It’s like a toy. Feels like it too.
For what it’s worth, I’ll stream hockey games on my MBP’s browser and mirror the screen via AirPlay on my TCL Roku tv. There is obvious audio lag on the TCL where it isn’t noticeable on my Apple TV 4K
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Roku's New Remotes Feature an Apple TV+ Button
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Probably not considering the number of remotes with a jack...
But I do find it a great feature, easy, cheap and high quality solution for those times when you need silence in the room.
I would love to have that in my remotes.
The article seems to imply that you will definitely get a remote with an AppleTV+ button on it, and that is NOT THE CASE. Everyone should be aware that the buttons you get when you buy a Roku remote are random to you. They're not random to Roku; they're whichever four companies were paying the most for those buttons at the time the remote was manufactured. If you buy one today you may get ATV+, buy one tomorrow it may not be there, buy one in three months and it may be back. There's no way to know until the remote is in your hands, unless you buy it used (or, I guess, if you open the box in the store before you buy it).
The remote has been available on a limited basis to beta testers and reviewers for about 90 days now.
It's incredibly useful, and one of the frequently used features of Roku remotes. They've had headphone jacks for years and years, this is nothing new.
It's not a better option. While it does work, it's finicky, and will cause lag when using Bluetooth headphones. The headphone jack on the remote is very reliable.
I have an Apple TV 4K in the living room and some inexpensive Roku in the exercise room. The Roku does Airplay 2 and, while not perfect, is a perfectly cromulent streaming box. If it had been available at the time I got the Apple TV, I probably wouldn’t have bought the Apple product - Airplay was always ATV’s killer feature, IMHO.
Apple TV + still has a helluva long way to go, but adding dedicated buttons to a popular streaming stick will help a little with popularity I’m guessing.
I have the older Premiere 4K or whatever ($36 at Walmart about a month ago) and airplay is unusable. I’m talking minutes between displayed frames changing, from my screen mirroring.
I have used that feature a lot, because my main TV is right next to my son's room, and I'd wake him up at night otherwise.
Though recently I got a NVidia Shield TV Pro, and have been using Bluetooth headphones with that instead. I would do the same with Apple TV if I had one. Another option is connect a Bluetooth transmitter to TV or receiver audio out, which would cover all your TV devices including Roku. But with Roku's remote option I appreciate that I can just plug in a wired headset instead of dealing with Bluetooth.
AirPods Max + Apple TV would probably be the smoothest solution when you have other Apple devices (which I do), but just not a fan of the Apple TV and I don't want to spend the money on AirPods Max at the moment.
No more than the other buttons. That’s why I glued all 4 on my Roku.
Wish there was a way to disable these buttons without hardware modifications, they are always getting accidentally pressed. They should make it a long press, especially if you are in the middle of watching something. I wonder if someone made a case that goes over the buttons to block them.
I have a NVidia Shield TV Pro that has a Netflix button that is even easier to accidentally press, but I was able to buy an Android app that lets me redefine what it does with lots of options including long-press and double-click actions.
I otherwise love the Roku remote compared to other remotes including the Apple TV's remote. They get the ergonomics quite right other than the channel buttons.
I have a NVidia Shield TV Pro that has a Netflix button that is even easier to accidentally press, but I was able to buy an Android app that lets me redefine what it does with lots of options including long-press and double-click actions.
I otherwise love the Roku remote compared to other remotes including the Apple TV's remote. They get the ergonomics quite right other than the channel buttons.
As an owner of 3 Roku devices (two Ultra and 1 Streaming Stick) you do not get random remotes. It depends on where you buy them. I buy my Roku devices from Walmart and they always come with the "VUDU" remote. It has a dedicated Vudu button and you get a $5.00 USD coupon to use towards renting movies from Vudu.
If you buy your Roku from Target you get the Disney+ remote. If you buy directly from Roku you get the AppleTV+ remote.
It's really handy - I bought the ugly Roku over an AppleTV for my parents as my father ends up watching tv at volume levels that can be heard around their house. This can provide quiet for my mother while he enjoys Netflix/AppleTV+. Or times when there are other things going on in the house and someone wants to watch TV. It's a feature probably not everyone will find useful but to those that do, they really love it.
Using the Roku is about the limit of their tech comfortability so asking them to pair bluetooth headphones or keep them charged would most likely frustrate them vs just keeping batteries in the remote.
It’s still complete garbage that the buttons are hard-coded based on kickbacks instead of being programmable by the user.
Only three? You need a bigger sample size. I currently own six, and ordered a spare remote. The one I bought from Walmart did not have a Vudu button or Vudu credit. The rest came from Amazon and no two remotes are the exact same.
I’ve been following the Roku subreddit for two years and the mystery of the remote buttons is a common question. No one has yet found a rhyme or reason. If you think you have the answer go post it, you’ll be a hero to the community if you’re right.
Oh you mean like when you buy a new Windows PC and you're forced to accept it with tons of crapware that is installed to subsidize the cost of Windows to keep the PC at a lower cost? That crapware installed is paid advertisement by the developer (AKA kickbacks). And unless the customer has any tech knowledge they are stuck with the crapware that they can't get rid of.
I thought the article and discussion was about buying a Roku device not just the remotes. I stand by what I say on that, if you buy a Roku device the remote it comes with depends on what store you buy it from. The box from Walmart shows you which remote you get and if the Vudu credit is included. If you're buying the remote only (which very few people tend to do unless they lost theirs) then the best course of action is to buy directly from Roku if it's important to someone to get the AppleTV+ button on it. It's really a very unimportant need anyway. You don't need the actual AppleTV+ button to watch AppleTV+ on the Roku. 😉
Without
it lets you stream audio from your phone to you’re at buds (wired or wireless) while you watch it on your tv.
Without disregarding your specific considerations for your elderly family member, I’ll mention as a PSA that the same functionality is available for free in the Roku app.
it lets you stream audio from your phone to you’re at buds (wired or wireless) while you watch it on your tv.
I'm literally holding a box from a Roku Streaming Stick+ that I bought from Walmart and nowhere on the box does it indicate which buttons will be on the remote. The front of the box has the bottom half of the remote cut off, and the back shows the full remote but with black buttons instead of channel icons.
You don't know what you're talking about.
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Those icon buttons just go to whoever is the highest bidder for each hardware revision, right? Apple decided to pay up?