Apple, Amazon and Google are all rolling out new digital set-top boxes in time for the holiday season. So too is Roku.
The plucky Saratoga company is unveiling today a new streaming media gadget dubbed the Roku 4. Like its rivals, the new device, which will start shipping later this month, will have updated software and new features — as well as a higher price.
The standout feature of the new device is its support for ultra high-definition, or 4K, video. Amazon’s new Fire TV and Nvidia’s Shield can also stream 4K video, but Google’s new Chromecast, the updated Apple TV and Roku’s older boxes can’t.
Relatively little video is yet available in 4K. But a growing number of TVs support the standard and companies like Netflix are releasing an increasing number of movies and TV shows in the format. Meanwhile, most photographs and many videos taken on recent smartphones are shot in 4K resolution or better.
Roku is planning to spotlight the 4K videos available through the device. The gadget’s updated interface will have a special section with links that go directly to videos in the ultra high-definition format. It will also have a section that highlights digital channels that offer 4K videos.
In addition to supporting 4K, the Roku 4 will also have a more powerful processor and will be compatible with 802.11 ac, the latest, fastest Wi-Fi standard. The device will run on Roku OS 7, a new version of the company’s software that will also be available for other recent Roku devices.
All this will come at a price: The Roku 4 will cost $130. Roku’s most expensive device previously, the Roku 3, cost $100.
Despite competing against some of the biggest tech companies, Roku has managed to carve out a niche for itself in the digital streaming media business. Its players have long offered more channels or digital apps than their rivals, and the company has offered a range of devices at different price points.
But the competition is likely to get tougher in coming months, thanks to all the new devices on the market. With the new Apple TV, the first updated model in more than three years, Apple is trying to take a page from the iPhone and is opening the box to outside developers who will be able to offer apps through a new store. Amazon’s Fire TV offers 4K streaming and a faster processor.
Nvidia is rolling out a new streaming gaming service to go with its Shield gadget. And Google’s new Chromecast should offer faster streaming of video and better Internet connections at the same low $35 price.
Photo: The new Roku 4 (courtesy of Roku).
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