Review: Roku Streaming Stick
Roku has a new option for those who want to stream content to their TV. Called the Roku Streaming Stick:
Inside the box you get the streaming stick which is just over 3″ long, a remote (which by the way is RF based and not line of sight IR which is very handy), a USB cable along with a USB to AC adapter and a pair of AAA batteries for the remote. Now sharp readers would say “What’s the big deal about this Streaming Stick? It has been out for a while.” Actually, it has. But this one is new. For example, under the hood there’s a quad core processor that put this streaming stick on par with your smartphone in terms of power. It’s also 8x more powerful than the previous Streaming Stick. Not too shabby. To install it, you plug it into the HDMI port of your HDTV. But, if you have your HDTV mounted on the wall and the HDMI port is in the wrong place (for example, if my TV was on the wall, I could not use this as the HDMI port points straight back which means that the Streaming Stick would point straight back which would keep the TV from being flush against the wall), this isn’t the Roku for you. Consider something like the Roku 3 instead. You can plug it in via AC using the supplied USB to AC adapter or via a USB port on your TV. I did the latter. Set up from there is dead simple. Using the supplied remote, you join it to your WiFi network (Strangely, it only saw my 2.4 Ghz WiFi network until it downloaded a software update and rebooted. Then it saw my 5 Ghz network), create a Roku account and link the device to it. Then you add channels to it. In short, anyone should be able to set it up.
Once installed, it is easy to access content and watch whatever you want. I had no issues using it and it never seemed slow. Speaking of content, here’s the biggest weakness of any Roku device if you live in Canada. The lack of Canadian content. While I can see local US TV of various descriptions and a pile of other channels that the Roku has access to including Netflix, Cineplex Store, and Crackle, I can’t see Canadian TV networks such as CTV, CBC, or Global. Nor can I get Canadian streaming services such as Shomi or CraveTV. That really needs to change. Oh if you’re reading this from the US, please ignore this mini rant. None of this applies to you.
Back to what it the Roku Streaming Stick can do. It runs Roku OS 7.1. and it enhances the search and discovery experience by adding new categories within Roku Feed that enable customers to view popular TV Shows and Movies in one place. A feature that is available exclusively for the new Roku Streaming Stick enables consumers to use the Roku Mobile App for iOS and Android on their phone or tablet to listen through wired or wireless headphones. The Roku Mobile App offers a companion experience and can act as a remote control, enable voice search or provide an on-screen keyboard. You can use the Play On Roku feature within the app to stream their personal videos, music and photos to the TV using the Roku Streaming Stick. One cool feature is the Hotel and Dorm Connect feature which makes it easy for consumers to connect to wireless networks that require sign-in through a web browser like those commonly found in hotel rooms, college dorms and other public locations. You simply connect the Roku Streaming Stick to the password-protected network, sign-in with their login credentials using the browser on their mobile phone, tablet or laptop, and you’re ready to start streaming.
If you want one of these in your home, the price is $59.99 which is a really low price in my opinion for what you get in the box. Even with the lack of Canadian content, which of course only matters if you’re Canadian, the Roku Streaming Stick is totally worth having in your home (or on the road for that matter) if you’re wanting to stream content to your HDTV.
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