Roku smart sound bar improves your TV’s audio and apps
Speakers
Don't look now, but Roku has a sound bar.
The company is best known for its streaming sticks and boxes as well as Roku tv's all of which are among Cnet's favorites thanks to their simplicity, app selection and low price.
The new Roku sound bar promises the same level of simplicity but 180 bucks is not exactly cheap So what makes this soundbar smart?
In a word, apps.
Roku's bar is one of the first to build in a full smart tv streaming suite.
Complete with Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, and Spotify.
That means you don't need to buy an external Roku streamer, or deal with the apps built into your TV.
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Disconnect the bar to any TV and you're good to listen to music, watch movies, or streaming from any of these thousands of apps.
It even plays video and 4K HDR.
One thing the bar doesn't have whoever is built in voice.
To get it to respond to voice commands, you'll have to either pair it with an Alexa or Google speaker.
Or talk entity included voice remote.
The clicker can control your TV's power as well as the bar streaming in volume, making it the only remote the likely need for a simple system.
There's just one HDMI connection required between the TV and the sound.
The bar doesn't include a subwoofer but Roku will sell you one for an additional $180.
It's got a big 10 inch buffer and 250 watts of power Making it more substantial than the subwoofer is included with many sound bars.
And Roku says pairing with the main sound bar is essential.
Unlike many competitors, however, there's no way to add rear surround speakers to the bar.
It's strictly stereo on.
Roku tabs extras like automatic volume limiting and night mode, conveniently accessible on the TV screen itself And says digital signal processing will help fill a room with sound.
We will wait to test one in our lab to see if it compares with the application.
The Roku soundbar is a Roku's website in best by and ships on October, look for a full c net review soon.
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