Roku debuts new Streaming Stick 4K bundles, software program replace with voice and cellular options – TechCrunch

Weeks after Amazon launched an up to date Fire TV lineup that included, for the primary time, its personal TVs, Roku at present is asserting its personal aggressive merchandise in a race to seize customers’ consideration earlier than the vacation buying season. Its updates embody a brand new Roku Streaming Stick 4K and Roku Streaming Stick 4K+ — the latter which ships with Roku’s newer hands-free voice distant. The firm can also be refreshing the Roku Ultra LT, a Walmart-exclusive model of its high-end participant. And it introduced the most recent software program replace, Roku OS 10.5, which provides up to date voice options, a brand new Live TV channel for house screens, and different minor modifications.

The new Streaming Stick 4K builds on Roku’s four-year-old product, the Streaming Stick+, because it provides the identical kind of stick kind issue designed to be hidden behind the TV set. This model, nevertheless, has a quicker processor which permits the machine besides as much as 30% quicker and cargo channels extra shortly, Roku claims. The Wi-Fi can also be improved, providing quicker speeds and good algorithms that assist make sure that customers get on the best band for the most effective efficiency of their properties the place community congestion is an more and more frequent drawback  — particularly with the pandemic-induced distant work way of life. The new Stick provides help for Dolby Vision and HDR 10+, giving it the “4K” moniker.

This model ships with Roku’s commonplace voice distant for a similar value of $49.99. For comparability, Amazon’s new Fire TV Stick Max with a quicker processor and speedier Wi-Fi is $54.99. However, Amazon is touting the addition of Wi-Fi 6 and help for its recreation streaming service, Luna, as causes to improve.

Roku’s new Streaming Stick 4K+ provides the Roku Voice Remote Pro to the bundle as an alternative. This is Roku’s new distant, launched within the spring, that provides rechargeability, a misplaced distant finder, and hands-free voice help by way of its mid-field microphone, so you possibly can simply say issues like “hey Roku, turn on the TV,” or “launch Netflix,” as an alternative of urgent buttons. Bought individually, this distant is $29.99. The bundle sells for $69.99, which interprets to a $10 low cost over shopping for the stick and distant by themselves.

Image Credits: Roku

Both variations of the Streaming Stick will likely be offered on-line and in shops beginning in October.

The Roku Ultra LT ($79.99), constructed for Walmart completely, has additionally been refreshed with a quicker processor, extra storage, a brand new Wi-Fi radio with as much as 50% longer vary, help for Dolby Vision, Bluetooth audio streaming, and a built-in ethernet port.

Plus, Roku notes that TCL will develop into the primary machine associate to make use of the reference designs it launched at CES for wi-fi soundbars, with its upcoming Roku TV wi-fi soundbar. This machine connects over Wi-Fi to the TV and works with the Roku distant, and can arrive at main retailers in October the place it is going to promote for $179.99.

The different huge information is Roku’s OS 10.5 software program launch. The replace isn’t making any dramatic modifications this time round, however is as an alternative centered largely on voice and cellular enhancements.

The most noticeable consumer-facing change is the flexibility so as to add a brand new Live TV channel to your property display screen which helps you to extra simply launch The Roku Channel’s 200+ free stay TV channels, as an alternative of getting to first go to Roku’s free streaming hub instantly, then navigate to the Live TV part. This might make the Roku really feel extra like conventional TV for cord-cutters abandoning their TV information for the primary time.

Other tweaks embody expanded help for launching channels utilizing voice instructions, with most now supported; new voice search and podcast playback with a extra visible “music and podcast” row and Spotify as a launch associate; the flexibility to manage sound settings within the cellular app; an added Voice Help information in settings; and extra sound configuration choices for Roku audio system and soundbars (e.g. utilizing the speaker pairs and soundbar in a left/heart/proper) or in full 5.1 encompass sound system).

A useful characteristic for coming into in e mail and passwords in set-up screens utilizing voice instructions is new, too. Roku says it sends the voice information off-device to its speech-to-text associate, and the audio is anonymized. Roku doesn’t get the password or retailer it, because it goes on to the channel associate. While there are at all times privateness considerations with voice information, the addition is an enormous perk from an accessibility standpoint.

Image Credits: Roku

One of the extra under-the-radar, however probably helpful modifications coming in OS 10.5 is a complicated A/V sync characteristic that allows you to use the smartphone digital camera to assist Roku make additional refinements to the audio delay when utilizing wi-fi headphones to take heed to the TV. This characteristic is obtainable by means of the cellular app.

The Roku cellular app within the U.S. can also be gaining one other characteristic with the OS 10.5 replace with the addition of a brand new Home tab for searching collections of films and reveals throughout genres, and a “Save List, which capabilities as a solution to bookmark reveals or motion pictures you would possibly hear about — like when chatting with associates — and need to keep in mind to observe later whenever you’re again house in entrance of the TV.

The software program replace will roll out to Roku units over the weeks forward. It sometimes involves Roku gamers first, then rolls out to TVs.