, our 2 main concerns are:

1. Will the Roku 2 XS provide at least as good video quality compared to the above BD players when streaming Netflix?
2. Will the Roku 2 XS provide at least as good audio quality compared to the above BD players when streaming Netflix?

Am I missing anything when comparing our options? Any opinions are welcome. Thanks.

If you get the Roku2 and also want multichannel audio from Netflix, then you need a device that can decode DD+. The Roku2 will only send multichannel audio as DD+ from Netflix. Otherwise your only other option is stereo PCM for the Netflix audio.

Yeah--the Rokus won't convert DD+ into anything else (it just passes Dolby through so they don't have to license any Dolby tech). The BD players have to license Dolby tech so they'll generally convert DD+ into multichannel LPCM or to basic DD 5.1 if your AVR can't decode it.

Thanks, guys. Will the difference be noticeable on a 2.1 soundbar? I was starting to get excited about being able to utilize HBO Go as well.

We have an iPad and 2 iPhones but I can't see any real benefit to looking at Apple TV.

I don't think you will notice any difference. The audio will be limited by the soundbar and the video by how good your wireless connection is.

Interesting. Is the consensus among people here that, because of the audio shortcomings, we should just go with the BD player instead of the Roku 2 XS or is the difference in audio quality so minimal that the Roku (w/ HBO Go) is the way to go?

It's just a caution--if you want 5.1 sound from Netflix on the Roku, your AVR needs to be capable of decoding DD+; most AVRs from the last few years at least are so capable. BD players can convert DD+ to other formats for AVRs which can't decode it.

AppleTV supports AirPlay from the Apple devices making it a better choice than the Roku for you. I have Roku and AppleTV, use both about equally? HBO Go is main purpose for the Roku, but is coming to the AppleTV later this year.

That's the thing. I don't know how much I would even use that feature. Sure, I'm certain that I will have a need the second I hook up a new Roku. The only music that I have on my phone are CD's that I uploaded. I have never bought anything from iTunes. I think that my wife only bought a few ringtones. Maybe this will change in the future but I don't think so.

Is it safe to say that Apple TV has the same audio limitations that Roku has?