Roger Fingas
Roku on Monday announced a new lineup of video streaming devices and software, led the by Streaming Stick+, an upgraded version of its portable player with support for 4K resolution and high dynamic range (HDR).
The $69.99 product is also said to have four times the wireless range of its predecessor, and come with a voice-enabled remote, supporting voice search previously reserved for devices like the Roku Ultra. A new operating system — Roku OS 8 — improves natural language comprehension, while adding other things like the integration of live TV programming into search results, and single sign-on support for paid TV subscriptions, something Apple pioneered with iOS 10 and tvOS 10 last year.
The Express ($29.99) and Express+ ($39.99) continue to lack 4K and HDR, but have been given new processors five times faster than before. The two products are essentially identical except that the Express+ is a Walmart exclusive supporting TVs with composite inputs.
Also still on the market are a regular Streaming Stick ($49.99) and the top-end Ultra. The former now includes a voice-enabled remote, while the Ultra is essentially unchanged, aside from a dedicated power button on its remote and a permanent price cut to $99.99.
All of the upgraded players are slated to ship Oct. 8. The Roku OS 8 update will be a free download for compatible devices, including Roku TVs, but roll out gradually throughout October and November.
Roku's lineup could create problems for the Apple TV 4K, which shipped Sept. 22. While Apple's set-top is more powerful and sports features like Siri, Dolby Vision, and more elaborate apps, it also starts at $179, well above even the Ultra. The Streaming Stick+ may be more directly aimed at Amazon's new Fire TV, though, which shares similar specifications.
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25 Comments
$70 gets you a 4K streamer. $179 gets you a personal computer that also does 4K streaming.
I actually use a Roku Ultra myself. The ads are unobstrusive, and as a rule it's actually excellent at what it's built for, which is streaming video. The interface is very easy, lack of an AI assistant notwithstanding. I don't bother running non-video/audio apps on it, but that may be the separator here - whether people think it's worth an extra $79 for Siri, better apps, and Dolby Vision.
It would seem to me that Roku is in a precarious position in which they have a single product they rely on for income. The make hardware. They don’t have a streaming video service, they don’t have a music service, they don’t produce content. They rely on other companies for all of that. What if Amazon, for instance, would pull their Prime app from Roku devices like they did the ATV? Roku is tiny compared to Apple, Google, Amazon, Microsoft, either of which could undercut them on price for the hardware.
Now I’m not saying that Roku isn’t a good product, it’s very good, but their market is being attacked by giants who have deep pockets and can wage war for a long time. You might say Apple is in a similar situation with the iPhone and you would be wrong. Apple is slowly diversifying with services, hardware, software, original content, the list is growing. If I were the Roku CEO I would be constantly looking over my shoulder at the giants focusing their gaze upon me. Remember when Nokia was the leader in cellphones.