Roku Expands Its Lineup With The Roku SD and Roku HD-XR Streaming Media Players

If streaming media is in your blood, Roku has announced two new products that may grab your interest: The Roku SD and Roku HD-XR. Both players deliver content from Amazon, MLB.TV, and Netflix, but contain subtle differentiators. The Roku SD player ($79.99) connects to your TV using composite cables for enjoying DVD-quality visuals. The box also includes 802.11b/g Wi-Fi and an Ethernet port. The Roku HD-XR ($129) has a dual-band 802.11n Wi-Fi radio that enables it to stream high-definition content, as well as HDMI, component, composite, and S-Video connections. It also includes a USB port (Roku hasn’t stated the port’s exact purpose, but we suspect that it will eventually allow you to plug in an external drive so you can playback your own media). The original Roku player ($99.99) still lives on, and it’s virtually identical to the Roku HD-XR except that it has 802.11g Wi-Fi, and lacks the USB port. Roku also announced that it will launch the Roku Channel Store this fall, which will allow customers to add new content channels. With so many options available for receiving streaming video content, do you think it’s time to cut the cord?