Roku - Ultra 4K Streaming Media Player with JBL Headphones and Enhanced Voice Remote - Black

I have used Roku for years,including several different models.The best recent thing of note is Roku has recently released The Roku Channel,which has hundreds of free movies.It is ad supported.And now Locast.org app gives you free local broadcast stations CBS,NBC,FOX,ABC and PBS.Locast now offers local TV network broadcasts for New York,Boston,Chicago,Houston,Dallas,Denver areas and plans to add many more cities.This means many folks will no longer need antennas to watch local networks for free. Roku has just about every app you can imagine (YouTube/Pandora/Netflix/Amazon/Hulu/HBO Now) plus tons of more apps in many different categories.Roku Ultra is their top of the line device,and has many unique features that the other models do not have.Here are some points to consider when deciding on which model of Roku to buy: 1)If you need to connect by WiFi in a room far away from your WiFi router,I would recommend the Roku Streaming Stick PLUS or Roku Ultra. 2)If you have a 4K TV,I would recommend the Roku Ultra or Roku Streaming Stick PLUS. 3)To search for content using your voice,go with either the Streaming Stick,Streaming Stick PLUS or Ultra.All 3 of these models also have a remote that can control the power and volume on a TV.There is also a Roku app for Android & iPhone/iPad that lets you use your smartphone/tablet to control any Roku device and use your phone/tablet on-screen keyboard or voice for searches. 4)If you want a wired ethernet connection,go with the Roku Ultra. 5)If you want to connect to an old TV with RCA/Composite audio/video jacks,you will need the Express PLUS 6)The Express models have a remote where it has to be pointed at the device,unlike the other Roku models. 7)If you are only going to buy one Roku device,I would recommend the Roku Ultra.The Ultra has many unique features that the other Roku models don't such as: -Gaming buttons to play video games -Remote finder to find a lost remote control -Ethernet port for a wired connection -Micro SD card slot -USB Port -Night listening mode (this lowers the volume of loud,explosive sounds and raises the volume of soft sounds like whispers.Bravo!) -Headphone jack on the remote for listening without disturbing others For those who have not used a Roku before,here are some tips that might be helpful: 1)There is no monthly fee to use a Roku.There are many free channels/apps with free movies,music and TV programs and some people use Roku only for the free channels and do not pay any fees. You do NOT have to enter credit card info if you only wish to view free content and you can always add credit card info to your account later for paid channels/apps.If you plan on viewing free content only,I suggest setting up a Roku account before you activate the device.When you reach the page to enter credit card info,some browsers will show a "Skip,I'll add later" option at the bottom.If you do not see this option,simply log out of your account,then log back in.You may have to then enter a different activation code for your device if you skip entering credit card info during device set up,but you do NOT have to enter credit card info if you only want to view free content. 2)Some of the most popular free channels/apps are: YouTube,Pandora radio,The Roku Channel,Pluto TV,Tubi TV,Crackle,CBS News,NBC News,ABC,PBS, PBS KIds and many more.You can also find a free live stream of FOX News on YouTube by searching "Fox News Live" on YouTube. 3)Some of the most popular paid channels/apps are Netflix,Hulu,Amazon video,HBO Now,Vudu,Sling TV,Spectrum TV and Direct TV Now. 4)If you are looking for a bundle of channels of live TV to replace cable TV,check out Sling TV,YouTube TV,Spectrum TV,Direct TV Now,Hulu,Pluto TV and Playstation Vue.All of these are paid services except for Pluto TV,which is free. 5)To find and add new channels on Roku,just press the Home button on the remote control,scroll down and select "Streaming Channels".There you will find thousands of channels/apps in many different categories and many of them are free. My one gripe about Roku (and other streaming devices) is the lack of a fully functional web browser and I hope Roku will include web browsing on models in the near future.I have been surfing the web on the big screen for years and find it ridiculous when an internet connected TV device does not allow you to surf the internet and forces one to switch to yet another internet connected device to do so. I am aware of the screen mirroring function from a smartphone/PC/tablet but find that a poor excuse to not include a web browser.Many people who type a lot of messages and/or emails like myself prefer typing on a wireless keyboard rather than a phone/tablet/remote control.

Based on my experience so far the Roku Ultra seems to be the highest priority platform for the developers of streaming apps. It consistently has streaming apps before other platforms and it seems to be among the first platforms to receive new features for those apps. The device itself is very responsive. There is no lag or stutter when moving around the UI. Applications load fast and buffering time is almost nonexistent. The interface is uncluttered with a simple menu interface down the left, your applications in the middle, and advertisements on the right. All applications can be sorted or removed as desired which is a significant benefit over Android TV. The remote is simple but it provides everything you need to control your streaming apps. Keeping the remote simple lends itself to consistent behavior across apps which stands in contrast to Apple TV which can be great in some apps and verging on unusable in others. When I want to watch television without disturbing those around me I choose to use wireless headphones connected to the television. The ability to connect a pair of headphones to the remote works in a pinch though and it allows users to eliminate the sound without buying additional devices. The mobile app provides an alternative remote with the same ability to divert the sound to the mobile device. The inclusion of a built-in ethernet port means you don't need any dongles or adapters if you want to connect the device to your wired network. The Roku isn't perfect. The ethernet port is only 100mbit instead of gigabit. This doesn't affect the ability of the device to stream 4k content but it does mean that the max wired speed is actually slower than the max supported wireless speed. In addition, I understand that they don't provide a way to turn off the device because they want the user to be able to immediately interact with the interface when they return to it without delay. At a minimum it should have a standby mode. Due to the lack of standby I have accidentally left the device streaming when I didn't intend to. The other thing that I would like to see improved is the ability to customize the interface. There are a few free themes and a number of themes for sell. I don't think the themes are worth buying. I would like the ability to categorize the applications and to quickly jump between those categories. Overall I think the Roku Ultra is a great streaming device that provides the best features of the competing devices.

Let me begin with that the Roku Ultra works great. However, at the $99.00 price point it represents 1/4 to 1/5 of $400 - $500 TVs that typically go on sale during Black Friday sales. Even though I have TV's that support the key players like Google Pay, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video etc, the Roku Ultra has slightly better navigation, through a more polished interface. Is it worth $99.00 if you have a smart TV with access to modern apps? My opinion is no. If you have an older TV with no apps, then Yes, it is worth it. My greater issue is with the Best Buy in Aiea Hi. Shopping during the Thursday Black Friday sale, I brought my receipt for a credit for the difference. Best Buy Elite Members get 45 days to return or get adjustments. This is a valued perk. It does take a spending cap to reach, that sometimes has me buy products at a slightly higher price knowing I am contributing to that cap to reap the benefits. Upon checkout I was told by the sales associate "Sorry I don't think we can do a price adjustment today, let me check with a manager." Upon checking with the manager, the manager speaks loudly from about 7 feet away, without introducing herself and says "NO PRICE ADJUSTMENTS TODAY". Then says "NO PRICE MATCHING FOR BLACK FRIDAY SALES". She said, "IF YOU WANT YOU CAN RETURN IT AND REBUY IT". But, "NO RETURNS TODAY". She never even looked at my receipt. WOW, Blocking all returns and adjustments on a day you are open is horrible customer service. It says "ALL I CARE IS ABOUT SELLING" It is not just the content of her information that rattled me, but also the manner in which is was delivered, as if I was some pest on Black Friday that was to be swatted away without the slightest amount of care. What is the logic in playing with customers like that. If Best Buy wants me to return an item to rebuy it to get price adjustments, that would seem to go contrary to common sense. Is that something I should do in the future as a going rule? Does Best Buy want to lose more money by selling the return at a discount? Obviously not. A well thought out manager would have realized this and offered to do the adjustment. I can't imagine that Best Buy as a corporation condones this. My guess is that they have a personnel issue that needs to be fixed. The key to success in modern hybrid retail will be customer service, not just price. If consumers do not send the right message we will not get the right message to corporate to clean up their stores so they can avoid what has happened to so many others like CompUSA and Computer City. In that light I will be putting a complaint into Best Buy Corporate, the BBB and the FTC.

I can't imagine a better media streamer, although I have to admit that this is my first dedicated streaming device. Plugged it into the back of my reciever, connected to my wifi, signed into my Netflix account and Spectrum's streaming app, and set a up a Roku account. All super simple. Everything is intuitive, from the interface to the remote functions. The remote works great and it was simple to pair to my TV. Now I just press the power button and on comes the TV and streamer. When it powers on, it looks just like my mother-in-law's Roku TV. Not a bad way to upgrade a really high quality TV that isn't "Smart." Although my TV is not 4K, I've noticed much better picture and audio quality from Netflix and my external hard drive. You can play your digital movie collection from your hard drive through the Roku streamer. It's super simple and comes out looking and sounding much better than when connected directly to my TV's USB connection. I have to mention again that the remote is fantastic. All-in-all, I'm really happy that I bought one. It's worth way more than what you pay simply because everything just works perfectly. I'm sick of buying products with flaws that I only wish were perfect. This one is.

My family cut the cable (TV) cord years ago. For a while, we lived with an antenna system. Sure, we didn't get the fancier channels but boy did we save a lot of money! Enter YouTube TV. Once this product rolled out to the masses, we decided to give it a try due to the lower monthly cost. It's an absolutely fantastic product. We had an amazon fire system for both the bedroom and living room, however Amazon and Google just don't get along. However, Roku and Google share a fantastic relationship. The Roku is easy to use, and that's a major for my family. My kids and wife use it with ease. The simplistic controller was worrisome to me, but now that I have used it for five months, it's really grown on me. The fact that it interfaces easily with my TV set is a major plus. The apps that come with and that are in the Roku market space are nice. We use YouTube TV, YouTube and Netflix the most. Everything runs smoothly as it should with no hiccups. A quick disclaimer though, we have ours hardwired to the internet so it can support HD (I mean, we have standards here). If you're looking at something to stream all of the digital channels, the Roku is your best bet.

Gifted this to my mom for Christmas and she was ecstatic. Of course, having all my accounts logged into it probably helped that. This was very easy to use and to set up. The phone functionality with this could use some work, as the keyboard option gets screwy after you type in one line. Not sure how to fix that, but it hasn't been a problem since she hasn't used her phone with it. The fact there are headphones for the remote, and that mutes the TV sound is amazing. Her BF can now watch shows when she's trying to get some sleep and if won't keep her up, and he can be surrounded in the full glory of decent bass. I'm sure you could use your own, higher quality headphones with this instead of the stock ones it comes with, but for her it was not necessary. No more turning up the TV to ungodly levels just because someone is cleaning in the other room. Just plug in the headphones and go. This is a great streaming box, except it could use more app options. The menus are easy enough to navigate, but can be an issue for older, less technologically inclined folks. If getting this as a gift for someone less tech savvy than you, be prepared to spend a half hour helping out with navigation. other than that, it's a great product.,

Unless you have a TV with Roku already installed, then a great purchase to get your money's worth out of a 4K TV is to buy the Roku Ultra. This is the crown jewel for cord-cutters and satellite-abandoners. It has tons of FREE entertainment, both new and old! Standard options also include: YouTube, Crackle, Tubi TV, Pluto TV, and many other free streaming providers. There are even lots of paid subscription providers, like Sling TV and Hulu (if that's your preference). Personally, I bought the Roku Ultra for all of the FREE entertainment options, because I'm on a tight family budget. I also like this version of Roku because of the option of the headphone jack on the remote, which allows me to listen to the TV without disturbing my wife at night. Just be warned that overusing the headphone jack feature will definitely drain the two AA batteries in the remote. But that's a small sacrifice for the convenience! I also lucked out by buying the Roku Ultra during the Black Friday holiday shopping in 2018 and I saved 50% off the original price! Win-win! Even at full price, the Roku Ultra is the best device out there. Please support Roku so the company will continue to improve and continue to provide lots of FREE entertainment for us common folks! Buy it and enjoy!

I specifically bought this to play movies from a USB flash drive while out of town at a cabin with no internet. Prior to leaving, I tested the device at home to see how it performed compared to the Roku stick I have in another bedroom. It's clearly faster, but didn't offer anything different than the stick, so, it worked entirely as expected. The device has a microsd slot, but it's only for downloaded channels...which doesn't really make a lot of sense to me since there aren't exactly tons and it has far far FAR less games to download than an Amazon/Apple/Android box. I guess it's nice that they included it though. As for why I bought it.. I was able to load up a lot of movies on my 128 GB flash drive (formatted NTFS) and play them with no problem through the stock media player. It worked fine for the trip and got the job done. I did end up returning the device, however, because I found out I could use a $4 cable that would allow my Amazon Fire TV stick to read contents from a flash drive. I was very happy with this device while I had it, but in the end did not need it.