Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 8 Comments on Roku may soon launch 5 New Express, Premiere and Ultra Media Streamers

Roku may soon launch 5 New Express, Premiere and Ultra Media Streamers

Roku is a popular brand for media streamers in North America, which also operates in some countries in Europe, and according to the leaked pictures provided by Zatznotfunny, the company has 5 models in the pipe for this year with entry-level (Express), mid-range (Premiere) and high-end (Ultra) versions. Let’s go through some of main features of the five models from low-end to high-end: Roku Express 3700 – About half the size of a Roku player, and comes with HDMI and micro USB ports. Roku Express Plus 3710 – Similar as above, possibly with additional ports (e.g. AV jack) or headphone + voice control remote Roku Premiere 4620 – Larger model Roku Premiere+ 4630 – Same as above but with Ethernet and micro SD, as well as HDR support Roku Ultra 4640 – Replacement of the current Roku 4 with HDMI output (4K / HDR), micro SD slot, optical S/PDIF, and Ethernet. It may also have a USB port. We don’t […]

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Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 1 Comment on $50 Roku Streaming Stick 2016 Edition (Model 3600) Is Faster and Smaller

$50 Roku Streaming Stick 2016 Edition (Model 3600) Is Faster and Smaller

Roku has introduced a updated version of their Roku Streaming Stick with a faster quad core processor, that’s supposed to he 8 times faster than the previous model, and with more processing power than Amazon Fire TV stick and ChromeCast. The company did not release all hardware specifications, but here’s what we know: Processor – Unnamed quad core processor Video Output – HDMI with 720p or 1080p resolution Audio Output – Digital stereo over HDMI, DTS Digital Surround pass-through over HDMI Connectivity – 802.11 (a/b/g/n compatible) with WEP, WPA, and WPA2 support Power Supply- 5.0V – 1.5A USB power adapter; 3W typical power consumption when streaming HD video Dimensions –  ~8.4 x 2.03 x 1.27 cm Weight – 17 grams The device runs the latest Roku OS 7.1, and ships with a point-anywhere RF remote, two AAA batteries for the remote, a USB power cable and power adapter, and a Get Started guide. Roku has always used Broadcom processor in […]

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Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments on Roku 4 Media Player Supports H.265 and VP9 4K Videos, 7.1 Channel Audio Pass-through

Roku 4 Media Player Supports H.265 and VP9 4K Videos, 7.1 Channel Audio Pass-through

Roku has announced the latest version of their video streaming player. Roku 4 comes with a faster quad core processor, supports H.265 & VP9 video playback up to respectively 2160p60 and 2160p30, and includes a new version of Roku operating systems. Roku 4 specifications: SoC – Unnamed Quad core ARM processor with OpenGL ES 2.0 capable GPU System Memory – 1.5GB RAM Storage – TBD internal storage – micro SD slot Video Output – HDMI 2.0 up to 3840×2160 @ 60Hz with HDCP 2.2 support Audio Output – HDMI or optical S/PDIF with support for Dolby Digital Plus 7.1 surround pass-through Video Codecs – 4K UHD 60 fps HEVC Playback, 4K UHD 30 fps VP9 Playback (YouTube) Connectivity – 802.11ac MIMO dual-band wireless, 10/100 Base-T Ethernet USB – USB host port Power supply – 12V/1A Power consumption – 12.4W (typ.) when streaming 4K UHD video Dimensions – About 16.5 x 16.5 x 2 cm Weight – 408 grams The device […]

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Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 6 Comments on Nvidia Shield Android TV vs Apple TV vs Roku 3 vs Fire TV vs Nexus Player – Video Capabilities and Features Comparison

Nvidia Shield Android TV vs Apple TV vs Roku 3 vs Fire TV vs Nexus Player – Video Capabilities and Features Comparison

Since Nvidia released the Shield Android TV box, I’ve heard several people saying Nvidia raised the bar and even disrupted the TV box market by bringing a powerful HTPC and gaming console to the market for just $199. The company has now released OTA 2.0 firmware that improves HTPC capabilities, including under Kodi and Plex, and the box supports for 10-bit HEVC, H.264, and VP9 @ 4K, and audio pass-through for HD audio codecs such as Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master. As part of the release announcement, Nvidia also compared the Shield TV media capabilities to the ones of other US centric media players, namely Apple TV (2015), Roku 3, Amazon Fire TV (2015), and Nexus Player. Since it comes from Nvidia, it was also going to show the Shield TV in a good light, but I’m very surprised to see that Apple, Amazon, Google, and Roku would ship a device without MPEG-2 support… Maybe most people just stream videos […]

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Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments on Amazon Introduces $39 Fire TV Stick to Compete with Chromecast, Roku Streaming Stick

Amazon Introduces $39 Fire TV Stick to Compete with Chromecast, Roku Streaming Stick

Amazon has decided to put Fire TV media player functionality into a low cost HDMI TV stick called “Fire TV stick” to offer an alternative to the likes of Google Chromecast, and Roku Streaming Stick. The device is based on a Broadcom BCM28155 dual core processor with the same VideoCore IV GPU/VPU found in BCM2835 SoC used in the Raspberry Pi. Fire TV stick hardware specifications: SoC – Broadcom BCM28155 (Capri) dual core ARM Cortex A9 processor @ 1.0 GHz with VideoCore IV GPU/VPU System Memory – 1GB RAM with half reserved to the system, and the other half dedicated to video. Storage – 8 GB internal storage Video / Audio Output – HDMI 1.4b output, w/HDCP 1.4. Resolution: 720p and 1080p up to 60fps Video Codecs – H.264 Audio – AAC-LC, AC3, eAC3 (Dolby Digital Plus), FLAC, MP3, PCM/Wave, Vorbis Connectivity – dual-band/dual-antenna 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi (2×2 MIMO),  Bluetooth 3.0 (HID, HFP, HPP profiles). Other part of Amazon website indicates […]

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Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 21 Comments on Amazon Launches $99 Fire TV Android Media Player Powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon Quad Core SoC

Amazon Launches $99 Fire TV Android Media Player Powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon Quad Core SoC

After few months ago, news broke that Amazon was working on an Android STB. The company has now launched Amazon Fire TV media player featuring Qualcomm Snapdragon 8064 quad core Krait processor with 2GB RAM, and supporting Amazon Prime Video, as well as a host of other popular online video and audio streaming services such as YouTube, Netflix, Hulu, Vimeo, Pandora, and more. Let’s go through the specifications first: SoC – Qualcomm Snapdragon 8064 quad core Krait 300 processor @ 1.7 GHz with Adreno 320 GPU. (Part of Snapdragon 600 family) System Memory – 2GB LPDDR2 @ 533 MHZ Storage – 8 GB internal Video Output – HDMI 1.4b output, w/HDCP. Resolution: 720p and 1080p up to 60fps Audio Output – HDMI, optical SPDIF Video Codecs –  H.263, H.264, MPEG4-SP, VC1 Audio Codecs – AAC, AC-3, E-AC-3, HE-A, PCM, MP3, Dolby Digital Plus, 5.1 surround sound, 2ch Stereo and HDMI audio pass through up to 7.1 Connectivity – 10/100M Ethernet, […]

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Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 4 Comments on The New $50 Roku Streaming Stick Drops MHL, Gets a micro USB Port, and a Wi-Fi Remote

The New $50 Roku Streaming Stick Drops MHL, Gets a micro USB Port, and a Wi-Fi Remote

The first Roku Streaming Stick was announced early 2012 with an HDMI/MHL port. It turns out MHL did not take as Roku and others, including myself, expected, and even today MHL is not a prominent feature in new TVs, and seldom listed in the specifications. So they’ve just announced a new Roku Streaming Stick, HDMI version, that can be powered via the USB port of your TV, or a standard USB power adapter. The processor and memory have not been disclosed, but we can assume it’s probably based on a Broadcom processor. The rest of the specs are as follows: Video Output – HDMI (720p or 1080p) Audio Output – HDMI with 7.1 and 5.1 surround pass-through support Connectivity – 802.11 dual-band (a/b/g/n compatible) with WEP, WPA, and WPA2 support Misc – Status light, reset button Power Consumption – Less than 2W (typical) when streaming HD video Power Input – 5V/1A power adapter connected to micro USB port Dimensions – […]

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Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments on Roku Streaming Stick HDMI/MHL Dongle

Roku Streaming Stick HDMI/MHL Dongle

Roku has unveiled the Roku Streaming Stick – an HDMI dongle about the size of a standard USB flash drive that will simply plug into a TV to instantly transform it into a Smart TV. It basically includes everything you’d find in a Roku player (built-in WiFi, processor, memory and software) and will deliver all the channels present on the Roku platform. It will be possible to use just one remote for the TV and for streaming and no cables or power adaptor are needed. Another advantage of the Roku stick, is that when it becomes outdated and the hardware needs to be upgraded to be able to take advantage of new software capabilities, it’s possible to simply purchase a new low cost Roku Streaming Stick (or another equivalent product) without having to replace the much more expensive TV. The Roku Streaming Stick will plug into MHL-enabled HDMI ports on TVs. MHL is a new standard that uses the HDMI […]

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