Smart TVs are becoming more and more popular, but that does not mean that everyone has them or they are satisfied with the suggestions of the manufacturer of the equipment they chose. The market of accessories referred to as TV starters is very dynamic, which is why Roku is one of the most interesting proposals for the user and the viewer. What is Roku?
What is Roku
The devices that have been operating on the Smart TV market for a long time are devices that enable data and image streaming on our devices.
The Mini-starter has already gained its place in American homes since the year and is available in many stores, although of course the cheapest method will be to buy the device via the Internet, especially if we do it in person. Roku connect to the TV’s HDMI port, control primarily from a smartphone and is compatible with Android and iOS applications. You can also control it with the included remote control. Among the supported platforms are YouTube, Netflix, Showmax, HBO Go as well as music Spotify and Tidal. Roku also offers mirroring the contents of the smartphone screen and cards from the Chrome browser.
The device looks a bit puzzling: in the first version like an oversized USB stick, but with an HDMI plug instead of USB, and in the latest version like a round shaped oval hanging on the back of the TV. Inside is the equipment that provides the television image via Wi-Fi. The specification may not knock you down, but it is quite enough, because we find everything necessary for wireless data transfer, connecting the controller via Bluetooth and smooth playback of FullHD materials at a frequency of 60 fps (4K in the Ultra version).
How to set up Roku
Roku is a device that – after proper configuration – connects to your home Wi-Fi network and allows you to stream video wirelessly, whether from a computer with Google Chrome browser, or from an Android or iOS phone. It is true that we will not move to a larger screen of a PC desktop or games running on a computer, but it will easily work with movies played from YouTube or Google Play or Netflix, music (also from Google Play) and Chrome browser tabs. We will transfer selected applications or the entire mobile desktop to the salon screen.
After proper configuration of the YEAR it can work in two ways. On the one hand, the device is an intermediary between e.g. a computer or smartphone and a TV set. Then the video is sent through the home Wi-Fi network using the so-called clouds. On the other hand, the computer can only point out annually specific materials, which he then downloads himself from the Internet. This is how it works, among others in the case of YouTube and thanks to this we can, e.g. lock the screen of the smartphone, and the film will continue to be played on the TV.
It is primarily an offer addressed to users who do not have Smart TV sets with YouTube applications or VOD services installed. Thanks to a simple device, any TV with an HDMI connector can become smart in some way.
