I recently cut the cord with my cable company (thieves) & I needed a streaming box. All my friends said, "Buy a Roku!" I was gonna buy the Roku stick, but decided to spend the extra money & buy the Ultra instead. It was worth it. Why use WIFI when you don't have to? My modem is next to my TV & I wanted a direct wired ethernet connection. Setup was a breeze. The Ultra remote even recognized my 12 year old Panasonic plasma TV. This is my first Roku box. After navigating the settings menu I realized this is a sophisticated little piece of tech. No surprise. Roku has been at this for a while now.
I love how the box goes to sleep after a set time of inactivity. I got mine set to sleep after 1 minute. To wake it up, just press HOME or OK on the remote.
I added apps for YouTube TV, Netflix, HBO, Showtime & Starz. It even allows you add private channels. (Porn!)
The voice commands on the remote are VERY limited. It won't find a show if you have an app open. It will close the app & take you out to the HOME menu and give you a huge list to choose from. It's easier just to manually look for it in your app. While the closed caption "ON" command worked for the HBO app it didn't work for YouTube TV. YT makes you turn on CC from the player inside the app. (Although I like it for the most part, YouTube TV has a ton of issues which I won't even go into here.) The only thing VOICE command is really good for is opening the apps & turning "on" & "off" the CC. That's the only thing I'll be using it for.
And OMG! Everyone is complaining about the MUTE button! This is a BAD design. Roku needs to redesign this immediately. Almost everytime I adjust the volume on my TV from the Roku remote, I hit the MUTE. It's MADDENING!
I've already used the FIND REMOTE feature & it worked. I just wish it was louder. Mine was buried in a blanket.
There are also some issues with the smartphone remote app. At least for me. I have an older 4.4.1 Android. The app is compatible, but it opens on the Roku channel which WON'T open for me. It just keeps spinning. All the other buttons worked. Channels, Remote, Media & More. The remote app is kinda nice because you can see it in the dark. But of course, you can't hold the FF down & the swipe feature is painful. It was quite an ordeal to get it to work on WIFI while still utilizing my wired ethernet connection. The simple answer on Roku's website was "change your connection to WIFI." What's the point of having a wired ethernet connection if I have to change my connection to WIFI use the phone app? I had to dig thru their website to find a solution & I'm still not sure how I got it to work, but my phone is now using the WIFI connection while the Roku box is using the wired ethernet connection into the modem. While it works, I've already stopped using it in the dark & I've simply learned by touch where the buttons are on the remote. The phone app is strictly for emergencies in case I spill something on it or lose it until I can buy a replacement remote.
I had no trouble with the Roku box using the HDMI pass-through on my surround receiver. Works!
Surround sounds GREAT. The picture varies from GOOD to GREAT depending on the streaming service. I still think my old Google Chromecast has a slightly better picture. Because of compatibility issues with my older phone & Google no longer provides a way to cast from my computer browser (STUPID), I had to dump the Chromecast & buy a Roku. But, I'm glad I did. This is VERY NICE streaming box.
I'm knocking off ONE STAR for the remote (limited voice feature & mute button), the wonky phone app for older phones & the struggle to set up both the WIFI & a "wired" ethernet connection.
Since I cut the cable I'm saving $70.00 a month with the Roku. It will pay for itself in a month. OH HAPPY HAPPY! JOY JOY!
I hope this helps.
| Brand Name | Roku |
|---|---|
| Item Weight | 7.9 ounces |
| Product Dimensions | 4.92 x 4.92 x 0.83 inches |
| Item model number | 4670R |
| Batteries | 2 AA batteries required. (included) |
| Color Name | Black |
