Streaming devices have been gaining more and more popularity lately, and it looks very likely that they will eventually overtake regular television and become the most dominant form of media distribution on the market. It’s already happening, as many people have been moving away from traditional TV subscriptions in favor of services like Netflix, and now we also have the dedicated hardware needed to fully support the transformation.
The Roku line of devices has been particularly successful and they have been enjoying a lot of popularity. Each release added something new to the overall configuration, and the device has always been made with the goal of being simple and intuitive to use, while still offering a good selection of features. With a Roku, users can easily stream from YouTube, Netflix, Hulu Plus and a variety of other services, and they can configure their channel selection quite easily as well.
It’s a full-featured entertainment device, even offering games for when there’s absolutely nothing interesting to watch – and now there are rumors that Roku will be continuing the line with a new entry, the Roku 4, which is supposed to arrive sometime this month. We don’t know any specific details about the new Roku, other than an alleged support for 4K videos – but even that sounds good on its own.
Of course, it wouldn’t make much sense for Roku to release a new device just for a resolution upgrade, but the company likely has a specific strategy in mind that they’re following and will not disappoint their fans. They have actually been putting a lot of effort into their public image so far, so it doesn’t make much sense to make a release that could be seen as a money grab.
Netflix was among the services to introduce Ultra HD streaming for their videos, and if the new Roku 4 supports the high resolution, it could completely transform the viewing experience for TV fans. Of course, when it comes to a serious resolution like that, it’s not just about the streaming device anymore – a user would also need a very solid connection in order to handle that kind of bandwidth.
Nowadays though, this shouldn’t be a problem for most users, as high-speed Internet access at home is becoming more and more prevalent around the world. The Roku 4 should be easily usable by many people once it’s released, and even those who can’t afford the connection required for 4K streaming should still benefit from the other new features that the Roku 4 will bring to the table. What they will be exactly, we don’t know – but we certainly trust Roku to develop an attractive package that will be received warmly.