Somehow, the name Roku has become synonymous with “streaming device”. It seems that when people hear the word Roku, model numbers go out the window and devices get thrown into a single collective pile that just means something like “small streaming media player that you can hold in your hand.” Due to this fact, discussions regarding the sweet little piece of technology we all know simply as “the Roku” devolve in to silliness: “Which one do you have?” we hear. “The second one, how about you?” But the New Roku is a different animal, and the more we used it, the more we were impressed with almost everything about it.
The truth is that Roku is actually the California company that make these wonderful little streaming players we’ve come to love. Those of us who desire to get the most out of our streaming media obsession wait patiently for the next release with all of it’s new upgrades, but they don’t make it easy to separate them from one another. So folks get a bit confused.
Take, for example the new Roku 3 Streaming Player. While past models varied slightly from one another and the innovations seemed rather modest, the “New Roku” has made more significant upgrades you will be sure to notice from the moment you take it out of the box. More importantly, you’ll notice them when you hook the “New Roku” up.
There’s really alot to love about the new Roku 3 Streaming Player. We played Angry Birds Space in lovely 1080p with the new motion control almost immediately after we hooked it up (it’s included for free). We plugged headphones directly in to the included jack on the Remote to listen to some tunes (the included in-ear ‘phones are just passable so you’ll want to use your own for really good sound). We even played music through the TV with this nifty “New Roku”. Basically, a good time was had by all. And it got better when we actually started to use the device for it’s intended purpose.
Streaming was a pleasure with the New Roku. They’ve added some speed to this new model, thanks to extended-range, dual-band wireless and the speediest processor we’ve used on a device in this category at this price. We used a good wireless router, and found streaming to be smooth and consistent. The greater speed made navigating the new search feature fast and simple to use. Type a search term in the box and “poof”, your movie or TV show is available for viewing. The 1080p picture was lovely. The Micro SD slot makes it expandable, and that’s a feature we always like in any device. With all of these shiny new features, the Roku 3 Streaming Player does it’s best to make you fall in love.
The New Roku was a joy to use. The only criticisms we had were minor. The only way to hook this little marvel up is through HDMI, which most people are likely to not even notice since most of us are “already there” anyway. Happily, it can be operated via Universal Remote, and as usual, the Roku 3 offers access to tons of entertainment, a great deal of it at no charge. In short, this is more than an upgrade, it’s a big step toward gaining more streaming pleasure at a price we can do more than live with. For somewhere around $100, we think the “New Roku” is one of those purchases you’ll be glad you made.
What we love most about the Roku 3 – 1080p support. Fast, smooth streaming. Great new “search” feature. Smooth streaming. Remote with headphone jack. Access to tons of entertainment.
What we don’t love so much about the Roku 3 – HDMI only means it won’t work with your “older” TV. The included headphones are merely servicable.
Where Can You Get The Roku 3 Streaming Player?
Amazon.com, Roku.com, BestBuy.com, Buy.com
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