Roku TV revealed a software upgrade for its streaming operating system, OS 11.5, that, among other things, will add a new section on its streaming devices dubbed “The Buzz,” filled with brief promotional content from entertainment partners. The objective is to give people another access point to find and view fresh TV series and movies.
For the 2022 holiday shopping season, the company is introducing improved versions of the entry-level Roku Express streaming device and its wireless subwoofer (now called Roku Wireless Bass).
The What to Watch feature on Roku OS 11.5 will receive two “major enhancements” in addition to The Buzz: a Continue Along with changes to Roku Voice, increasing Bluetooth private listening to be compatible with the Roku Ultra, Roku Streambar, and Roku Streambar Pro; adding categories to the Live TV Channel Guide; and redesigning the Roku Store area to make it “more visual.”
Roku devices will begin receiving OS 11.5 “in the coming months,” according to the firm.
The Buzz, a collection of articles featuring brief pieces of content from streaming providers and entertainment companies, will soon appear on the Roku home screen. The Buzz’s initial partners include AMC+, Apple TV+, BET+, Crackle, Hallmark Movies Now, IGN, Plex, Popcornflix, Showtime, Starz, The CW, Tubi, Vevo, and Wondrium. The posts in The Buzz may include interviews, pictures, video clips, and other types of content. In addition, users have the option to “like” the postings, save content for later viewing, follow profiles in The Buzz to see future posts, or immediately begin streaming the film or television program highlighted in the post.
The What to Watch section on the Roku home screen has a Continue Watching option that offers a single spot to restart watching. Along with future additions, Continue Watching will include Netflix, HBO Max, Netflix, Paramount+, and the Roku Channel.
A Save List will soon be available in Roku’s What to Watch for users’ quick access to previously bookmarked content. For example, on the information pages for movies and TV shows, users will see a “Save” button that will enable them to add that item to their list quickly. Prior to now, Roku had only provided a Save List for the Roku Channel and the Roku mobile app.
The OS 11.5 upgrade also brings new visual on-screen tools for Roku Voice, which will offer channel selections pertinent to their voice search. Customers can then say or choose the choice they want and begin streaming.
Three new categories will be added to Roku’s Live TV Channel Guide: Recents, Favorites, and Subscribed, where users may keep their favorite channels, go back to recently seen content, or access their subscribed channels from the Roku Channel. It will also show a variety of live TV genres, such as News, Sports, Movies, Entertainment, Kids, Crime, Music, and En Espanol. Each of these genres will automatically fill based on the live TV programming on the relevant Roku Channels. Roku also includes a dedicated Live TV Channel “Guide” button on the mobile app remote, enabling users to view what is currently airing live on their TV with the touch of a button.
Roku TV makes wholesome improvements to hardware
Roku has added the Roku Express player and Roku Wireless Bass to its array of devices, upholding its promise to offer the greatest streaming capabilities at competitive prices.
The new Roku Express has dual-band Wi-Fi (an improvement from 802.11b/g/n single-band wireless), more storage, and the same $30 pricing as the previous model (which the company says will result in faster channel start times). The streaming device, which does not support 4K Ultra HD, will go up for pre-order on Monday on Roku.com, Walmart.com, and Amazon.com for a list price of $29.99. It is anticipated to ship in mid-October. Then, starting on October 16, the product will be generally accessible on Roku.com and in significant American stores.
The newly created Roku Wireless Bass subwoofer is made to operate with the Roku Streambar, Roku Wireless Speakers, or Roku TV Wireless Soundbar. A Roku Streambar with Wireless Bass package will cost $250 when it launches on November 7 and has a list price of $129.99.
