Roku has announced updates to its hardware lineup and updates to its Roku OS software. The new hardware is pretty mediocre and just includes a new Roku Express with better WiFi and a new cheaper subwoofer. The software updates are a bit more interesting as they add more ways to find and resume content, which makes Roku OS more closely resemble the OSes running on Fire TV, Google TV, and Apple TV devices. Read more ›
There are loads of great Fire TV deals for Prime Day, but if you’re thinking of seeing what the competition has to offer, there are deals for all major streaming devices available today. None are quite as good as the Fire TV deals, and these aren’t all strictly Prime-only deals, but here are deals on Google TV, Android TV, Apple TV, and Roku devices. Read more ›
A year after the remote was initially released, Roku is now bundling its Voice Remote Pro with the existing Roku Ultra, which was released in 2020. The new bundle costs the same $99.99 price as the old Roku Ultra bundle. Compared to the previous remote that was included with the Roku Ultra, the Voice Remote Pro adds hands-free voice capabilities and a built-in rechargable battery. You can still buy the Voice Remote Pro for $29.99 on its own, but now it also comes with the Roku Ultra.
A day before Google was scheduled to remove YouTube from the Roku appstore, Google and Roku have reached an agreement that will keep YouTube accessible on Roku devices and will return the YouTube TV app to Roku’s channel store. The deal is said to be a multi-year agreement between the two companies, but nothing else has been said about the specifics of the arrangement. Read more ›
History repeats itself, only this time it’s not Google leveraging the popularity of YouTube against Amazon and Fire TVs, but against Roku and new Roku devices. Google has stated that it will be removing the YouTube app from the Roku channel store on December 9th, which will prevent new and factory reset Roku devices from accessing the video service, according to Variety. This is a result of negotiations between Google and Roku regarding app distribution terms going nowhere for the past 6 months, which has already resulted in the removal of YouTube TV from the Roku channel store. Read more ›
Roku has just announced new devices and software updates for 2021. The most significant new device is a new Roku Streaming Stick 4K which now includes Dolby Vision and HDR10+ support, plus a performance boost over the 4-year-old Streaming Stick+ that it replaces. There’s also a slightly refreshed Roku Ultra LT, and a new TCL soundbar for Roku Smart TVs. Roku OS 10.5 has also been detailed with quicker access to live TV channels, music search, and wider support for launching apps by voice. Read more ›
Here is a round-up of the top deals on streaming devices across all major brands that are currently available. Included are deals on Fire TV devices, Android TV devices, Roku devices, and Apple TV deals. While I’m certainly partial to the Fire TV deals, there are certainly some others that a worth considering. Read more ›
Google has announced that they are adding access to YouTube TV through the standard YouTube app. This allows them to, essentially, get around Roku’s removal of the YouTube TV app since the YouTube app is still accessible on Roku devices. At the bottom of the YouTube app’s left-side navigation menu will soon be a button “Go to YouTube TV” button. Read more ›
Roku has dropped YouTube TV from its channel store, making it impossible to install the service on any Roku device. This is due to a dispute between Roku and Google regarding the terms of their contract renewal which the two companies have not been able to agree on. Roku has chosen not to remove the YouTube TV app from devices that already have it installed, but they warn customers that there is no way to reinstall the app, should they choose to uninstall it or reset their Roku device. Read more ›
Roku and Google are currently in a dispute which may result in the YouTube TV app being removed from Roku devices. At the core of this dispute are features that Google wants Roku devices to support. Neither company is being overtly specific about the features in question but Roku says they “harm users” and are “anticompetitive,” while Google says the features “ensure a high-quality and consistent experience for our viewers.” The more we learn about these requested features, the more it seems like Amazon’s Fire TV devices already support them, and rightfully so. Read more ›
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