ROKU RELEASES $30.00 STREAMING STICK
Video without Cable or Satellite Subscriptions
If you’re seeking a way to stream video to your computer, it’s getting easier. And it costs less than ever before.
The market for internet video streaming devices is getting ever more crowded. One manufacturer after another is producing dedicated streaming sticks or boxes to meet the growing demand for video services without conventional cable or satellite subscriptions.
Roku’s New Streaming Devices
Roku, which has long been a leader in the market, has pulled ahead in the industry’s price war with Monday’s introduction of the Express Player, a new streaming stick that will retail for a mere $29.99. This beats the $35.00 price for Google’s Chromecast Stick and the $40.00 price for the Amazon Fire TV Stick.
The Roku Express works on TV sets with HDMI connections, and handles 1080p HD signals. Another model, the Express+, works on older TV sets without HDMI ports.
Other New Roku Models
Beside the Express models, Roku released three upscale streaming devices on Monday: the Premiere, the Premiere+, and the Ultra. The Premiere handles Ultra HD or 4K streaming at up to 60 frames per second. The Premiere+ features the same capabilities, plus High Dynamic Range (HDR) support. The Ultra has all of the capabilities of the Premiere and the Premiere+, and it decodes Dolby Digital and Dolby Digital Plus Surround Sound. For local media playback, the Ultra also features a USB port. The Premiere will retail for $80.00, the Premiere+ for $100, and the Ultra for $130.00.
So far, Roku is the only manufacturer of dedicated video streaming devices to enroll in Comcast’s Xfinity TV Partner program, an effort to incorporate Comcast’s TV Everywhere app into streaming devices via open HTML5 standards.
All Roku devices will work with any internet service fast enough for video. This includes HughesNet.
Roku dominates the streaming device market, with about a 49% share.
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