roku

Roku 3 streaming box rocks new features

CNET Update is cuckoo for Roku:

The Roku 3 continues prove its the king of the streaming machines. The latest version replaces the XS model with a faster processor and a new remote that includes headphones, so users can listen to shows in private without bothering others in the room. It also has a new interface that makes it easier to scroll through channels. Current Roku owners will also see the new menu in April.

The Roku goes beyond simply streaming videos on demand -- it also can tune into live TV channels with a new app for Time Warner … Read more

TWC TV app turns Roku into a cable box for Time Warner customers (hands-on)

Roku streaming boxes can now be used as cable boxes for Time Warner Cable subscribers.

The feature upgrade comes courtesy of the free TWC TV app, which went live in the Roku Channel Store earlier today. The app was first announced at CES in January.

Once installed, the app provides access to hundreds of live channels, including most major broadcast and cable networks. The only requirement is a valid Time Warner Cable username and password; that security feature verifies that you're a current paying customer, and that you're accessing the stream from within your own home via your … Read more

Get a Roku 2 XS for $64.99 shipped

There are two kinds of TVs in the world: smart and dumb. The smart ones have Netflix, Hulu, and other streaming-service apps built right in. The dumb ones, well, they need a little help.

Arguably the best help you can get comes in the form of a Roku box, which brings pretty much every streaming service known to man (except, annoyingly, YouTube) to your TV.

Today only, and while supplies last, 1SaleADay has the refurbished Roku 2 XS for $64.99 shipped. The same model sells new for $99.99.

This is the premium Roku model, the one with every … Read more

How trapped are your digital movies and TV shows?

Have you decided to ditch DVDs and Blu-rays to instead buy movies and TV shows only in a pure digital format?

There are certainly advantages to that. But one of the biggest downsides of going all digital is that how you can view your content is largely dependent on the service you purchased it from.

Digital video providers In this column, I look at how "trapped" video content purchased from iTunes, Amazon, Vudu, Xbox and Google Play may be. The first four video marketplaces were listed yesterday by NPD as among the top ways people purchase digital video. … Read more

Facebook unfriends Twitter's Vine app

Friday's CNET Update is looking so Vine:

Today's tech news roundup looks at the latest skirmish between Facebook and Twitter. The new iPhone app Vine (owned by Twitter), lets users create six-second mash-up videos and share it on social media. But Facebook has blocked Vine from being able to find Facebook friends in the app. The move is similar to how Twitter shut off Facebook's Instagram from accessing its user data.

As the world is still learning what a Vine is, take a look at CNET's tips for using the app. Keep in mind that although … Read more

Updated Aereo app adds improved live TV streaming to Roku

The Aereo app on Roku boxes just became a much more potent alternative to traditional cable TV.

Aereo -- the Barry Diller-backed online video startup that streams local TV channels to multiple devices for a monthly fee -- had previously been available on Roku boxes, but it required an iPhone or iPad to use as a remote. But the updated app, which went live on Roku earlier this week, allows viewers to use an onscreen navigation with the standard Roku clicker.

Disclosure: CBS, the parent corporation of CNET, is currently in active litigation with Aereo as to the legality of … Read more

From YouTube to prime time: TV honchos look to new media

Lightning has struck more than once for Russell Simmons -- the man created successful TV shows like Def Comedy Jam and Def Poetry Jam and made himself an entertainment mogul -- but he knows he's losing out now because he's not creating content for every device.

"I'm really late, but I came to the party and there's still a block, there's still a hole in the market," he told an audience at CES 2013 today.

Simmons is gearing up to build a new network with new stars -- plucked from YouTube fame -- … Read more

Westinghouse to show Roku Ready TV at CES

Today Westinghouse announced a line of TVs designed to work with the Roku Streaming Stick, a USB-key-size dongle that provides the functionality of a full-fledged Roku box -- our Editors' Choice for streaming video -- without having to connect additional wires.

The TVs have MHL (Mobile High Definition Link)-enabled HDMI inputs, into which the stick can be plugged. Numerous other MHL-equipped TVs will also be announced at CES next week, theoretically allowing them to also work with the Stick, but many will likely have their own smart TV suites built in, and few will be guaranteed such functionality by … Read more

Roku adds Spotify, Vevo to its streamed channel offerings

Roku is getting its groove on to deliver music streaming service Spotify and music video service Vevo to living room TVs via its set-top boxes.

Available only to paying Spotify subscribers on select Roku devices, the new music streaming offering allows users to listen to music and manage playlists. However, Spotify says new customers can try the premium subscription free of charge for 30 days.

"Spotify wants to make all of the world's music available for people to enjoy whenever and wherever they are," Pascal de Mul, global head of hardware partnerships at Spotify, said in a … Read more