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The Roku box is flat out an awesome deal. That being said there's a whole next generation of TV's with internet access where you don't even need another box.

The Roku box is flat out an awesome deal. That being said there's a whole next generation of TV's with internet access where you don't even need another box. I have a new LG that has both Netflix and Vudu (pay per play on-demand service). It also has the new Yahoo Widget engine and can connect over my home network to watch videos off my media server. On Thursday at the Intel Developer Forum they are going to be announcing some really cool advances on the TV front.

wmf 17y ago
TVs last 10 years; do you want to bet that "Yahoo Widget engine" will still be awesome in 2019? I'd rather have the box.
- SwellJoe 17y ago
  I doubt current generation TVs will last 10 years. They are now more like computers than traditional home electronics, and the computer life cycle is dramatically shorter. I'd be surprised if TVs bought today average even seven years. It'll probably be about five. They're getting cheaper, bigger, more efficient, and more capable, with every generation. Then again, 1080p is likely to be the maximum useful resolution for at least ten years (since most current "HD" content sources are actually 480 or 720), so maybe things will slow down once everyone has 1080p-capable TVs.
  - wmf 17y ago
    I doubt current generation TVs will last 10 years. And that's a bad thing that we shouldn't encourage IMO. I intentionally bought a "dumb" 1080p TV so that it would last. Since an "obsolescence inside" warning label for smart TVs isn't likely to catch on, maybe the cheaper/dumber TVs should be marketed as "future-proof" or "built to last".
    - SwellJoe 17y ago
      I made no judgment call on whether it's a good thing. I don't think it is, but what I think is good isn't generally what the market does (otherwise everyone would be vegetarian, never wear baseball caps except when playing baseball or driving an 18-wheeler, and "Hummer" would not refer to a vehicle). I just think technology in televisions have evolved to be more like televisions, and the cost/capability curve is shaping up somewhat similarly (I guess more similarly to computer monitors, but those still evolve much faster than TVs and are upgraded far more frequently; I replace my monitor about every 36 months, which is slightly less often than I buy a PC and about the same frequency as I replace my laptop).
- mikeryan 17y ago
  Hey I'm not picking one over the other. I dig my TV - and I'm not paying a premium for these services. They're going in most of the high end TVs. Box/TV either way its cool. Note they're also building these widgets and services into other boxes like game consoles and DVD players as well so you can use an existing box.

wmf 17y ago

TVs last 10 years; do you want to bet that "Yahoo Widget engine" will still be awesome in 2019? I'd rather have the box.

SwellJoe 17y ago
I doubt current generation TVs will last 10 years. They are now more like computers than traditional home electronics, and the computer life cycle is dramatically shorter. I'd be surprised if TVs bought today average even seven years. It'll probably be about five. They're getting cheaper, bigger, more efficient, and more capable, with every generation. Then again, 1080p is likely to be the maximum useful resolution for at least ten years (since most current "HD" content sources are actually 480 or 720), so maybe things will slow down once everyone has 1080p-capable TVs.
- wmf 17y ago
  I doubt current generation TVs will last 10 years. And that's a bad thing that we shouldn't encourage IMO. I intentionally bought a "dumb" 1080p TV so that it would last. Since an "obsolescence inside" warning label for smart TVs isn't likely to catch on, maybe the cheaper/dumber TVs should be marketed as "future-proof" or "built to last".
  - SwellJoe 17y ago
    I made no judgment call on whether it's a good thing. I don't think it is, but what I think is good isn't generally what the market does (otherwise everyone would be vegetarian, never wear baseball caps except when playing baseball or driving an 18-wheeler, and "Hummer" would not refer to a vehicle). I just think technology in televisions have evolved to be more like televisions, and the cost/capability curve is shaping up somewhat similarly (I guess more similarly to computer monitors, but those still evolve much faster than TVs and are upgraded far more frequently; I replace my monitor about every 36 months, which is slightly less often than I buy a PC and about the same frequency as I replace my laptop).
mikeryan 17y ago
Hey I'm not picking one over the other. I dig my TV - and I'm not paying a premium for these services. They're going in most of the high end TVs. Box/TV either way its cool. Note they're also building these widgets and services into other boxes like game consoles and DVD players as well so you can use an existing box.