Roku Updates Streaming Products & Rolls Out Roku OS 8

Pushing further into the home with things like 4K, voice control, and improved search functionality, Roku just announced an update to five of its TV streaming products, as well as a new operating system (the Roku OS 8) that will roll out across Roku boxes, sticks, and partner TV sets (like Roku’s TCL TV) throughout October and November. The largest perk with the new operating system has to do with the way the OS will integrate programming from over-the-air TV. The Roku OS 8 is a free update, and it will bridge over-the-air TV with video streaming services. Getting the update means that: when you search for your favorite programming, regardless of whether it is showing on live TV at the time or not, both results (live TV and streaming TV) can be accessed from your Roku product simultaneously. Also, with the OS 8, private listening will be available for over-the-air TV on Roku.

Roku Updates & Price Points 

• The Basic Roku Streaming Stick: at $49.99, it is still priced the same as last year’s model. However, it is getting a processor update that Roku claims is 50 percent faster. The remote control power and volume buttons have received a boost, and a voice control function has been added to it as well.

• The Roku Streaming Stick Plus: at $69.99, it now supports HDR and 4K Ultra HD. It also has four times the wireless range of the basic stick, which is partly enabled by the wireless module being built directly into the cable, rather than the stick itself. This one will effectively replace last year’s Roku Premiere 4K box.

• The Roku Express & Roku Express Plus: $29.99 for the Roku Express, and $10 more for the Plus. Both are also getting processor updates. The only difference between the two is the Plus provides capabilities to connect with composite ports on older TVs.

• The Roku Ultra: at $99, it’s less than the $130 starting price point it had last year, but it isn’t getting any significant hardware changes this time around. However, it still is the highest-end Roku that the company has to offer. It includes support for 4K at 60 fps and HDR10, an Ethernet port and USB support, a “Find My Remote” feature, private listening on the remote, and now, power and volume buttons on the remote as well.

Roku has been around for 15 years and now offers more than 5,000 streaming channels on its sticks, boxes, as well as TV sets. Even though Roku announced their updates a few weeks later than both Apple and Amazon (recently, each revealed their own video streaming updates), the company is persistent with keeping up with the big dogs. The update announcements may be a few weeks behind them, but the price point on their products is worth the wait.