For the electronics company, see For other uses, see. RokuDeveloperTypeRelease dateMay 20, 2008Roku OSWebsiteRoku ( ) is a line of manufactured by The devices offer access to content from various online services.The line was introduced in May 2008 with its first model, developed in collaboration with. The Roku series has been considered influential on the overall market for digital media players, helping to popularize the concept of low-cost, small form factor set-top boxes designed for consumption.

Roku is a line of digital media players manufactured by Roku, Inc. The devices offer access to. Of low-cost, small form factor set-top boxes designed for over-the-top media consumption. And the Roku HD-XR, an updated version with 802.11n Wi-Fi, and a USB port for. Sky Angel Virtual Digital Cable.

Original form factor XD/SThe first Roku model, the Roku DVP N1000, was unveiled on May 20, 2008. It was developed in partnership with, to serve as a standalone for its recently-introduced 'Watch Instantly' service. The companies aimed to produce a device with small form factor that could be sold at a low cost, as opposed to larger. The device featured an PNX8935 video decoder supporting both and formats up to, output, and was capable of automatic software updates—including the addition of new 'channels' for other video services.Roku launched two 2 new models in October 2009, the Roku SD (a cut-down version of the DVP with only analog AV outputs), and the Roku HD-XR, an updated version with Wi-Fi, and a port for future functionality. The Roku DVP was retroactively renamed the Roku HD. By then, Roku had added support for other services, such as. The following month, Roku introduced a new feature known as the 'Channel Store', where users would be able to download third-party apps for other content services (including the possibility of private services for specific uses).Netflix support was initially dependent on a PC, requiring users to add content to their 'Instant Queue' from the service's web interface before it could be accessed via the Roku.

The channel was later updated in May 2010, to allow users to search the Netflix library from the device directly.In August 2010, Roku announced plans to add video support to the HD-XR. The following month, Roku released a refreshed lineup of models with a thinner form factor, consisting of a new HD, the XD (with 1080p support), and the XDS (with optical audio, dual-band Wi-Fi, and a USB port). The XD and XDS also included a refreshed remote.Support for the first-generation Roku models ended September 2015. Second generation.

A Roku 2 XSOn July 19, 2011, Roku unveiled its second generation of players, branded as Roku 2 HD, XD, and XS. All three models included 802.11n, and also added slots.

The XD and XS support 1080p, and only the XS model includes an connector and USB port. They also support the 'Roku Game Remote'—a Bluetooth remote with support for games, which is bundled with the XS and sold separately for other models. The Roku LT was unveiled in October 2011, as an entry-level model with no Bluetooth or microSD support.In January 2012, Roku unveiled the Streaming Stick—a new model condensed into a form factor using (MHL). In October 2012, Roku introduced a new search feature to the second-generation models, aggregating content from services usable on the device.

Third generation On March 5, 2013, Roku unveiled its third-generation models, the Roku 3 and Roku 2. The Roku 3 contained an upgraded CPU over the 2 XS, and a remote with an integrated headphone jack. The Roku 2 was also updated with a faster CPU. Fourth generation On October 6, 2015, Roku announced the Roku 4; the device contained upgraded hardware with support for video, as well as wireless. Fifth generation On September 26, 2016, Roku revamped their entire streaming player line-up with five new models (low end Roku Express, Roku Express+, high end Roku Premiere, Roku Premiere+, and top-of-the-line Roku Ultra), while the Streaming Stick (3600) was held over from the previous generation (having been released the previous April) as a sixth option. The Roku Premiere+ and Roku Ultra support using HDR10. Sixth generation In October 2017, Roku introduced its sixth generation of products.

The updates included the discontinuation of the Premiere and Premiere+ models, the introduction of the Streaming Stick+ (with an enhanced Wi-Fi antenna device), as well as new processors for the Roku Streaming Stick, Roku Express, and Roku Express+. Seventh generation.

This section does not any. Unsourced material may be challenged and.Find sources: – ( November 2019) In September 2018, Roku introduced the seventh generation of products. Carrying over from the 2017 sixth-generation without any changes are the Express (3900), Express+ (3910), Streaming Stick (3800), and Streaming Stick+ (3810). The Ultra is the same hardware device from 2017, but it now comes with JBL premium headphones and is repackaged with the new model number 4661. Roku has resurrected the Premiere and Premiere+ names, but these two new models bear little resemblance to the 2016 fifth-generation Premiere (4620) and Premiere+ (4630) models. The new Premiere (3920) and Premiere+ (3921) are essentially based on the Express (3900) model with 4K support added.Eighth generation On September 19, 2019, Roku introduced the eighth generation of products.In 2019, announced that it will stop supporting older generations of Roku, including the Roku HD, HD-XR, SD, XD, and XDS, as well as the NetGear-branded XD and XDS. Roku had warned in 2015 that it would stop updating players made in May 2011 or earlier, and these vintage boxes are among them.

See also:Roku announced its first branded in early 2014 and it was released in late 2014. These TVs are manufactured by companies like and, and use the Roku user interface as the 'brain' of the TV. Roku TVs are updated just like the streaming devices. More recent models also integrate a set of features for use with over-the-air TV signals, including a program guide that provides information for shows and movies available on local antenna broadcast TV, as well as where that content is available to stream, and the ability to pause live TV (though the user must plug in a USB drive 16GB or larger in capacity to utilize said feature).In January 2020, Roku created a badge to certify devices as working with a Roku TV model.

The first certified brands were TCL North America, Sound United, and.Software The Roku box runs a custom Linux distribution called Roku OS. Updates to the software include bug fixes, security updates, feature additions, and many new interface revisions. Roku pushes OS updates to supported devices in a staggered release. OS updates are rolled out to a percentage group of candidate devices to ensure the is stable before being made available en masse.Content and programming Roku provides video services from a number of -based providers.Roku channels Content on Roku devices are provided by Roku partners and are identified using the term channel. Users can add or remove different channels using the Roku Channel Store.Service creation for Roku Player The Roku is an open-platform device with a freely available that enables anyone to create new channels. The channels are written in a Roku-specific language called BrightScript, a scripting language the company describes as 'unique', but 'similar to ' and 'similar to '.Developers who wish to test their channels before a general release, or who wish to limit viewership, can create 'private' channels that require a code be entered by the user in the account page of the Roku website.

These private channels, which are not part of the official Roku Channel Store, are neither reviewed nor approved by Roku.There is an NDK (Native Developer Kit) available, though it has added restrictions.' The Roku Channel. See also:Roku launched its own streaming channel on its devices in October 2017.

It is ad-supported, but free. Its licensed content includes movies and TV shows from studios such as Lionsgate, MGM, Paramount, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Warner Bros., and as well as Roku channel content publishers American Classics, FilmRise, Nosey, OVGuide, Popcornflix, and YuYu. It is implementing an ad revenue sharing model with content providers. It is only available in the US. On August 8, 2018, The Roku Channel became available on the web as well. Roku also added the 'Featured Free' section as the top section of its main menu from which users can get access to direct streaming of shows and movies from its partners.In January 2019, premium subscription options from select content providers were added to The Roku Channel. Legal issues In June 2017, a Mexico City court banned the sale of Roku products in Mexico, following claims by (which has been criticized for its response to viewers watching its content elsewhere in the streaming age, and for its service) through its cable subsidiary that the devices were being used for subscription-based streaming services that illegally stream television content without permission from copyright holders.

The devices used Roku's private channels feature to install the services, which were all against the Roku applies for official channels available in its store. Roku defended itself against the allegations as such, stating that these apps were not officially certified and that the company takes active measures to stop illegal streaming services. The overturned the decision in October 2018, with Roku returning to the Mexican market soon after; Televisa itself eventually placed a Blim channel on the Roku service.During the summer of 2017, Roku began to purge future support for several apps from its platform's app store, including suspicious private channels that might be used for piracy. A complication to the removal of these channels occurred in mid-May 2018, when an popped up on several mainstream public channel apps such as YouTube and Netflix, causing Roku to apologize and ask users to do a system update to repair the issue.

See also., another Roku product.Notes. ^ In the first generation players, the size of flash memory limited the number of channels that could be installed. Later models (2100) removed that limit. ^ 1080p at p24 or p30 only. The component video connector on the Roku XDS (2100X) is a nonstandard 3.5mm connector and a proprietary adapter cable, which is sold separately, is effectively required to use this. ^ Bluetooth remote optional.

^ 1080p at p60 only. 1080p at p24. ^ Analog audio output is available only through the headphone jack on the remote. WiFi Direct Remote optional.References. IEEE Spectrum. Retrieved 2020-03-15.

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