Roku
Encyclopedia
Roku is an American, privately held, consumer electronics company that sells home digital media products. The Company is based in Saratoga, California
.
founder Anthony Wood. 'Roku' means 'six' in Japanese, a reference to the six companies Wood has launched.
Roku's consumer products line-up includes:
Roku also produces:
Roku's audio products do not use internal storage but rely on Wi-Fi
or Ethernet
to stream digital audio over a network, either from Internet radio or a computer attached to the same network. Roku introduced the Radio Roku Internet radio
directory in August 2007. Radio Roku provides a directory of Internet stations, accessible from a web browser or from SoundBridge players.
Internet video streaming receiver box, the Roku DVP. The NXP-powered device runs Linux
.
Prior to Autumn 2010, three versions of the Roku DVP were available: the Roku SD, HD, and HD-XR. The Roku SD only streamed standard definition (SD) content. The Roku HD streams both SD and HD (720p) content. The Roku SD and HD both have an Ethernet connection and built in 802.11g WiFi compatible with wireless B, G, and N routers. Their third box was the Roku HD-XR which streams both SD and HD (720p and 1080p) content, has built in dual-band 802.11n WiFi support, and has a USB port on the back.
In 2010, Roku revamped its lineup of devices: the revised HD is the basic model of the line, offering 720p resolution, 802.11g WiFi reception (as well as an Ethernet connection) and an HDMI output. The middle of the line, the XD, adds 1080p resolution (if channel programmers provide it), an enhanced remote with replay capabilities and single-band wireless N WiFi; the flagship XD|S offers the same feature set as the XD, but also adds component video and optical audio outputs, dual-band wireless N and a USB port for playing videos, photos and music (USB Playback Support is Available as of Feb 1st, 2011).
On July 20, 2011, Roku updated its product lineup with three new boxes, each in the same price range as before, however the Ethernet connection and remote with motion control for games is only available on the XS model. The Roku Game Remote uses Hillcrest Labs
' Freespace motion control technology, so users can control games with natural gestures.
Also see Roku's product comparison table.
Both on-demand content and live streaming are supported by the devices. For live TV streams, Roku supports Apple HLS (HTTP Live Streaming
) adaptive streaming technology. The primary movie channels which are available on Roku in the US market are suppressed in Canada.
♦: Currently only available to cable and satellite subscribers of this service, no stand alone subscription is available.
†: Only available on Roku 2 models
Saratoga, California
Saratoga is a city in Santa Clara County, California, USA. It is located on the west side of the Santa Clara Valley, directly west of San Jose, in the San Francisco Bay area. The population was 29,926 at the 2010 census....
.
Company profile and products
The company was founded in October 2002, by ReplayTVReplayTV
ReplayTV is a brand of digital video recorder , a term synonymous with personal video recorder . It is a consumer video device which allows users to capture television programming to internal hard disk storage for later viewing...
founder Anthony Wood. 'Roku' means 'six' in Japanese, a reference to the six companies Wood has launched.
Roku's consumer products line-up includes:
- the Roku SoundBridgeSoundBridgeSoundBridge is a remote hardware device from Roku designed to play internet radio or digital audio streamed to it across a home network, either WiFi or Ethernet. SoundBridge devices directly browse the Radio Roku Internet Radio Guide....
, a network music player - the SoundBridge Radio, a network music player with built-in speakers and subwooferSubwooferA subwoofer is a woofer, or a complete loudspeaker, which is dedicated to the reproduction of low-pitched audio frequencies known as the "bass". The typical frequency range for a subwoofer is about 20–200 Hz for consumer products, below 100 Hz for professional live sound, and below...
, AM-FM receiver, volume-ramping alarm clock, preset buttons, SDSecure DigitalSecure Digital is a non-volatile memory card format developed by the SD Card Association for use in portable devices. The SD technology is used by more than 400 brands across dozens of product categories and more than 8,000 models, and is considered the de-facto industry standard.Secure Digital...
slot and headphone jack. - the PhotoBridge HD1000 (discontinued product), a system for displaying images on a high-definition TV, as well as streaming MPEG video. The unit has four card readers on the front and can read from Memory Stick, MultiMediaCard, SD Memory Card, SmartMedia Card, CompactFlash Card type II. The HD1000 has been discontinued.
Roku also produces:
- the BrightSign solid-state media player, designed to drive HD displays in a retail environment.
Roku's audio products do not use internal storage but rely on Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi or Wifi, is a mechanism for wirelessly connecting electronic devices. A device enabled with Wi-Fi, such as a personal computer, video game console, smartphone, or digital audio player, can connect to the Internet via a wireless network access point. An access point has a range of about 20...
or Ethernet
Ethernet
Ethernet is a family of computer networking technologies for local area networks commercially introduced in 1980. Standardized in IEEE 802.3, Ethernet has largely replaced competing wired LAN technologies....
to stream digital audio over a network, either from Internet radio or a computer attached to the same network. Roku introduced the Radio Roku Internet radio
Internet radio
Internet radio is an audio service transmitted via the Internet...
directory in August 2007. Radio Roku provides a directory of Internet stations, accessible from a web browser or from SoundBridge players.
Digital video player
On May 20, 2008, Roku announced the first NetflixNetflix
Netflix, Inc., is an American provider of on-demand internet streaming media in the United States, Canada, and Latin America and flat rate DVD-by-mail in the United States. The company was established in 1997 and is headquartered in Los Gatos, California...
Internet video streaming receiver box, the Roku DVP. The NXP-powered device runs Linux
Linux
Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
.
Prior to Autumn 2010, three versions of the Roku DVP were available: the Roku SD, HD, and HD-XR. The Roku SD only streamed standard definition (SD) content. The Roku HD streams both SD and HD (720p) content. The Roku SD and HD both have an Ethernet connection and built in 802.11g WiFi compatible with wireless B, G, and N routers. Their third box was the Roku HD-XR which streams both SD and HD (720p and 1080p) content, has built in dual-band 802.11n WiFi support, and has a USB port on the back.
In 2010, Roku revamped its lineup of devices: the revised HD is the basic model of the line, offering 720p resolution, 802.11g WiFi reception (as well as an Ethernet connection) and an HDMI output. The middle of the line, the XD, adds 1080p resolution (if channel programmers provide it), an enhanced remote with replay capabilities and single-band wireless N WiFi; the flagship XD|S offers the same feature set as the XD, but also adds component video and optical audio outputs, dual-band wireless N and a USB port for playing videos, photos and music (USB Playback Support is Available as of Feb 1st, 2011).
On July 20, 2011, Roku updated its product lineup with three new boxes, each in the same price range as before, however the Ethernet connection and remote with motion control for games is only available on the XS model. The Roku Game Remote uses Hillcrest Labs
Hillcrest Labs
Hillcrest Labs invented Freespace motion-control technology and the first motion-controlled remote for television. Freespace allows users to control images on a screen by using natural motions, allowing for a new way of interacting with television content...
' Freespace motion control technology, so users can control games with natural gestures.
Feature comparison
| Model | Introduced | Discontinued | Video Outputs | Video Resolutions | Optical Audio Out | Network | USB | Bluetooth | Processor | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Composite, S-Video | Component, HDMI | 480i / 480p | 720p / 1080p | Ethernet | 802.11 Wireless | |||||||
| Roku DVP (N1000) | May 2008 | Oct 2009 | PNX8935 | |||||||||
| Roku SD (N1050) | Oct 2009 | Sep 2010 | PNX8935 | |||||||||
| Roku HD (N1100) | Nov 2009 | Sep 2010 | PNX8935 | |||||||||
| Roku HD-XR (N1101) | Oct 2009 | Sep 2010 | PNX8935 | |||||||||
| Roku HD (2000C) | Sep 2010 | Jul 2011 | PNX8935 | |||||||||
| Roku XD (2050X) | Sep 2010 | Jul 2011 | PNX8935 | |||||||||
| Roku XDS (2100X) | Sep 2010 | Jul 2011 | PNX8935 | |||||||||
| Roku LT (2400X) | Nov 2011 | BCM2835 | ||||||||||
| Roku 2 HD (3000X) | Jul 2011 | BCM2835 | ||||||||||
| Roku 2 XD (3050X) | Jul 2011 | BCM2835 | ||||||||||
| Roku 2 XS (3100X) | Jul 2011 | BCM2835 | ||||||||||
Also see Roku's product comparison table.
Online Roku channels
Content on the Roku DVP is provided by Roku partners, and are identified using the "channel" vernacular. Each separate channel supports content from one partner though some content partners have more than one channel. Users can add or remove different channels from the Roku Channel Store. In May 2011, Roku stated the DVP had over one million viewers and had delivered 15 million channel downloads.Both on-demand content and live streaming are supported by the devices. For live TV streams, Roku supports Apple HLS (HTTP Live Streaming
HTTP Live Streaming
HTTP Live Streaming is an HTTP-based media streaming communications protocol implemented by Apple Inc. as part of their QuickTime X and iPhone software systems. It works by breaking the overall stream into a sequence of small HTTP-based file downloads, each download loading one short chunk of an...
) adaptive streaming technology. The primary movie channels which are available on Roku in the US market are suppressed in Canada.
Service creation for Roku Player
The Roku is an open-platform device with a freely available SDK that enables anyone to create new channels. Developers who wish to test their channels before a general release, or who wish to limit viewership, can create "private" channels that require a code be entered by the user in the account page of the Roku website. These private channels, which are not part of the official Roku Channel Store, are not reviewed or approved by Roku.Channels listing
Partial list of channels currently available through the Roku Channel Store.Premium channels
- Amazon Instant Video (U.S.only)
- BabyFirstTVBabyFirstTVBabyFirstTV is a commercial-free premium satellite TV Network aimed at 6-month-old to 5-year-old children. Its investors include Regency Enterprises, Bellco Capital, LLC & Kardan N.V.. Guy Oranim & Sharon Rechter created BabyFirstTV in 2003.-Availability:...
- Cowboy Classics
- Drive-In ClassicsDrive-In ClassicsSundance Channel is a Canadian English language Category B specialty channel owned by Corus Entertainment. Sundance Channel airs programming focused on independent films, documentaries, music-series', dramas and more.-As Drive-In Classics:...
- Epix ♦
- FlickStream.TV
- FlixFling (U.S. and Canada)
- Flix Universe
- HBO Go ♦
- Hulu Plus (U.S. only)
- Kung Fu Theater
- Major League SoccerMajor League SoccerMajor League Soccer is a professional soccer league based in the United States and sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation . The league is composed of 19 teams — 16 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada...
- GBTV
- Midwest Cage Championship (MCC)
- MLB.TVMLB.comMLB.com is the official site of Major League Baseball and is overseen by Major League Baseball Advanced Media, L.P. . MLB.com is a source of baseball-related information, including baseball news, statistics, and sports columns...
- Mobile Tribe
- MOGMOG (online music)MOG is a paid subscription online music service and blog network, where users can listen to, read about, and discover music. Users can play any song in MOG's catalog on their computer through their web browser; on their mobile device through MOG's applications for the iPhone, iPod Touch, and...
- Moonlight Movies
- Movie Vault
- NetflixNetflixNetflix, Inc., is an American provider of on-demand internet streaming media in the United States, Canada, and Latin America and flat rate DVD-by-mail in the United States. The company was established in 1997 and is headquartered in Los Gatos, California...
(U.S. only) - NBA League PassNBA League PassNBA League Pass is an out-of-market sports package that allows its subscribers to watch up to 40 out-of-market National Basketball Association games a week....
- NHL Gamecenter LiveNational Hockey LeagueThe National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
- Pets.TVEntertainment Studios NetworksEntertainment Studios Networks are a group of six high definition cable networks operated by Entertainment Studios Inc. The networks were launched in May 2009 and are currently carried by Verizon FiOS, Sky Angel and the Roku streaming player...
- RaceFansTV
- RdioRdioRdio is an ad-free music subscription service available in the United States, Canada and Brazil. It is available as a website and also has clients for the iPhone, iPod Touch & iPad, Android, BlackBerry and Windows Phone mobile devices, which can play streaming music or cache songs for offline...
(U.S. and Canada only) - SportSkool (Multiple channels)
- UFC
- Wealth TVWealth TVWealthTV is an American television network that is dedicated to the world of wealth and all aspects surrounding it such as how to achieve it and enjoy it. It is owned by Herring Broadcasting and it launched in 2004. Its corporate headquarters are in San Diego, California. It is carried on some...
- Weiss Money Network
Channels with both free and premium programming
- Bigstar.tv
- Dream TVDream TVDream TV is a Super Nintendo action video game where the player has to guide two youngsters through a nightmarish land of evil television shows . The player has to escape by defeating stereotypical television villains and finding pieces of a puzzle...
- EZTakes
- Live365Live365Live365 is an Internet radio network where members can create their own online radio station or listen to other Live365 broadcasters' online stations. As of October 2006, there were about 6,500 active stations, some of which play niche genres seldom heard on AM/FM radio...
- MHz NetworksMHz NetworksMHz Networks is a Northern Virginia based independent, non-commercial educational broadcaster operated by Commonwealth Public Broadcasting Corporation. The legal broadcast callsigns for the two stations of MHz Networks are WNVC and WNVT...
- MP3tunes
Free channels
- Angry BirdsAngry BirdsAngry Birds is a puzzle video game developed by Finnish computer game developer Rovio Mobile. Inspired primarily by a sketch of stylized wingless birds, the game was first released for Apple's iOS in December 2009...
† - BlastroBlastro NetworksBlastro Networks is a web-based company headquartered in Austin, TX, that runs three genre-specific, on-demand, streaming music video websites. With an additional production team outside of Austin in Nashville, TN, Blastro Networks’ websites not only feature music videos from major-label,...
- blinkxBlinkxBlinkx is an Internet search engine for video and audio content, headquartered in San Francisco, California and the UK that allows searching and classification of audio files, video clips and streaming media such as Internet television and video on demand...
- blip.tvBlip.tvThe website Blip.tv is a platform for web series. The company offers a for the "best in original web series" and also offers a dashboard for producers of original web series to distribute and monetize their productions....
- blubrry
- Break.comBreak.comBreak.com is a humor website founded in 1998 that features comedy videos, flash games, and pictures among other material. The chief executive officer of Break is Steve Boss...
- BYUtvBYU Television__NOEDITSECTION__Brigham Young University Television is a cable/satellite television channel operated by Brigham Young University...
- CDNTwo
- Classical TV
- CNBC Real-TimeCNBCCNBC is a satellite and cable television business news channel in the U.S., owned and operated by NBCUniversal. The network and its international spinoffs cover business headlines and provide live coverage of financial markets. The combined reach of CNBC and its siblings is 390 million viewers...
- CNET TVCNET TVCNET TV is a San Francisco, California based Internet television network showing original programming catering to the niche market of technology enthusiasts, operated by CBS Interactive through their CNET.com brand. CNET TV originated as the television program production arm of CNET Networks in the...
- CrackleCrackleCrackle is a digital network and studio, featuring commercially supported streaming video content in Flash Video format. It is owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, and its content consists primarily of Sony's library of films and television shows...
- CrunchyrollCrunchyrollCrunchyroll is an American website and international online community focused on streaming East Asian media including anime, manga, drama, music, electronic entertainment, and auto racing content...
- Disney.comDisney.comDisney.com is a website, owned by The Walt Disney Company and its subsidiaries, promotes the Disney theme parks and offers entertainment content intended for children....
- EWTNEternal Word Television NetworkThe Eternal Word Television Network is an American cable television network which presents Catholic-themed programming. It was founded in 1980 by Mother Mary Angelica of the Annunciation, PCPA...
(3 channel multiplex) - FlickrFlickrFlickr is an image hosting and video hosting website, web services suite, and online community that was created by Ludicorp in 2004 and acquired by Yahoo! in 2005. In addition to being a popular website for users to share and embed personal photographs, the service is widely used by bloggers to...
- FlixsterFlixsterFlixster is a social movie site allowing users to share movie ratings, discover new movies, learn about movies, and meet others with similar taste in movies. The site allows users to view movie trailers as well as learn about the new and upcoming movies in the box office. The site is based in San...
- Fox News 9am-3pm ET
- Gospel Broadcasting Network (GBN)Gospel Broadcasting Network (GBN)The Gospel Broadcasting Network ' is a Christian satellite broadcast network, which transmits from a Ku band Satellite , C-band Satellite , simulcasts over the Internet over , through its own roku 'channel' and over the air...
- The Highway Girl
- ifood.tv
- inmoo.com
- Jewelry TelevisionJewelry TelevisionJewelry Television is an American television network, similar to the Home Shopping Network. It was formerly called "America's Collectibles Network" . The privately-held company was founded in 1993 and broadcasts high definition programming 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to over 80 million unique...
- Jewish Life TelevisionJewish Life TelevisionJewish Life Television is the world’s only 24-hour, full-time TV network delivering Jewish-themed programming. Launched in 2007, JLTV offers news, sports, lifestyle and entertainment programming including films, documentaries, music, reviews, interviews and special events...
- KLAS-TVKLAS-TVKLAS-TV, virtual channel 8 , is the CBS-affiliated television station serving the Las Vegas, Nevada market; it is owned and operated by Landmark Media Enterprises...
News - Liberty Bell Radio
- Life+Health Network
- Liquidation ChannelLiquidation ChannelLiquidation Channel is an American home shopping channel that specializes in the sale of jewelry. It is headquartered in Austin, Texas.The channel broadcasts 24/7 live in America.- History :...
- Mediafly
- Mormon ChannelMormon ChannelMormon Channel is an over the air and Internet radio station owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . It is based in Salt Lake City, Utah....
- MusiClouds
- NASA TVNASA TVNASA TV is the television service of the United States government agency NASA. NASA TV is broadcast by satellite with a simulcast over the Internet. Local cable television systems across the U.S. and amateur television repeaters may carry NASA TV at their discretion, as NASA-created content is...
- NRA Life of Duty
- Omniverse TV
- Pandora Radio
- PicasaPicasaPicasa is an image organizer and image viewer for organizing and editing digital photos, plus an integrated photo-sharing website, originally created by Idealab in 2002 and owned by Google since 2004. "Picasa" is a blend of the name of Spanish painter Pablo Picasso, the phrase mi casa for "my...
- PopcornflixPopcornflixPopcornflix is a website and over-the-top service offering free ad-supported streaming video of feature-length movies and webisodes. It is owned by Screen Media Ventures.-History:...
- Positive Peak Radio & TV
- Proud Television
- Pub-D-Hub Classics
- Radio ParadiseRadio ParadiseRadio Paradise is a listener-sponsored Internet radio station that identifies itself as an "eclectic online rock radio" station. The channel differs from most FM channels and other Internet stations in that the music played is not limited to a specific genre, instead representing great variety...
- Radio Time
- Revision3
- Roku Newscaster
- Roxwel
- Sail TV
- SEC Digital NetworkSEC NetworkThe SEC Network, or SECN is a syndication package featuring college football and basketball events from the Southeastern Conference. The package is owned and operated by ESPN Regional Television and is shown in more than 50 percent of households in the United States, mostly Southeastern United...
- SHOUTcast RadioSHOUTcastSHOUTcast is cross-platform proprietary software for streaming media over the Internet. The software, developed by Nullsoft , allows digital audio content, primarily in MP3 or HE-AAC format, to be broadcast to and from media player software, enabling the creation of Internet radio "stations"...
- SnagFilmsSnagFilmsSnagFilms is a website that offers advertising-supported documentary films. Films are streamed on the website, which contains a library of around 2,000 films. Filmmakers can submit documentaries for consideration as well...
- SpacevidcastSpaceVidcastSpacevidcast, often abbreviated as SVC, is a live weekly HD video podcast hosted by husband and wife team, Cariann Higginbotham and Benjamin Higginbotham...
- Streamin' Garage
- Sunimi
- Tagesschau (Germany)
- techpodcasts.com
- TBNTrinity Broadcasting NetworkThe Trinity Broadcasting Network is a major American Christian television network. TBN is based in Costa Mesa, California, with auxiliary studio facilities in Irving, Texas; Hendersonville, Tennessee; Gadsden, Alabama; Decatur, Georgia; Miami, Florida; Tulsa, Oklahoma; Orlando, Florida; and New...
(8 channel multiplex) - TWiT.tv (network)TWiT.tv (network)The TWiT Netcast Network, which is the operating trade name of TWiT LLC, is a podcast network run by technology broadcaster and author Leo Laporte. The network began operation in April 2005 with the launch of This Week in Tech. Security Now was the second podcast on the network, debuting in...
- Wall Street Journal LiveThe Wall Street JournalThe Wall Street Journal is an American English-language international daily newspaper. It is published in New York City by Dow Jones & Company, a division of News Corporation, along with the Asian and European editions of the Journal....
- Weather4Us
- Weather UndergroundWeather Underground (weather service)Weather Underground is a commercial weather service that provides real-time weather information via the Internet. Weather Underground provides weather reports for most major cities across the world on its Web site, as well as local weather reports for newspapers and Web sites...
- WISCWISC-TVWISC-TV is the CBS affiliate television station for Madison, Wisconsin. The station is the flagship of Madison-based Morgan Murphy Media, and has been affiliated with CBS since its launch on June 24, 1956...
News - WTHRWTHRWTHR, channel 13, is a full-service television station serving the Indianapolis, Indiana metropolitan area. An affiliate of the NBC television network, its studios at 1000 N. Meridian Street anchor the south end of Indy's Television Row...
News - YuppTV
♦: Currently only available to cable and satellite subscribers of this service, no stand alone subscription is available.
†: Only available on Roku 2 models