Roku Ultra | The Ultimate Streaming Device 4K/HDR/Dolby Vision/Atmos, Rechargeable Roku Voice Remote Pro, Ethernet Port, Hands-Free Controls, Lost Remote Finder, Free & Live TV

Whoop-De-Doo For Roku! Yahoo!Sorry. So happy to have received my Ultra recently. And now I can see Yellowstone Season 4 after the Season 3 cliffhager, when CBS literally left it's viewers hanging. But I digress.Rokus really are the best streaming devices on the planet. If you have never owned one of these, I highly recommend them. And by all means, get the Ultra - With A USB Port! It supports more advenced media formats like 265HEVC, and others You may find interesting content on the internet that you can download and put on a USB stick to play on your TV (hint, hint).Back in 2016 I bought some Roku3's so I could finally tell the cable company where they could get off. Christ! I guess I have saved more than $50 per month in that time. You still need internet to use Roku devices, but then who does not have that these days?A few things I like about the Ultra:- The rechargeable remote with voice commands, and a Lost Remote Finder feature.However the voice recognition is not all that great.- The Ultra also works with an RCA universal remote, that I prefer to use anyway.You can order one of those from Amazon: "RCA RCRBB04GR 4-Device Big-Button Universal Remote Control",ASIN: B00CXDIPVSOnly two things I do not necessarily care for, but not enough to change the rating:- The white light on the device stays On, even after the device has turned Off after its idle period.On the Roku3s this light goes Out. In that way I would know if I was not unintentionally streaming anything.- The USB port is moved to the back, which can make it a difficult to line up and insert a USB stick.Update: 5 May 2025I have had this device for at least two weeks. This morning after streaming some news, I "parked" the device on the home screen, switched back to my TV and turned it off. The Ultra white light went Out. When I turned my TV On the Ultra light turned On. I don't know what changed, a software update or what. I checked all the settings. I do like this a lot better than having the Ultra light remain on. However, the Ultra light goes Out even if something is streaming. So it is not a reliable indicator that the Ultra is idle.Update #2: 17 May 2025I did not have all my info correct about the Ultra White Light (UWL). I later observed that after the UWL goes out, it later turnes back on again. And the last sentence about the "UWL going out if something is streaming" - I don't remember why I wrote that, but I don't think that is correct - unless it goes out when the TV is turned off while something is streaming. Regardless, the UWL turns back on at some point. So again, it is not a reliable indicator that the Ultra is idle. Perhaps Roku can fix that with a software update.

So far so good. Atmos works, 4K/Dolby Vision works. Remote is basic but functional. Roku player is fairly small and black, meaning it doesn't stand out too much or distract from movie watching.I've had the Apple 4K for years now, and while I really liked its overall performance, I started having Atmos/surround sound issues. I was getting 1-2 second random audio drops and brief moments of distortion/popping. I tried replacing wires, cycling the power to all my equipment, resetting all video playback options but nothing was working. I was initially concerned it was my receiver, amps or wiring that was responsible for the audio issues. But after some research online, it seems Apple 4K boxes are well known for their Atmos/surround sound problems.Sure enough, I plugged in the Roku Ultra and everything just works. No audio drop outs, no distortion, no popping. I'm very happy.Is the Roku Ultra perfect? No. The Roku is not as fast as Apple when it comes to menu navigation and responsiveness, nor does it allow for chroma sub sampling 4:4:4 - instead offering 4:2:2 or 4:2:0. That said, the difference between 4:4:4: and 4:2:2 is imperceptible and not a major concern.The best way to describe the Roku Ultra: Not sexy, not flashy, not a powerhouse, but exceedingly competent and functional. Sign me up.

I have LOTS of Rokus, but only a couple of Ultras. I decided to treat myself and get another one, primarily to take when traveling.I think we already know how awesome Roku devices are, so I'll skip over all the usual awesomeness and focus on this particular model.The Ultra has the nice feature that you can plug a USB stick into it and play videos from that, which is very handy when wifi is not an option. I use a 2T USB hard drive to load it up with all of my movies and TV shows, but thumb drives can be quite effective as well. If this were the only thing it did, it would be worth every penny, but there is more.They include cables, so you don't have to scrounge or buy them.The other area where the Ultra shines is the remote. This is the best Roku remote I have ever owned by a large margin. It has the volume controls, and the voice activation. It has a headphone jack, and ear buds are included.New for this remote are two more features.It is now rechargeable, so no more searching for batteries. You can either use a USB charger, or charge the remote right off of the Roku itself with the USB port.The one that surprised me the most was the new voice feature. Turning on a switch, it can be put into a mode where you can talk to it hands free (imagine an Alexa device). I haven't done much with this, but I was impressed that the folks at Roku are really trying hard to make the Roku Ultra the best streaming device on the planet.The processor they use seems smooth and powerful. It's also less likely to get warm, as the Express or Stick models sometimes do.I almost forgot to mention: the Ultra has a wired Ethernet connection, for folks that want this, but of course the wifi works great. I probably won't need the wired connection, but I like that it's there. I hope they don't ever get rid of it.At $100 bucks, it is worth it, but it sometimes goes on sale for $80 bucks. If you see this model for less than that, buy one for all your friends and a couple for yourself.

My moms old roku went out we upgraded her to this one and since there are newer features in it she loves it, she loves that she doesn't have to type ever letter out & there is a speak button on the remote.