D-Link Releases $48 Streaming Player, But Can’t Compete With Roku

Yesterday, D-Link announced a new streaming media player called the MovieNite which is only available via Walmart. While some have suggested this device will compete with the Roku, it falls far short of the Roku player. The good news is that Walmart is currently selling the $59.99 retail box for only $48. The player supports 1080p video streaming and has 802.11n WiFi, 10/100 ethernet port, HDMI out and composite video connections.

The bad news is that the player only supports content from Netflix, Vudu, YouTube and Pandora. It has no support to play back local content via USB, no slot for any kind of memory card and lacks a lot of content choices that Roku has. While Roku's 1080p streaming box is $30 more expensive than the D-Link model, you get so much more for your money with Roku, not to mention tons of content chocies. And for those who only want to spent $50 on a streaming box, chances are they don't care about 720p versus 1080p, in which case you can get a Roku for the same price as D-Link's box, with more content choices, but in 720p instead of 1080p.

While some might suggest this box does a lot less compared to Western Digital's WD TV Live player or the Boxee Box, that's not who D-Link and Walmart are targeting with this device. D-Link and Walmart are looking to sell this box to consumers who aren't very tech savy, don't have complex requirements and don't wan to play back local content. This is basically a $48 box made to promote the Vudu movie rental service, which is owned by Walmart. The one thing this box has over Roku is that it supports YouTube, something Roku still does not support for some very strange reason. YouTube is on just about every other box in the market, connected TVs, yet Roku is one of the most popular boxes in the market for years and they still don't have YouTube support.

We'll have the new D-Link box on display next month at the device pavilion in NYC at the Streaming Media East show, along with 50+ other streaming players, tablets, game consoles, connected TVs and Blu-ray players and content platforms.

The special broadband-enabled device pavilion allows thousands of attendees to get hands-on with more than 50 of today’s leading streaming devices and Over-The-Top video content platforms and is the only show where you can try out all of these devices and platforms in action, compare them side-by-side and get your questions answered – all for free.