Features:

  • Powerful quad-core processor & best wireless performance
  • Voice remote with TV power & volume
  • 500,000+ movies and TV episodes
  • 75,000+ free entertainment options
  • Easy-to-use remote, intuitive navigation, search across top channels
  • With headphones for private listening & lost-remote finder
  • Free mobile app for iOS or Android
Roku Channel now showing hundreds of free movies & Locast has free CBS/NBC/FOX/ABC/PBS

I have used Roku for years,including several different models. 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. The Premiere 2018 model also plays 4K video. 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 and Premiere 2018 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. Bottom Line:You can now get a Roku device to replace your cable TV box & service or to replace an antenna for free local network TV.And of course you can create your own custom TV experience that simply is not possible with cable or antenna TV.

The new remote is EXTREMELY convenient

After trying the older apple tv's and chromecasts I settled on Roku as being the fastest, easiest to use and features the best apps. That conclusion was drawn a few years ago. Anyway, I'm a roku fan. I've had the 3, premiere + and now the ultra. The 3 is still going. The premiere failed but has amazing features that were impressive when it worked. The ultra is damn near perfect. The main difference between the premiere + and the ultra that i've noticed is the remote. The remote finally has tv remote codes with on and off built in! The tv power button, volume control and remote finder features are incredibly useful. (I guess it's the little things that make the difference for me.) The roku ultra still has all the apps I need and is still totally fast and offers a great interface and great image. I'd buy again. Hopefully there's no need to.

The fastest and best streaming device.

After buying a new Sony smart TV I was not happy with the streaming performance. It didn’t support 4K in all apps and was very slow. I then tried hooking up a Roku streaming Stick+ that I had directly into the Tv, I got 4K on all apps like Vudu but it simply refused to pass through any sound other than 2 channel PCM audio. So I finally hooked up the Roku Ultra into my receiver and everything worked perfectly. I now have 4K in all apps with full surround sound including Dolby Atmos. It was also much faster. I tested the speeds of each device in Netflix and I got 85mb with the Roku Ultra, 53mb with the Roku Steaming Stick+, and only 42mb on the Sony Tv’s Android system. I also get a “good” wi-fi signal on the Ultra while the Streaming Stick+ had just a “fair” signal. That’s coming from a router that is up two floors from the TV.

BETTER THAN AMAZON FIRE TV AND STICK! LOVE IT!

BETTER THAN THE AMAZON FIRE! There are so many amazing things I can say about this. My wife and I recently cut cable tv and this is plenty for us. Compared to the Amazon Fire stick we bought and the Fire TV my brother has, or the old Roku my parents have, this is awesome. The speeds are fast even on wifi, but with the ethernet input we have NEVER had a stutter, not one. The videos don't load fuzzy and then buffer into clarity, they are perfect right away. Hardware: The box is fast. We love the feel of the remote, which can also turn our tv on/off and control the volume. ONE REMOTE FOR THE WHOLE HOUSE! Plus if you lose it, click a button on the box and the remote makes noises so you can find it. Even in 1080 and on my 60 inch tv, not even the 4k it can output, clarity is impressive. My wife's FAVORITE PART is the voice control. On the Fire stick saying a movie into the voice remote only brings it up on Amazon (even if it's free on Netflix but it's paid on Amazon). The Roku will show you every app you have that has that tv show or movie, who has it for free, and what ALL your options are! Software: We share a few subscriptions with family members. Between Netflix and Amazon Prime you almost don't need anything else. Our townhouses are too close together to make an over-the-air antenna work, so we added Sling TV to get local news channels, which as a bonus I get my History and Syfy Channels :) Tried Hulu but didn't really need it. The Disney Now app for my kids gets more use than anything else and it's awesome. The kicker is PLEX. I digitized a ton of our dvds years ago and host them on a pc server. You can stream Plex from the pc to the Roku Ultra as easy as pulling up a movie on Netflix. The free app even downloads artwork, sometimes even subtitles and stuff, amazing. I could ramble but I think this is enough for an Amazon review. This is the best box I've used.

Bought Roku Ultra 4K to Use With Samsung 4K Smart TV

Roku 4K Ultra Review - We had been using our Roku 3 for several years until we bought our Samsung SUHD 4K TV. Since our new Samsung TV had apps built-in we let our son have our Roku 3 to use with his non smart HD TV upstairs. Well, the apps available with our Samsung 4K have been limited and disappointing, so we decided we would purchase the Roku 4K Ultra to expand our viewing options. Amazon’s Prime shipping was quick and so was the Roku 4K setup. Since we’ve owned a Roku product before, it was very easy for us to find and install many of the channels we wanted. We highly recommend Amazon Prime Streaming, Netflix, Pandora, Xfinity, YouTube, The Roku Channel, Fox News, and Weather Nation for starters. The apps to choose from are so far and above what is available through our Samsung TV there is just no comparison. The microphone built-in to the remote is a very handy feature. Although there are some negative microphone comments in these reviews we find it works well for us. When we speak slowly, annuciating each word carefully one at a time, Roku almost always displays what we are searching for the first time. I suspect people who struggle with positive results from the mic are speaking quickly and perhaps not annunciating as clearly as they could. The private listening feature is also a nice plus with this Roku. When I want to watch a show quietly to not disturb others nearby I just plug in a set of headphones or ear buds. There is a wealth of insight to be found between the reviews here on Amazon and through YouTube videos. There are so many reasons for cord-cutters to own a Roku. If you are trying to decide if Roku is right for you I would encourage you to give it a try. Best case scenario you’ll love it and expand your viewing and listening options. Other than best case, if you decide Roku is not right for you, well sell it on Facebook or Craigslist. The Roku 4K Ultra is a buy recommendation from me to anyone with a 4K tv.

Faster, easier, intuitive, cheaper than any cable company DVR or Tivo.

We own now 3 Roku Ultra's. 2 of them are the earlier 2017 models and now a new later Roku Ultra model 4660. There are so many positives to mention. First, cut the cable and stream only with Roku, save money, and only pay for what you want. Get rid of the Tivo, Cable box, etc that use mechanical hard drives which always fail, slow, and cost extra each month for cable cards or cable company DVR. The Roku's are much smaller. They are super-fast at loading channels like Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, etc. Our Tivo was a slug, made noise, prone to crashing. None of these problems exist with the Roku. The one we use most upstairs has crashed a few times, in the almost year we have owned it. Simple unplug and let it reload. The reload time is about 2-3 minutes unlike the Tivo DVR which was 15+ minutes. You will want to invest in rechargeable batteries, if you plan on using headsets with your Roku, as the batteries will last 2-3 weeks. Under normal use (no headset usage they will last 2-3 months. No big deal considering all the benefits. When you purchase a Roku set up is easy and only takes about 15-20 minutes max. No cable company cards for a Tivo, or taking a day off work to meet the cable guy. The newest Roku Ultra even now has options for powering on the your TV and volume. Point at the TV during set up and it learns on its own, super easy. Other DVR remotes in the past you had to look up codes and program your remote. Listen at night with headphones that can plug into the remote. Worried about missing shows? Get the channel Playstation Vue, and record into their cloud and watch your shows when you want. If you’re on the fence, then buy just one, keep your cable box for a time while you use the Roku. Once you see how easy setup is, realize the money saved cancelling cable, see how fast it can load all the hundreds of channels you chose, navigation is intuitive, even my wife after a few months is now hooked on the Roku. So long expensive cable company and noisy, slow, large, crashing DVR's. One more thing, Roku now offers its own channel with lots and lots of free movies, and minimal commercials. Now having owned them for almost a year, reliable, cheaper, faster, easier, intuitive, and many many more options available then a DVR, it's almost too good to be true.

Fast and versatile

4 stars for the offerings of channels. It promised local news but that channel had none for my central Florida location. Some network news channels are pretty good with minimal commercials and some are commercial laden and useless. The processing rate is lightning fast, change from any channel to Netflix instantly. A good feature is HBO with first month free, I cut off after 28 days and streamed the entire Game of Thrones. With this box you can buy a cheaper dumb TV and still get the latest channels, the RF remote means no need to point it. Upgrade the box instead of the smart TV annually. ROKU channel is a poor value, many channels suck but you choose what you like. Amazon UI is better, has images during fast forwarding. I did cancel my cable and save $700/yr, that's huge on a SS pension! Try a digital antenna, you may be surprised at how much you pick up.

The best streaming device I have used... and it has a REAL remote control!

I love my Roku and can't believe I waited so long to get one. I have had both Amazon Fire TV and Apple TV devices before but neither met all my needs and their remotes are ridiculous. First, the Roku comes with a real remote control, with buttons and everything. It is easy to use, I can hand it to my mother and she can use it. It also controls my TV, turning it on and off and controlling the volume so I only need the single remote. The user interface is another great positive. Simple and stream lined with just the channels I want and none of the confusing noise and marketing on the competitors devices. Again, I can hand it to my mother and not worry about her clicking down paths that I don't have subscriptions for or will cost money. And finally, it supports all the apps I want and use, unlike the others that limited access so they could sell their own content. My mix is Prime, Vudu, Netflix, and Direct TV Now. I can purchase content from any of them without restriction (you can't use Vudu on Amazon Fire TV and can only view content on Apple TV). Anyways, I will be selling all my other streaming devices and buying more Roku's... they are definitely the way to go.

Crystal Clear Picture Quality

Picture quality from streaming on the Roku is better than the signal from Comcast. Really happy with this although it is not convenient on my main TV to switch inputs back and forth between the Roku and the HD Antenna to get local channels (this is due to my TV not the Roku). We are using this with the Sling TV App which has also has a cloud DVR available. No regrets cutting the cord and getting rid of that huge monthly Comcast bill.

Getting HDCP 2.2 error ? Read this! Best Roku yet!

I got the same issue as others with HDCP error. To fix this, go to System, advanced system settings, advanced display settings and disable auto-adjust display refresh rate. Problem gone! I haven't had one HDCP error since and I got it every time I switched channels.

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