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New Roku Media Streamers Start at $29.99, 4K HDR Streaming for $99.99

By Rachel Cericola

The Roku family is expanding. The company just announced a total of five new streaming media players, which are designed for different types of viewers and different types of budgets.

The most afforable options for 4K fans are the Roku Premiere and Roku Premiere+. Each of these models feature a quad-core processor, promising 4K Ultra HD up to 60 frames per second (fps). The Roku Premiere+ adds in High Dynamic Range (HDR) support, which boasts brighter colors, sharper images, and a better contrast. It also has a MicroSD card slot for additional channel storage and a remote with a headphone jack, so you don't have to disturb the rest of the room or house.

Other features on both include HDCP 2.2 support, 802.11ac MIMO dual-band wireless, and a Night listening mode. Each streamer can also upscale 720p to 1080p on HDTVs, as well as 720p or 1080p to 4K up to 60 fps on 4K UHD TVs.

Roku-Ultra.jpg
The Roku Ultra can do HD, 4K up to 60 fps, and HDR streaming. It comes packaged with a remote that has voice search. Photo: Roku.

A slight step-up is the Roku Ultra, which has everything that's available on the Roku Premiere+, as well as Dolby Digital/Dolby Digital Plus decoding, an optical digital audio-out port, a USB port, a remote with voice search, and a lost remote finder feature.

The smallest (and most affordable) player in the new lineup is the Roku Express. Promising 1080p HD streaming, the Roku Express is an easy way to add all of these channel options into any TV set with an HDMI input. If you don't have one of those, you can opt for the Roku Express+, which supports a composite connection.

All Roku devices feature the Roku OS and access to 3,500+ streaming channels, including 350,000 movies and TV episodes. Each one also has Roku search, which can scan through over 100 of those channels by typing in a movie, TV show, actor, or director. The system will then display where that content is available, as well as at what price.

"Roku stands for streaming innovation and today we're celebrating the biggest player launch in our company's history, including the introduction of the Roku Express player, which delivers a complete streaming experience for a shockingly low price of $29.99," said Anthony Wood, Roku's founder and CEO. "Whether consumers simply want fast HD streaming via an inexpensive device or are looking for a top-of-the-line player with advanced features such as 4K and HDR, Roku is an easy choice."

All five of the new players are now available for pre-order, with shipments expected on October 9. The Roku Premiere and Roku Premiere+ are priced at $79.99 and $99.99, respectively, with the Roku Ultra listed at $129.99. The Roku Express and Roku Express+ will sell for $29.99 and $39.99. Just know that the Roku Express+ is a Walmart exclusive.

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