Streaming television company Roku has taken the wraps off its latest device — a refreshed version of its flagship Roku Ultra streaming TV player.
The fully-loaded device promises to be 30 percent faster than prior iterations of the Roku Ultra, with support for ultra-high definition (UHD/4K) video and the latest color and contrast standards, including HDR 10+ and Dolby Vision, as well as Dolby Atmos audio.
The updated Roku Ultra also features new hardware that loads content faster, makes navigating between apps and content more fluid and utilizes artificial intelligence to determine what app a user might launch next. That last bit is particularly important, Roku said on Tuesday, because the predictive tool will start to pre-load what it thinks will be the next chosen app in the background, which should make it open faster if a user actually does choose it.
This year, Roku Ultra comes bundled with a backlit, rechargeable remote control that can be easily found by pressing a dedicated remote finder button on the Roku Ultra device itself. The remote also includes a customizable “quick launch” button that looks like a rocket ship, and a dedicated button for an electronic program guide connected to Roku’s free, ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) platform, The Roku Channel.
Beyond that, not much else has changed. The Roku Ultra offers the same easy-to-use Roku interface, complete with the home screen and in-menu advertisements, which helped Roku earn nearly $1 billion from its 83.6 million global users during Roku’s most-recent financial quarter. It also continues to sport an Ethernet jack for wired connection, a USB port for browsing home movies and photos, and WiFi 6 connectivity.
The price tag is the same, too, with Roku keeping the cost of the Roku Ultra at $100 in the U.S. and Canada. Amazon is already selling the new Roku Ultra, as is Best Buy.
“We’ve developed a device that has it all,” Paul Nangeroni, the Senior Director of Product Management at Roku, said on Tuesday. “Our new 2024 Roku Ultra is our most powerful player to date, a culmination of years of listening to customer feedback and leveraging our streaming expertise … the Roku Ultra is our ultimate streaming experience.”
