Skip to main content

Roku

81 'Roku' stories January 2012 - March 2014
See All Stories

Roku for Android updated w/ new interface, search enhancements, more

Avatar for Chance Miller Mar 24 2014 - 4:55 pm PT
0 Comments
Site default logo image

Roku this afternoon has released an update for its Android (and iOS) companion remote app. The update includes quite a few tweaks and new features, and bumps the app to version 3.0. First off, the app as new, much cleaner design that Roku says is significantly faster and more easy to use. The update also now lets you control any Roku on your home WiFi network, much like Apple’s Remote app on iOS. You previously had to login into the Roku account associated with each set-top box to control it.

One of the coolest new features is the ability to search within the app for a movie, show, actor, or director. The Roku app will search within all channels and show you where you can watch the content you searched for. The new search feature for now is only supported “on US-based Roku players firmware 5.4 or later” and on all hardware except the Roku 2450x or 2500x.

  • All New Visual Design – The UI features a new, modern look.
  • Search on your mobile device – Enter a movie, show, actor, or director, to explore and see what’s available. Choose from the available services and jump right into the Channel, ready to watch.
  • Control any Roku player on your network – Use the remote control, or play photos, music, or video with Play on Roku.
  • Bug fixes and other enhancements.

The Roku app for Android is available on the Play Store now.

 


Expand
Expanding
Close

RealPlayer Cloud rolls out internationally, adding SMS text capabilities and refer-a-friend rewards

Avatar for Sarah Guarino Feb 23 2014 - 11:00 pm PT
0 Comments
Site default logo image

Today RealNetworks, Inc. announced RealPlayer Cloud is now available for international users. The app allows users to easily move, watch, and share videos with any user on any device, including Android, iOS, Windows 8 Modern UI, Kindle Fire, Roku and Chromecast.


Expand
Expanding
Close

Opinion: Will the spring launch of Amazon/Nexus/Apple TV signal the beginning of the end of live, broadcast TV?

Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Feb 21 2014 - 8:14 am PT
6 Comments
Site default logo image

Streaming TV is heating-up. Amazon looks set to launch its TV box in March, we’re expecting Apple to announce a new Apple TV box in April, and Google is reputed to be not far behind with a Nexus-branded box.

So-called cord-cutting – people who give up their cable TV subscriptions in favor of streaming content over the web – is growing in popularity. Mobile TV viewing on tablets is increasingly common.

All of which makes me wonder whether we’re witnessing the beginning of the end of live TV … ? 
Expand
Expanding
Close

Amazon’s long-rumored Roku-like TV box to launch next month?

Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Feb 21 2014 - 5:18 am PT
0 Comments
Site default logo image

Image: digitaltrends.com

Amazon’s TV box, which the company is believed to have been working on for around a year, is to be launched next month, according to unnamed content distribution sources cited by re/code. It had originally been expected to be launched in time for last year’s holiday sales.

People I’ve talked to who are partnering with Amazon believe the company is aiming for a March rollout […]

Sources tell me Amazon’s box will be powered by Google’s Android operating system, which is also not a surprise — Amazon’s Kindle Fire tablets use a “forked” version of Android … 
Expand
Expanding
Close

Site default logo image

New AllCast app allows Android users to wirelessly beam local content to Apple TV, Roku, and more

Avatar for Chance Miller Dec 1 2013 - 5:23 pm PT
0 Comments

Well-known CyanogenMod developer Koushik Dutta is at it again, this time with a new app for Android that allows users to beam their local content to a variety of set-top streaming boxes, including the Apple TV, Roku, Xbox, PS4, and any other DLNA renderers (via Engadget). The app, entitled AllCast, is incredibly simple to operate. Once it is installed, simply go to a video that is local on your device and tap the cast button in the upper right corner and a menu will pop up, asking you where you would like to cast it. Within seconds of choosing a device, the video will begin playing on your TV.

The process works very much like the Chromecast and Apple TV, though with local videos as well. AllCast is huge for Apple TV users, as it was easy for them to cast videos from their Android device to the set-top box. Though, it’s worth noting that it only works with local videos, not videos from streaming services.

In order to download AllCast, first you must join the ClockworkMod Beta Testers Community, then sign up to be a beta tester for AllCast, and then install the actual app from the Play Store.

Check out a video demonstrating the app below: 
Expand
Expanding
Close

Amazon set-top-box (FireTube?) on for the holidays, will allow gaming and other apps

Avatar for Mark Gurman Oct 3 2013 - 10:59 am PT
0 Comments
Site default logo image

This morning  we reported that Amazon had trademarked FireTube, and the trademark could serve as a name for the company’s long-rumored TV product. Now, the WSJ follows up by claiming said device is on Amazon’s roadmap for the holiday season. Here are some of the details on the device:

  • Will compete with the Roku and Apple TV
  • Will stream Amazon Prime content
  • Will run third-party media apps and gaming content
  • Amazon is working on a dedicated remote for the device, but it could also be controlled via smartphone/tablet apps

Of course, the device could be shelved at the last minute, but given the uptake in reports about an Amazon TV device, today’s trademark discovery, and Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos’s want to expand his company’s hardware portfolio, it seems likely that the device truly is in the imminent Amazon product pipeline.


Expand
Expanding
Close

Roku for Android app allows streaming of video to set-top box – from some devices

Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Sep 10 2013 - 5:46 am PT
0 Comments
Site default logo image

The latest Roku for Android app allows video as well as audio and photos to be streamed to a Roku set-top box – but only for a limited number of devices.

Play your video from select Android devices to your Roku player. Supported models include: Samsung Galaxy SIII, Samsung Galaxy S4, Nexus 4, HTC One, and Nexus 7 (2012 model). Video playback requires Android 4.0 or later … 
Expand
Expanding
Close

Roku unveils cable-free Streaming Stick as set-top box, smart TV replacement

Avatar for Jordan Kahn Jan 4 2012 - 3:16 pm PT
0 Comments
Site default logo image

Set-top box maker Roku -one of Google TV and Apple TV’s biggest competitors- unveiled a new iteration of its award-winning Smart TV solution today. However, this time, they shrunk it down to the size of a USB stick that allows you to plug it right into your TVs MHL-enabled HDMI port. The device, called the Roku Streaming Stick, packs in built-in Wi-Fi, a processor, and memory, and includes all of the features currently available in their current set-top box.

According to Roku’s press release, the new cable-free, smaller form factor is ideal for delivering smart TV capabilities to consumers who typically do not replace their TVs often. That model differs from both Apple and Google, especially with Apple expected to launch an HDTV and Google pushing the GoogleTV platform built-in to TVs from vendors like Sony:

Today’s Smart TVs become outdated in just a couple of years because as software evolves the hardware needs to be upgraded to keep pace. While short hardware product cycles are expected with mobile devices such as smart phones, consumers generally keep their TVs for six to eight years. By moving the streaming platform to a stick that’s easily replaceable, consumers no longer have to worry about their large-screen Smart TV becoming obsolete before its time.

Official pricing has not been announced, but CEO Anthony Wood told All Things D the device would be available in the second half of 2012 for between $50 and $100. Roku also plans to have TV vendors bundle the Roku Streaming Stick with new TVs.

Expand
Expanding
Close