Popular streaming services like Netflix, Max, Disney+, and Amazon Prime Video are readily available on most smart TVs and streaming devices. However, Roku stands out as a dominant force in the streaming landscape. As both a software and hardware company, Roku’s TV OS is integrated into numerous smart TVs from brands like Hisense and TCL. Additionally, Roku produces its own TVs and streaming devices, such as the Roku Ultra and Roku Streaming Stick 4K. Roku’s TV OS serves as a gateway to a vast library of movies, TV shows, and free channels through its own ad-supported streaming service, The Roku Channel. Its devices offer screen mirroring capabilities and various Roku exclusives. While Roku may not boast the flashiest hardware or software, it consistently delivers reliable and user-friendly technology.
This comprehensive guide dives deep into all things Roku, exploring its devices, features, and latest updates.
What is Roku?
Roku is a company specializing in media-streaming devices powered by its own Roku software. The name originates from the Japanese word for “six,” as Roku is the sixth company founded by Anthony Wood. The company launched its first product, the Roku DVP, in 2008 and has continued to release new versions of its hardware and software. Unlike home theater PCs, game consoles, or other internet-connected devices, Roku streaming media players prioritize simplicity, providing a straightforward way to access streaming video and audio content on any TV. Whether it’s Netflix, YouTube, Amazon Prime Video, or hundreds of other services, Roku devices allow you to watch them all, along with a vast array of specialized “channels” that offer content ranging from the spiritual to the strange. Roku’s product range encompasses multiple versions of the classic streaming platform, smart TVs with integrated Roku software, soundbars, speakers, home security products, and The Roku Channel for live TV viewing.
Is it a device, or is it software?
Roku encompasses both hardware and software. The company sells its own hardware, known as Roku players, priced from $30 for the entry-level Roku Express to $100 for the latest flagship streamer, Roku Ultra (2024), with several models in between, including stick-style players that plug directly into your TV. These players are compatible with any TV equipped with an HDMI connection, making them particularly useful for individuals who don’t own a smart TV with its own internet connection. Each player comes with a Roku remote, with the latest versions featuring voice control and Bluetooth connectivity. These easy-to-use devices allow you to navigate the Roku on-screen menus and control streaming media playback. The Roku Mobile app, available for iOS and Android devices, serves as an alternative controller, offering added features and simplified search through its on-screen keyboard. Roku has also integrated the Roku OS into budget-friendly soundbars, which can be expanded into full wireless surround systems when paired with Roku’s wireless speakers and subwoofers.
Roku licenses its Roku OS to third parties, including TV manufacturers like TCL, Hisense, RCA, Onn, and Toshiba. These Roku-powered TVs, known as Roku TVs, offer the complete Roku experience, including control over the TV’s dedicated functions such as volume, channels, and inputs, within Roku’s user-friendly interface. This feature is a significant selling point for many consumers considering a Roku TV. Most recently, Roku launched its own branded TVs, sold exclusively through Best Buy. Another reason to choose a dedicated Roku TV is the support for Dolby Vision, a high dynamic range (HDR) video format that delivers enhanced picture quality compared to standard HDR10. Notably, only a few Roku standalone devices currently offer Dolby Vision: Roku Streaming Stick 4K, Roku Streaming Stick 4K+, and Roku Ultra.
Do I have to pay a subscription?
No subscription fee is required to utilize any of Roku’s features, regardless of whether you own a Roku player, Roku TV, or soundbar. However, Roku provides access to various streaming services that do require a subscription. Popular examples include Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, Max, and Hulu. You can also access movie rental or purchase services, which necessitate some form of payment. Complementing the paid content options are numerous free sources of content, including over 350 live TV channels accessible through The Roku Channel’s Live TV Channel Guide. Additionally, most Roku devices enable access to your collection of movies, TV shows, photos, and music. Some Roku players, such as the Ultra, include a dedicated USB port for connecting an external hard drive and playing files directly.
How does it work?
Whether you purchase a Roku player, Roku TV, or a Roku-enabled soundbar, the user experience is remarkably similar. All Roku devices require an internet connection. While some devices allow for a wired connection to your modem/router using an Ethernet cable, all of them support Wi-Fi. Once you’ve set up your device, including creating a free Roku account, you can begin using it immediately. Upon initial setup, you’ll be greeted with the Roku home screen. This screen features a main menu on the left and a grid of large graphic logos representing various channels on the right. These rectangles, showcasing services like Netflix, YouTube, The Roku Channel, and others, are referred to as “channels.” Channels function similarly to apps on your smartphone, but Roku refers to them as channels due to the platform’s TV-centric focus. To watch a channel, use the included remote, navigate to your desired channel, and press OK. The channel will launch, and if it requires a subscription (like Netflix), you will be prompted to sign in or create an account. This process typically requires a second device such as a smartphone, tablet, or PC with a browser, but it only needs to be done once. To switch channels or return to the home screen, simply press the Home button on the remote.
Adding Channels
The ability to add new channels to your Roku home screen is a key driver of the platform’s popularity. Roku’s channel store boasts thousands of channels, spanning everyday essentials like CBS News and Spotify to international TV shows (Acorn TV) and obscure options like the Light Saber Network. You’ll also find helpful utilities like Plex, which enables streaming from your personal media library, games, and channels for monitoring your security cameras. Channel addition can be accomplished using your Roku remote by browsing through the Streaming Channels menu item, or you can do it from a web browser. The Roku mobile app provides another way to find and add channels. You can search by name or description or utilize the numerous helpful categories like Games, Movies, Comedy, Cable Alternatives, Recommended, New and Updated, etc.
Searching for Something to Watch
Access to thousands of channels is a major advantage of Roku, but the sheer volume of content can become overwhelming. Fortunately, Roku offers an effective universal search feature that allows you to find content based on title, actor, or director. You can even search using famous lines of dialogue like, “I can do this all day” or “Hamburgers! The cornerstone of any nutritious breakfast.” The search pulls results from over 500 of the top streaming channels. While some niche content may not show up, you’ll still find the most popular content. If you have a Roku TV connected to an over-the-air antenna, you’ll also see content matches from available TV stations. Matches are sorted by price, and icons beside the titles indicate whether it’s a channel, movie, or TV show. Clicking on these search results provides additional information such as a synopsis, cast and crew details, and the channels offering access. The best aspect is the ability to see when a specific movie or show is included in one of your subscriptions.
Use Your Voice
Some Roku devices and Roku TVs incorporate a built-in microphone in the remote. You can use it to perform voice searches or issue commands like “play,” “pause,” or “fast forward three minutes.” Roku TVs offer dedicated voice commands for controlling channels, inputs, and volume. With the Roku OS 11 update, an added feature called Roku Voice enables you to use your voice to enter passwords, email addresses, PINs, and login information. If your Roku device didn’t come with a voice-capable remote or isn’t compatible with Roku’s voice remotes, you can still utilize voice commands via the free Roku app for iOS and Android.
Finding Free Content
If you don’t have a streaming media subscription with one of the major services or are curious about what’s available beyond your subscriptions, the Featured Free section is a great place to start. It offers a curated selection of shows and movies from sources like The Roku Channel, ABC, NBC, The CW, Pluto TV, Crackle, and more. They’re all free to watch, although most contain advertising. If you select a show or movie from a channel that isn’t currently installed on your Roku device, you’ll be prompted to add it. Once added, your content should begin streaming immediately.
The Roku Channel
Speaking of free content, The Roku Channel is one of the best places to find it on Roku. A comprehensive streaming experience in its own right, The Roku Channel is a free ad-supported streaming service (FAST) that offers a collection of free-to-watch, ad-supported shows and movies. You can enhance this experience by adding optional paid subscription services. Starz, Epix, and Showtime are among the most prominent premium subscription options, but numerous others, like the Smithsonian Channel and Stingray Music, are available as well. However, there’s more to it: The Roku Channel also features over 350 free live TV streaming channels, including providers such as ABC News Live, NowThis, Reuters, and USA Today. You’ll also find sports networks, including Fubo Sports Network, Outside TV, and Adventure Sports Network. To help you navigate the live TV portion of the Roku Channel, a guide screen similar to what you’d find on cable or satellite boxes is available. All of these choices can be a bit confusing. After all, you can already add the Epix channel to Roku if you’re an Epix subscriber via cable or the Epix Now channel if you want to sign up directly, so why would you want one of these subscriptions inside The Roku Channel? The answer lies in portability. While dedicated channels added from the Channel Store only work on Roku devices, The Roku Channel is accessible within the Roku app for iOS and Android and on the web. It’s a clever way to extend a portion of the Roku experience onto other devices, allowing you to watch anywhere you go.
The Roku App
The free Roku app for Android and iOS devices significantly enhances what you can do with Roku at home and on the go. With the launch of OS 12 in March 2023, the app received a long-overdue revamp that included a redesigned home screen layout and improved account management tools. Here are some of its best features:
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Home of The Roku Channel for mobile viewing.
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A new Live TV Channel “Guide” button can now be used with players (previously only available when connected to Roku TVs).
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Functions as a full replacement for the remote that came with your Roku device.
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Launch channels on your Roku directly from the app.
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Add and remove channels from your Roku account.
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Uses your phone’s mic for voice commands.
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Uses your phone’s keyboard for quick text entry when the traditional remote would be too cumbersome.
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Pair a set of wired or wireless earphones to take advantage of private listening — this works for both Roku content on the phone as well as the content your Roku device is showing on your TV.
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Better Roku Photo Streams manage: Cast photos and videos that are stored locally on your phone to your Roku device.
Hotel and Dorm Room Connect
Setting up a streaming device in a hotel or a college dorm isn’t always easy. This is because the Wi-Fi in these locations often requires a secondary sign-in step known as a “captive portal” that uses a browser screen instead of the usual Wi-Fi password prompt. With Roku’s hotel and dorm room connect feature, you can use your smartphone, tablet, or laptop to sign in to the captive portal page and get your Roku device connected.
Guest Mode
Similar to hotels and dorm rooms, many individuals are starting to include access to a Roku device when renting out their homes through services like Airbnb. However, you likely wouldn’t want these guests accessing your streaming accounts or adding their favorite channels to your device. Privacy considerations are paramount, and it could disrupt your personalized recommendations. Originally called Auto Sign Out Mode, Guest Mode provides guests with a completely fresh Roku experience that they can use as-is or personalize by signing into their own Roku accounts. Once your guests leave, you can exit Guest Mode and return to your own Roku experience, although you will have to sign back into your streaming video subscription accounts on that device. Another clever addition to Guest Mode is the ability to leave a personalized message for your guests and remotely end guest sessions on all of your Roku devices via the web.
Casting, Screen Mirroring, and AirPlay 2
As mentioned earlier, the Roku app can be used to cast photos and videos from your phone or tablet to a Roku device or TV. But there’s more you can do with a Roku, depending on the type of device you own and the apps you’re using. Casting involves instructing an app or a web browser to display the content currently playing on your TV instead. Your ability to do this varies from app to app. For instance, the Netflix and YouTube apps allow you to tap a casting icon and select your Roku device or TV as the destination for viewing content. Not all apps support this feature. To see if an app has it, check for the casting icon (it looks like a screen with a wireless signal) somewhere on its main screen. If you have an iOS, MacOS, Android, or Windows device, you can mirror your screen to a Roku device or TV. Unlike casting, which only displays a video or photo using the entire TV, screen mirroring displays exactly what you see on the originating device, including any open programs, taskbars, and notifications. It’s like having an invisible HDMI cable and can be useful for demonstrating new software to a larger group or running a PowerPoint slideshow on a big screen.
All 4K-capable Roku players are compatible with AirPlay 2 technology. AirPlay 2 allows Roku devices and TVs to be AirPlay “targets” for macOS, iPadOS, and iOS devices, expanding the possibilities for casting and screen mirroring. Roku also added Apple’s HomeKit in Roku OS 9.4, making select Roku devices compatible with Apple’s home automation platform.
What’s the Latest with Roku?
The new and improved version of the Roku Ultra (2024) launched in September 2024, bringing with it several noteworthy upgrades. Roku claims it’s the best streaming device the company has made to date, featuring a fast quad-core processor, Dolby Vision, HDR10+, and Dolby Atmos support, along with a new backlit version of the Roku Voice Remote Pro that includes backlit buttons, a lost remote function, and USB-C recharging. Roku is also in the midst of an OS 14 rollout on many of its streaming devices and smart TVs. The latest version of Roku’s tried-and-true software focuses on the popular Kids & Family interface. Not only can the family-friendly dashboard be added as a home screen shortcut, but you now have access to over 50,000 movies and shows tailored for kids and families. OS 14 also introduces like and dislike buttons that appear on a movie or show’s title page. Roku claims that increased user interaction with this new feature will improve content recommendations for viewers. Other notable improvements include additional Roku Voice controls for configuring TV settings and several enhancements to the Roku Mobile app. According to Roku, you’ll now receive content recommendations through the app, as well as genre and category filters, app shortcuts, and more. For a more detailed report of every new feature and modification made to Roku OS 14, refer to Roku’s software release notes page.
