On the heels of a successful IPO that raised $219 million, Roku has debuted a new line of streaming devices alongside an enhanced operating system as it continues to rival its deep-pocketed competitors, Amazon, Google, and Apple.
The new Roku OS 8 smart TV interface features a smart guide that integrates broadcast TV information, via an antenna, with streaming content. Roku says the guide delivers information from the last seven days to up to 14 days in the future for local broadcast TV. As users continue to watch, the smart guide will place the most viewed broadcast channels at the top of the guide.
Roku has also added over-the-air content into search results for Roku TV customers using an antenna for local broadcast options. When a TV antenna is connected, search results for broadcast TV options will appear alongside streaming options, sorted from free to most expensive. Users can also search for antenna TV content through the Roku mobile app.
“At Roku, we love TV and we’re focused on making it better for everyone,” Ilya Asnis, SVP of Roku OS at Roku, commented in a statement. “Roku OS 8 delivers on our key pillars of ease, content, and value. These new features make the entertainment experience more enjoyable for our customers, while solving some of the biggest pain points when watching TV today.”
Users also have the option to turn on private listening through the mobile app or the Roku remote for broadcast TV.
Additionally, Roku has added features such as voice controls for easy input switching, a single sign-on for pay TV customers with TV Everywhere, and an updated 4K spotlight channel to find 4K, HDR content.
The new operating system will begin rolling out to Roku players early this month, and Roku TVs starting in November. The company anticipates the software will be available on all Roku devices by the end of the year.
Roku also announced product updates, including its new 4K streaming stick, which is available for just under $70, and boasts up to four times the wireless range of Roku’s 2016 version. Find out more about Roku’s updated lineup here and here.