Roku 3by Roku
PROS
- The updated remote has a built-in microphone for searching with your voice.
- The Roku 3 is a platform-agnostic set-top box with more streaming apps than most competitors and no favoritism.
- The remote has a headphone jack for private listening.
CONS
- If you don't need voice search or a headphone jack in the remote, the updated Roku 2 gets you a similar experience for less.
- The first thing you'll need to do is connect to the Internet and update the firmware. If you don't have an active Internet connection, you can't even access the menu.
- You need to supply your own HDMI cable to hook the Roku 3 to your TV.
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LIST PRICE$100
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$79.00Buy
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$129.99Buy
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Name | Roku 3 | Roku 4 | WD TV Media Player | Tablo 2-Tuner DVR | Simple.tv 2 |
Manufacturer | Roku | Roku | Western Digital | Nuvyyo | Simple.TV |
Techwalla Score | |||||
List Price | $100 | $130 | $240 | $220 | $200 |
The rolly-polly, sausage-like remote is stuffed with extras. It's much chunkier and looks a bit dated dated next to the Amazon Fire TV, Appl…
The rolly-polly, sausage-like remote is stuffed with extras. It's much chunkier and looks a bit dated dated next to the Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV and Google Nexus Player remotes, but still feels natural in the hand.
Down the road, it’d be nice if Roku committed more to controlling the set-top from a phone or tablet, as Netflix and YouTube are the only th…
Down the road, it’d be nice if Roku committed more to controlling the set-top from a phone or tablet, as Netflix and YouTube are the only third-party apps that can cast video to the big screen.
It's a bit of a pain because it forces you to connect to the internet to update the firmware before you can even get into the menu. This mea…
It's a bit of a pain because it forces you to connect to the internet to update the firmware before you can even get into the menu. This means if you don't have an active internet connection you will not be able to use the Roku 3 even for offline tasks.
The Roku Channel Store offers a comprehensive selection of streaming media services, with all of the major players present including Netflix…
The Roku Channel Store offers a comprehensive selection of streaming media services, with all of the major players present including Netflix, Hulu Plus, YouTube, Amazon Instant Video, Vudu, Sling TV, and HBO Go.
The Roku 3 has rounded corners and invites the hockey puck analogy, much like Apple TV.
The Roku 3 has rounded corners and invites the hockey puck analogy, much like Apple TV.
Roku Feed is the main difference between Roku's old interface and the new one. It's designed for all of Roku's devices, including its Stream…
Roku Feed is the main difference between Roku's old interface and the new one. It's designed for all of Roku's devices, including its Streaming Stick, and is meant to alert you when new content is available to watch on a Roku channel.
The big story here is voice search via the included remote, and there are two ways to do it. You can press and hold the search button, speak…
The big story here is voice search via the included remote, and there are two ways to do it. You can press and hold the search button, speak into the remote, and then release the button. Or, simply press and release the button, speak into it, and then stop speaking.
Pressing the Netflix or Amazon Instant Video shortcuts on the included remote instantly brings up the corresponding app, not the logo and a …
Pressing the Netflix or Amazon Instant Video shortcuts on the included remote instantly brings up the corresponding app, not the logo and a loading animation as you might see on other set-top boxes.
REVIEW VIDEOS

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