Why did you not go to one Gig for a wired solution that everyone should use if they have wiring in place.
Apple TV 4K units are 10/100/1000 so the technology exists to put that kind of Ethernet port on your devices. Maybe not for the low end devices but for sure it should be available for the new Ultra devices
Can it be added via a firmware update?
Thank You
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Roku has never offered a Gigabit network connection on their players with an Ethernet jack. If you consider their primary use that they were designed for, Gigabit is unnecessary because nothing that streams from the Internet comes close to even Fast Ethernet (100 Mbps). No, they cannot be upgraded with a software update.
There are rumors of a new top end Roku coming this fall, but there's no guarantees that a) one is actually coming and b) no idea if it will finally offer Gigabit Ethernet.
You can use WiFi and get about 220 Mbps, but that's the limit of what the Roku hardware can handle anyway, so why install (more expensive) Gigabit when the hardware can't come close to using that level of bandwidth.
Wonder why Apple is putting gigabit Ethernet connectivity on their 4k streaming device? Sony Bravia Core movies runs close to 100mbps on the Pure Stream technology movies now. 100mbps will likely be surpassed before a new Roku that is purchased now would need to be replaced. I have the Apple device but hate it’s remote and I like the Roku but without gigabit Ethernet capability I’m not sure about purchasing a new Ultra device now.
Apple likes to sell high-end stuff. For example, you can go onto their website and spec out a Mac pro to over $12K. Roku really seems to be more about the advertisements and subscriptions, so even their “high end” device tends to be pretty “main stream”.
Even for a consumer who likes the best new stuff, the question of: buy the highest end thing now, vs buy something cheap now and get something even better in the future, possibly for less total money, is never a simple question.
It's a funny thing browsing old/use stuff for sale and thinking: Wow, that piece of junk used to be the highest end product of its day,
Sorry to bump an old post but I have mostly moved on from Roku because of this. I rip my 4K UHD discs to Plex lossless and unfortunately Roku's can't handle several of them at 100mb. Nvidia Shield does great with them at 1G, so I upgraded where needed. I would be fine with adding back Roku's with 1G if's if it ever happens. Love the platform otherwise.
I too play ripped UHD movies, although I usually don't normally use Plex. I agree that the Shield is the better player for local ripped media, mostly because it supports bitstreaming the lossless audio to an AVR and supports image based captions (Roku does neither). But I can still play my UHD movies on my Roku (with the lossless audio transcoded to AC3) using WiFi instead of Ethernet.
I have tested my Ultra 4800 on both Ethernet and WiFi for max speed, as well as playing directly from the USB port to eliminate the network from the equation. What I have found is the Ultra will max out at roughly 220 Mbps on an 802.11ac access point that is less than three feet away from the Roku. Playing some fixed bitrate test videos, on Ethernet it starts having issues at 90 Mbps (completely expected on a Fast Ethernet connection) and can play reliably over WiFi up to about 200 Mbps (which matches the reported speed in the network test). But I also found that even using USB the Ultra can't go faster than 200 Mbps, so that's pretty much the hardware limit of the 480x Ultra. I have a 4850 coming, and I will be repeating these tests to see if the latest hardware is any faster.
My ripped UHD movies have a 60-70 Mbps average bitrate, but they all have peaks that can exceed 150 Mbps, so Fast Ethernet will never suffice for that content. But the Roku is perfectly capable of it with a good WiFi connection.
I just hate wireless. I'm a "wire first if possible guy". If you rip your UHD's lossless with MakeMKV or the like, a pure 1GB wired connection is all you need and everything works perfect. I do understand the benefits and growing tech of wireless but it is never pure as a wired signal and never will be IMO.
I just think it is senseless for Roku to not have a 1G ethernet option in 2024/25. 1G ethernet cards are under $10. Should be easy to add in bulk if they wanted to for an Ultra at very little extra cost to the consumer. Anyway, thanks for the reply atc98092!
