Remotes

Roku Seeds Rechargeable Remote

By way of reddit, we learn Roku has soft launched a new $30 ‘Roku Voice Remote Pro‘. Beyond the obvious “voice” recognition functionality, maybe now always listening for wake words, the new and notable feature here is Roku swapping out the copper top for a rechargeable battery –  non-removable and charged over micro-USB according to … Read more

TiVo Lights It Up With New Lux Remote

Buried within the TiVo Edge release notes is reference to a new “Lux” remote control. So, as I’m wont to do, I tracked it down. The TiVo Lux is essentially the same TiVo Bolt/Mini Vox voice remote. But, now enhanced with full backlighting — as you’d expect from a premium product. This isn’t the first … Read more

Roku Unveils Customizable Remote

Along with a minor refresh of the Roku Express and Roku Ultra this week, the streaming powerhouse also unveiled a new customizable remote. While it doesn’t do away with the “spam buttons,” as Roku is primarily an advertising delivery company (and Netflix requires it), the enhanced remote control adds two new numbered personalized shortcut buttons … Read more

Caavo Wants Your Whole Home, Starting With Sonos

Caavo Control Center, something much more than a universal remote despite having just replaced my Harmony, is out with a humongo update today. First and foremost, beyond managing the connected television devices that they continue to iterate on, the company has picked up TiVo’s original whole home torch and is expanding control deeper into our … Read more

Amazon Fire TV Update Closes Gap On Roku

Folks routinely ask for streaming box recommendations. And, for a few years, I took the position that Roku and Fire TV were largely equivalent and indicated the decision should come down to content and app preferences. Need Kodi? Amazon is the answer. YouTube? Roku. Etc. However, the math changed last fall when Roku refreshed its lineup with smartly integrated volume-control capabilities. For many with streamlined configurations, a Harmony is unnecessary or overly complex (with additional clutter) — whereas simply adding some CEC and IR control to an expensive streamer may be exactly what the doctor ordered for increased efficiency. Well, today, Amazon ups the ante with similar from the $50 4K Amazon Fire TV Stick… and then some.

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New Roku Remote Will Control Your Television

As Roku typically does, they’ll introduce a variety of hardware updates later this fall. And, as ZNF typically does, we’ll break that news to you first. A trusted source indicates several 2017 models will be bundled with a revised Roku remote that expands television control — including a new handy dandy power button and brining … Read more

Amazon Fire TV: Echo Edition

As Apple continues to rest on its laurels, despite trailing the pack, Amazon is prepping an all-new Fire TV that mates their well-regarded video streamer to full-featured Alexa voice control. Like the Amazon Echo Dot, the incoming flagship Fire TV will incorporate a far-field microphone array, for always-listening capabilities, along with speaker output and the possibly iconic lightbar. … Read more