Instruction: Answer the given question by extracting information from the supporting document.

Input:
Question: do i need an hdmi cable? what exactly is the point to having it?  I have a standard 32" TV, Wireless N router with DSL internet connection.  I don't want to have to go out and get one if its something I should have.thx
Document: My next stop was the roku.com forums, to get a second opinion.The experts on the forum never mentioned changing router settings, but one of them did say that I would need to hard-wire the Roku to the router via CAT5 Ethernet cable. After the setup process is complete, he said, the wireless may work just fine from that point on.
Whereas with other devices they can't stream HD reliably or just check out repeatedly (Apple TV to the point where go to bed).Using it hardwired and wireless 12Mb DSL connection.
This I believe is where apple TV is supposed to be, or permit me to say; the future of apple TV at a lower / more reasonable price. You even get to choose either analog (RCA) or digital (hdmi) connection, or both. I have tried all scenarios and it worked perfectly.No technical backgrounds needed; this is all you need to do when you receive the box: Unwrap, plug it in, activate it, and off you go to a great world of entertainments.
This isn't always a hook up and go product like is so OVERLY posted. First, if you get your internet connection through a line or wired, you need to make sure that you have enough ethernet ports to hook it up. Secondly, if you don't have enough ports, you will have to buy a wired or wireless router. This also doesn't just plug-in-go.
Its a great product in lots of ways and its clear to me that the days of cable tv are numbered. Just for Netflix alone its worth the money. But there's some concerns - here and now - and on the horizon.Here and now - wireless connection seems problematic as one can tell from other reviews on this site. I had to go into the router and reduce the firewall settings to get this to work.
this product works as promised-it does a good job of streaming netflix and other programing,I currenty us it with a wrt54g wireless router and comcast cable 4.9MB/s interneti have found that more then one device at a time on my wireless and internet causes buffering. so i will do the upgrades to 10MB internet and N wirelessOnly negitive is the lack of a keyboard remote option - but there is an App for the apple ipod
I really like this box. Gave up on TiVo and went with the cable box and lost Amazon VOD and Netflix. Works just great and is fully compatable with the Amazon Prime free streaming content. I have 15 Mbps Internet and wireless N router. Had to program my Harmony One remote manually though because most of the buttons didn't program automatically though the device is in the database under DVRs or home media PCs strangely. You would think that Logitech would have a category for these things by now.
(It's just a one time thing and not a big deal. )- Streaming: We have so far watched around 10 movies with the Roku box, and only had one glitch. We were streaming a hi-def movie and it got hung up at one point and froze - which I attribute to our internet connection (the movie picked up again where it stopped after a few seconds). Other than that, all other movies whether HD or standard def have streamed perfectly.
I researched for several weeks before deciding to purchase a Roku. I didn't find reviews that necessarily answered my questions, so I hope this one helps. For anyone who has high speed wireless internet in their home or office, I HIGHLY recommend the Roku 2050 XD player. Absolutely no need for cable or satellite tv any longer! I have DSL service and was worried about buffering issues and slow loading, but this unit has had absolutely no problems whatsoever.
Hooked up via HDMI cable thru HDMI splitter. At first I could not the get wireless to work. Maybe it was my wireless router. Fortunately, I have a wired connection close to my TV, so I hooked it to ethernet and got all the updates and then the wireless worked. The Picture Quality is excellent most of the time, sometimes it lessens the Quality a little on it's own , I think when your internet connection slows down.
Answer: If you have a standard definition TV, it will not have an HDMI input, so it would be totally useless.SD TV: use the included RCA cables (yellow, red, and white)HD TV: use an HDMI cable (sold separately)