Entertainment

Spy shots of the new Roku XR Netflix streaming box over at Engadget seem to indicate that upgrades like 802.11n and a USB port are on their way—but that isn’t nearly enough to justify getting one.

After all, Roku players only stream media from a handful of sources while an HTPC opens up the entire internet for playback on a TV. Plus, nettops and other small PCs are becoming extremely affordable. Unless the XR costs next to nothing, it makes more sense to save up for an HTPC. In the end, you might recoup the added expense by ditching your cable service. [Engadget]