Ah. So, of course, Roku's chat wouldn't tell me that it's available cheaper. I bet the first time I have a problem with it they will say "we've never heard of that problem," too.

All those places are hardly worth it. The amount of time spent at ebay is ridiculous for the small savings. From Fred, it might be worthwhile if he doesn't charge tax, but shipping might be more than the invoice saving.

edit:
Fred says| Buy them locally. Freight will be punitive.

Nicely put, Fred!

Ernie

$49 for two day service to have two roku's delivered to you, to reiterate my point.

I typically have the client just buy them on Amazon. They are a little cheaper but nothing worth buying there. I just suggest in case they want to return for any reason. Haven't had anyone return one yet though.

goldenz,
you make a great point about putting the possible return in their lap, but that's counter to being in charge of A/V at their place. People I know don't want a possible inconvenience.

The overall good opinions here, and your saying nobody has returned one yet, makes me want to take the minimal risk and keep even the Roku in my wheelhouse.

I normally don't have clients supply anything other than TVs, and Roku/AppleTV. There is no margin in any of them and the time suck dealing with possible warranty issues down the road make them a potential killer. But, as mentioned, Roku has been extremely solid.

Charge for your time.....

Sir, you can supply it and buy it at street pricing, and it's all on you.

I can supply it at street + a handling fee, but it's a courtesy item, still not full service warranty (as stated in our terms).

I can supply it at xxx, and it's covered like everything else you don't have to worry.

Reinforces your value and position. Then when they supply the AppleTV and it locks up and needs to be reset, you simply charge your fees.

(We have "Non-supplied Equipment" and "Courtesy Picked-up Equipment" clauses in our terms.)

Excuse my ignorance here but doesn't the PS4 have netflix and just about every other streaming app now?

Maybe it is naive, but we supply Apple TVs on most jobs. We mark them up something like 25 points, and every couple of years we have to warranty one or two (out of 100 per year or so.) It isn't a big profit center for us or anything like that, but it is a service to our clients. We deliver a turnkey system, including TVs. TVs are a huge pain, but again, we still make money on them on the net.
Turnkey systems are a valuable solution for our good customers, and the minor risk of providing these low margin items is made up for in goodwill, larger installs, more control, etc.

Thanks for all your input on this subject. I got Roku 4s for the client.

And now I have to say Well, duh, again, in the opposite direction. The Sony UH-PH1 BD Players that I got do indeed stream video from the internet. This was not AT ALL clear from the manual! I could have searched the manual for "Netflix," but no, I did nothing so obvious. My realization started when I played a DVD, hit STOP, and a screen appeared with several streaming service logos....

There are some minor drawbacks, or "why did they do it this way," but it seems to work well.

And now I have two very new Roku 4s to sell to someone!

Keep the Rokus in the system and provide the client with a good streaming experience. I don't know of any BDP that comes close in ease of use, as nice of an interface, or as reliable.

Sony has possibly the worst menu system. It's just terrible.

goldenz,
I was amazed to find that the Sony BD Player, not in eco mode, turns on to play DVDs in about two seconds by pushing the HOME button. That button lands you on DVD, though you can menu about and go to other services. There's another button, Netflix, that lands you on Netflix, so streaming is simple.

There's a good reason not to use the Roku $, too: once the client hits HOME on the Sony, he'll see that Netflix is available on that player, and if he scrolls around to play it, he'll be disappointed and confused. I can't stop "Netflix" from appearing on that player, so I'm integrating it and it seems to work out quite well. I hate the loss on the Rokus, but hey, I don't have this BD player and maybe I'll use one!

Thanks for the advice, too. I've used the Sony for streaming while programming, and if I find the Roku 4 is just a better experience, then I can tell the client about it and make a change.

I've asked this before but I don't think you have ever replied;
When was the last time you used a Sony Bluray?
Because the last 2 generations now of Sony bluray players have a completely different interface. They are almost Roku like and are customizable. There is no way I can believe anyone would think it is terrible. Compared to other blurays, it is awesome!

Where have you asked me?

I've used them. A client provided a bdp with the newer interface. After some troible getting it to log into the network, we had an issue with Netflix specifically. Other services streamed normally, but Netflix would buffer infinitely. Tried resetting the player and same thing. Client now has a roku 3 and he has been happy.