Movie distributor Netflix is offering customers a $100 set-top box aimed at enabling them to stream movies on demand, using a broadband Internet connection. The player is supplied by Roku, a California-based company known for its Linux-based PVRs (personal video recorders) and media devices.

To use the Player, Netflix subscribers first visit the Netflix website using a laptop or PC. There, they add movies to their "Instant" queue. The enqueued items can then be browsed using a TV or projector and the Player's remote control. The remote can also be used to control playback, rate movies, or stop a movie for later resumption at the same spot. While the Player itself has no keyboard, and thus cannot be used to search for content, Netflix spins this as a feature for parents wishing to line up a selection of appropriate choices for latch-key kids to watch upon returning from school.

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