Roku 3 Streaming Media Player Review
you don’t know what a Roku is, simply define it as an internet-based media streaming device so you can watch online content on the big screen of your television.
Depending on your location (US, Canada, UK), the Roku 3 can freely connect 450 to 2,000 online media streaming channels.
Roku 3 Review
Known as Roku 3, the latest version of Roku competes with Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Xbox One and Google Chromecast, widely regarded as one of the best streaming media players on the market.
Form factor
Size: 89 x 89 x 25 mm Thickness
Weight: 170g
The Roku 3 Streaming Media Player is a cute device that is slightly different from its predecessor, with rounded corners and no curves. The device is shiny and purple in black except for a small’Roku’ label on the side.
On the back of the Roku is an Ethernet port, HDMI output, Micro-SD slot and power plug. There is also a USB port on the side of the device.
The Roku has a non-slip rubber finish on the floor to keep it sturdy and keep it from slipping.
Roku 3 remote
The best feature of the Roku 3 remote control is its dedicated listening mode. Simply plug your headphones into the remote’s built-in headphone socket to access it.
TV is muted when headphones are connected to the remote control. The TV becomes noisy when the headphones are disconnected.
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This is a really useful feature that allows you to watch TV or listen to music without disturbing others in the house.
The remote control has a volume control button, which works only in headphone mode, and you cannot use this button to adjust the volume of the television.
The Roku remote is equipped with Wii like motion detection technology and game ready button. This means you can use your remote control like Wii-mote to play family-friendly games like Wheel of Fortune, Jeopardy, and more.
USB port
The Roku 3 has a USB port, giving users the option of playing video files from a USB drive such as a USB stick or portable hard drive.
There are limitations on the USB ports regarding supported file types. For video, supported file formats are limited to MKV and MP4 videos, while still photos are limited to GIF, JPEG, and PNG images.
The audio support is relatively good. It can play MP3, FLAC, AAC, WAV and WMA files. However, don’t expect the Roku 3 to play digital rights management (DRM) protected files.
Roku 3 user interface
The Roku 3 has a friendly user interface with neatly organized menus. Roku increased user satisfaction by using high-quality graphics to make animations look good.
If you use too many channels, you have to organize and group them. Roku lets you organize and group your channels into Movies, TV, Games or My Channels, so you can easily find all of them.
Another useful feature of the Roku 3 is the recent addition of voice search. This allows you to search multiple services for a movie, video, or TV show using voice commands.
For example, if you search for something like’How I Met My Mother’, Roku will list episodes available on Amazon Instant Video, Hulu Plus, Netflix, and more.
How to set up your Roku 3
Roku 3 is very easy to install, assuming you have an HDTV and high-speed internet connection. You will need a laptop, smartphone or tablet to create a free Roku account.
- Unpack the device and plug it into a power supply (wall outlet).
- Connect Roku to TV using HDMI cable
The device starts booting and you are prompted to choose whether to use a wireless or wired network connection.
If you prefer a wired connection, you can connect the Roku 3 to a modem.
When you select Wireless, the device will start looking for WiFi networks and display a list of WiFi networks it has detected. Select a WiFi network from the list and enter the network password.
When connected to the network, the device displays a 4-digit activation code on the television screen. You will need this code to connect your device to your Roku account.
Roku account creation and device registration
Go to roku.com and follow the instructions to create an account and enter the 4-digit code displayed on your TV.
After entering the code, you will be prompted to add payment information in case you want to purchase a channel or game later. You can choose to delete your payment information later, but you cannot bypass this step.
Once your account is created and your device is connected to your account, Roku will automatically start downloading the channel you selected during the account creation process.
Why Roku 3
Roku is said to have the most free and premium channels compared to the media streaming devices on the market.
All the big companies like Netflix, Amazon Instant Video, Hulu Plus, Vudu, Pandora and Spotify are available on Roku except for numerous other products like PBS, Crackle, MLB, and more.
With Roku, you can really save money without using cables. Roku has everything from live news, movies, sports, and music to informative and motivating channels like TED Talk.
There are tons of free channels on Roku, but premium channels like Netflix and Amazon Videos aren’t that expensive and are available on Roku 3.
You can subscribe to Netflix for $7.99 per month, and Amazon Prime only pays $99 per year, and you get access to movies, TV shows, music, games, videos, books, and more in Amazon’s vast ecosystem.
You can buy a Roku 3 media player with voice search on Amazon