Amazon has just dropped the dime on a new pair of Roku wireless speakers. Dimensions remain the same, but there is at least one stylistic change in excising v1’s unsightly top dimple. Further. the streaming pioneer no longer bundles the funky table-top remote and highly redundant TV streamer remote. Based on the slight model number … Read more
By way of CordCuttersNews, we learn that Roku is now selling interactive advertising widgets against television commercials displayed on Roku televisions (shown above). What makes this somewhat different from TiVo’s historic approach (shown below), and unsettling to some, is that our Roku smart televisions are watching what’s on our screen (since at least 2017) vs … Read more
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
Roku has streamlined access to Roku Channel video subscriptions with virtual app icons that deep link premium content. The Roku Channel originally launched with ad-supported TV shows and movies, but was recently updated to resell premium libraries like HBO… as device manufacturers Amazon (Fire TV) and Roku continue generating the bulk of their revenue via … Read more
As we’re seeing from Apple and Amazon, Roku intends to generate incremental revenue and streamline the end-user experience by offering premium video subscriptions directly within their interface. Although, Roku’s not quite there yet and is directing folks into The Roku Channel app to seek out Premium Subscriptions… now featuring HBO, just in time for Game … Read more
As TiVo reflects upon 20 years of DVR, and pitches it continued relevance, we too shall do the same. While there’s some debate as to whether it was TiVo or Replay TV that “invented” DVR, they essentially launched at the same time in television history (and the underlying concept of a hard-drive recorder to advance … Read more
My Twitter followers likely encountered some snark in regards to Roku’s initial Google Assistant integration — with the two primary complaints being that I could only link up a single Roku device, despite a household of several, and Google’s frequent target device confusion, given the nonsensical responses that I don’t posses a Chromecast. TRYING to control Roku … Read more
While Roku freely admits their primary business is advertising, given several significant job openings around the world, the company continues to see audio as viable hardware category with a continued emphasis on platform voice control. The TCL-branded Roku soundbar announced at CES 2018 has reportedly been killed and Roku has taken matters into their own … Read more