I am not sure if the Roku XD/S had direct support for streaming over a network but it would not surprise me if it did. I use mine connected to the Onkyo 886 via HDMI to stream directly from the internet. I would guess that it is possible to transmit files across the local network to the Roku but it is beyond my capabilites.
I ask because I can't find any indication that it
does support this ability, which makes me suspect it might
not support it. They may have done this on purpose, as the customer support burden for something like DLNA or UPnP is greater than for simply logging into well-defined third-party services like Pandora or Netflix that won't be affected by user hardware and software. If Brad's main priority is getting access to local files, the Roku may not be what he needs. In that case, devices like AppleTV or Logitech SqueezeBox or Western Digital
TV Live may be a better choice.
Thanks for all the information. It sounds like the Roku XD/S would be an easy way to solve my issue.
See my comment above - the Roku may not do what you want if your goal is to get access to locally-stored content.
Now, if any of you want to get out your crystal ball or the knowledge that I clearly don't posses.
I have run 2 sets of Cat 5 wires and 1 RG-6 to the equipment location from the area where the Verizon Fios equipment is located at the computer area. Before we close up the walls is there any cable I should consider adding between those two areas.
I can't think of any that need to be added. The Cat5 probably give you the most future flexibility, and you can get a cheap network switch to put at the equipment rack if you need more than two connections. Some devices (Roku XD|S, AppleTV, etc.) also has wifi support, so they don't necessarily have to have a hard connection to your network.
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