You probably don’t need 4K streaming yet, let’s just get that out of the way. It’s so niche that not even Sony’s updated PS4 is fully 4K. But if you do have a 4K TV big enough to make a difference, Roku’s new set-top box offers the cheapest way to get 4K streaming. And, if you don’t have 4K, Roku has new a box for you too.
Roku, which has largely just been introducing smaller units lately, surprised the tech press by coming in hot with the Roku Ultra. Selling for $130, it’s the rare device aimed at home theater fanatics that actually has a sensible price. It also features an Optical Audio out, if you’ve got a complicated home stereo setup you want to connect to, and a MIMO chip, allowing better communication with your router. And of course it streams 4K and HDR content. HDR, or high-dynamic range, essentially offers a wider range of colors, although whether it’s more than a gimmick is a question the jury is still out on.
There are four other new boxes out too, if 4K isn’t your focus. Slightly cheaper is the new Roku Premiere Plus, which lacks the fancier ports and chips, but still streams 4K and HDR, the cheapest box yet to do so ($100). If you don’t care about HDR, the Premiere 4K is $80, and essentially the same as the Premiere Plus. If you’re not buying a 4K TV any time soon, or have grandparents interested in this whole “Netflix” thing they’ve been hearing so much about, the Roku Express Plus is $40 (only sold next to the fair foods at Walmart), and the Roku Express, $30 (available everywhere), are basically just Roku’s excellent past boxes in a smaller, cheaper package.
Seriously, the remote is bigger than the box:
All five boxes are available on Roku’s website.
(via Gizmodo)
