Good things in small packages

The Roku Netflix Player is notably small.

Basic connections

The Player arrives with basic RCA video and audio cables. One of the few disappointments with the device is that you have to buy better connecting cables separately. I prefer HDMI myself.

Great - another remote

Yeah, you have to add another remote to your ever-growing collection. Would someone invent a true universal remote already. I think a unifying theory of physics is actually closer to a reality at this point.

No moving parts

There are no moving parts on the Roku Netflix Player – which helps keep the cost down. There are air vents to release whatever heat is generated.

Pick a connection

You have your choice of connections to your television. I think every conceivable connection is covered.

You can't hide

At first glance, there are no screws or other locking mechanisms visible. But I had seen this trick before — there are hidden screws under these rubber stoppers.

Not easy

After removing the two hidden screws I was hoping the bottom of the case would separate easily. Unfortunately, the device is held together with tabs. Two on each side and three along the front panel.

What's that cracking sound

When tabs hold a case together, you just have to have faith that each tab can handle the stress of being separated from their locking notch. With steady force the Roku device pulled apart with a crack. A quick inspection revealed no broken tabs.

Red FTW

The circuit board is red not green. Not much to see from this angle — except two chips.

Samsung is everywhere

The two chips on the under side are RAM chips, which buffer the streaming video to prevent pauses and lost frames. The Netflix Player has yet to have any of those glitches while I have been using it — these chips are doing their job.

Daughter board

One other major feature we can see is the daughter circuit board that holds the wireless chip set.

ROM?

In this corner of the circuit board there are three chips. I know there is a ROM chip because the Netflix Player updated itself the first time I used it. I am making an educated guess that the ROM chip is the smaller NXP in this image.

Do you have a different opinion?

Nexperia

Nexperia is the brand name of the chip set made by NXP Semiconductors.

Future expansion

Notice the two connections on the main board — obviously there is room for expansion. Perhaps this is where Roku and Netflix can add HD support in the future.

After publication, representatives from Roku contacted us for clarification on this image. According to those representatives, the addition of HD support will be accomplished through software — no new hardware will be required. The connections here were for development purposes only. Thank you for the update, good information to know.