The single best reason to buy a Roku ? You ’re looking at it . Roku is the only streaming medium box that does all the comparison shopping for you . Why pay $ 3 to rent a pic when you could rain buckets it with your existing Netflix plan , or on Crackle for free ? And shortly , Roku ’s comparison shopping will become more powerful than ever thanks to a steel - novel characteristic .
That young feature film is called the Roku Feed . And I think it — or a derivative — could vary how we watch movies .
First , some scope : Today Roku announced a bunch of pretty bare update to its card of streaming media boxes . singly , they do n’t fathom like such a big stack .
The $ 50 Roku Streaming Stick is getting a little faster
The $ 70 Roku 2 is getting a destiny faster ( as fast as the Roku 3 , but it loses the “ marriage recoverer ” headphone jack on the remote )
The $ 100 Roku 3 adds a microphone so you’re able to search for thing with your representative rather of hunt ‘ northward pile on a keyboard floating in the midriff of your TV
The smartphone familiar app summate vocalisation lookup too , so you do n’t have to buy a Roku 3
Clearly , voice hunt is go to be pretty damn convenient . Hell , I ’m a born California diary keeper , and I still have worry spelling Ah - nold ’s last name . Way easier to happen a classic action celluloid just by address into a microphone , as long as Roku has such a film in origin — and with the gossamer loudness of Roku TV channel on offer , chances are I ’ll find plenty .
But what about stain - new movies , ones still in theaters — or in the legal limbo that exists between when studio apartment will rent you rent a film that ’s out on DVD ? That ’s the whole approximation behind the new Roku Feed .
The Roku Feed is pretty simple . You pick from a list of approaching moving picture , ones with a lot of buzz . You know , the kind of pic you might want to go see in theaters , but have n’t decide if you need to spend $ 8 a soda ?
If you decide , “ No , I ’m not conk out to drag my family to the overprice theater , ” you ’ve now got a new , challenging alternative .
you’re able to choose to “ keep an eye on ” that pic with Roku , and in exchange , Roku will let you know every prison term it come up down in price over the intact “ streaming lifecycle ” of the flick . The first clock time you see it , perhaps it costs $ 15 to purchase . Too rich for your blood ? A dyad calendar week subsequently it might be available to lease on Vudu for $ 5 or else . Perhaps M - GO will have a dollar special . And finally , perhaps it ’ll be include free with your Amazon Prime , Netflix or Hulu Plus subscription .
theater of operations are go to hate this — hate , detest , hate — because it could think that going to the theaters will no longer be the only mass movie watching upshot . The same way people organize themselves in societal groups ( and on societal media ) to look on the latest episodes of gain newfangled TV show — so too could they do with streaming movies at each of these different Leontyne Price tiers .
“ Check back afterwards ” — Seriously ?
As presently as someone figures out how to actually apprize them , that is . Right now , the direction Roku displays the provender is somewhat bloody limiting : you really have to go to a place called “ My Feed ” on your Roku box to see what ’s new , and if any of the movies you ’re “ abide by ” have as if by magic become available while you were look the other direction .
Clearly , this is n’t optimal . Obviously , there should be a smartphone app that pushes you notification whenever your long - wait mental object arrives — perhaps even help you contrive a viewing political party by hooking into social media . There ’s a big chance here .
But strangely , it ’s an opportunity that these streaming trailblazer seem to be omit as they ’re set up their new products . NeitherSling TVnorPlayStation Vue — two raw religious service which permit you stream live television over the cyberspace — have any variety of notification system to say you when your favorite programing will appear . Like Roku , their creators seem to believe that would - be customer will just pose down and start follow whatever ’s available instead of planning forward . My wife and I chat daily about what to wipe out for dinner party when she start out home . Why ca n’t my wife and I contrive dinner and a movie the same way we would if a theatre were involved ?
It does n’t have to be this mode — and I bet it wo n’t be for foresightful . Someone will build up a platform that sum , organizes , and notifies film and idiot box lovers about all the options out there — both live and on - need — and my money ’s on Roku . The party ’s clearly on the correct path , and Roku has the most to fall back . There ’s no need to buy a Roku loge when any former smartphone or dongle can stream Netflix , after all .
Today , you buy a Roku to save up metre and money finding mental object you could probably stream somewhere else . Tomorrow , you might corrupt one to prefer into a new movie - croak life-style — one where your friends come along for the drive . One where you stream picture you ’d never considered streaming at all .
reach out to the author at[email protected ] .
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