Hey, I'm Matthew Moskovciak from CNET and we're gonna take a look at the Roku 3. This is my favorite gift pick for the home theater category and it's selling for $99.
Roku 3 is a streaming video box which lets you watch services like Netflix and HBO Go on your TV.
The look of the box is improved over past Roku models then even glossier finish and new rounded edges.
You'll also notice it's a little bit heavier than the old boxes.
And Roku added that weight on purpose
to help the Roku 3 from getting pulled by heavy HDMI cables.
Around the back, you'll see the HDMI output, an Ethernet jack, a microSD card slot and a power port plus there's also a USB port on the side.
There's also built-in Wi-Fi and the Roku 3 supports dual-band Wi-Fi for an even better streaming experience.
The included remote has a seriously cool feature.
There's a headphone jack on the sides so you can listen to whatever you're streaming without disturbing anyone else in the room.
Plugging in headphones automatically mutes the volume on your TV and Roku even includes some earbuds in the box.
The remote also works via Wi-Fi Direct instead of standard IR remote commands, so there's no need to point it at the box.
Roku also has a great new interface that came out this year and it's blazing fast on the Roku 3. Thanks to a new processor that claims to be five times as fast as old Roku boxes.
The new layout lets you see a lot more channels at once making it easier to find what you're looking for.
There's also an awesome cross-platform search feature, so you can enter a movie or a TV show you'd like to watch and it shows you what services that's available on.
And as always, Roku has a best in-class selection of streaming services including Netflix, Amazon Instant, HBO Go, Hulu Plus, Pandora, MLB.
TV, Amazon Cloud Player, Spotify and Rdio.
There is one big exception to that list, YouTube is still not supported on Roku devices although there are some
work-arounds that work pretty well.
So altogether, it's really not hard to see why the Roku 3 is our favorite streaming box.
And there's tons of content, a great, blazing fast interface and the remote with the headphone jack is one of the coolest features there is.
At just $99, it's one of the best tech gifts you can give.
I'm Matthew Moskovciak, and that was a quick look at the Roku 3.
