Rolling out the new Roku interface

Posted on May 14, 2013 by Tom Markworth

When we launched the Roku 3 in March, we also announced an entirely new Roku interface. The new experience has gotten rave reviews for its intuitive layout, quick reflexes, built-in search tool, redesigned Channel Store and home screen themes. We think you’ll love it.

We’ve begun rolling out the new interface to supported Roku players as a free upgrade, and we know many of you have been waiting impatiently! Today, we’re thrilled to announce that you can update manually right this minute by selecting Settings > Software update > Check now on your Roku player.


If you’re not the manual type, all you need to do is kick back and keep your Roku player connected to the Internet. Over the next two weeks, the automatic software update—version 5.0, build 804X—will roll out to the following supported players in all regions: Roku 2 XS (model 3100), Roku 2 XD (model 3050), Roku 2 HD (model 3000), Roku LT (models 2400 & 2450), Roku HD (model 2500) and the Roku Streaming Stick (models 3400 & 3420). (Note: Roku Search is currently available only in the U.S.) Unfortunately, new features and functionality sometimes require new hardware, and earlier Roku models cannot support the update.

We hope you enjoy the new face of streaming!

Posted in Announcements, Roku, Roku News | Tagged , , , , , | 90 Comments

Roku mobile apps updated to version 2.2

Posted on April 29, 2013 by Tom Markworth

We’re thrilled that more and more of you are using the Roku mobile app. Today, in an effort to address user feedback, we’ve released version 2.2 of the app for iOS and Android.

To improve your mobile phone’s ability to discover and pair to your Roku player over your home network, we’ve made the following changes:

  • Deep scanning – The app scans for Roku players on your network using multiple methods. If the first scan doesn’t work, just tap “Try again.”
  • Manual IP address pairing – You can also enter your Roku player’s IP address to connect manually.
  • Automatic pairing – The app automatically pairs with your Roku player when that player is the only player associated with your Roku user account.

Additionally, version 2.2 adds the ability to play photos and music simultaneously in Play On Roku without pre-selecting music in slideshow settings. Simply start photos, then music. Or vice versa.

We’ll keep working to improve the mobile experience over time, so stay tuned for future updates. If you haven’t tried our free mobile apps, you can get the latest iOS version here and the Android version here.

Happy streaming!

Posted in Announcements, Roku News | Tagged , , , , | 16 Comments

Celebrating 5 million Roku players

Posted on April 10, 2013 by Anthony

In May 2008, Roku launched the very first player to stream entertainment to the television. We called this device “the Netflix player,” since Netflix was the first available channel. For the first time, consumers could instantly stream thousands of TV and movie titles on their televisions thanks to the power of the Internet. With the introduction of that first streaming player, we pioneered the streaming era of television.

Over the last five years, we’ve celebrated many milestones as top brands have joined Roku to stream entertainment to the television for the first time. It’s been exciting to see our customers rejoice as we’ve added channels like Amazon Video on Demand in 2009, HBO GO in 2011 and TWC TV in 2013. And today, I’m pleased to share another milestone: thanks to you, we have shipped our 5 millionth Roku streaming player in the U.S.!

Since 2008, we’ve delivered 8 billion streams of video and music to Roku players. Of course we have a few more channels now – about 750 or so.

What are people streaming on Roku? Tons of TV shows and movies. Netflix, Hulu Plus, Amazon Instant Video, Crackle, HBO GO and VUDU are all top favorites. Music is extremely popular, and consumers enjoy Pandora, VEVO and Spotify among other choices. News, sports, science and foreign languages from around the world are also big hits.

Did I mention games? In 2011, we introduced casual games to the Roku platform with the debut of Angry Birds, which took the leap from mobile to TV for the first time. Angry Birds remains the most popular game on Roku today – by our count more than 3 billion bad piggies have been eliminated!

Today, 25% of Roku players stream more than 35 hours per week to a TV. According to Nielsen, the average American spends 34 hours per week watching live TV. That means one in four Roku customers are enjoying the vast majority of their TV time with Roku, making Roku one of the most coveted streaming platforms.

What does the future of TV look like? There’s no doubt it will be streamed.

Here’s to the next 8 billion streams!

Anthony Wood
Roku Founder and CEO

click to enlarge

Posted in Announcements, Roku, Roku News | Tagged , , | 79 Comments

Software update for Roku 3

Posted on April 8, 2013 by Tom Markworth

We’re always working to improve the Roku experience, and today we’ve released the very first software update for Roku 3.

The update—version 5.0, build 7070—includes the following fixes:

  • Added a progress dialog during the download of a home screen theme
  • Added support for future games launching on Roku 3
  • Fixed a bug that prevented Wheel of Fortune from being offered on Roku 3
  • Fixed audio, connectivity and software update issues with the Roku 3 remote
  • Improved overall platform stability

This minor update will be pushed to all Roku 3 players over the next 48 hours. To update manually, simply go to Settings > System update > Check now from your Roku 3.

Happy streaming!

Posted in Announcements, Roku News | Tagged , , | 48 Comments

Announcing Roku Streaming Shades

Posted on April 1, 2013 by Tom Markworth

UPDATE: Happy April Fools’ Day, friends!

Streamers rejoice! Today, we are excited to introduce Roku Streaming Shades, the first wearable Roku player.

Roku Streaming Shades were designed with the on-the-move TV watcher in mind. Comfortable, silicone nose pads keep the lightweight frame securely in place on even the smallest-featured of faces. Our industrial designers worked side-by-side with fashion designers to create a frame that looks smart wherever you want to watch a movie secretly, whether it’s a dull work presentation or your child’s piano recital.

Simple voice commands put you in control of Roku Streaming Shades. “OK, shades, play next Breaking Bad on Netflix” will start the next episode of the gritty, award-winning drama on the built-in glass prism display (a mere 3 cm from your eyes).

Roku Streaming Shades will support over 100 Roku channels at launch, with more to be added. Video is the star. Our research shows that users don’t want to use head-mounted displays to send text messages to people 10 feet away, learn the length of the Brooklyn Bridge or creep friends out by live casting a party. They want to veg out to marathon sessions of Homeland.

Two models of Roku Streaming Shades will be available:

  • Roku Streaming Shades – Plastic frames in tortoise shell, mulberry or onyx. Up to 720p video. 801.11 a/b/g/n. Bluetooth 4.0.
  • Roku Streaming Shades XS – Aluminum frames in ultramarine, persimmon, cornsilk or dust storm. Up to 1080p video. 801.11 a/b/g/n (801.11n in 2.4 GHz and 5.0 GHz. GSM/EDGE, LTE connections (data plan $50/month for 50GB from to-be-announced wireless carrier). Bluetooth 4.0.

Both models support voice commands via a built-in microphone and audio output with speakers and a stereo headphone mini-jack. A mini bluetooth Roku remote makes it simple to skip songs on Pandora when you don’t want to appear to be talking to yourself. The rechargeable lithium-ion battery provides up to 10 hours of video streaming bliss.

An accelerometer and a three-axis gyroscope make it possible to play Roku games with natural head motions – just keep an eye out for curbs and oncoming traffic. Both models come with Angry Birds Star Wars free.


Use your Streaming Shades with the recently announced Roku 3 player for seamless video viewing. If you walk in the door halfway through an episode of Game of Thrones on your Streaming Shades, simply command “Okay, shades, send show to TV” to finish up on your Roku 3.

Roku Streaming Shades ($399.99) and Roku Streaming Shades XS ($499.99) will be available on Roku.com, Amazon.com and other major online retailers beginning April 31.

For those of you who live, breathe and eat technology, Roku Streaming Shades are the new way to ensure that nature, social events and family don’t get in the way of watching your favorite shows 24/7. It’s TV time. Anytime and ANYWHERE.

Posted in Announcements, Roku News | Tagged , | 37 Comments

Sky Sports comes to NOW TV on Roku

Posted on March 29, 2013 by Clive

As of today, UK streamers can enjoy the best live sports on a simple pay-as-you-go basis with the launch of Sky Sports on the NOW TV Roku channel.

For just £9.99, NOW TV customers can get 24-hour access to all six Sky Sports channels and a wide range of great matches and events, including:

  • Exclusively live matches from the Barclays Premier League and UEFA Champions League
  • All 19 Grands Prix™ from the Formula 1® season– as well as qualifying and practice sessions
  • Exclusive coverage of the British & Irish Lions 2013 Tour of Australia
  • All 10 Ashes Test matches from home and away, exclusively live – as well as all one-day internationals and Twenty20 internationals
  • Three of golf’s four Majors – including The Masters
  • Exclusive ATP tennis, including the ATP finals from The O2

Now it’s easy to skip the pub, invite your mates over and watch your team beat  Man UTD. from the comfort of your own sofa! All without the hassle of a contract, set-up costs or installation.

You can add the NOW TV channel to your Roku player here.

Happy streaming!

Posted in New Channels, Roku, Roku News | Tagged , , , | 10 Comments

Roku Review: Argo

Posted on March 23, 2013 by Eric

Hi, I’m Eric Lachter, Roku Brand Guy and Lover of CIA Movies.

‘Argo’ won Best Picture at the Oscars, and it had me on the edge of my seat from beginning to end. The film is based on a true, recently declassified story about an elaborate and daring 1980 CIA operation to rescue six American embassy workers from Iran under the cover of a fake Hollywood movie.

John Goodman, Alan Arkin and Bryan Cranston make up an amazing supporting cast, and I enjoyed the film’s retro vibe – the sets, cars and big collars made me nostalgic for my old ‘Starsky and Hutch’ lunch box from fifth grade. Ben Affleck stars, directs and produces, establishing himself as a true Hollywood powerhouse. ‘Gigli’ may now be forgiven.

Argo is available on the Amazon Instant Video Roku channel, along with many great Oscar winners and nominees. See this movie. It is inspiring, suspenseful and informative.

Keep Streaming, America!

Posted in Recommendations, Roku | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Introducing Roku 3 [VIDEO]

Posted on March 5, 2013 by Jim

It’s a great day for TV lovers. Today, we’re excited to introduce the new, fully loaded Roku 3 – our fastest, most powerful streaming player to-date. From an intuitive new interface to an enhanced remote with built-in headphone jack for private listening, the all-new Roku 3 was designed with you in mind.  

Clocking in at over five times faster than our previous players, the Roku 3 will get you to your favorite movies and TV shows in a flash. Even better, the Enhanced Remote with an integrated headphone jack makes it easy to enjoy TV time anytime. Just plug in the included in-ear headphones and Roku instantly switches audio to the headphones while muting your TV speakers. It’s that simple. Now you can turn up those late-night Breaking Bad marathons without waking the whole family!

In the spirit of simplicity, the new Roku interface features a streamlined layout to provide quicker access and greater visibility – especially if you have many channels installed. The Roku Channel Store and Search are now fully integrated into the home screen, and both have been redesigned with our new on-screen experience. Over 750+ channels are available on Roku, and it’s easier than ever to find that perfect movie or show in our updated Roku Channel Store.

Check out the new Roku experience in action:

The new interface debuts on the Roku 3 and will automatically roll out as a free software update in April to all Roku 2 models, Roku HD (model 2500), Roku LT and the Roku Streaming Stick. (Note: Roku Search is available only in the U.S.)*

The Roku 3 is available now for $99.99 in the U.S. through Roku.com, Amazon.com and several other leading online retailers. It will be available at major retail chains beginning in April.

At Roku, we strive to make TV watching as enjoyable as it can be – and we do that by delivering useful innovation, like a convenient private listening mode or an incredibly simple, intuitive interface. We don’t believe in tech for tech’s sake. We’re not going to make you shout or gesture at your TV. We just want to bring you the best TV experience, and we’re extremely proud of the Roku 3.

You’ll find more information about the Roku 3, including product features and specifications, right here.

*Update: The new Roku interface will begin rolling out to Roku 2, Roku HD (model 2500), Roku LT and the Roku Streaming Stick the first week of May. We took a bit more time to ensure that the update will be a great experience, but the rollout will be complete by the end of May 2013. Thanks for your patience!

Posted in Announcements, Roku, Roku News | Tagged , , , | 163 Comments

TWC TV launches on Roku

Posted on March 5, 2013 by Kacie

In January, we announced that Time Warner Cable, the second largest cable company in the U.S., would bring its authenticated cable service, TWC TV, to Roku. We were very excited to be selected as the first connected TV device to stream TWC TV, demonstrating Time Warner Cable’s confidence in the strength and value of the Roku platform.

Today we are pleased to share that TWC TV is now available on the Roku platform at no extra cost to Time Warner Cable video subscribers who own a Roku 2, Roku HD (model 2500), Roku LT or Roku Streaming Stick™. If you’ve been looking for a way to enjoy TWC TV in places where you may not have a cable box, like in the bedroom or the den, you can easily add a Roku player and stream TWC TV.


TWC TV features up to 300 live, linear TV channels including networks like Animal Planet, Bravo, Food Network, HGTV and more. You can find TWC TV in the Roku Channel Store.

Happy Streaming!

Posted in Industry, New Channels, Roku News | Tagged , , | 50 Comments

Blockbuster On Demand launches on Roku

Posted on February 26, 2013 by Tom Markworth

Attention, movie lovers! We’re excited to announce that Blockbuster On Demand is now available on Roku.

The Blockbuster On Demand channel offers rentals for thousands of movie titles, including recent releases and classic favorites.

You can browse by new releases, most popular and genre, or peruse curated collections such as “Shakespeare on Film” and “I Heart New York.” Blockbuster On Demand has also been added to one-stop Roku Search, so you can find the perfect movie faster than ever.

The channel provides a rich movie experience with support for closed captioning, trailers for many titles, a browse filter (HD only, MPAA rating, etc.) and a Watchlist to help you remember movies for later viewing.

Blockbuster On Demand is available today in the United States on the Roku Streaming Stick, Roku 2, Roku LT, and new Roku HD players (model 2500X) running Roku software version 4.9 build 5060 or later. You can find it in the “Movies & TV” category of the Roku Channel Store.

Keep streaming, America!

Posted in Announcements, New Channels, Roku News | Tagged , | 12 Comments