Roku hasn’t Let me down. With other brands changing forms, interfaces and product support, it can be astounding regularity even for insiders like me, Roku, round square interfaces, pleasant rubber remotes, and cheerful simple plug-in rod designs.
When the new Roku Stream Stick Plus arrived at my house it felt like it was 2012. Technological Optimism in the Obama era – Do you still need to remember when social media is on the right side of history? – Still obvious. No huge annoying ads on everything on the menu, nor does it na dislike or subscribe to some proprietary data funnel or whatever. Instead, you just get a nice processor, a USB cable for power, and a remote that now offers four quick buttons for apps you might actually subscribe to – what dedicated location for SlingTV on the Roku remote I’ll never know.
Quality-wise, this 4K streaming device offers everything you actually need without buying a disc player and launching the 4K Blu-ray series. If you have a backup TV for $40, you’ve already bought one.
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Photo: Parker Concert Hall
There was once a time when a stick-based player like this (which is the size and shape of an old-fashioned USB thumb drive) could cause weird installation issues depending on whether the TV manufacturer places its HDMI ports where it actually makes sense. The stick is easy to plug into every modern TV I’ve tested these days and comes with a fairly long USB cable that plugs into the external USB port of the TV (and now essentially always there too) for power. This is a “setup process” just as you know how to plug a cable into a cable socket.
The remote is the most interactive you can interact with, it’s as great as usual, an unfamiliar button that feels like a high-quality pencil eraser. Currently, this is all standard Roku fares until you realize that the apps listed for quick access are actually good now: Disney+, Apple TV, Netflix, and Amazon.
Now, the layer of Roku devices (previously available on more expensive models) include voice remote functionality, allowing you to use a microphone in the remote to search for your favorite shows and movies. If you’re not sure where to stream specific content, this is a shockingly decent tool, and it’s a handy tool for me when I crave a specific holiday movie or someone else.
Log in
Provided by Roku
It’s really easy to log in to any app you subscribe to, and it’s easy to rearrange the tiles on the home screen so you don’t have to see something you don’t use. Settings, including logging in to Wi-Fi and installing a quick software update, take about 10 minutes.
