For as many media streaming devices as there are on the market, few can deliver 4K content at an affordable price. At least, that was the case before today, as Roku has unveiled a new set of media players that stream in 4K starting at $39.99. That’s cheaper than any 4K streamer you’ll find from Google, Apple, or Amazon.
First up we have the Roku Premiere, which can play HD, 4K, and HDR content. It comes with a remote, high-speed HDMI cable, power adapter, and two AAA batteries, supports 802.11 (b/g/n) WiFi, and features DTS Digital Surround and Dolby pass through over HDMI. The Roku Premiere’s design looks nearly identical to that of the Roku Express, but offers significantly higher resolutions for just $10 more than the Express.
Roku also introduced a Roku Premiere+, which will be a Walmart exclusive and comes with an added voice remote that features TV power and volume buttons. Walmart’s Roku Premiere+ will run for $49.99, and both devices will be available on October 7th. You can see the Roku Premiere in action in the short video below:
In addition to the two new devices, Roku is also updating its high-end Roku Ultra player. The device itself is the same – HD, 4K, and HDR streaming, 802.11ac MIMO dual-band wireless, 10/100 Base-T Ethernet, voice remote, and night listening mode – but the package will also include a pair of JBL headphones, valued at $39.95. The new Roku Ultra will still cost $99.99, and Roku says that it should also begin shipping on October 7th.
Finally, Roku is also rolling out Roku OS 9 for its streaming devices and Roku OS 8.2 for Roku TVs. Some of the new features include automatic volume leveling, speech clarity, and free genre voice search, as well as support for Spotify, Pandora Premium, and iHeartRadio. Google Assistant support is coming as well. Roku OS 8.2 is rolling out to Roku TVs now, while Roku OS 9 hits streaming players in early November and TVs in early 2019.
