Roku - Premiere+ Streaming Media Player - Black

I was skeptical of this at first, but I'm glad I went ahead and bought it. Although it is not perfect and every now and then (But rarely) an app might freeze up once every 5 days, that's more the fault of the app programmers as opposed to the actual Roku. Some of the pros of this particular model are as follows: 1. Being able to hook this directly up to the Internet makes everything all better. For those of you who want true 4K resolutions, no jitters or loading, etc., this is the only way to go. I know we all live in a wireless society now but, truly, you lose quite a bit when you try to do everything Wi-fi. This is why a lot of people have problems with Roku devices in my opinion. They're trying to do things with them that, in my opinion, require a direct Network cable connection. So opt for this model or the one above it, but don't get one that won't take a network cable directly. Just an opinion, but I believe it to be true. 2. The speed. I have a smart Blu-ray player and to me the speed seemed okay when pulling up the smart menu and loading the apps, but it wasn't until I got the Roku that I realized how slow my Blu-ray Smart Menu actually was. The ROKU, at least with a direct network cable connection, FLIES! Wow. 3. The variety of apps you can choose from is absolutely awesome. Now, don't go thinking you can completely cut the cord on cable without cost. If you want the three primary networks (ABC, CBS, and NBC) and don't have cable account through your cable provider that you can link with a user name and password to your Roku device, you will still have to get Hulu or something for CURRENT up-to-date NBC and ABC episodes (Although I think if you download their apps you can still get episodes, but they're going to be 1-2 weeks behind) BUT...if you have CBS..they're kind of pains and you'll have no choice but to pay 6 bucks for their CBS All Access App every month. (Even IF you have a cable account!) As for all the other primary apps, such as Vudu, Amazon, etc. as well as TONS of 3rd party independent ones (Much more than any other device of its kind in my opinion), they're all on there. And much faster on this thing than you're going to find on a Smart TV or a Smart Blu-Ray player. 4. You can find all kinds of hard to find things if you look enough and try to find the right apps, such as old Three Stooges episodes, Little Rascals episodes, and classic movies and shorts. That's not always easy to do, especially on a Smart TV or Smart Blu-Ray player which are often extremely limited when concerned with the apps you are allowed to choose. The cons: 1. No way to turn this off other than pulling the cord. It's always on. On one hand, that's good because it means no boot up time. On the other hand, that leaves the Roku device open to potential hackers, which I don't like. It'd be nice to be able to turn it off without unplugging the silly thing. On the other hand, while in standby mode it seems to take up very limited bandwidth, so that's good. 2. The search function isn't all-inclusive. What I mean is...if you search for a movie or a TV show, it only seems to search the primary outlets for these things (And usually pay services in my opinion such as Amazon or Vudu) as opposed to all of the Apps that you have added to your Menu. It'd be nice if the search looked through ALL of the episodes and movies in ALL of the apps that are available (Or at least the ones you have added) in order to find what you need. However, that doesn't seem to be the case. Overall, even with the few cons, it's a very impressive little gadget, and I'd recommend this to just about anyone. It's all I use and I love it!

I bought a 4k TV so I was forced to upgrade my Roku Stick(3600r) because it didn't output 4k. I was used to the Roku menus so I figured I would stick with em. Everything works perfect. I use the Plex Roku app and sometimes Netflix, and I never have a problem. Everything loads fast, and streams perfect. I DO NOT use the wifi on the device, it's hard wired so I cannot comment on that. I have my receiver output the sound through optical on my TV and it sounds amazing. I did have a problem about a week ago though. The remote stopped responding completely. I tried changing batteries, soft resetting the Roku, syncing the remote again, nothing was working. I was about to try and get a new remote because nothing was working. After about 40 minutes of resetting, Googling and trying everything possible, I managed to get it to work out of nowhere. I read that there COULD be some kind of interference with other signals in the house, but I don't think that was the case, as I changed nothing in my house as far as devices or anything. Please keep in mind that I have the Roku App on my phone, and that worked perfectly to control the device, so even if I wasn't able to fix the remote, I still would have been able to use it. I noticed that the little "sync" light that's active while trying to pair the remote to the Roku wasn't blinking how it should have been. It was almost like there was a bad connection with a wire or something inside the remote. After a few light taps on my hand, it must have knocked something into place, because it started working moments later, and haven't had a problem since. I think I may have been sold a remote that wasn't manufactured 100% correctly. I never abused the remote in anyway, and it wasn't even so much as dropped. I'm just have to keep in mind that I need to treat it very carefully to prevent this from happening in the future. Still a 5 star review though. Love the Roku interface. It's pretty fast for switching menu's. Remote problem was most likely a fluke. If it does break at some point, I will most likely stick to just using the Roku App instead of paying to buy a new one. Also, the Roku Remote has 4 physical buttons for Netflix and 3 other apps, which I dislike because it is fairly easy to hit one of those on accident, and no matter what you are doing, it will pull you into the app's button you pressed. I would pay extra money for a Roku remote that would let me disable those buttons, or remap them to app(s) of my choice. If you are looking for a streaming device I'd highly suggest this thing.

Price: The average price is about $100. Try to purchase this item when it is on sale or with coupons if you can. (I purchased it during the Thanksgiving Black Friday sale and it was worth it.) Battery Life: It comes with two name brand batteries. The batteries lasted four days in the remote and then died. I suggest purchasing recharging ‘AA’ batteries. If you are using the earpiece in the remote, it uses the battery life a lot faster then normal remote control use. So be prepared. The Roku will let you know in the upper right corner of your tv screen the battery life for the remote when it depreciates and when you first turn the Roku/tv on. When the battery dies if you are watching tv with the earpiece it will automatically stop and revert back to your television speakers, so I suggest always having the TV volume on low if you are watching TV late at night or when members of the house may be sleeping. Set up: It didn’t take that long to set up the Roku and was quite easy. Be prepared to have a smartphone, tablet, or PC nearby to register with the different codes, downloads and registration that is needed. Remote/Ear piece: The best invention since sliced bread. I literally stayed up all night and binged watched with the ear piece plugged into the remote. The fact that no one in the household could hear what I was watching, was a comforting feeling. The clarity was great and the adjusting of the volume was easy and never to loud. This was the major selling point for me and that is why I purchased two. FYI-If you can not find your remote, or the battery dies and you are in need of changing the channels. Download the Roku app and there is a feature to use it as a remote control to download apps and change channels, which is so helpful. There’s a lot of free trials for certain apps. I suggest signing up one by one to enjoy keeping money temporarily in your pocket and finding out if the app is worth keeping. Registering the Roku you will get emails for free/super cheap offers (for Direct Now, Sling TV, HBO and Showtime). There are so many apps and channels to download it will literally take you at least an hour to view all of them and see what they are all about. The only app/channel that you will have issues with (glitching, freezing, delays) is Direct Now. I hope this review helps those deciding on if this is a good investment or not. I say “yes”, I hope you do to (for a good price).

The unit worked perfectly once it was activated. We don't use Wi-Fi since my career dealt with cyber threats of all sorts, and I prefer to minimize my exposure, so I paid extra to get the unit that has Ethernet capability as well as Wi-Fi. Setting it up was a bit burdensome, but that was expected, and everything did work. I was bothered by having to establish an account with my credit card information, but I realize that many people would want to buy some of the services that are offered. My requirements were only for Netflix and Amazon so I wasn't charged anything, and I could log on easily to both services. The remote supports headsets (included with the unit) but I don't use them. I assume that the remote has a Bluetooth connection to the unit, and that lets it control the unit without having to point it directly at some sensor on the small box. At least that seems to be the case, and I like it. The only problem that I've encountered is a drop-out of ability to access the Netflix channel. That seemed to be due to a garbled update that Roku must have sent, since it wasn't a Netflix problem. It was cured by deleting the Netflix channel in the line-up, then resetting the box (rebooting) and adding Netflix back. It took a while and raised my blood pressure a bit, but it all worked. If anyone runs into this type of problem, delete the channel in trouble and then go to the options menu and use the restart. It takes a while to reboot, and that could get you worried as the Roku word bounces around the screen, but don't panic. All will be well. Then select the channel to be added back in. Netflix was easy, since the remote had a Netflix button, but there's probably a way to choose any channel. Then use the option to add it. You'll need your PIN (4 digits established when you first activated) and it's intuitive from there on. Roku support (1-888-600-7658) may give you better advice on how to fix the problem, but I tend to go out on my own, with the occasional regret. This time, no regrets. The bottom line is that this seems to be a good product. I'll find out for sure in the next 5 or 10 years.

If your familiar with Roku and upgrading it's worth it. It's fast and the operating speed is noticeable immediately! To new comers Roku aggregates almost every TV app available. Literally everything you normally watch live is available within a day or two of broadcast. Set up is simple, your up and running in 5 minutes or less. The picture quality is stunning if you have the right Wi-Fi bandwidth and TV (4k for me). And if you add a Hi-Def antenna to your setup say good bye to cable TV forever!!! Hello Live local TV for FREE! I cut the cord 1 month ago. It takes a couple of days to figure out and tweak all the apps and where your shows are coming from. Once done it's amazing! Lastly here is what to be aware of prior to buying and post purchase. Important: Decide if your running audio thru a receiver. This ONLY has HDMI out so if you go directly to the TV with your HDMI cable your using your TV as the audio source. Some people rather send the video signal directly to the TV (pure uninterrupted signal) rather then pass thru a receiver. And then run audio thru the receiver using optical audio cable etc. So plan this out prior to purchase. Though I was aware of it, I thought I don't need optical audio output (on second thought maybe I do). And even if you go Bluetooth for instance to a sound bar an option is always nice. Initially I made my choice because the Premiere + was $20. off so it was a $50. savings from the Ultra. I bring this up because my universal remote (brand starts with H) doesn't always get my output source correct. If I had optical audio this would not occur (I wish I did). And lastly I had to reboot (pull the plug) once post setup. The Roku locked up. This happened on two Roku's that I bought for separate TV's. Hasn't happened again. This product is great.

I recently updated the living room TV and moved the old living room TV to the master bedroom. While the older TV is a smart TV, it is older and the apps are not the best. So, I purchased the Roku Premiere+ as a streaming media player for the master bedroom. The older TV is 1080 full HD resolution. So, the 4k capabilities of this Roku are overkill, but it is the first level of Roku hardware that includes an Ethernet port. I do not use WiFi for streaming media, as I do not want weak signal or dropped packets to cause issues with picture quality. The Roku platform is a good option for those looking to take advantage of the entertainment options available over the Internet. All of the major players are there, such as Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Video, YouTube, Fandango NOW, Vudu, and HBO NOW. However, there are A LOT more options, including PBS, PBS Kids, PLEX, Sling TV, DirecTV NOW, Haystack TV, etc. If you are a PLEX subscriber, then you can even stream in your local over-the-air broadcasts from an antenna, an HD HomeRun network tuner, and a PLEX Media Server backend with their DVR service. The Roku interface is simple to use, and the hardware is more than capable of providing quick and smooth navigation between menu options and within apps. Searching for and adding new "channels" to your Home screen is also easily accomplished. The only thing that some may find overwhelming are the vast number of channels available to install. Also, some of the channels require a subscription. Many will know that Netflix is a paid service, but they may not know that CBS All Access is also a paid service or that some channels, like the Disney Channel, require that you sign in with your cable/satellite TV credentials. So, if you're purchasing a Roku or any streaming media player, just be sure that the apps that you want to use are available and that you understand what the restrictions are, if any. Overall, I would recommend the Roku Premiere+ streaming media player to most people who are looking for a way to consume online entertainment.

I looked online first at Roku.com to see info about their streaming players. What impressed me the most is the 4500 CHANNELS AVAILABLE ON ROKU!!!!!. None of the other streaming players showed many channels AT ALL!!! Then I went shopping and comparing Best Buy.com to see more info about my Premier+. The salesman at the store told me I had to put a credit card on file. I use a prepaid credit card for internet safe shopping. But once I entered my account on the internet, I was really impressed at all the channels. It was fairly easy to start up on Roku.com. Sports, gardening, old movies, newer movies, old TV shows, radio serial shows, horror, music, trains, 4K shows, anime......you name it, it's there!!!!!! AAAAANNNNNNNDDDDDD you do not have to "buy or rent" channels or movies if you don't want... There are so many free ones to choose.... All you need is internet with decent speed, computer, TV with a HDMI plug and credit card. I have had it flip out a couple of times. All you have to do to reboot is unplug it's electric for one minute and two minutes to reload again. My cable box takes at least ten minutes!!! When I saw all that Roku Premier+ has, I am kicking myself for not buying this SOONER. All I added was a universal remote so I have TV volume control, also. Well worth every penny!!!!

The Roku Premiere Plus is my second Roku, the first being the Streaming Stick (2016 edition). I wanted to have something to permanently sit with my TV while the Stick was used for work and other places I could take it along to. The Roku devices also replaced my two Google Chromecasts. I love how everything is on the TV screen and that it has a remote (versus having to use the phone to control EVERYTHING). BUT there is a phone app, and it's pretty darn decent too! I use it for the keyboard to quickly enter login info or searching for movie and show titles when I don't feel like clicking around the on screen keyboard with the remote. I also previously used a PlayStation 3 / 4 and LG Smart TV apps as my means for video streaming, they were fine, but the Roku is definitely a lot more convenient, plus I didn't have to fire up a power sucking game console JUST to stream movies. The image quality from the Roku looks great, although I can't comment on the 4K aspect, since I don't own a 4K television. I originally had the regular Premiere, but before I opened it, I looked around and found a sale (at Best Buy) that had the Plus for $10 off, and I had another $10 in gift certificates, which made it the same price. I also LOVE the fact that the unit comes with an RF remote, not requiring line of sight (like the Roku Stick's remote) while the regular Premiere's remote was infrared, requiring line of sight. This unit also has an ethernet port, which I truly loved, since I wired my house with Gigabit ethernet, and it's plugged into an always stable connection and not wifi. I have not taken advantage of the micro SD port, it's only designed to give you more spaces for your Roku apps, it's not used to say, cache streaming videos (which would probably make things more snappy). But because of my ethernet connection, I have no hiccups with videos, and everything, apps and video, loads quickly. I would definitely (and have done) recommend this product!