RichC2

The Roku 4 seems rushed to me, I have a feeling a revision is right around the corner.

Phodg

Got a new 3600 Roku stick from Amazon last night. Plugged it in, synced the remote and connected to wifi. It told me it was downloading a software update ...
Update finished, Roku reboots. Remote won't sync. So I reboot. And again. And again. Eventually after 5 reboots, remote syncs. Now it says it's looking for wireless. But no networks are available. Neither mine nor the dozen or so that show up on every device from neighboring houses. So I reboot. And the remote won't sync. After multiple reboots, it finally syncs. And again, says there's no network available. So I do the "home x 5, FF x 3, REW x2" thing to get the system screen up. Whereupon I see on the info screen my Roku's IP address on my network. The same network that the Roku is saying doesn't exist. So I try and force a software update, which of course doesn't work as the Roku thinks it's not on the network it's on.
So I reboot. And try and sync remote again. Which of course, takes multiple reboots. Once that finally syncs, I again go to the system page and force a factory reset. Which then reboots and doesn't sync the remote. Eventually I get the remote synced again, but the Roku still says there are no wireless networks anywhere near my house.

At this point I remove the Roku from my TV, put the piece of shit back in its box and get a return label from Amazon.

One worrying thing I did note is that when I removed the stick, the metal HDMI piece was literally too hot to touch. I presume that is because the thing was cranking on some crappy piece of badly downloaded code, but it made me wonder what would have happened if I left it in there all night doing that.

Anyway, after that experience I won't be going near another Roku stick. Just my two cents after a wasted evening. I've worked in IT for 30 years so I know my way around networks and software and this thing was beyond frustrating.

Having said that, the Roku SE I bought on Black Friday works great and unfortunately Roku still seems like the best device out there, so I'll probably get a Roku 2 and give that a shot.

dvd-4-life

I am having nothing but problems with Roku devices concerning movie channels streaming.
Roku 1 -Plays EPIX but sometimes will only permit PG-13 movies
Roku 3-Won't play EPIX period
Roku 1- Starz Play;Starz Encore-sometimes plays everything ,sometimes only PG-13,sometimes nothing
Roku 3-same as above
Roku 1;Roku 3-Showtime Anytime-refuse too play at all(before it was hit and miss)

There seems too be a problem with parental controls. Is this a Charter problem or Roku problem or all of the movie channels problem.
Very frustrating.

I have talked too just about everyone(phone or email) and still I am waiting on a solution.

Weird that it's only the movie channels.

Phodg

Quick update - bought a Roku 2 and was set up in a couple of minutes. Seems to work perfectly. Way better than that crappy stick.

cultshock

I bought a Roku SE (which is basically a Roku 1 in a new case) for cheap last Black Friday and am not really happy with the streaming video quality, on most channels it's not really that smooth (I'm watching on a 70" TV so maybe that makes it more noticable?). Anyway, are the newer models better in this regard, as far as video streaming goes? If so, what's the best one to buy at the moment?

TheBigDave

Maybe you're not getting enough bandwidth? Some channels like Netflix use adaptive streaming. So if your internet speed is poor, you'll only get low quality video.

Do you have Netflix? Play this video on your Roku. Let it play for a minute or two. Are you able to get 5800 kbps and 1920x1080?

https://www.netflix.com/title/70136810

Also try this Speed Test private channel. It runs tests from Speedtest.net servers.

https://owner.roku.com/Add/speedtest

To answer your question, Roku 4 is the top of the line model right now. But if you don't have a 4K TV, you'll be happy with a Roku 3. I use the Roku 3 model, and I don't see any reason to upgrade to the Roku 4.

cultshock

My bandwidth should be plenty, my smart TV streams Netflix and Amazon Prime in 1080p flawlessly (but these two services don't stream as well on my Roku). I just wanted the extra channels that Roku offers and found the quality wanting, in comparison to the apps on my TV (or my PS3, which also streams really well). I don't have a 4K TV (yet!) so I might give a Roku 3 a try and see if it's an improvement.

RichC2

I wasn't happy with the SE for many reasons, I can't recall right now if it was choppy, but I have a Roku 3 which works beautifully.

TheBigDave

AMC was just added to the Roku. To watch any episodes, you need to sign-in with a TV provider.

https://channelstore.roku.com/details/12716/amc

It's mostly a handful of random episodes and extra features. But they have a couple full seasons.

Preacher: Season 1 (including ep 1 & 2 with Director's Commentary)
Fear the Walking Dead: Season 2
Feed the Beast: Season 1
Turn: Season 3
The American West: Season 1

TheBigDave

Lollapalooza in Chicago will be live streaming on the RedBull.tv channel. It starts tonight at 7pm EST and runs through to Sunday night.

The lineup includes Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jane's Addiction, and a bunch of other bands I haven't heard of (LCD Soundsystem, Future, Major Lazer, Flume, G-Eazy, M83, Two Door Cinema Club, Leon Bridges, The Last Shadow Puppets, Big Gigantic, GRiZ, Local Natives, Foals, and more).

RedBull Channel - https://channelstore.roku.com/details/51320/red-bull-tv

Full Schedule - http://www.redbull.tv/lollapalooza

TheBigDave

Feeln is offering a Free Roku 2 when you sign-up for a two-year subscription ($69.99).

GatorDeb

Roku 2 is $68 new, only a good deal if you like the channel. More like two free years with the purchase of a Roku 2. And is it the 2015 model with the faster processor?

TheBigDave

Looks like they might be updating the boxes soon:

Roku Hints at Fall Device Refresh with New FCC Filings

RichC2

I still have my original Roku 3 from 3 years ago, that thing's a trooper.

b2net

We still have ours (I think it was Roku 2 - it came with Angry Birds preloaded) that we bought in 2012 clearance from Toys R Us...

And same thing, it still rocks along...

A little slow navigating once in a while but for the most part still great....

Trevor

It's sad that statements like this are true nowadays. When I was a kid, every device lasted decades. Heck, I bet my Atari from 1977 still works.

RichC2

Oh I expected it to last and keep lasting -- the thing is Roku software is drastically different than it was when the Roku 3 launched.

In 2013 it was using the legacy Netflix interface (which I hate though I know some prefer), Hulu barely functioned, and everything just looked archaic on the thing. Now, despite the new interfaces, better bitrates, higher resolutions, etc; the thing still operates rock solid.

I didn't mean it in the "I'm amazed it still functions", it's more that something 3 years old in a rapidly improving sector has been able to hang on that long.

MrSmearkase

We have two Roku 1s that we bought almost 3 years ago, and they still work like a charm.

mndtrp

My mom is still using my original Roku N1000 from 2009. She watches SD Netflix, and that's it. No surround sound.

TheBigDave

Roku 3 is on sale for $80 at Amazon. That's a great price.

TheBigDave

Roku just added channels for TLC, Animal Planet, Investigation Discovery, Science Channel, and Discovery Channel. They have some free episodes. And if you sign-in with a TV provider, you get more episodes and Live streams.

https://channelstore.roku.com/details/90765/tlc-go
https://channelstore.roku.com/detail...imal-planet-go
https://channelstore.roku.com/detail...n-discovery-go
https://channelstore.roku.com/detail...nce-channel-go
https://channelstore.roku.com/detail...1/discovery-go

Orbi-Wan Techno

I have a Roku 3 in the entertainment room, a first gen stick in the kitchen, and the latest stick in our sports den...

TheBigDave

Roku Has a Ton of New Features on The Way

Roku has released some new tools for developers. There's a new layout for the grid menu. There's also a menu overlay for live streams. And probably the coolest feature is multiple live streams on the screen.



New Menu System
The new grid is called the Hero-Grid-Channel and will include a featured row that will be large and more prominent. Channel developers can now also use a movie poster row to help feature more content.



Menu Overlay
Roku is now making it easier to access menus as you stream. No longer will you have to exit out of the stream to access the menus because Roku now allows channel developers to put a menu overlay on top of a live stream.



Multiple Live Streams in One Channel
Roku now has a new feature called Multi-Live, which is a new tool that allows developers to easily create a channel with multiple live streams in that one channel. This new Multi-Live feature also seems to allow channel makers to let users’ browse available live streams as they watch a stream.

Deftones

Looks like some pics of the new Roku designs have been leaked: http://www.theverge.com/circuitbreak...ra-photos-leak

TheBigDave

Meet the All-New 2016 Roku Streamers (in pics)

Here's the Roku Express. It'll replace the Roku 1.