According to the recent Nielsen report, roughly two out of five households in the US are subscribers of video streaming services like Hulu and Netflix. If you don’t have a smart television though, you can still enjoy the services of various video streaming sites using a streaming media player. One of the players getting a lot of buzz these days is the newly released Roku 4.

The Basics

Roku 4 is the latest edition of the Roku streaming media player. It comes with several new features that its predecessors lacked. One of the main selling points of Roku boxes is the wide assortment of content that the brand offers. And with about 3,000 channels, Roku 4 affirms this extensive channel custom continues.

The selling price of Roku 4 $130. It costs $30 more than the Amazon Fire TV, but about $50 less than the new Apple TV. The primary reason why buyers shell out the extra $30 is due to the device’s 4K power.

Investing in a Roku 4 can be considered as an exercise in future-proofing your source of entertainment as it’s more compatible with 4K streaming videos from the leading video streaming sites like Netflix, YouTube, and Amazon.

The Roku 4 is powered by OS7, the brand’s latest operating system. One of the benefits of this new OS is the extended “My Feed,” which enables you to follow television shows and movies and receive notifications once they up for streaming. Also, the “Hotel and Dorm Connect” feature of OS7easily allows users to hook up where the WiFi networks ask for access information.

The Design

The Roku 4 is a flat, black box with glossy sides and matte top. Embossed on its center is a glistening “4.” A tiny switch on top sets off one of the device’s unique features – a remote- control locator that sends out a range of sounds from its built-in speaker.

Similar with Roku 3, the newest Roku streaming media player includes a headphone jack that can be used for private listening. It also has a remote that can be controlled via WiFi Direct. This means a line of sight with the box is no longer necessary to operate the remote.

The majority of the connections attached to the device can be found on the back of the Roku 4. These are the Ethernet jack, digital optical audio output, and HDMI output. A microSD card slot and the AC power cord input are also on the back of the unit. The only exception to these connections is a USB port on the side part of the device.

The Performance

The Roku 4 delivers swift functionality and reactive control over a cable and WiFi connection. Based on the reviews made by traders that sell electronics, its interface is perceptive and user- friendly. It also arranges the content in a clear-cut manner. The universal search that facilitates voice commands has also been enhanced so it now operates efficiently across 20 various channels.

All in all, probably the most significant adjustment made by Roku for its latest player is its My Feed capability. While this feed was originally restricted to movies, now it’s possible to search for a film, a TV show, an actor, or even a director and follow them to get notifications once a streaming about them is available.