Roku Express | Easy High Definition (HD) Streaming Media Player (2018)

Fantastic product so far! After the first week, we bought a second one for a family member. First thing: Before you buy, understand what content is free and what is not. Second, in case it's not obvious, the Roku operates over your wifi and internet connection. You have to have an internet connection that is fast enough to stream video. If you can't stream video on your mobile (via wifi) or PC, you won't be able to stream it on the Roku either. Subscription content: Anything that you have to pay for elsewhere (like Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, network TV streaming, etc), you'll still have to have those same subscriptions. But the Roku allows you to access all of those subscriptions (the ones you're paying for) from a single device on your TV, with a nice interface that nearly anyone can use, even if they're technology-illiterate. Worst case, if you get lost somewhere, just press the Home button. (But keep in mind, each 'channel' on Roku is an app written by the individual content provider, so some are a little more complicated than others. I suspect for marketing reasons, it's not always obvious on some of the network TV channels which content is free versus paid until you try to play it. But you'll always be prompted before paying for anything, and you can add a pin-number to prevent accidental purchases). Ad-supported content: There is a lot of ad-supported content, just like watching free over-the-air (OTA) TV stations. For network TV (ABC, NBC, CBS, CW, etc), check each network's website to see what shows you can watch for free directly on their website, and that's generally what you'll be able to watch on Roku, too. After all, the 'channels' on Roku are apps written by each network. For many networks, the free content includes the last 3 to 5 episodes of things that are currently airing, with content being made available a week after the original broadcast date. This is comes in handy if you miss an episode or two of over-the-air TV. Some of the networks also offer free 'throwback' content, where you can watch an entire series of an older show. And there are a few channels like pluto.tv and tubi.tv that provide a wide assortment of ad-supported movies and TV shows. Again, check their corresponding websites to see what content they currently have, and that's what you'll get on Roku. The ones mentioned above offer some relatively recent content, in addition to a lot of older and slightly-older content. Free, without ads: Mostly, you'll find that the ad-free content is extremely old... lots of black-and-white TV and movies, some early color TV/movies, etc. For those who don't like much of what's on TV these days, there's a lot of classy and classic stuff here. And, of course, a lot of b- and c-grade stuff you've never heard of. This newest version of the Roku Express ("5X more powerful") has a very smooth interface, with good response from the remote. Video startup is extremely fast if you have decent internet speed. I tested on a relative's 6mbps DSL internet, and buffering times were never uncomfortable. On my faster internet (100mbps), videos either start instantly, or take no more than about 1 or 2 seconds of buffering. The remote control is great -- simple, strong signal, good range. It's infrared-based, so you have to be in the same room (why would you want to be out of the room??). I generally don't even have to point the remote at the Roku box, because the infrared is strong enough to reflect off of the ceiling or walls and still work. Just be sure your Roku box's front side is unobscured and pointing toward the room. They provide a sticky-tape strip to stick the box somewhere convenient, like the side or top of your TV or media cabinet. The provided HDMI cable is only 2 feet long, though, so it does have to be relatively close to the TV. But you could use a different HDMI cable if you need the remote to be a little farther away. One feature I love about the remote is that pressing the Home button will turn on your TV and switch to the Roku's HDMI input, assuming your TV supports this (I have a Samsung TV which is supported, and a TCL TV which apparently wasn't). You can also use the Roku app on your mobile to control the Roku via wifi. In addition to providing an interface that looks pretty similar to the physical remote, you can also browse for other content while something is already playing. It fact, it's quite a bit easier to navigate if you're searching for something specific, since the physical remote requires using an on-screen keyboard where you select each letter and click OK (normally, I'm not searching for something specific on the physical remote, so it's not a problem). The app also has a headphone feature, which I'm guessing allows you to listen directly from your mobile instead of via the TV... great for watching at night when others are sleeping. Note, the Roku app is NOT designed to watch Roku content directly on your mobile. It simply lets you select the content to watch on the TV. Overall, it's a great experience. My only subscription at the moment is Amazon prime, which doesn't have a lot of content that I really want to watch (sorry, Amazon! I have Prime mostly for the shipping), so I use the Roku mostly for ad-supported TV and movies, and there's more than enough to keep me busy for a long time.

Bought this to stream content to a 32" bedroom TV. I already have the Roku Ultra 4K in my theater and a FireStick in my living room. They both do the same thing, but I prefer the UI of Roku a bit more, and for $25, it was a great deal. Had it connected and up and running in about 15mins. The longest part was waiting for all of the apps to download. I run Sling, Hulu, NetFlix, Showtime, YouTube, and Amazon Prime Video, and all work flawlessly and display 1080P video on the TV. I like how small the module is as well, and have it affixed to the bottom of the TV which is wall-mounted about 6ft high. Don't forget to download the Roku remote app on your smartphone to control your Roku right from your phone, especially if you'll be typing any information. It's much easier on a keyboard on your phone than it is to select each letter/number using the Roku remote. Bottom line - if you don't need 4K and want a simple to use, compact streaming solution, this is the best bet and works great. Even comes with an HDMI cable, power cable and USB outlet base (I don't use the base, but instead use the USB out from the TV to power the Roku), and batteries for the remote. Also comes with a double-sided sticky strip to affix the Roku module to your TV.

Ok so the only drawback is having a visible target for the remote (you mount a small box to your tv or nearby). I have owned the ancient google chromecast device, the amazon firestick, and now the Roku. The chromecast really worked fine but it was nearly impossible to stream amazon prime, and ours just kinda got old and unreliable (but it lasted a really long time before that). We got a fire stick on a good deal. It was the worst of the 3. For one thing google and amazon are constantly fighting each other. So on the firestick we could access amazon content easily but not YouTube. The remote for the fire was CONSTANTLY chewing through batteries. Like I'm talking quarterly battery changes here. Amazon filled the fire with advertising and it just wasn't a great user experience. The roku is neutral in terms of content. They have their own content but it's pretty poor and not a reason to buy the stick. They work super well with all the major content subscriptions and don't fill your tv with ads. I've been really happy with the remote and with the user interface of the roku. The only thing I miss about fire TV was telling Alexa to pause the tv (and I'm not even sure Roku doesn't work with Alexa I just haven't tried yet). The neutrality of Roku is so worth getting it, plus at full price, it's actually cheaper than the inferior Fire.

We bought a new 4k TV with roku built in and loved it so much we wanted to add it to our older 1080p tv in the living room. This little box is very quick and streams 1080p that looks at least as good as cable or DTV. The remote is actually heavier quality than what came with my roku tv too. The box itself feels like it is empty, it's so light, but it works fantastically. The only differences are that it's an IR remote, so you need line of sight to the box, and you have to switch inputs to use it. Both are absolutely no problem at all. It's a little weird that there is no off button, but I can't imagine it's pulling much power and you could just unplug it at night if you are worried about it. There is no volume control on the remote, so if you are someone who constantly turns the TV volume up and down, you might get annoyed at having to grab the tv remote for volume, but even that is not really a big deal for the cost. Super easy to install and set up. I do recommend using either the included sticky strip, or we uaed a commans strip, because it is so light, it's otherwise easy to knock right off the tv stand. We attached it to the side of the tv. The included hdmi cable is pretty short, but I had several longer ones laying around so no biggie. The only thing I'd change is to include a four foot cable instead of a two foot, but as I said, I had an extra cable anyway, so didn't matter to me at all.

I've been using Rokus for many years , probably going back to the 2nd or 3rd generation. I've always liked the simple interface that works, but they've always been a little slow for my tastes. Just getting to the channel you want to watch and getting it loaded up seemed to take so long. But not wanting to buy into the Apple landscape, I just sorta lived with it. A few years ago we bought a Fire stick to see if it would alleviate our desire for speed and we were so put off by the buggy nature of it that we went back to our 2013 Roku. It still works, almost 6 years later, but it's definitely on the slow side of things. I finally decided to start looking to see what's out there these days and I found this little unit for a very budget conscious price point and I was intrigued. I was a little worried about the specs because memory wise, it's comparable to our old Roku, but it seemed like the processor would be a little snappier. WOW, I can say this well exceeded my expectations, it's very fast and responsive. The UI is familiar and intuitive, everything just seems to work, and now it's fast to boot! If you're on the fence about this unit due to speed, I can honestly say it works great. I want to put one of these on every TV now! The only reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 is because at first pass, the picture quality didn't seem as good as it could be, but it's not bad by any measure. If I could give it 4.5 stars, I would, especially given the price point, I'm not sure what else out there you could possibly get any better for. This is a great little unit, I'm very happy with it.

I'm new to the streaming TV scene and haven't quite made up my mind about it, but it seems to be "so far, so good." At present, I'm looking for some way to cut my ties with AT&T cable services. Tired of being charged for so many channels that I never watch and having to contact them each year to try to get some kind of "deal," I decided to give Roku a try. For the most part, I'm pretty satisfied with it. The picture quality is decent, although it doesn't seem quite as sharp as the image through AT&T. I find it to be a re-training experience: I can't just punch in the channel numbers on my remote and get the station I want (have to go through the Roku Home screen.) I also can't flip between two stations (i.e., when watching football games) which I can easily do with AT&T--or maybe I just haven't figured out how to do it yet. These aren't big issues, but as I said, a bit of re-training is necessary. I don't really care for much of what is on TV nowadays and only watch a handful of TV shows and hardly any movies (I have the ones I like on DVD or digitally through Amazon) so I'm thinking this will be a good way for me to cut down on my monthly AT&T bill. The setup was extremely easy and everything seems pretty intuitive. I'm no computer genius and kind of technically challenged so if I can get this up and running, anyone can. As I said, it has certain drawbacks for me because of what I've been accustomed to using for so many years. But if it's going to save me some money, I can deal with a little inconvenience until I adapt. Sometimes change can be very good. :-) UPDATE 12/27/19: After using this for a year I give it 5+ stars. At first I didn't think the picture quality was as good as cable but I was wrong. Picture quality is excellent. When you access other streaming channels like Hulu you can get a wide range of available shows, movies and sporting events.. I'm hooked. Love it, love it, love it! (I've disconnected my cable receiver but have to keep the basic TV package in order to have high-speed internet.) Highly recommended.

Updated on August 4 2020 I am not shy when I say I am a fan of Roku. Early adopter, always was and still believe. Unfortunately Roku has become less appealing after July 31, 2020 - when it refused to support big stream channels HBO MAX and now Peacock - the newest kid in town from NBC. I understand legal implications. I am an IT guy, so trust me when I say metadata drives sound monetary value. User behavior and any data we give to these and many other companies every time we use a smart device is priceless. I adopted Roku to free myself from expensive and inflexible Cable deals. I. Me. The consumer. I don't want to be limited on my options to watch and now I have to go to a different room to turn in my Samsung Smart TV to watch HBO Max because Roku discontinued the support of HBO. No, Roku, sorry, it was not HBO leaving Roku as you advertise it. Netflix has it's own channel. Disney+, Hulu, Univision, History Channel, you name it. There is a dedicated channel, so why not HBO? It wasn't because of client preferences, it was because of monetary reasons. Client, for the first time, has been placed in the backseat of Roku's value prop and that makes Roku the lesser because of it. Word of advise: Roku changed the game and created a new one. The Mobile Streaming apps are now doing the same. Roku could benefit from an open approach to support any mobile streaming app, just like a cell phone does today - to keep ahead of the game. Casting your phone to the screen is an alternative and may become the BEST choice if consumers are left with no choice than to keep freedom power in their handhelds because streaming devices like this one want to limit customers. My two cents. My review stands with some minor mods because I can no longer say Roku plays it all... Thanks for all those helpful votes! Original Review follows..... There are hundreds of reviews for this product, so rather than touching on what has already been said, let me just throw in some Do's and Don'ts if you find yourself, like me, navigating the vast array of options in the streaming space. Do's 1) Do your research! There are several different models for Roku, depending on what YOU really need, want or want to pay. I bought a Roku Express because I was upgrading from a 1st generation Roku device and this one is (or at least feels) a thousand times faster, more powerful and has the upgraded software interfaces for apps like Netflix where you can manage your profiles - the older versions did not support that ability, it only presented your default profile. 2) Use the power adapter that comes with it. Sure, you can plug it to your smartTV usb port for power, but if you read about this, there are tons of issues that stem from lack of power supply to the device. 3) Think where you will place your device. This is NOT a set top box, this is a tiny (half of your hand palm) device that has a double tape and sticks do your TV. It is not invasive, it has nice black finish so it won't ruin any aesthetics, but once you stick it on, you need to leave it there, otherwise you could end up with a tape that will no longer work, creating an extra hassle - think location first, then execute and paste it. 4) Play around with it - it has lots of configuration options, like turning on your TV with 1 touch, casting your mobile screen, etc. If you go only by the default options you might miss some fun tricks! 5) Match it with a good router/wifi setup. The worst you can do is have a nice TV, get the top of the line 4K enabled Roku and pair that to a sub-par WIFI connection or a provider that will not support your streaming needs. Remember! this is not plugged by cables, this device streams over the air radio waves, so the distance to your router, obstacles, speed of your network (not only download speeds, but actual WIFI band speeds) can all affect the outcome, so do your homework and think about your entertainment system as a whole, not just the TV / streaming portion. Dont's 1) Not everybody needs 4K streaming and NOT all providers support it! Many providers will charge premium for UHD Content and offer HD as standard option, if that is the case for you, spending extra $$ on a 4K TV and a 4K streaming device will be wasted. (again, see my last DO bullet item!) 2) Let your expectations be unrealistic - Yes Roku provides tons of free content. Free means many of the channels are privately supported which means the content may not be UHD. 3) The REAL Fun from roku comes when you enable the channels based on your paid content (netflix, hulu, amazon, premium networks like hbo, nfl, etc...) so if you want to really exploit your Roku's capabilities you will have to pay at some point for prime content. I hope this helps - I am an early adopter of Roku, have major streaming services like Netflix, Prime and supplemented with an "a la carte" cable service like sling, spectrum choice, DirectTV now or any of your preferred providers and this will unlock all the major broadcast networks, plus some other channels. - EXCEPT HBO MAX & NBC's Peacock. One last thought: The interest thing is that Roku has a channel for many of these major network stations and watching their content through the Roku channel as opposed through the cable provider app, I've found that there is more content outside, and better choices for on-demand. Hope you like my review!

I've been planning to cut the cord due to not realizing the value of my cable subscription (cost vs time to enjoy it). Finally pulled the trigger and got the entry-level Roku instead of the more expensive versions. Best $24 I've spent in a long time! Easy set-up (10-15 minutes) and lots of information available online about setting up channels and how to get the most out of a Roku and I've cut the expense of cable, including rental of hd boxes and the broadcast channel fee (roughly $80/month). The media available (ad supported but not the obnoxious ads that always show - I'm looking at you medicines and Mayhem!) is easily enough to keep my free time occupied and varied enough that I'll never catch up. Glad I made the leap and hope others continue to jump ship. The higher end versions are very niche but if you have solid broadband speed and don't have specific hardware needs, this is the one for you. Pros: Simple interface Great variety of content Nostalgic shows and classic media that is now in the public domain Lots of current content and news media available Media loads well and is HD quality Subtitles available for most content Directions and setup is quick and simple Cons: Remote can be too small for some people No number pad so not easy to quickly surf some of the channels with lots of content Must point remote at the IR receiver

Works with smart tv. We like to watch tfc and netflix using roku

I have two Roku Essentials and I must say I am pleased with them, for the quality of picture, and the ease of setup. They do come with a USB power adapter one plugs into a power bar but you can plug them into an LCD tv USB port if the power is sufficient. These devices are designed to be always on unless they are connected to your TV usb port and then switch on and off with that. If you go that way then you have to wait for it to restart. I chose to plug it into the power bar. One of my Roku is connected to an HDMI TV and the other I used a GANA HDMI to AV converter to connect it to our old Tube TV. That works great as well. Our grandchildren play some older console games on the old TV. Roku work wirelessly connecting via a home router wireless connection to the internet. You will want to make sure you have good internet wireless coverage in your home as the Roku have to be able to connect. The picture was steady and clear on both televisions. Setup is pretty easy. Users will need an active internet connection and you do have to log into Roku's website to register and enter the code of each device you have. After initially connecting my Roku received two updates. Roku has both free and paid entertainment available. You can add "apps" easily via the website or the Roku itself such as the Roku channel, tubi, youtube, and much more. Some are free, others such as Netflix and Atop (television stations) for example, are a paid service. You can set up a payment method (credit card) via Roku's website or register without a payment method.

Recientemente adquirí una televisión para ponerla en mi cuarto pero que carecía de características smart por lo que compré este Roku stick ya que estoy familiarizado con la plataforma Roku al estar presente en mi tele TCL como sistema operativo. La interfaz de Roku y su simplicidad de uso es lo que la hace muy atractiva y también en gran parte su rapidez y fluidez al utilizarlo. Espero y mi reseña le ayude de algo a alguien. ***CONTENIDO DEL PAQUETE*** En el paquete donde vino el Roku Express venía incluido todo lo necesario para que te pongas a utilizar el Roku Express. Se incluye un cable micro USB que se conecta a un puerto USB que esté disponible a tu TV o que se puede conectar a la pared en caso de que la tele no cuente con puerto USB (viene con un cubito incluido) -Viene también un cable HDMI que va del Roku a tu Televisión. El Roku Express no cuenta con otros puertos y solamente lo puedes conectar por HDMI (a menos que consigas un adaptador) -Viene su control remoto infrarrojo que es bastante fácil de utilizar y una tira de cinta adhesiva que puedes utilizar para fijar el Roku a tu TV. ***CONFIGURACIÓN Y FUNCIONES*** Al haber conectado tu Roku y haber hecho los ajustes donde fijas la resolución correcta para tu TV saldrá una pantalla donde puedes configurar la conexión de tu Roku a tu modem/router y después de ahí agregar "canales" recomendados (que más bien son como apps, pero dentro del ecosistema de Roku) Una vez haciendo eso ya es cuestión de iniciar sesión en los servicios que utilizas y listo! Como había mencionado anteriormente la interfaz de Roku es muy rápida y el desempeño de las apps es bastante aceptable (excepto Spotify, el canal de Spotify es SUPER lento en Roku) En cuanto a la conexión a tu modem/router que se realiza es solo por la banda de 2.4 ghz pero siendo que solo transmite contenido Full HD como máximo con eso basta. -Funciona de maravilla con el app de control remoto para iOS o Android lo que te permite controlar el Roku por medio de tu celular así como acceder a la magnifica función de audio privado que te permite escuchar el audio de lo que estés viendo en tu Roku a través de tu celular teniendo audífonos conectados a el para esas ocasiones cuando no quieras despertar a quien se encuentre dormido. -Cuenta también con la función de screencast que te permite enviar de manera inalambrica el contenido de tu celular o tablet Android que cuenten con esta función y también con iOS pero por medio de una app especial (no recuerdo el nombre) Con mi celular Mi A1 de Xiaomi las conexiones se realizan rápidamente y se transmiten ambos audio y video lo que lo convierte en una solución ideal para visualizar contenido en tu pantalla que no puede ser reproducido por el mismo aparato de Roku. ***NOTAS FINALES*** Dado que el Roku Express es un producto que considero de entrada no cuenta con funciones más avanzadas como las que tiene el Roku Premiere pero que sirve bien si lo único que buscas es poder acceder a servicios como Netflix, Amazon Video, YouTube, Google Music, Spotify en máximo 1080p. Vuelvo a mencionar lo genial del app de Roku para controlar tu Roku Express ya que si tienes más de un dispositivo Roku te permitirá controlar esos por medio de la app y agregar canales de manera automática por medio de la app. El producto está super barato y funciona de maravilla. Definitivamente lo recomiendo al 100%

جربته خمس سنين تقريبا ممتاز بس السلك اللي يربط بين التلفزيون والجهاز الي غيرته وهذا امره سهل

I already have Roku 3 and Roku 2XD. I needed one more for my third TV. I use Roku primarily to stream from my NAS HDD. All my photos as well as music and videos are stored on NAS. The Streaming from WD NAS to Roku is excellent with the help of Roku Media Player(RMP)