<p>Any info re pros and cons, ease of use, etc? Thinking of my mother…</p>
<p>I got a Roku for Christmas and like it, although you really need some sort of subscription service to get the most out of it - Netflix, Hulu Plus, or Amazon Prime. I think it is easy to use. The biggest problem is figuring out which service to use to get to the movie/TV show that you want.</p>
<p>I think the Roku is more flexible than Apple TV, as it can be used with any of the service providers other than iTunes. Purchasing individual TV shows or movies seems to be cheaper on Amazon Video than on iTunes, so I think Roku is the way to go.</p>
<p>I did some research on the two options before Christmas, and ended up asking for the Roku instead of AppleTV.</p>
<p>We have Roku and have for several years. DH is in a related field so we always have the newest gadget. Familiar with both and I would vote for Roku with Netflix over apple tv for the same reason above. I find iTunes very clunky to use. The Roku is very easy to use and relatively inexpensive.</p>
<p>My son gave me Apple TV as a surprise, so obviously I didn’t do any research in advance. But he installed it and gave me lessons on using it. </p>
<p>I take a lot of photographs, and it was a pain to try to pass the family pictures around person by person. It was wonderful to have all the family sitting around and looking at the pictures together.</p>
<p>I agree with Sacci that it’s a disadvantage to be tied into iTunes, but on the other hand, iTunes has a bunch of cheap rentals which we’ve enjoyed.</p>
<p>We have a Roku and have had it for about a year. It is very easy to use, and we even take it with us sometimes on vacation if the condo/house has wifi.</p>
<p>The real problem is with NetFlix, etc with not having such a large variety of shows on streaming, but the same goes for amazon, etc.</p>
<p>I highly recommend the Roku.</p>
<p>If you don’t have a blu-ray DVD player yet then get one of those that has the built-in streaming functions as well so you can both play blu-ray DVDs and stream from Netflix, Amazon, and a number of other providers.</p>
<p>I just bought this one for $115 on Amazon -
[LG</a> BD670 Video Players - 3D-Capable Blu-ray Disc? Player with SmartTV and Wireless Connectivity - LG Electronics US](<a href=“http://www.lg.com/us/tv-audio-video/video/LG-blu-ray-dvd-player-BD670.jsp]LG”>http://www.lg.com/us/tv-audio-video/video/LG-blu-ray-dvd-player-BD670.jsp)</p>
<p>I’ve had Apple TV for about a year. The kids watch Netflix on it. I like how I can access the videos, podcasts, photos and music I have on iTunes through the TV.</p>
<p>I got DH Apple TV for Christmas as we’d had the PS3 set up in our living area to stream Netflix & I’d heard that Apple TV was more streamlined. I got a very polite “oh, how nice” comment after opening but he wasn’t that enthused. After doing a little R&D he decided to hook it up and now loves it. #1 reason: our cable provider did not offer an option to get the NHL Center Ice package, but Apple TV did. He bought it on the 26th and has been in Hockey Heaven ever since 
Plus he can use his iPad to control it.</p>
<p>Have (and love) our Roku on our old analog TV. We have Netflix and Amazon Prime, as well as Pub D Hub (shows public domain shows…fun). There are additional channels you can add, it’s very easy to install and use. We enjoy finding old TV shows to load up on Netflix, and d and I have a weekly TV “date” to watch a series we love at the same time (she uses her Netflix account on her computer) and we text commentary throughout.</p>
<p>We use our Roku daily, although it’s hooked up to a TV that only gets a few TV stations through rabbit ears. (My brother gave it to me several years ago. Said he knew my kids’ game systems could do the same thing, but I might prefer having one small dedicated unit to show things on my TV. He was so right–I’d just as soon not have the game systems in my room.) (BTW–this is the same brother who gave us our initial Netflix subscription back in its infancy.)</p>
<p>I had an Apple TV and thought it was great for Netflix, but recently gave it to a family member in favor of a Roku. I must say, I love the Roku, and HBO Go is the greatest feature. If you have an HBO account through your cable provider (certain cable providers block this feature), you have access to all episodes of every HBO series, as well as many documentaries and movies. My Roku cost less than a series DVD of The Sopranos or The Wire would, so it’s already paid for itself in a way just through watching those shows alone. Roku also offers Hulu Plus and Amazon Instant Video, which Apple TV does not. Can’t recommend it enough!</p>