NBC STREAMING CHANNEL NOW AVAILABLE ON THE ROKU PLATFORM

Roku Customers Can Now Stream NBC's Current Shows as Well as Extensive Network Library

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. - Sept. 21, 2015 - Just in time for the new Fall television season, NBC today announced the launch of its new streaming channel on the Roku(R) platform via TV Everywhere, bringing "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon," "The Voice", "The Blacklist", and "Saturday Night Live" to millions of Roku customers. Viewers can now stream all current series, plus an extensive network library featuring thousands of hours of available entertainment via the NBC channel on Roku players and Roku TV(TM) models.

All Roku customers will be able to log-in to the NBC channel to access day-after-air full episodes of the newest NBC fall programming, including "Best Time Ever with Neil Patrick Harris," "Blindspot," "Heroes Reborn," "Truth Be Told," and "The Player." In addition, Roku customers who authenticate through their pay TV provider can stream full episodes of returning favorites, including "The Voice," "The Blacklist," "Chicago Fire," "Chicago P.D.", and "Grimm." Full episodes and clips of NBC Late Night programing can also be streamed the next day meaning Roku customers can now watch the most shared- and talked-about "Tonight Show", "Late Night" and "SNL" moments.

"We want our shows available where our viewers are watching content. As consumers shift to connected devices, we are committed to working with platform partners like Roku so our fans and audiences interested in entertainment can discover, engage with, and watch our shows," said Rob Hayes, Executive Vice President of NBC Entertainment Digital.

"The launch of NBC's fall slate and inclusion of other great content on the Roku platform demonstrates our commitment to expanding digital platforms for fans to watch their favorite shows," said Alison Moore, GM and EVP TV Everywhere, NBCUniversal. "Working with Roku to add NBC shows on connected TV's is a huge step forward in advancing NBC Universal's TV Everywhere initiative."


Read more at http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news/2...eAbL4tq7Wel.99

Roku's next-gen player surfaces at the FCC

The evidence that Roku is near launching a 4K-capable player just got decidedly stronger. A fresh FCC filing (spotted by Zatz Not Funny) has revealed an upcoming Roku "4400X" that looks like it should be the company's next streaming hub. The entry doesn't confirm the presence of 4K video playback, alas, but it does point to a big wireless upgrade: the future set-top box will support faster 802.11ac WiFi (helpful for 4K) and Bluetooth peripherals that might include headphones or remotes. Roku is reportedly shipping its new device as soon as early October, so you'll likely get the full story in a matter of days.

FULL ARTICLE - http://www.engadget.com/2015/09/27/roku-4-at-fcc/

The Roku 4 Has Been Spotted

As you know, we’ve been tracking the Roku 4 and fully anticipate it’ll stream 4k – like the revised Amazon Fire TV. Further, via FCC filings, we know the Roku 4 (4400) moves from WiFi Direct to Bluetooth — perhaps suggesting Roku will make another run at gaming, which is also one of the new Apple TV’s marketing angles. And now, via AFTVNews, an image of the new streamer has appeared… that fully confirms this model will indeed go by “Roku 4.” Further, we can see Roku has redesigned the enclosure to accommodate whatever circuitry is required for its new capabilities. As to timing and pricing, I assume we’ll receive official word either later this week or next… as I have intel that indicates hardware is en route.

Full Article - http://zatznotfunny.com/2015-09/the-...-been-spotted/

The new Roku does 4K and finds the remote for you

It's clearly video-streaming box season. Apple finally dropped an updated Apple TV, the Chromecast got all colorful and the Fire TV upped its resolution to 4K. Now it's Roku's turn with the new Roku 4. The flatter and wider set-top box sports 4K, has a remote locator, an updated OS and a redesigned app that makes it easier to travel with your favorite shows. The new device joins the rest of the Roku line instead of replacing anything. Priced at $129, it sits between the Apple TV and Fire but without all the recent drama.

Roku told Engadget that it continues to focus on discovery. Fortunately that also means helping you find the tiny remote when it disappears behind the couch. The box has a remote logo that when depressed makes the remote sound an alert. With most of these set-top boxes shipping with small remotes, it's nice that a company finally realized how easy it is to lose those damn things. The remote also has the same voice search, headphone jack and motion control with buttons for video games like the Roku 3.

The Roku itself has a quicker quad-core processor for 60 fps 4K streaming and supports 802.11ac WiFI. A new 4K channel has been added so you can find media for that fancy UHD TV. An optical audio port has been added along with the usual HDMI port and microSD port for playing your own videos.

In addition to new hardware the company announced Roku OS 7 with an upgraded way to follow movies, TV shows and actors. Now when something that's been tracked is available in a channel, the My Feed section displays a notification. Want to know when The Martian is available on Netflix? Follow it and you'll know as soon as it appears on the service.

The app also got a redesign with quicker access to commonly used features. More importantly, for folks that travel with a Roku, the app and new OS now work with WiFi networks that require a browser-based login like hotel rooms.

The Roku 4 is available for pre-order now and will ship in October for $129. The updated OS will be available to current Roku players starting in mid-October with the roll out lasting until November.

FULL ARTICLE WITH PICTURES - http://www.engadget.com/2015/10/06/roku-4-4k/