The new Roku 2

Here's a rather in-depth review from CNet.

Since it was first introduced in March 2013, the Roku 3 box has been our favorite streaming device recommendation. But Roku's latest hardware update flipped the script. Now our nod goes to the leaner, meaner 2015 Roku 2.

The new Roku 2 offers all of the goodness of the Roku interface and app selection (including Netflix, Hulu Plus, Amazon Prime, Vudu, Watch ESPN, HBO Go and Sling TV among its more than 2,000 channels), and the same lightning-quick response times as the Roku 3 (both new and old), with none of the extra remote-based features you may not use. It also costs $30 less, making the new Roku 2 a better overall value than the Roku 3.

In case you read that last section too quickly, let me reiterate: now the Roku 2 is just as fast as the Roku 3, and matches or beats the speed of pretty much any other streaming device we've tested, regardless of processor specs, RAM and other numbers. It leaves the old Roku 2--not to mention the cheaper Roku Streaming Stick and Roku 1--in the dust.

It also leaves behind a few beloved features. Gone is the headphone jack on the remote for private listening, and the ability to point the clicker anywhere--now you have to aim it at the box, just like most other remotes. (If you want either of those features, spend the extra $30 for the new Roku 3.)
The updated Roku 2 also sheds the old box's yellow, white and red analog video outputs, replacing them with an Ethernet port. That's a fine trade in my book, as it still works with any TV that has an HDMI input. If you're looking to add a streaming box to an old, pre-HD television and need those analog video outputs, the company continues to sell the analog-equipped Roku 1 unchanged.

Roku's interface, search and app selection still lead the pack, so unless you're a devotee of the Apple pantheon, or find yourself inescapably enmeshed in Amazon's jungle of media services, Roku is the best platform for streaming. Apple's upcoming box might challenge that supremacy, and maybe Google will improve Android TV enough to compete, but until then we still like Roku best. And unless you think it's worth the extra $30 cash get a point-anywhere remote with voice search and a headphone jack, the Roku 2 is a better buy than the Roku 3.

[read the review for (a lot) more details]