The new Roku software update has begun rolling out this week and it's going to be a big one for the wee streamers. With these updates Roku is aiming to become the one-stop-shop for all your streamed entertainment.
That isn't going to happen straight away, but with some big names, like Netflix, signed up right from the off it could well be gathering pace.
The two new features are Roku Search and Roku Feed.
The first, the Search, will allow you to search for either a film, TV show, actor or director and will present the results showing where you can catch the results across the participating channels.
From the outset this feature will encompass the entertainment offerings from Netflix, Snagfilms and Popcornflix, but Roku is hopeful it's going to be adding to this short list soon.
The new Roku Feed means you can keep track of when and where they can find upcoming entertainment. Right now it's just looking at the movie side of things, letting you tag films currently enjoying their time in the cinema spotlight, and then the Roku box will fire reminders at you when they appear on the system.
It will then provide you with the info about which channel the movie can be watched on and how much that will tax will your wallet too.
Hard(ware) times
As well as introducing new features to the existing boxes of streaming delights, Roku is also releasing updated hardware too.
The new Roku 2 box is set to get a boost to its internals to match the performance and responsiveness of the current Roku 3. While that is certainly good news for the new £70/ $70 streaming box, we weren't hugely taken by the speed of the Roku 3 when we reviewed it.
The difference between the two is you're getting a slightly stripped back remote, losing the audio jack for private viewing and the gaming buttons too.
There will also be updates to the existing iOS and Android Roku Mobile Apps to bring them in line with the new Roku Search and Roku Feed features too.
