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I picked up the Roku 3 following the announcement by SlingBox that there would be support for SlingPlayer. I was really excited about the announcement. However what you should know is that getting Slingbox to work on the Roku REQUIRES the paid SlingPlayer application(about $15) on mobile devices (iPhone or Android devices). The other media players have built-in free standing applications for SlingPlayer included on the device (Sony GoogleTV, Netgear, WD Media Player). Frankly these options are not as polished as the SlingCatcher (not compatible with the new Slingboxes) or the Web based SlingPlayer (now the BEST way to watch).
So even if you have paid for the Mobile SlingPlayer app, you still may think twice about the Roku being your home theater solution for Slingbox. The application ends up residing on someone's personal device, therefore that person must be around to watch, which is a terrible solution for families. Let's not forget that this is on your phone, so it will certainly impact your ability to make calls, check email, or websurf while you watch TV. This is the same complaint I have with AppleTV for which Slingbox has the same requirement.
It is truly regrettable that Slingbox still hasn't developed true solutions for AppleTV and Roku, arguably the best and most popular media players on the market.
Having said that, the rest of the Roku applications (Amazon Prime, Hulu, Netflix, HBOGo among others) all work smoothly and flawlessly. The user interface is excellent and easy to use for anyone! Thus "simply" a great media player for playing your paid online content on your home theater.
4 stars, only one subtracted for the slingbox experience, admittedly not Roku's fault, but what counts here is how everything works together.
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