Based on a variety of reddit threads, Roku has been testing a number of interface updates these last few months… potentially culminating in a big fall reveal, to include an overdue Roku Ultra refresh. The most notable home screen change appears to be expanding the long-standing 3×3 icon grid to a 4×4 display of streaming … Read more
Roku has expanded its growing list of sidebar offerings with a new sports hub… that is surprisingly devoid of value. There are no scores, no highlights, no way to favorite teams or trigger corresponding alerts. Sporting event streaming providers are not disclosed until clicking through (where, presumably, Roku hopes you’ll pick up services you don’t … Read more
In conjunction with Roku launching their line of white-labeled Wyze smart home paraphernalia, the streaming pioneer also released the requisite corresponding set-top “channel” — while it’s not the more holistic approach we were anticipating, the Roku Smart Home Cameras app is certainly good enough as an initial attempt moving in the direction of Apple TV … Read more
Last week, Roku boldly entered the Smart Home space with an initial product offering “developed in partnership with Wyze.” And, boy, do the business considerations and implications fascinate me. We’ll never have a full accounting of the relationship (although I’m quite looking forward to Roku’s quarterly securities call), so I’ll just go ahead and assume both … Read more
By way of Reddit, Walmart, a pair of shipping manifests (1, 2), and some noodling around we learn that Roku is imminently expanding beyond streaming media and into the smart home… with more than a half dozen white-labeled Wyze products, a seemingly confirmed ‘Roku Smart Home’ Channel, and likely a new dedicated mobile app. Thus … Read more
By way of AFTVnews, we learn various Amazon Fire TV models remain on sale. But not for much longer. As Roku and Google haven’t yet come to an agreement, YouTube may be pulled from Roku devices December 9th … and many owners may be seeking an inexpensive insurance policy to retain access. As such, here … Read more
One redditor wonders why Roku doesn’t offer a web browser. Only Roku employees know for sure, but we can make some educated guesses. First, and most likely, is that web browsing just isn’t what Roku’s designed to do and therefore not something they’d prioritize development or support of (despite the many web technologies brought to … Read more
While Prime Days may be behind us, Roku’s still running some compelling deals… for existing owners. And, via the Roku homescreen ‘Offers’ area, the streaming company is promoting a pair of deals for their solid, mid-tier devices. The recently released Roku Express 4K+ has a reasonable $40 MSRP, but has been seen as low $30 in … Read more