Roku 3400R Streaming Stick (Old Version) (Roku-Ready, Requires MHL Port)

This Streaming stick will only work with newer TVs that have a MHL style HDMI connector. Although the connector just looks like a regular HDMI connection, there is more to it than that, and your TV must support MHL !! Buyer beware.With that said, the streaming stick works fine. I tested it with a new 2013  Sony KDL-40R450A 40-Inch 60Hz 1080p LED HDTV (Black) , and it turns a "cheap" non smart TV into a smart TV for a very affordable price. You can use the remote control provided by the TV to navigate your way around the ROKU interface and menus.My only complaint is, I don't think the WIFI reception is that great with the stick. On a few occasions I had some connectivity issues with my Apple Router which was only a few feet away from the stick.Now the question you might be asking yourself is ... should you buy the stick over a ROKU3 ? Well ... that depends on what you want.If you want less clutter around your TV and a single remote .. then the stick is a good bet.If you don't mind a extra box, and an extra remote (which can be mitigated if you use a universal remote to be fair), then the box might be better for you since you can also use a Wired internet connection.Note, both the stick and the ROKU3 now have the newer style ROKU menus .. so both look the same.Overall, its a solid, good product and I recommend it to folks that have a MHL style HDMI connection on their TV and want smart TV features.Thanks for reading.--Just a few additional points to help folks:1) The stick supports 1080p output. The default setting is 720p, but you can change this in settings. As such the stick supports 1080p streams from Vudu and Netflix.2) You can choose to use either the TV (or BD Remote) or the supplied Roku remote with this player.3) If you own other Roku devices, only the Roku streaming stick remote will work with the stick, not other Roku remotes !!4) The new Netflix user interface is currently not available for the stick. Currently only the Roku 3 has the new style Netflix interface.

I love the Roku products. I have had the Roku 3 external box for over a year on my other television but I got a new television with the MHL port in it so I decided to do away with the wires and awkward little box and I am sooooo happy with it. Works just as good as the Roku 3 box. To those who complained about paying for apps, do you also complain when you pay $600 for an iPad and then find out you have to go to the Apple store and pay for apps? This works exactly the same way. Also, I have NEVER put my credit card information into my Roku account as I have only used free apps like Hulu, Netflix, Amazon, etc. I just tell it I'll do it later. To those who complained you have to use your computer for set up. Yes, the first time you load an app and want to use it the Roku will give you a code for those requiring an online account like the above mentioned. You go to the web address it gives you, enter the code, and you never use your computer again. As with the Apple apps for those above mentioned type of accounts you must have an online subscription to use them. Honestly, I don't care for games so I have never used the Roku games. My Roku 3 came with Angry Birds installed and I deleted it without ever using it. I did purchase a Sony Blu Ray player that has the apps in it for television shows like Hulu, etc. However, I ended up going back and purchasing this as the Blu Ray is too difficult to get through all the menus to make your selections. One thing that I don't really use but Roku does have an iPad remote control app so you could control it from your iPad rather than using the remote if you like. Mainly I LOVE this because it hides behind my tv. You can't even see it anywhere. I priced televisions that are "smart". And the same television without the "smart" portion is usually at least $100 or more cheaper with no differences other than that. You get a lot more with the Roku, too, since you can either purchase or get free a lot more apps from their store. So, for the cost benefits, I would go with the Roku.

Plugged into my Insight TV with MHL and works as advertised. Setup and connecting to internet was easy.But:It wouldn't start running until I gave it a credit card number just in case I wanted to purchase something on it down the line. In spite of the fact that I already shelled out money to buy it and would rather not have my credit card number at risk.Roku makes it easy to add new items, but there is no obvious way to delete them.Apps like Netflix just don't have the full functions they do on my PC or Kindle, and searching doesn't work nearly as well.There are a lot of internet video sources I can't get through this because they aren't part of the Roku environment.I actually find using the mini HDMI output of my Kindle HD 8.9 almost as much. I can get the more complete versions of the video apps and with the new video player in Silk I can access other video sources on the internet. With a 15 foot cable I still don't have to get off of the couch.And as an added bonus, if I misplace my reading glasses I can read my ebooks on the TV screen!I'll keep the Roku because there are times someone here will want to use it while I'm doing something else with my pad, but if I had to do it over again, I would look into using a native Android device instead, like  Mini Computer,1080P Dual-core Android 4.1 TV Box MK808 Mini PC RK3066 1GB DRR3+8GB Nand Flash Black By ownshop