We knew something was up when we saw a
Netgear-branded Roku XD hit the FCC and subsequently
turn up at Fry's, and now it's official: Netgear will be selling the
Roku XD as the -- wait for it -- Netgear Roku XD Player. Hardware and functionality-wise, it's the exact same Roku XD you've come to know and love -- 720p Netflix and Amazon streaming with support for 1080p on certain channels -- but Netgear's vast distribution network means that it'll be sold in Best Buy, Radio Shack, Fry's and anywhere else Netgear products routinely show up. It's a pretty aggressive move for Roku, which was previously online-only -- the company has been saying its goal is to put a box by every TV in your house, and the XD is certainly cheap and flexible enough to tempt quite a few big-box shoppers. Of course, you're be paying a little extra for that extra silkscreen and distro love: Netgear's MSRP is $89.99, $10 more than the straight Roku. (Fry's selling it for $79.99 after "instant savings," though.) That's not exactly impulse-buy pricing, but it's still $10 cheaper than the Apple TV, so it looks like the heat is on -- check out our
Roku XDS review and just ignore the part about USB playback to get a feel for the XD.
Netgear Roku XD Player gets official, coming to big box retail everywhere originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 13 Oct 2010 21:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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