Roku Device Features, Settings & Updates

[Greg_M1]

I have a Roku 3 and want to get another Roku for the bedroom. I first looked at what people want for 3s now and they have gone up considerably since I bought mine. (about 50%)
The Ultra is currently about the same price as what I paid for my 3. We don't have 4k TVs so I hope you can set it to play at regular 1080p.
Other than 4k, what's the difference?
Any bugs?
Does anyone have both who could compare the two?

Thanks

[DBDukes]

"Greg_M" wrote:
I have a Roku 3 and want to get another Roku for the bedroom. I first looked at what people want for 3s now and they have gone up considerably since I bought mine. (about 50%)
The Ultra is currently about the same price as what I paid for my 3. We don't have 4k TVs so I hope you can set it to play at regular 1080p.
Other than 4k, what's the difference?
Any bugs?
Does anyone have both who could compare the two?

Thanks

The Ultra took the Roku 3's place at the top of the Roku lineup. Similar device.

While I love my old Roku 3, I'd never recommend buying a discontinued device. However, the Roku 3 is, in my mind, the best device Roku ever released. I've had few issues with my Ultra, but it hasn't replaced the Roku 3 as the "best ever" on my list of Roku devices. Still, I'd never recommend buying a discontinued device.

If you really want a Roku 3, keep in mind the Roku 2 model 4210 is an identical device to the Roku 3. The only difference is the remote that came in the box. The Roku 2 (4210) came with an IR remote, but it will support the WiFi Direct remotes, since it truly is identical to a Roku 3. So, if you're shopping around for an old device, keep that info in mind when figuring prices.

TL;DR
Get an Ultra.

[atc98092]

There's no player now that is a direct comparison to the Roku 3. The Roku 3 has an Ethernet jack, SD card slot, supports dual band WiFi (but not .AC), and the remote supports IR, WiFi Direct and Voice Search. There's no non-4K player that has any of those now. The Ultra is the only one that comes close, but adds 4K/HDR, .AC WiFi, more internal memory and a much faster CPU. If you don't need the Ethernet jack, SD card slot, USB port, or dual band WiFi, both the Premiere and Premiere+ offer the same performance as the Ultra, and the Premiere+ keeps the WiFi Direct/Voice Search remote. And you still get 4K/HDR with either of them. 
.
So, the Ultra comes closest to matching the old Roku 3, with better performance and 4K/HDR support. The only Roku players that would be close but don't have 4K are the last generation Express/Express+. But again no Ethernet or WiFi Direct remote. Those players are still available new from some sources. Look at this web page for a good comparison of almost all current and past Roku players and TVs. 

[Greg_M1]

Thanks guys. I did just order the Ultra.
I'll probably move the 3 to the bedroom and install the Ultra in the front room.

I guess I forgot to ask if there is a problem having two Rokus on Amazon Prime etc.

[scottypie1234]

"Greg_M" wrote:
Thanks guys. I did just order the Ultra.
I'll probably move the 3 to the bedroom and install the Ultra in the front room.

I guess I forgot to ask if there is a problem having two Rokus on Amazon Prime etc.

No problems. The only limitation will be if you use an app with the same account on both simultaneously that supports only one stream at a time.

[Greg_M1]

It's just the wife and I and we go to bed at the same time etc.
So we only will be using one at the time.

[jontalk]

I'm a long time Roku 3 owner as well and upgraded my TV to an LG OLED and have been contemplating the same move as you are. That said, I've seen tons of Roku 3's on Craigs List locally here in the Bay area for as little as $30 or less, so not sure what you're finding where you are. Do you have a 4K capable TV and subscribe to the Netflix family plan that offers UHD content? I'm still with the standard Netflix program but the LG up-scales content so it looks spectacular! The Roku 3 has been rock solid and I've seen some Ultra owners complain of issues with Dolby Digital pass through after updating to OS 9. I won't buy the Premiere since I have a wired network and need the Ethernet port. Regardless I'll be curious to see whether you find the Ultra or Premiere satisfactory

[atc98092]

"jontalk" wrote:
I'm a long time Roku 3 owner as well and upgraded my TV to an LG OLED and have been contemplating the same move as you are. That said, I've seen tons of Roku 3's on Craigs List locally here in the Bay area for as little as $30 or less, so not sure what you're finding where you are. Do you have a 4K capable TV and subscribe to the Netflix family plan that offers UHD content? I'm still with the standard Netflix program but the LG up-scales content so it looks spectacular! The Roku 3 has been rock solid and I've seen some Ultra owners complain of issues with Dolby Digital pass through after updating to OS 9. I won't buy the Premiere since I have a wired network and need the Ethernet port. Regardless I'll be curious to see whether you find the Ultra or Premiere satisfactory

I've had no issues with DD passthrough, but then my Ultra is the 4640, not the latest 4660/61. I do have issue with DTS Master Audio passing the lossy core through, something that used to work fine. But standard DTS passes through without issue. Just remember that the audio passthrough only works over HDMI (DD will passthough optical), and you have to be connected to something that supports the audio you are passing through. Not every TV supports DD+, nor DTS, so if you're concerned with those audio codecs I strongly urge using a soundbar with HDMI inputs (assuming it also supports DTS and DD+), or preferably a home theater AVR that has HDMI 2.0 or better ports, HDCP 2.2 support, and supports all the latest audio codecs. 

[Greg_M1]

I have a Home Theater AV receiver which I plug my hdmi cable in to (from the current Roku 3 and soon the Ultra) and from that to the TV with video and a set of speakers for audio.
Hopefully that will handle it ok.
My TV is not 4K in either room.

[jontalk]

"atc98092" wrote:

"jontalk" wrote:
I'm a long time Roku 3 owner as well and upgraded my TV to an LG OLED and have been contemplating the same move as you are. That said, I've seen tons of Roku 3's on Craigs List locally here in the Bay area for as little as $30 or less, so not sure what you're finding where you are. Do you have a 4K capable TV and subscribe to the Netflix family plan that offers UHD content? I'm still with the standard Netflix program but the LG up-scales content so it looks spectacular! The Roku 3 has been rock solid and I've seen some Ultra owners complain of issues with Dolby Digital pass through after updating to OS 9. I won't buy the Premiere since I have a wired network and need the Ethernet port. Regardless I'll be curious to see whether you find the Ultra or Premiere satisfactory

I've had no issues with DD passthrough, but then my Ultra is the 4640, not the latest 4660/61. I do have issue with DTS Master Audio passing the lossy core through, something that used to work fine. But standard DTS passes through without issue. Just remember that the audio passthrough only works over HDMI (DD will passthough optical), and you have to be connected to something that supports the audio you are passing through. Not every TV supports DD+, nor DTS, so if you're concerned with those audio codecs I strongly urge using a soundbar with HDMI inputs (assuming it also supports DTS and DD+), or preferably a home theater AVR that has HDMI 2.0 or better ports, HDCP 2.2 support, and supports all the latest audio codecs. 

The home theater configuration I use includes a Marantz SR-6005 with a Definitive 5.1 speaker set. The Roku 3, Blu Ray and LG OLED55B7A are all connected to the Marantz via HDMI which  all support ARC; the HDMI cable to the TV is plugged into the ARC port on the LG. I'm getting all DD formats passing through though the Marantz does not support 4K. I use a Logitech Harmony 650 remote as well. Since the LG OLED upscales content and I haven't subscribed to the Netflix UHD level, I'm pretty happy with the video upscaling which in many cases is spectacular on the OLED.