Roku to offer streaming HD from Netflix before 2009
updated 04:40 pm EST, Mon November 3, 2008
Roku to bring Netflix HD
Roku representatives have responded to rumors on its online forum board regarding when it will launch streaming HD services and announced, earlier than they'd like, that it will team up with Netflix to bring HD content to its subscribers. Compared to the recently announced Xbox and Netflix tie-up that will also see streaming HD content to the Xbox, Roku will use different Advanced Profile encoding to deliver the HD content at significantly lower bit-rates.
As for the amount of HD content available through Roku, it will at least equal or surpass that of the Xbox library, which means about 300 titles. At the same time, Roku will update its user interface to run in 720p resolution, allowing more movie covers to be viewed on the screen at the same time. The service will also bring with it a "major" new feature Roku is keeping mum about until closer to the official unveiling.
