Gadgetory

this is the new Roku Express a $30 streaming player from Roku for folks who just want occasionally stream content on their 1080p TVs now this is also a new streaming player called the Roku ultra this is priced at $130 and it delivers 4k content supports HDR and has a ton of other features that we'll talk about in a bit with hundred dollars separating these two players we're about to see if the $30 Express is a great value where they're spending more money on the Ultra is a good investment or if you should be looking somewhere else altogether different Toshiba now offering ocz products that are awesome and affordable like the RD 400 TR 150 and vt1 80 that are backed by advanced warranty program now stronger than ever under Toshiba so let's look at the Roku Express first since it's quite basic and meant to be a step up from the typical slow basic interface that you get with many Smart TVs these days within the box you get the streaming player itself which has a compact form factor a remote a power adapter for the player a short HDMI cable and a micro USB cable to power the player Roku is targeting the Express as a simple all-in-one streaming solution that's affordable and easy to use and I agree with them the Isetta process was just as simple as plugging in the HDMI and USB cable to your TV mind you if your TV lacks a standalone USB port this is where the included power adapter comes into play if you happen to own an older TV that doesn't accept HDMI Roku happily sells the Express plus for $40.00 that works with either HDMI or composite after going through the setup process of connecting the device to your Wi-Fi network and creating a Roku account you'll be directed straight to the home screen where Roku has pre-installed apps like YouTube Netflix Spotify and Google Play movies if you want to expand the channel selection you can browse through the channel store to find your interests Roku says that there's access to more than 2,500 free or paid streaming channels here in Canada including a hundred thousand movies and TV episodes there's a much larger selection of options for people who live south of the border with in the user interface there's also a convenient search bar where you can easily look for movies actors TV shows you name and it works out pretty well if you have a Netflix subscription and if the movie you're looking for is available on that platform you have the option to be directed to the channel and your movie starts playing right away the network card inside the player only detects 2.4 gigahertz fans so that may or may not affect the streaming performance I didn't experience buffer delays or playback lag when watching movies but it is something to be aware of the performance is decent and it is to be expected given the price of the player channel load times are quite slow and navigating through the UI is a bit clunky especially if you are entering characters on the search bar which brings me to my next point the remote it's a simple layout with a back and home button at the top navigating buttons are right below followed by previous and store buttons that allows you to rate and delete a certain channel play pause skip and backward buttons are located right beneath you'll also find quick access buttons to Netflix Spotify and Google Play movies and TED Talks the lack of volume control buttons is disappointing and you'll also have to make sure to point the remote directly to the player for the best control experience considering the small form factor of the Express and the price tag on top of that these are some of the quirks that you have to work with you can use your phone to control the Express - all you have to do is download the Roku app that's available for both Android and iOS if your player is connected to the same Wi-Fi network as your phone the app will automatically detect the player and your sent I'll be honest with you the only time I use my phone is when I'm searching for movies or TV shows because you can use your phone's keyboard to perform the search which is a lot faster than punching characters with the standard remote control there's also an exclusive feature called private listening which allows you to plug earbuds or headphones into your mobile device and listen privately to the audio rather than your sir on speakers and it worked great you can also share photos music and videos from your phone to the TV it's not the best experience when compared against Google's chromecast which allows you to screen share your phone to the TV along with continuous app support that keeps coming into the ecosystem but for streaming content in general I think you'll be fine using the Express if you want the absolute best experience from a roku device you might want to check out the new ultra but before getting too far into this thing let's do an unboxing to see what we get first up we have the unit itself and after giving off the plastic goodness I'm gonna let it aside and move on to the next part accessories you get a remote controller a pair of headphones along with complementing your tips two batteries to power the remote and the power adapter for the player I'm disappointed in the fact that they didn't include an HDMI cable like they did would be much less expensive Express I mean really the ultra is Roku's flagship streaming player and the specs back that up it features a quad core processor to process UHD content at 60 Hertz dual band wireless connectivity a dedicated Ethernet port a micro SD card slot for storage expansion an optical audio out for Sun bars and receivers and a USB port that allows you to play back local content from an external hard drive or flash drive plus it natively supports h.264 and 265 codecs which is a nice touch the real difference between the Express and the ultra is the performance and that's the first thing I noticed when playing around with the ultra navigating through the UI is super smooth movies and TV shows start playing instantly thanks to the dual band chip inside the player what you're getting here is a responsive system and that is to be expected given the hundred and thirty dollar price point a few other features you get is a voice search assistant that can be used to search for actors movies and TV shows but it doesn't work on YouTube plus it's not as smart as Google now on Android TV the included remote control does come with waling controls and there is a dedicated headphone jack that enables the private listening feature I mentioned before once you plug in any pair of headphones you'll also find dedicated gaming buttons but it's not going to be as close to gaming on an actual controller speaking of games don't expect a vast selection since the roku ecosystem can draw upon the huge collection found in Google and Apple app stores there are a few classics like snake and some others but gaming platform this is not it it's likely functionality was added as an afterthought if you happen to misplace a controller don't get worried all you have to do is press this button on the player and the arak will start beeping right away which is awesome like the Express the ultra can be controlled using your phone but do note that you lose the gaming buttons along with quick access buttons to Netflix Spotify Google Play Movies and TED Talks this was my first experience testing out two new Roku streaming players and I've enjoyed watching content on both of them but I just can't see myself comparing this to my shield TV that ones Android which is a lot faster and includes exclusive features that PC enthusiasts can take advantage of I'll admit the shoe costs $200 for the console itself and when you add things like the remote and upright stand it can easily hit $300 I think it wouldn't be fair to compare the shield to the ultra because they're both targeted towards two different audiences luckily the shield happens to provide these same streaming services that Roku offers the competition is stiff within the market and Roku is striving to compete directly against alternatives like Apple TV Amazons fire TV and others what I can tell you about Roku's ultra is that it's a fantastic streaming device especially if you only 4k TV however in Canada the lack of support for Hulu HBO now Amazon video and a few other streaming channels could be disappointing but I hope Roku can include those in a future update as for the Roku Express it's ridiculously good for the price if you ignore the not-so-great performance compared to the ultra sure you'll miss the storage expansion a USB port for local playback voice assistant and few other key features but I think you'll be just fine for some Netflix and chill sessions so those have been my thoughts about the new Roku Express and the Roku ultra streaming players first of all what are your thoughts about these new devices and are they worth picking for the price also which alternatives should be looking at in the future let us know in the comments down below I mean burn with hurricane axe thank you so much for watching and we'll see you in the next one