Hi, everyone !!
It's been a week for BIG NEWS of both the Roku-specific and Roku-related kind, not least of which was the announcement, via this press release from the Roku Newsroom, that not one but two budget 4K-capable streaming devices are now available for pre-order and due for a full release by the end of the first week in October. However, before you get too excited, these new models are both US-ONLY and - as of the time of writing - it is unclear whether the new 'Roku Premiere' [Model 3920] will even get an UK release. One thing I am certain of is that, because the 'Roku Premiere+' [Model 3921RW] is a Walmart exclusive in the United States, we are highly unlikely to see both models released in the United Kingdom if/when Roku update their product range here. Of course, past history has shown us that Roku often announces new products for the U.S. market first... before subsequently making those same devices available in the UK but, for now, here's a look at how the U.S. packaging looks:-
NEW 2018 ROKU PREMIERE [Model 3920R] - RETAIL PRICE: $39.99 [U.S. Dollars]
*** N.B. THIS PRODUCT IS US-ONLY AND NOT OFFICIALLY SOLD IN THE UK ***
NEW 2018 ROKU PREMIERE+ [Model 3921RW] - RETAIL PRICE: $49.99 [U.S. Dollars]
*** N.B. THIS PRODUCT IS US-ONLY AND NOT OFFICIALLY SOLD IN THE UK ***
As you can see, both of these products take their form factor from the 'Roku Express' [Model 3900] but up the ante with support for 4K Ultra HD and HDR streaming. The actual devices themselves are identical, with the only difference(s) between the two being related to the hardware remote supplied with each. The cheaper 'Roku Premiere' comes with a simple, IR remote... while for just ten dollars more, the Walmart-exclusive 'Roku Premiere+' (Roku Premiere Plus) boasts an enhanced remote with Voice Search plus TV Power and Volume Controls. So let's hope, if Roku does decide to bring one of these new products to the UK, it's the 'Roku Premiere+' version with the better remote! :-D
If you read the press release (see link above) then you will know that they have also given a face-lift to the top-of-the-range 'Roku Ultra', adding "Premium" earphones by 'JBL' (worth $39.95) instead of the old (purple) Roku earphones [as supplied with former Model 4660] while maintaining the same price-point of $99.99 for this latest version [Model 4661]. Although this is great for new purchasers, there's not really any incentive for those who already own an earlier 'Roku Ultra' version to upgrade. Even so, for those who are curious, here's a look at the U.S. packaging for that new model, too:-
NEW 2018 ROKU ULTRA [Model 4661R] - RETAIL PRICE: $99.99 [U.S. Dollars]
*** N.B. THIS PRODUCT IS US-ONLY AND NOT OFFICIALLY SOLD IN THE UK ***
I'll probably flesh-out the details for these new (US-only) Roku models over the next few days but, because I'm short on time today (Saturday) and have other BIG NEWS to share with you that I'd rather not make you wait for, I'm going to leave it there for now and press on with my next item of interest. Ironically, this also concerns a new streaming product... but this one is UK-only as opposed to US-only and, despite also being manufactured by Roku, is a new NowTV-branded product. This won't come as too much of a surprise for followers of the former companion Twitter Feed to this blog, where I first hinted at the arrival of a new 4K-capable NowTV Box (with pink logo) back in March 2018 after I got wind of a test box bearing the model number '4631UK' which I soon figured out was based on the 2016 Roku Premiere+ [Model: 4630]. As such, I determined that there would be no USB port but it was likely to have a Micro SD slot for extra channel memory, as well as support for Netflix Profiles, 4K HDR, and 'ac' WiFi, plus an ethernet port. The support for 4K HDR was most likely to be introduced in readiness for when the Netflix app was added to NowTV boxes... and, what do you know, six months later this press release materialises from the 'Sky Corporate' media centre to herald the arrival of 'Netflix' on the 'NOW TV' platform as well as launching the most powerful smart box that NowTV has ever released. Here's a look at the latest device from NOW TV in all it's glory:-
NEW 2018 NOW TV SMART BOX [Model 4631UK] - RETAIL PRICE: £45.99 [British Pounds]
*** N.B. THIS PRODUCT IS UK-ONLY AND NOT OFFICIALLY SOLD IN THE USA ***
NEW 2018 NOW TV SMART BOX [Model 4631UK] - FRONT VIEW WITH LED INDICATOR
*** N.B. THIS PRODUCT IS UK-ONLY AND NOT OFFICIALLY SOLD IN THE USA ***
NEW 2018 NOW TV SMART BOX [Model 4631UK] - REAR VIEW WITH CONNECTIONS
FOR HDMI AND POWER PLUS MICRO SD AND ETHERNET PORTS
FOR HDMI AND POWER PLUS MICRO SD AND ETHERNET PORTS
*** N.B. THIS PRODUCT IS UK-ONLY AND NOT OFFICIALLY SOLD IN THE USA ***
From the above images, another detail known to be true of this latest NowTV device is that it does *not* have an aerial socket - and, therefore, has no built-in TV tuner - so it seems that NOW TV have abandoned any plans to continue with support for 'Freeview' via an Over-The-Air (OTA) tuner on their set-top boxes (at least for the time being). As for it's 4K Ultra HD capabilities... while NowTV customers will get 4K content through Netflix, it may be a while longer before Sky programming is available in 4K UHD although 'NOW TV' have said it should be in 1080p sometime later in 2018.
Again, I intend to flesh-out the details for this new (UK-only) NOW TV Smart Box models over the next few days but, like I said before, because I'm short on time today (Saturday) you may have to wait for a few days until I get a chance to update this article with the additional information, plus links to further reading, etc, etc. While not as exciting as having one of the above new Roku models, I'm sure there will be plenty of interest in this latest device. However, with the current flagship 4K 'Roku Stick+' on sale for £55.00 at Sainsburys in the UK, those in the market for a new 4K-capable streaming devicen might be better-off paying the extra nine quid to have access to 'Amazon Video', plus 'TVPlayer', 'MUBI', 'Wuaki TV UK' and more than five thousand additional apps that are in the Roku Channel Store... but not in the Roku-powered 'App Store' on NowTV-branded products! ;-) :-)
HINT:- Please CLICK on the above image TO ENLARGE IT for easier viewing !!
Before I crack on with the rest of this post, I'd just like to quickly give a brief mention to another LIMITED-TIME SPECIAL OFFER which will doubtless be of interest to baseball fans and those who follow MLB (Major League Baseball) in the United States. For THIS WEEKEND ONLY you can take your pick of the baseball games because EVERY MLB FIXTURE IS FREE-TO-STREAM with each and every one being listed as a 'Free Game Of The Day' so that you can watch all of them. To take advantage of this, all you need do is add the 'MLB.TV' channel to your Roku device and then sign-up for a FREE 'MLB.COM' ACCOUNT which can then be used to login to the Roku channel in order to watch the game(s) of your choosing. Any 'MLB' fixture taking place from Friday 28th until Sunday 30th September 2018 can be enjoyed for free using this method, regardless of whether they are streamed "live" or "on-demand" after they've finished. The same applies for 'NOW TV' devices but first timers should be aware that, when signing-in to the 'MLB.TV' Roku channel, where it asks for your 'MLB.com' username... what you actually need to enter is the email address you used when you registered on 'MLB.com' and not the 'Username' you would have created at the same time! ;-) :-)
Anyway, with no other Roku-related news to share with you at this time, I'm now going to focus on the equally important matter of bringing you details for all the latest new Roku channels (apps) which were released during the seven days since my last 'Weekly RoundUp' post was published and, with a decent crop of forty new Roku channels to browse through, that should be more than enough to keep you occupied while I see what snippets of Roku-related news I can find for you this coming week! :-)
Firstly, though, I'd just like to mention (on a not entirely un-related note) that I have now added links to some (though, still not all) of the 'Roku Guide' reviews that were previously "missing" for many of the new Roku channels released in the last few weeks... most of the additions were for Roku channels that were released last week so, if you'd like to see an independent appraisal of those apps, be sure to check-out the relevant posts (see link above), which (itself) contains a link to the previous week's post (and so-on, and so-forth), for details of where to find them. Unfortunately, there are more "missing" links to 'Roku Guide' reviews for all but one of the new Roku apps that were published during the last seven days... which means, much like many other posts from recent months, I am going to have to leave it for you to access those on your own. As of seven months ago, you can choose to do that either via the built-in channel store on your Roku device(s)... or else, by following the links in each post to the relevant channel description(s) from the Roku Web Channel Store. Meanwhile, once the "missing" reviews have been published by 'Roku Guide', I will (as I have done previously) ensure that I add the relevant links to each post. Apologies (as always) for any inconvenience that may be caused by the absence of active links to an independent review for so many of these new apps but, like I say, it's entirely out of my hands. Hopefully they'll get chance to catch-up on them sometime in the coming week, or I may have to start doing my own reviews!?! ;-) :-)
Still, back to the list... which, as always, will help you to identify the very latest apps that have been added to Roku devices in the UK. Other websites offering Roku channel listings will base their contents on the Roku USA Channel Store, which means they also include apps that are unavailable to UK Roku users. So, like I've said before... if you really want to know what's available channel-wise, for owners of Roku devices in the UK, you need to be reading this blog each and every week! ;-) :-)
With twice the number of active links to check out, not just for this week... but each and every post that has been previously published as part of my 'Weekly RoundUp' series over the last five years, there's a *lot* of reading to catch-up on. So, without further ado, here's my 'Weekly RoundUp' of all new Roku channels released between 23rd September 2018 and 29th September 2018:-
VEMOX...........................COST: FREE (n.b. may require additional fees) [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "FILM & TV" in Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***
CROSS NETWORK TV.........................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "LIFESTYLE" in Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***
KARIM JOVIAN......................................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "WEB VIDEO" in Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***
5-MINUTE CRAFTS...............................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "WEB VIDEO" in Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***
5-MINUTE CRAFTS KIDS - FUN DIY...............................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "KIDS & FAMILY" in Roku UK Channel Store WHEN RELEASED***
BRIGHT SIDE - FACTS AND FUN..........................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "EDUCATIONAL" in the Roku UK Channel Store WHEN RELEASED***
TV JAKARTA........................................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "FILM & TV" in Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***
HSBN.TV................................................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "RELIGIOUS" in Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***
KC MIXTAPES RADIO.......................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "MUSIC" in the Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***
GAIACAM....................................................COST: £1.99 (MONTHLY) [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "SCREENSAVERS" in Roku UK Channel Store WHEN RELEASED***
GOLDEN TV AND MOVIE CLASSICS..............................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "FILM & TV" in Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***
DARK NIGHT FILMS...........................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "FILM & TV" in Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***
INDIAN COOKING...........................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "FOOD" in the Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***
CANINE TRAINING.................................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "SPECIAL INTEREST" in Roku UK Channel Store WHEN RELEASED***
COUNT GORE DE VOL PRESENTS..................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "FILM & TV" in Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***
AWESOME CARTOONS.........................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "COMEDY" in the Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***
BRAILLE SKATEBOARDING.............................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "SPORTS" in the Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***
PLEASE NOTE:- There was another similarly-named channel, called 'Braille Skateboarding TV', that was featured in my "Roku UK Channel Store - Weekly RoundUp #289" post from last week but which has since been completely withdrawn from the platform. This latest 'Braille Skateboarding' channel is basically an exact clone of that original channel which has been re-packaged, re-branded with a (slightly) shorter name, and then re-released this week to replace the former version of the app.
ANUEYOU TV.......................................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "LIFESTYLE" in Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***
BRANDPRENEUR TV.....................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "APPS" in the Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***
INC HORROR CHANNEL....................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "FILM & TV" in Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***
FARMEES.................................................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "KIDS & FAMILY" in the Roku UK Channel Store WHEN RELEASED***
TAPPS TV..............................................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "SPORTS" in the Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***
BOTTLE SQUAD.....................................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "KIDS & FAMILY" in the Roku UK Channel Store WHEN RELEASED***
MONSTER TRUCK DAN........................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "KIDS & FAMILY" in the Roku UK Channel Store WHEN RELEASED***
JUNIOR SQUAD......................................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "KIDS & FAMILY" in the Roku UK Channel Store WHEN RELEASED***
MARTHA STEWART TV...COST: FREE (n.b. may require additional fees) [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "LIFESTYLE" in Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***
FBE....................................................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "COMEDY" in the Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***
MAGIC MURRAY..................................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "WEB VIDEO" in Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***
UNTAPPED HIP HOP..........................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "MUSIC" in the Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***
5-MINUTE CRAFTS GIRLY.................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "LIFESTYLE" in Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***
THIOJOE - TECH NEWS & REVIEWS..................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "SCI & TECH" in Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***
RING OF HONOR......COST: FREE (n.b. may require additional fees) [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "APPS" in the Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***
BITMOVIN PLAYER..............................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "WEB VIDEO" in Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***
WORDNET TV.......................................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "RELIGIOUS" in Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***
VENEZUELA TV..................................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "FILM & TV" in Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***
ANIMÉ CHANNEL 24x7 IN SPANISH...............................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "FILM & TV" in Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***
SCENIC RUSSIA...............................COST: £0.69 (ONE-OFF PAYMENT) [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "SCREENSAVERS" in the Roku UK Channel Store WHEN RELEASED***
TMS KIDS!...............................................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "KIDS & FAMILY" in the Roku UK Channel Store WHEN RELEASED***
STREAMNET RADIO..............................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "SPECIAL INTEREST" in Roku UK Channel Store WHEN RELEASED***
WESTERN MOVIE AND TV CLASSICS...........................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "FILM & TV" in Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***