Getting your Roku radio onto a network is a very simple process as it is achieved via wizard that takes you through each step one at a time and also copes with secured networks by letting you enter your WEP key, sadly Roku do not support WPA at present so this could cause you problems. Once connected you can quickly use either the top mounted controls or the remote control to access the pre stored stations via your home broadband or office connectivity.  But it is more likely that you'll grab a PC or Mac and login to the Roku via its web browser, from here you get full access to the system and can add new web radio stations, even assign them to one of 18 preset slots. The unit can handle both MP3 and WMA streaming formats which is the majority of internet radio transmissions (but not all).

Roku have two 1.65 inch drivers and a 2.36 inch mini subwoofer are crammed into a surprisingly small case in order to produce a very respectable sound from 128kbit sources. There is enough bass to compete with some DAB radios but perhaps not enough to rival the top end units from the likes of Sony and Pure digital, however overall the sound is balanced and does not distort unless you really push it.

The display is a joy to use and is the same as the one used on the other Sound bridge products, it is easy to read across a room and when combined with the intuitive menu system and handy remote it is quick to access your favourite stations and perform basic tasks. What you can achieve via the front panel is limited and you do find yourself using the web browser most of the time for serious sessions of configuration.

Where the Roku R1000 Radio really steps up is in its support for file based media both on its own SD / MMC card slot and also files shared over the WiFi network. This works with a number of music server software vendors including our favourite SlimServer from Slimdevices inc, we were able to hook up the Roku to see the Slim Server running on our network and access our library of files. This was a completely unexpected bonus and a feature we just didn't expect to get from a WiFi radio. We also found that you can also access and play ACC files (apple iPod format) as long as they were not DRM protected, no use for iTunes files but great for Podcasts which are not normally protected by DRM. according to Pinnacle the Roku will also work with Musicmatch and Napster but we were unable to test with these two.

Not everything in the Roku garden is rosy however, the biggest issue is the lack of support for WPA which is far more secure than plain old WEP encryption, plus there is no Ethernet port so you can't cable up the radio either. Then there is a lack of a line in meaning it cannot be used as an amplified for an iPod or other music player, plus the only line out is a headphone jack, the complete lack of a CD drive means you can't rip files or play disks so this really is for radio only!

But we won't moan too much as when it comes to internet radio the Pinnacle Roku Radio does the business, soon we were listening to radio from around the world from Virgin radio in London to KXYWZZTHP in nowheresville USA. Perhaps we'd have liked more than 18 presets as you soon fill them up and having to navigate to stations even when pre programmed via the web interface isn't the best mode of operation.

You could use the Roku Radio in the bedroom as it does have dual alarm clocks which have a nice way of slowly increasing volume to wake you up using a radio station of your choice. It would however make an expensive bedside radio priced at £300 and if you are already running Slim Server we presume you may have the excellent Squeezebox unit anyway which can do almost everything the Roku can.

For £300 we'd have expected a bit more from Roku, perhaps a CD inbuilt with the ability to rip files would have made the price seem a bit more reasonable when compared to the £230 Squeezebox 3 or the AE WiFi radio we tested a few months back. But still the Roku WiFi Radio is a nice bit of kit and does make www radio stations accessible from your kitchen!

Published - 29/10/2006

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