Roku’s new Ultra streamer is its fastest one yet, and the first to support all HDR formats

DA Gadgets September 25, 2024 Streaming Devices, Televisions

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Roku
wants
to
make
its
Ultra
streaming
set-top
box
even
more
Ultra;
at
least,
that’s
the
aim
of
its
next-generation
device.
The
new

Roku
Ultra
keeps
a
very
familiar
look,
with
a
basically
identical
build
and
–
more
importantly
–
sticks
to
the
same
$99
(about
£75
/
AU$145)
price.

The
Ultra
is
still
a
simple,
rounded
square
streaming
box
that
comes
in
one
color,
black
–
though
it
does
sport
a
flash
of
color
with
a
purple
tag
displaying
the
Roku
logo.
It’s
all
familiar
on
the
outside,
and
speaks
to
the
fact
that
unlike,
say,
the
new

Google
TV
Streamer,
the
Roku
Ultra
isn’t
necessarily
designed
to
be
seen.
It
can
sit
alongside
the
TV
on
a
home
entertainment
cabinet,
or
just
be
shoved
behind
it.

All
the
changes
lie
under
the
hood
–
and
they’re
all
centered
around
speed.

The
fastest
Roku
yet

(Image
credit:
Roku)

The
new
Ultra
is
powered
by
a
quad-core
processor
that
Roku
says
was
built
from
the
ground
up
for
“cinematic
streaming,”
and
which
promises
to
be
30%
faster
than
other
players
in
the
Roku
lineup.

It
should
make
the
Roku
OS
platform
run
smoothly
and
enable
faster,
more
instantaneous
application
openings,
but
it
also
lets
this
player
support
more
formats.
With
HDR10+
and

Dolby
Vision
on
board,
this
Ultra
is
the
first
to
support
all
the
major

HDR
formats
–
in
addition
to
its

4K
and

Dolby
Atmos
support.
This
means
that
if
you
pair
this
with
the
right
TV,
streamed
content
will
look
especially
nice.

Like
the

Roku
Ultra
(2020),
the
Ultra
still
features
an
HDMI
2.1
port.
It
also
supports
Quick
Media
Switching,
which
should
reduce
slowdowns
if
the
refresh
rate
changes.
Inside
is

Wi-Fi
6
for
faster
streaming,
assuming
you
have
the
right
Wi-Fi
access
points.
Roku
uses
machine
learning
and
AI
to
predict
what
you
might
want
to
watch
next,
and
queue
up
the
respective
app
or
show
for
a
faster
start
to
streaming.
It
keeps
an
Ethernet
port
for
a
wired
connection
as
well.

If
you
want
to
listen
privately,
you
can
now
connect
a
pair
of
the

best
Bluetooth
headphones
to
the
Roku
Ultra.
This
levels
the
playing
field
with
the

Apple
TV
4K
and
the

Google
TV
Streamer,
and
it’s
a
long-awaited
and
welcome
addition.

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Roku
adds
two
buttons
to
the
Voice
Remote
Pro
and
adopts
USB-C

(Image
credit:
Roku)

In
the
box,
you
get
Roku’s
second-edition
Voice
Remote
Pro,
which
keeps
an
ergonomic
design
and
buttons
for
easy
TV
control,
including
power
and
volume.
All
of
the
buttons
are
now
backlit,
and
there
are
two
new
ones.
The
Quick
Launch
button
is
shaped
like
a
rocket
ship
and
gives
you
easy
access
to
shortcuts,
such
as
engaging
closed
captions
or
opening
your
favorite
streaming
service.
The
other
addition
is
a
Live
TV
button,
which
gives
you
access
to
all
over
400
channels
that
are
available
for
free.

Perhaps
the
biggest
change
is
the
Voice
Remote
Pro
second-edition
gaining
a
USB-C
port
for
easy
re-charging.
It
still
has
a
speaker
built
in
for
easy
locating
it
should
get
lost
in
between
the
couch
cushions.
The
new
Roku
Ultra
features
a
dedicated
button
to
ping
the
remote,
as
on
the

Google
TV
streamer.
Lastly,
the
remote
again
has
a
microphone,
so
that
you
can
easily
control
your
Roku
Ultra
with
your
voice.

Roku
is
taking
orders
now
for
the
new
Roku
Ultra
at
$99
in
the
United
States
and
Canada.
It
will
be
available
from
additional
retailers
in
the
coming
weeks,
and
we’ve
contacted
Roku
for
comment
on
whether
it
will
launch
in
additional
territories.

We’ll
be
back
soon
with
our
full
review
of
the
Roku
Ultra,
as
soon
as
we’re
done
testing
the
streaming
box
to
see
how
well
it
stands
up
against
our
current

best
streaming
devices.

Roku
also
teased
some
software
enhancements
and
feature
drops
arriving
in
the
coming
weeks
as
part
of
Roku
OS
14.
Building
off
the
voice
control
functionality
enabled
by
the
Voice
Remote
Pro,
Roku
will
eventually
let
you
access
a
laundry
list
of
settings
with
your
voice.
Teased
was
the
ability
to
adjust
home
screen
tiles,
check
for
software
updates,
and
even
switch
to
a
guest
mode.

Additionally,
Roku
is
focusing
more
on
content
for
families
and
children,
with
a
new
spot
on
the
home
screen
that
should
make
finding
family-friendly
content
easier,
including
adding
familiar
characters
including
the
Cat
in
the
Hat
and
Peppa
Pig
to
the
home
screen
tiles.

The
Roku
app
for
Android
and
iOS
is
also
getting
a
bit
more
powerful.
It
lets
you
keep
your
TV
controls
while
browsing
for
content
on
the
same
screen.
You
can
also
search
for
content
here,
then
make
the
call
and
have
it
start
playing
on
your
Roku
streaming
player
or
Roku-connected
TV.