The first impressions on Netflix’s Roku were, as expected, contradictory in every way. While some see it as a cheap invention, definitely not worthy of standing besides Apple TV, others believe it to be the greatest little black box around, cheap and easy to use.

The truth is that many of us have been waiting for a set-top box to fit our every need, including not getting stuck in the set-up process! And, most of all, for $100 you can get the videos you want directly to your favorite TV.

Although it surpasses Apple in terms of pricing, it does need a little bit more work on its content, besides the 10,000 titles available, but that’s not something we should worry about, I’m sure Netflix will fix this in time.

Netflix subscribers should find it easy to use Roku with their account, and by using the Instant Queue, they can easily browse the titles they want, it’s as simple as that.

This is in fact the beginning of the road for Roku, which Netflix promises to improve. However, for anyone looking for the latest movie titles, this just won’t do (many critics complained about the lack of new movie titles among the thousands available).

Netflix relies on two things: simplicity and low cost, and they believe these to be key elements in Roku’s future. We should add a good internet connection: anything under 1.5 megabits could ruin all the fun, since streaming videos in slow connections would lack a good image quality.

It may not be perfect now, but some see it as a true Apple TV challenger, although it still has a lot more to prove, and a little more functionality wouldn’t hurt.

And as tempting as it may sound now, it’s not going to be an easy fight, as other set-top boxes are already reportedly in the making, such as those of HP, LG and even Blockbuster.