I am going to break from my usual review format and start with a rant.
In recent reviews of Roku devices, I see people complaining that the interface is “stale.” The basic look (which can be themed, people, check your damn settings) has not changed since my beloved Roku 2 XD (2011, for those asking). This is touted as a bad thing. To which I say: nonsense.
One of the great things about Roku is they have a formula that works. It doesn’t matter if you’re using a set-top box, a stick, or a TV with Roku baked in, it’s always the same. Compare that to Apple’s constant shuffling of formatting on the AppleTV and all the various ways an Android-based TV can look. No, sorry, that’s a huge selling point for Roku. Especially for non-power users. The only issue can be if you have a ton of channels and don’t want to scroll, and there are voice commands now.
Source: Roku.
Thus ends the rant.
As for the Roku Ultra
Source: Roku.
Little touches like the headphones in the remote, voice searching (which is also in the mobile apps), and the remote finder round out a really great package. The remote also doubles as a game controller, but I didn’t have time to play games; I had Sherlock to watch!
I tested Netflix, Plex, Amazon Prime, and a few other services, and they all worked flawlessly. Truth? I love that Roku exists to push out other people’s content, not their own. It lacks the Apple or Google centric-ness of other devices. Instead, they want to be the best possible media streamer for a host of services. That level of agnosticism feels rare these days. Roku is the brand for people who want to just watch TV, not play with brand name politics (pre-marked buttons aside, which I kinda do hate).
At the end of the day, that’s who the Roku Ultra is for. People who want power, speed, and choice. Is that you? Then get one.
Note: Roku sent me the Ultra to review. After one day, I sold my AppleTV to a friend. THAT good, people.
Yeah I love my Roku but the Vudu has never worked it won’t load it all so much for the free movies the offer but everything else is great
I admit, never bothered with Vudu.
I have been hesitant to try it; I bought the Roku Streaming Stick (because the Amazon Firestick was sold out everywhere), used it for about 3 hours, and returned it the next morning It streamed the programming just fine, but the remote froze up constantly. I had to reset it every time I tried to use any function other than sitting there and watching the program. Online help and live chat were worse than useless, they were infuriating. I vowed then and there to never even consider another Roku product.
Maybe, if the President of the company personally apologized, and they gave me a review unit, I MIGHT (mind, I said MIGHT) consider revising my opinion of them. As long as it wasn’t another Streaming Stick. That one is dead to me.
The most recent stick, which we reviewed, is amazing, Jim.
I don’t know which one I bought on 1/3/17 and returned on 1/4/17, but it was far from amazing.
I got a Roku Ultra and loved it at first. Then I got the 7.5.1 update in January 2017. My Ultra went to crap after that. Lots of popping/chirping/cracking from the speakers every 15-20 minutes. I can’t watch movies that are DD+ 7.1 (Rogue One for example) on Vudu as the Roku freaks out. I also get a random HDCP 2.2 error when watching 4k movies, even though my entire system is HDCP 2.2 compatible. Then they just pushed 7.6 and didn’t fix any of the issues. Still the popping and still can’t watch movies with DD+ 7.1. The support staff gives virtually no insight on any fixes too. I am not the only person with theses issues too. Take a look at the Roku Forums site, lots of complaints about these issues and then some. I would never recommend a Roku Ultra to anybody.