Community discussions

[RokuMaryEF]

Hey Roku Community,

Get ready to experience streaming like never before! We're thrilled to announce the arrival of the Roku Ultra (2024), our most powerful streaming player yet.

Unleash the Power:

• Blazing-Fast Performance: Stream effortlessly with a powerful quad-core processor, delivering a 30% performance boost over previous Roku Ultra models.
• Next-Gen Wi-Fi 6: Enjoy smooth, uninterrupted streaming with Roku's best Wi-Fi ever. Wi-Fi 6 ensures a reliable connection even when multiple devices are connected.
• Unmatched Cinematic Experience: Experience stunning visuals with support for 4K, HDR10+, Dolby Vision, and Dolby Atmos. Immerse yourself in theater-quality pictures and sound for your favorite movies and shows.

Ultimate Convenience:

• Rechargeable Voice Remote Pro (2nd Gen): Ditch the batteries! This remote features voice control, backlit buttons, and a handy "lost remote finder" function.
• Endless Entertainment: Access all your favorite streaming services, free live TV channels, and the latest trending content in one place.

Ready to Stream Smarter?

Learn more about the Roku Ultra (2024) and its incredible features: The 2024 Roku Ultra: the streaming player you love just got better 

Happy Streaming! 💜

Best regards,
The Roku Community Team

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[Bri]

Will the Ultra 2024 model handle PGS and other image-based subtitles when playing MKV files via Plex media server app? 

Past Roku models have not, and forced me to abandon ROKU for Nvida Shield, which handles PGS subs without issue.   

[atc98092]

Short answer: no. Roku has not added premium features like that. Any Roku device will require video transcoding to show image based captions (PGS, VOBSUB). But Plex is capable of doing that so you should still be able to see your captions on a Roku device using Plex.

Besides the Shield, there are a number of other streaming players that will display image based captions without needing a transcoding server. Literally any Android based player can do so, either using Plex or another player app such as Kodi. This includes the Onn 4K Media Player, tons of generic Android boxes, and the Fire TV Cube can match the Shield by bitstreaming lossless audio to an external AVR. I use Shield players for my local media, but I did buy a Cube (3rd gen) for testing purposes and it works fine. I just can't stand the Amazon-centric user interface. And I'm a Prime member, so it's not that I'm anti-Amazon.

[snowfox]

Not too keen on recharge feature. Wallworts are a nuisance. 

Also the programmable  key on the remote look like they got sold off. 

[Dfresh567]

@RokuMaryEF @snowfox @atc98092 @Bri 

I am super excited about this news and thank you for sharing the new Ultra's highlights and video with overone on this forum. Happy to be the first to be able to say that on this thread. 2022 was the ultra's last update. First thing that jumped out for me personally was the announcement that it'll support Wifi 6.  Over the last year countless posts regarding Roku's premier streaming device only supporting WiFi 5 wre posts that reallly stood out for me...so many. I haven't seen anyone write a post saying they were excited seeing it included in the upgrades so let me take the opportunity to say thank you to Roku for listening to the community.

Can not wait to get my hand of one!!

[Dfresh567]

@Bri 

Interesting i didn't know that..... are the prices similar between the two? I don't know anyone with one so I haven't had a chance to ask.

[Dfresh567]

@Bri

I should of just googled it. So the NVIDIA Shield is really 200$. I'm not so sure that a good price point in this current market space. But I would absolutely expect and demand it do whatever feature it was on plex you wanted it to do and a whole lot more. That price is why I've never seen one in person. I've heard the name but that's it. It's probably great and if it wasn't that would be a problem. Is the NVIDIA the most expensive streaming device on the market? I can't think of another that's more expensive.

 

[Bri]

The Shield is the best, the fact it hasn't had a new model since 2019 says a lot about its quality.

It still hasn't been surpassed.

However, if you are just looking to stream, you really don't need it.  Roku is GREAT for streaming.

If (like me) you are an audio/video nut and convert blu-rays/4-Ks to lossless MKV files to create your own personal premium streaming service, the Shield is the way to go. 

[Dfresh567]

@Bri 2019 wow that’s impressive I totally get it as a high-end streaming player which serves a specific market. I’m glad there are a device out there that individuals have access to that want those feature and generally interested in specific area of this market. it looks cool. 

[atc98092]

The Shield Pro is $200 (occasionally on sale for a bit less) but there's also the Shield TV (sometimes referred to as the Tube) that is $150. The differences are the Tube has no USB port, and the operating system is 32 bit instead of 64 bit. It still has a Gigabit Ethernet connection, and has an SD card slot for expanding the internal memory (which is also a bit less than the Pro). I have both and the Tube had no issues playing my 4K Blu Ray rips with full lossless audio sent to my AVR, so I have no problem recommending the lower cost model for most users. 

There's one place the Roku beats the Shield, and that's in a couple of codecs supported. The Ultra can decode AC-4 audio to AC-3, and it supports VP-9 Profile 2, which YouTube uses for some HDR content. But YouTube appears to be moving to H.265 for HDR, and the Shield will play that.