Roku has unveiled its new streaming player range including a revamped Express dongle and an Ultra set-top box. The new USD 29.99 Roku Express is designed for customers acquiring their first streaming device and is 10 percent smaller than last year’s version. It offers HD streaming, a simple remote with channel shortcut buttons and can be fully powered by most televisions.
The 2019 version of the Roku’s flagship Ultra 4K device, meanwhile, has an enhanced quad-core processor, 802.11ac MIMO dual-band wireless, JBL headphones for private listening and more memory. The upgraded remote features two fully-customisable shortcut buttons for the first time above the four branded buttons, which can be programmed through voice commands to offer one-touch control of entertainment, said Roku. It’s available for preorder in the US for USD 99.99.
Roku’s 2019 player lineup also includes the entry-level 4K Roku Premiere (USD 39.99) and the Streaming Stick+ (USD 59.99). The company added that, in addition to the US, it would be expanding its streaming player lineup internationally in Canada, the UK, the Republic of Ireland and select countries in Latin America. The Roku Express, Roku Premiere and Roku Streaming Stick+ are expected to be available in the coming weeks.
In Canada, the Roku Express and Premiere will be available for CAD 39.99 and CAD 49.99 respectively starting early October, with the company also adding 14 live linear channels from various publishers on The Roku Channel launched last year.
Separately the company announced that its upcoming Roku OS 9.2 would include a Tips and Tricks channel, a feature called Roku Zones to aggregate content from particular genres as well as numerous new voice capabilities including the ability to search by movie quotes, search for 4K movies and control multiple Roku devices with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant.
