gdgt

1) It is really, really ugly.

2) It is the focal point in the UI and my eye immediately focuses on it.

3) There are other inexpensive streamers that don't waste 20% of the screen on ads.

Also, what is the point of an ad for Netflix Watch Instantly while you are browsing your Netflix Watch Instantly cue? Obviously, you are already a subscriber.

There was so much going on on-screen that I didn't really care...

Xbox 360 already does this, so maybe its their fault for giving companies false hope that a large group of people don't care about it...

I can't think of an inexpensive media player comparable to this one for $130 honestly.... even the boxee box is "under $200" ($199 probably...) If you know a media player that cost $130 or less and plays the same stuff the popcorn hour does I would like to know it...

You're right that this would probably be the box I would choose (over the Netgear and WDTV boxes) at the ~$130 price point. I guess I would rather spend the extra $50 or so to avoid ads.

I have been looking at getting a device such as these and the reason I didn't like the Boxee is that it doesn't have Netflix. I can also stack the Popbox reasonably without any problem. The shape of the Boxee while unique just doesn't work for me.

And of what I've used of Boxee in the past and saw of Boxee Beta, the UI is way too full featured, fancy and "crowded" for my current needs.

Although I enjoy extensibility and opensource, and understand people swarming to Boxee and BoxeeBox for the extra features, it's just TOO MUCH for me. I don't care about Hulu or access to a number of browser based content portals. I don't care that there's social networking aspects tied into it. For me, I just don't need or want it.

And this is why I have the Roku. It is simple enough for my needs. In the near future, I look forward to passing that box onto my family and moving to PopBox. It's cheap, the UI has more dimension in comparison to the Roku, it currently has the support for playback of one's own video, and it has the core content options I need--Mediafly Based and Netflix. It's just enough of an upgrade, out-of-the-box, without it being a bother to me. It's the right product at the right time.

Additionally, I don't think there's been any word if the wireless version will be sold as a "Premium" model or not. There could be a (slim) possibility that for the extra 20 or so dollars, the wireless version will have ads removed.

Either way, the Roku has them and they don't bother me at all.

So why would one choose this over the Boxee Box? Why not? The variety is to fit different needs.

I had no idea that it comes with ads. I will also be having second thoughts knowing this info. Too bad, this was looking like a really promising unit until I saw the ads forced into it.