New Roku OS 8 Delivers Enhanced Entertainment Features
October 02 2017 - 9:00AM
Business Wire
New Smart Guide for Roku TVs Seamlessly Blends
Local Broadcast TV via Antenna and Advanced Streaming Features
Making it a Snap to Find and Discover Entertainment; Plus, Enhanced
Voice Control Features, Single Sign-On for TV Everywhere Channels,
Updated 4K Spotlight Channel and More
Roku, Inc. (NASDAQ: ROKU) today announced Roku® OS 8, delivering
enhanced features that add convenience and value to a Roku TV
user’s streaming experience. With a focus on bridging the gap
between free, local broadcast TV received via HDTV antennas and
streaming, the company unveiled several new Roku TV features today,
including a Smart Guide that shows over-the-air (OTA) broadcast TV
and streaming options to help customers search for, find and
discover entertainment. Other new features included in the update
allow for easier search and voice control, such as enhanced voice
commands allowing a user to launch streaming channels, switch
inputs or control their Roku TV; TV Everywhere (TVE) single sign-on
to eliminate having to enter login credentials multiple times; an
updated 4K Spotlight Channel and more.
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Roku OS 8, More Ways to Watch (Photo:
Business Wire)
“At Roku, we love TV and we’re focused on making it better for
everyone,” said Ilya Asnis, senior vice president of Roku OS at
Roku. “Roku OS 8 delivers on our key pillars of ease, content and
value. These new features make the entertainment experience more
enjoyable for our customers, while solving some of the biggest pain
points when watching TV today.”
SEAMLESS ENTERTAINMENT FOR ROKU TV USERS USING OVER-THE-AIR
ANTENNAS
- Smart Guide: An electronic
program guide for Roku TVs that seamlessly integrates information
for local broadcast TV via an antenna with streaming options
allowing customers to search for, find and discover entertainment.
The guide provides program information for local antenna broadcast
TV channels from seven days in the past to up to 14 days in the
future. Smart Guide also integrates the More Ways to Watch feature
so users can see additional streaming options, such as: watch a
movie or show from the beginning, see more episodes or browse
similar entertainment. Over time, Smart Guide will even identify
favorite broadcast channels available over-the-air by placing most
viewed channels at the top of the program guide.
- Roku Search for Over-the-Air
Content: Local antenna broadcast TV options are now included in
Roku Search results for Roku TV customers who use a TV antenna to
receive free local broadcast TV. Roku search already spans across
500+ streaming channels and now, when a TV antenna is connected,
will include results for local broadcast TV along with streaming
options sorted by what is free or lowest cost for the viewer. Users
can also search for antenna TV content via the Roku mobile
app.
- Voice Control: Roku TVs now
feature voice controls to make it easy to switch inputs, tune to a
local antenna broadcast channel, launch a streaming channel and
more. Voice controls for Roku TVs can be used via enhanced remotes
with the microphone button or through the free Roku mobile app for
iOS® and Android™ mobile devices.
- Fast TV Start: Allows a Roku TV
to start quickly and launch a streaming or antenna TV channel in
seconds simply using a voice command. For example, a user can say
“launch Hulu” and the TV will turn on and open the Hulu streaming
channel. Or, if they say, “tune to ABC,” the TV will turn on and
tune to the local ABC station if an antenna is connected to the
Roku TV.
- Private Listening for Over-the-Air
Content: Roku TV users with an antenna connected to their TV
can now use private listening to hear audio for local antenna
broadcast content either using their mobile device via the Roku
mobile app or through the headphone jack on the remote control on
select Roku TV models. This feature is also available for
streaming.
QUICKER, EASIER ACCESS TO CONTENT FOR ALL ROKU
DEVICES
- Enhanced Voice Features: Voice
search now includes natural language understanding and can search
for movies, shows, actors and directors, or even launch streaming
channels, in a more conversational tone. For example, a user can
say things like, “show me movies with Tom Hanks,” “launch Hulu,” or
even more detailed searches such as “show me comedies with Will
Ferrell.”
- TV Everywhere Single Sign-On:
TVE single sign-on, available for pay TV customers, eliminates the
need to log in to TVE channels repeatedly. Customers who subscribe
to Dish, Cox, AT&T and hundreds of other providers will enjoy
the convenience of single sign-on when using 30 TVE channels. More
providers are expected to be added to the feature over time.
- 4K Spotlight Channel Update: The
redesigned Roku 4K Spotlight Channel makes it easier than ever to
find 4K, HDR and Dolby Vision™ content available on the Roku
platform for players and TVs that support these standards. The 4K
Spotlight Channel now features a new navigation menu to help users
quickly select the type of content they wish to view, inclusion of
more content categories to easily browse by genre, and the option
to choose from multiple streaming channels if a movie or show is
available from more than one provider.
In addition, a variety of other enhancements and bug fixes were
also included. Roku OS 8 release notes are available here.
Availability
Roku OS 8 will begin rolling out to Roku players in early
October, and Roku TV models beginning in November. The software
update is expected to rollout to all Roku devices by the end of the
year.
About Roku, Inc.
Roku Inc. (NASDAQ: ROKU) pioneered streaming for the TV and
aspires to power every TV in the world. As of the end of June 2017,
Roku OS powered TV streaming for 15+ million monthly active
accounts which streamed nearly 7 billion hours of video and music
in the first half of 2017. Roku is known for streaming innovation
and high customer engagement, offering content providers and video
advertisers the best way to reach streaming audiences. Roku
streaming players and Roku TV models are available in 10 countries
through direct retail sales and licensing arrangements with TV OEMs
and service operators. The company was founded by Anthony Wood,
inventor of the DVR. Roku is headquartered in Los Gatos, Calif.
U.S.
Roku is a registered trademark of Roku, Inc. in the U.S. and in
other countries.
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