Roku 3 Review
The internet streaming top box has received less than exceptional sales previously, but Roku returns with its third edition of the streaming box, to try and motion buyers away from Apple TV and other offerings.
The Roku 3 streamer will be available at Roku’s own store and Amazon.com to begin with, and will be sold for $100. The new streaming box comes with a new search engine update for better results and comes with some minor design upgrades. Prices for the previous Roku model will be dropped down to a modest $50.
Roku features
Roku have also added the ability to listen through headphones on the new streaming box, with a new headphone jack that works with all types of normal headphones. Ear buds are available with the Roku 3, although we probably think your perfect pair will be found elsewhere.
Strangely, to use headphones you will be required to have a WiFi connection. This feature is new on all types of streaming boxes, and is not currently available on Apple TV.
Roku has also added a new interface, which advances the amount of streaming channels you can see at one time. On the new interface, you can see nine channel choices, while on the previous one that was only five.
The box has added processing power compared to the previous edition, and this will be good for people that want to stream video games onto the box. Roku has said this upgrade is quite significant and will allow faster streaming, if you have good network connection.
Roku history
Roku emerged from the ground when they signed a deal with Netflix to put their on-demand streaming service on the box, and have since added 750 different streaming channels, including Netflix rivals Hulu and Amazon.
We expect, as Roku get bigger, so will their dominance in the market. Right now Apple TV is ruling the roost, but Roku is getting a lot more traction and audience with a cheaper top box and exciting new channels. In addition, Apple may ditch the TV streaming project for a HDTV with channel services.
CEO of Apple Tim Cook detailed that Apple had sold over 10 million Apple TV boxes over the past year, and will continue to stride forward. Comparing that to the Roku streaming box, which is only on five million, we can see which one is winning this race at the moment.
Roku has its annual revenue was $150 million in 2011 and the company, based in Saratoga California, is prepared to boost this with their growing set top box, although they declined to tell reporters how much they had made in 2012.
If you want to buy the Roku 3, it is available, as we said before, at the Roku store and Amazon.com, before coming out in Costco and Best Buy later in the month. We think the Roku 3 is a great choice if you are into streaming content and have some subscriptions. We would advise you to check if all your content needs can be filled on a connected TV device or gaming console before buying this, though.
