Roku Streaming Stick 4k Review
But if you already own a streaming setup of some kind and you’re not noticing problems, I wouldn’t worry too much about this one, either. Well, it’s like a second remote, and the company updated it so it can take your voice commands too and save stuff to lists to play later. It’s also better about pairing up with Bluetooth headphones now, cutting down on the lag and matching sounds to mouths. The Streaming Stick 4K also supports Apple AirPlay 2, so you can stream whatever is on your iPad, iPhone, or Mac directly to the device. There's no Google Cast support, though, which the Chromecast With Google TV has.
The Fire TV's Live TV grid, though, integrates with cord-cutter services such as Sling TV — a huge boon for cord-cutters like myself.
The new Roku Streaming Stick 4K will be available for purchase for approximately $50 USD. The same is true of the Roku Streaming Stick 4K+, which will have a price of around $80 USD. The Roku Streaming Stick 4K will be released in the USA in October, then Canada, Mexico, and other Latin American countries “in the coming months.” The Roku Streaming Stick 4K+ will be released in the USA in October. With the expansion, you can now access more than 200 channels via the platform. There’s a lot of hand-holding when it comes to setting up a Roku device, the bulk of which happens through a web browser rather than the device itself.
Everything is tested by our dedicated team of in-house reviewers in our custom-built test rooms in London and Bath. Our coveted five-star rating and Awards are recognised all over the world as the ultimate seal of approval, so you can buy with absolute confidence. Set-up is simple, it has an easy-to-use interface and is fast in use – the only remaining question is whether you really need one. Start streaming Okja from Netflix in 4K HDR and there is a noticeable improvement in quality to the Full HD images on the Roku Express.
In the scene where Beth chugs her first beer, the black tone of her sweater looked pitch-black, with excellent contrast. The Roku Streaming Stick 4K also supports HDR10 and HDR10+, which also enable dark black tones and quality contrast. However, the Roku Streaming Sticks are just a roku streaming stick 4k 4k+ 2021 touch more user-friendly.
There’s a lot of hand-holding during the initial setup of a Roku device, the bulk of which actually happens through a web browser and not the device itself. That’s all well and good, but before everything was done, there’s also a screen with info about over 20 free trials for streaming services. That’s where things started feeling a little spammy, but soon after, I was dropped into the same-as-ever app grid homescreen. When it does come time to log into streaming apps on the Roku, you can now use voice dictation to enter your email and password. Most every new TV has a 4K resolution and supports high dynamic range video playback, so your streaming box should, too. The more HDR formats a streaming device supports (Dolby Vision, HDR10+, HLG), the more compatible and future-proof it is with newer HDR TVs.
HDR10 Plus is more of a factor if you have a Samsung TV and it’s still more limited in content selection. During my time with the device so far, I did not encounter any overheating issues that the Streaming Stick Plus could occasionally be prone to. Also keep in mind that Roku’s players now support Apple’s AirPlay 2, making it easy to play content on the device from an iPhone, iPad or Mac.
I can’t say that I pay attention to it on most streaming devices, but the software loaded up rapidly. I don’t have much new to say about the Roku interface, which has basically remained the same for several years now. The Home screen is populated by apps represented in square boxes, much like the Apple TV 4K — though the Streaming Stick 4K Plus is much cheaper than that $179 device. Pick an HDCP2.2-certified HDMI 2.0 input and the Roku stick will support video all the way up to 4K at 60fps. Register your Streaming Stick+ on Roku’s website and from here, and you can select apps (or ‘channels’) to download to your device. In addition to the plentiful apps, one thing I like about Roku players is that the company regularly updates its software with new features and capabilities.