If you find that your TV is too slow to stream its built-in apps, here’s a good deal that can help fix things on the cheap: Roku Streaming Stick 4K On sale again for $29. This offer has been available throughout most of the holiday season, and it’s not an all-time low — the dongle previously dropped to $25 at the end of 2023 — but it matches the biggest discount we’ve tracked this year. For reference, Roku typically sells the device for $50, although it has been that way in recent months Often retail For $34 at third-party retailers like Amazon. Either way, you save a little more than usual.
The discount is available in several stores, including Amazon. Walmart, Best buy and Roku.com. If you’re hoping to get the device as a Christmas gift, that’s going to be a little trickier: Most of the listings we could find say it won’t ship until after the holiday is over, so you’ll likely have to order within in-store pickup at Walmart or Best Buy. Or any other retailer with physical locations.
This ties the best price we’ve seen all year for Roku’s 4K streaming dongle.
We recommend the Streaming Stick 4K in our guide for Best streaming devices. It’s not as fast or smooth as a premium set-top box like Apple TV 4Kbut it’s still quick to load apps and menus, and its compact design plugs directly into your TV’s HDMI port. It supports all major HDR formats and streaming services (twitch aside), plus it works with Apple’s AirPlay 2 protocol, so you can cast content to it from your iPhone. Although it can’t decode Dolby Atmos audio on its own, it can transmit that audio to a compatible audio system from apps that support the technology.
Like other Roku devices, the Streaming Stick 4K is easy to navigate, with a home screen made up of a basic grid of apps. Google TV Streamer (the top pick in our guide) is more proactive about recommending content you might like and taking you back to shows you’ve recently watched, but you may find Roku’s interface easier to get to grips with if you don’t mind browsing through things and take care of yourself.
The user interface makes it easy to access a range of free content, too, and we found that search works well, even if it’s not as robust as Google’s operating system. We also like the Roku mobile app, which lets you control the device and listen privately with a pair of headphones. As with every other streaming player, there are ads scattered throughout the user interface, though Roku is at least less aggressive toward them than Amazon is with Fire TVs.
There are a few other Roku devices still available at Black Friday prices as well, including… Roku Express 4K+ (which lacks Dolby Vision HDR) for $24 and Roku Ultra (which features a larger box design, full Atmos support, and a more advanced remote) for $79. For most people looking forward to Visit Rocco CityHowever, the Streaming Stick 4K has to be the best value.
He follows @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying tips.
https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/pQiRuWuCI2nviOlostjpaQ–/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyMDA7aD02NzU-/https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2023-11/987df830-8aff-11ee-bf4d-1cdf72594718
Source link