Nowadays, it is difficult to find a TV set that is not smart. Almost all flagship models of giant manufacturers like Samsung and LG are equipped with the latest internet capability. Meaning, you can connect your television to the World Wide Web either over Wi-Fi or through an Ethernet cable. Having a smart TV at home is truly a blessing. It allows you to surf, stream, shop, play games and keep an eye on your smart home devices on the television screen. If you are a fan of Netflix, you can launch the app from your smart TV’s menu and stream away House of Cards on end. Streaming requires a high-speed internet connection. You can find countless internet deals in the market that are super-affordable, but nothing can hold a candle to Cox internet prices, which are designed to meet the budget needs of all kinds of users.
Though a smart TV enables you to stream digital content, it doesn’t give you access to all the streaming services out there. This is where a streaming box comes in. One of the most popular streaming media players in the arena is Roku. Roku is streaming hardware that acts as an intermediary. It loads all the major and minor streaming TV apps or “channels” on its platform and brings their content to your connected display. This way you can watch YouTube in the morning, Pluto TV in the afternoon, and Newsy Channel at night, in addition to hundreds of apps that are built-in. What’s more, you can download the top streaming apps like Disney+, Hulu, HBO Max, and others on Roku, and stream them on your TV, provided you have a valid subscription. Still, debating whether to get Roku or not? Here’s everything you need to know about it.
How does Roku Work?
Roku has a simple plug-and-play setup, which anyone can wrap their head around. Once you purchase a Roku streaming media player, all you have to do is connect it to the television set through an HDMI cable. Done? Next, connect your Roku to the in-home network, wired or wirelessly. Roku works only with an internet connection, so make sure you have a high-speed one to avert lagging or buffering video issues. The moment Roku gets online, it fetches the best streaming apps for you. Then, it loads the streaming data and plays it on your television display. This data isn’t available in a downloaded format to watch offline. Overall, Roku lets you stream on-demand content and even a few live TV channels. It is a one-time investment and doesn’t have a monthly bill. You can also consider reading our Roku stick review to find more information.
What are its Specs & Features?
All Roku streaming players have one major thing in common, i.e. they have the same Roku OS. This makes the user experience and channel availability homogenous across the array of devices. Roku OS is a state-of-the-art operating system that supports HDR10+, 4K content streaming, Virtual Sound, Apple Airplay, TV antenna for tuning live TV channels, sleep timer to schedule switching off the TV set for energy-saving, and Alexa/Google Assistant compatibility for managing multiple Roku devices and TVs seamlessly. Not only that, Roku brings around:
- Cross-Platform Search – Lookup a movie title by an actor’s name or a quote from the movie across several streaming apps in one go. See if you can enjoy free access to it or have to purchase a subscription in order to watch it.
- My Feed – Personalize, customize and organize your favorite streaming titles in “My Feed”. Follow a TV series and Roku will let you know when the next episode will become available without you having to do any elaborate search.
- Voice Search – Say a command, like “Mission Impossible”, into your Roku-provided voice remote and see it pull up the relevant results within no time. Say goodbye to boring old typing and welcome voice search into your home.
- The Roku App – Download the free signature application from Roku on your iOS or Android phone, and tap into all the best features, like Search by Voice and streaming apps. Make sure to be close to the streaming box to open “My Feed”.
What Types of Roku Models are Currently Available?
So far, Roku has released a whole cluster of streaming media players. There’s Roku Express, Roku Express 4K, Roku Streambar, Roku Streambar Pro, Roku Ultra, Roku Express 4K+, and Roku Streaming Stick Plus+. The last two are the most recommended versions of Roku, which we’ll encourage you to purchase because they have similarly affordable pricing and compact design that can fit any setting. How much do they cost? Well, The Roku Ultra is generally priced at $99.99, while the Roku Streambar Pro comes at $179.99, which is the highest rate. Both Roku Express 4K+ and Roku Streaming Stick Plus+ cost around $40, while the Roku Express is the cheapest option with a $24.99 price tag. You can avail yourself of more discounts by ordering Roku models from Amazon.
Wrapping Up
Roku streaming media players make your life easier than ever. Even if you have cut the cord, you can watch streaming TV through your Roku box at the lowest cost.
