A device doesn't have to have top-notch specs and functionality to be a great idea. While Netflix, Hulu, and other streaming services have come to many Blu-ray players, HDTVs, DVRs, and game consoles, not everyone has the hardware to access those services. If you haven't bought a new entertainment device in a couple of years, you probably can't watch online content. Roku, the pioneer in media streaming, lets you get that content cheaply and easily. At $49.99 (direct) the LT is the least expensive Roku box yet, and it's the best way to get streaming media without a three-digit investment. For $50, you get 720p video, Wi-Fi, and plenty of content channels, so if you have older home entertainment equipment and want to add a lot of great new content, it's a top choice. Despite not being perfect and, for technophiles, unnecessary, the Roku LT earns our Editors' Choice for budget media hubs.

Design and Setup
The Roku LT looks like a purple version of the Roku 2 XS ($99.99, 3 stars), but that's only half true: It's only half-purple, and it has “LT” in large, matte letters on the top. It measures the same 0.9 by 3.3 by 3.3 inches (HWD) and weighs the same 3 ounces. It only has an HDMI output, a 3.5mm output for use with the composite video cable that comes with the box, and a jack for the power cable. The IR remote is black and purple, with a large rubber direction pad and buttons for playback control, plus Back and Home for navigating the different menus and channels. The main controls are identical, using the navigation pad to go through the menus. The Roku 2 XS differs with two Wiimote-like control buttons on the other end of the remote, letting you turn it sideways and use it as a game controller, or flick it and use it as a motion controller. Since the Roku LT doesn't have any of those game features, it's not a big loss.

Considering it costs half the price of the Roku 2 XS, it's surprising that the Roku LT can do almost everything its high-end sibling can do. It accesses all the same content channels (except Angry Birds and other games that use the motion-sensing controller included with the Roku 2 XS), uses 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi to connect to any network, and outputs over HDMI. However, it can only output up to 720p video compared with the Roku 2 XS (and Roku 2 XD)'s 1080p resolution, and it lacks an Ethernet port for directly connecting to a router or modem. It also lacks a USB port or microSD card slot, used on the top-end Roku 2 boxes, which limits your ability to load media from flash drives and other local sources.

Hooking up the Roku LT is very easy. Just plug in the power cable, connect the HDMI cable, and select your Wi-Fi network to get started. Just like with the Roku 2 XS, you need to register the box online with a free Roku account. Once you do that, you can start adding channels.

Performance
The content is what matters, though, and at this the Roku LT succeeds just as much as the Roku 2 XS. It can access all of the services offered through Roku's Channel Store, including Netflix, Hulu Plus, Pandora, Amazon Instant Video, HBO GO, and hundreds of others. For more details about the content available on Roku's network, read our review of the Roku 2 XS, with which the Roku LT shares an identical menu system and channel library (with the exception of Angry Birds).

Because video quality is dependent on the source, the 720p top resolution isn't as big an issue as it appears. 720p video is already very crisp, if not quite as crisp as the 1080p video that's now the standard in high definition, and since many channels like Netflix often show content that's less than 1080p video to begin with, it's not a great loss, especially on a $50 device.

The Roku LT isn't a device for a hard-core home-theater or entertainment enthusiast, but if you have a TV that's a few years old and want to join the Web-streaming craze with services like Netflix and Hulu Plus, with a minimum of effort, it's the most affordable, easy way to do it. If you can spend a bit more for more functionality, consider the Apple TV ($99, 4 stars), which lets you play your iTunes library over your local network and shop in the iTunes Store. But you won't get Hulu Plus or HBO GO, and it costs twice as much as the Roku LT.

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