Looking for a new Roku

[Jimbo]

Hi guys,
I have a Roku 3 currently and it works fine, I'm thinking of giving it to my Sister and getting a new one ...
Which new one is the question, there seems to be a bunch of them out there now ...
Roku 4, Ultra, Premiere, Premire + .... not interested in the sticks.

What are you guys using ?
I don't have a 4k TV at the moment, but will be going that way with the next one I'm sure.

I use it for Netflix and Watch ESPN for the most part ... it also has a ton of other options, some pay, some not.

Any thoughts ?

Whats the difference between the Ultra and the Premiere (+) and the 4 ....
Seeing I have the 3, I'd like to go better than that ...
Are the guis the same thruout the units ?

 

[Claude Greiner]

I had a 4 and a premier.

The 4 ran very hot, but worked well.

The premier runs cooler and is better but mine keeps on locking up requiring a reset every few days.

I would say go with the premier.

 

[norman881]

I just bought a Roku Express (5X faster claim). I bought it from Walmart.com for $29.99. The first thing my wife and I noticed is that there is 0 buffering delay when you hit the play button after a pause.

 

[primestar31]

Hi guys,
I have a Roku 3 currently and it works fine, I'm thinking of giving it to my Sister and getting a new one ...
Which new one is the question, there seems to be a bunch of them out there now ...
Roku 4, Ultra, Premiere, Premire + .... not interested in the sticks.

What are you guys using ?
I don't have a 4k TV at the moment, but will be going that way with the next one I'm sure.

I use it for Netflix and Watch ESPN for the most part ... it also has a ton of other options, some pay, some not.

Any thoughts ?

Whats the difference between the Ultra and the Premiere (+) and the 4 ....
Seeing I have the 3, I'd like to go better than that ...
Are the guis the same thruout the units ?

Prepay for 3 months of SlingTv, and you can buy an Ultra for 1/2 the regular price. Pretty good deal: Watch A La Carte TV on Roku | Sling TV

 

[Bruce]

The Premieres have been discontinued so you might find a good deal, if not I recommend the Ultra, the new models have been reduced in price to $99 when they removed the optical output.

 

[Bobby]

But be advised with the Ultra and Premier, they have some issues going through some AVRs, if HDR is important to you.

 

[harshness]

Newer models are much faster than the old ones (as norman881 noted).

I usually opt for a model that has hardwired networking. Its easier to set up and not subject to competition for WLAN bandwidth.

 

[harshness]

But be advised with the Ultra and Premier, they have some issues going through some AVRs, if HDR is important to you.

This seems likely to be a problem with anything that is UHD capable in trying to work with AVRs that aren't.

 

[satjay]

I have a premier, right now I have seen them for pretty good prices at some retail stores as it looks like they are not making them anymore. Runs real smooth, fast response

 

[Bobby]

This seems likely to be a problem with anything that is UHD capable in trying to work with AVRs that aren't.

Trust me, my Denon X2300W is fully capable including Dolby Vision. The Roku Ultra loses its handshake continuously. I now have the Ultra direct wired to my Vizio and ARC returned and it is faultless. Over on AVS there is a huge thread that speaks to this. It’s not just the Denons either....

 

[Zookster]

I love my Premiere+, which I bought this past summer. Super fast loading apps.

If you are going for a close-out model, be sure to get the Premiere+ rather than the Premiere if you want HDR capability, ethernet, and an RF remote.

 

[harshness]

Trust me, my Denon X2300W is fully capable including Dolby Vision

By themselves, the Denon AVRs have a rather storied history of HDMI issues and this model seems to garner its share of complaints from those with anything from Macbook Pros to satellite receivers to PS4s and Xbox Ones. I don't think it is reasonable to suggest that it hasn't been a real issue.

The AVS owners thread documents many individual issues. While their HDMI/HDCP implementation may be 100% correct, it is certainly not 100% compatible. Denon's own website blames cables as well as source and sink devices and suggest that HDMI repeaters may help the situation (they speak as if the AVR might be swamped by request/response volume).

I suspect that if an informal poll were conducted, Denon would be in the top two for handshake issues (perhaps duking it out with Onkyo). Again, it may not be that their implementation isn't correct but that they don't expend enough effort in testing and tuning to insure that their devices are compatible with everyone else's. After all, how many Rokus are shipped versus the number of Denon receivers sold each year?

 

[navychop]

I have no problems with either of my Onkyos. Never heard of any such problems, either.

 

[Bobby]

By themselves, the Denon AVRs have a rather storied history of HDMI issues and this model seems to garner its share of complaints from those with anything from Macbook Pros to satellite receivers to PS4s and Xbox Ones. I don't think it is reasonable to suggest that it hasn't been a real issue.

The AVS owners thread documents many individual issues. While their HDMI/HDCP implementation may be 100% correct, it is certainly not 100% compatible. Denon's own website blames cables as well as source and sink devices and suggest that HDMI repeaters may help the situation (they speak as if the AVR might be swamped by request/response volume).

I suspect that if an informal poll were conducted, Denon would be in the top two for handshake issues (perhaps duking it out with Onkyo). Again, it may not be that their implementation isn't correct but that they don't expend enough effort in testing and tuning to insure that their devices are compatible with everyone else's. After all, how many Rokus are shipped versus the number of Denon receivers sold each year?

Yet I have no handshake issues with my Hopper or Oppo 203, the 203 specifically outputting both HDR10 and Dolby Vision. When I was running my Roku through that same Denon, I would set the Roku to output 2160 even without HDR the first time and it would work. Thecsecond time I would have to reboot the Roku to reestablish 2160 whereas everything else works just fine. And, yes, I tried different inputs on the Denon.

 

[Jimbo]

Newer models are much faster than the old ones (as norman881 noted).

I usually opt for a model that has hardwired networking. Its easier to set up and not subject to competition for WLAN bandwidth.

Unfortunately, I have to have the wireless option as I can get a wired connection as they are on opposite sides of the room ... (on a slab unfortunately)

 

[Jimbo]

The Premieres have been discontinued so you might find a good deal, if not I recommend the Ultra, the new models have been reduced in price to $99 when they removed the optical output.

I didn't know the Premiere has been discontinued ...

Is there a Premiere + out there as well (also discontinued or not, or did I mis read)?

 

[Jimbo]

I love my Premiere+, which I bought this past summer. Super fast loading apps.

If you are going for a close-out model, be sure to get the Premiere+ rather than the Premiere if you want HDR capability, ethernet, and an RF remote.

Thank you, I was just about to ask about which ones were 4k and if they did HDR, I don't have to worry about either at the moment, but don't want to have to get another one when I do need it.

 

[Jimbo]

So, it looks like the Premiere + or the Ultra from what I'm reading here ... (not really into the stick, although it might be better for my Sister)

 

[king3pj]

I love my Premiere+, which I bought this past summer. Super fast loading apps.

If you are going for a close-out model, be sure to get the Premiere+ rather than the Premiere if you want HDR capability, ethernet, and an RF remote.

I didn't know the Premiere has been discontinued ...

Is there a Premiere + out there as well (also discontinued or not, or did I mis read)?

I'm pretty sure they are both discontinued but that just means there are way better deals to be had. I bought a Premier+ heavily discounted from Amazon a few weeks ago to replace the old Roku 2XD Dish gave out during their dispute with AMC years ago. It's going for $60 on Amazon right now.

Amazon product ASIN B06XS33WDQ
As far as I can tell they can do everything the current model Ultra can do at a lower price. The Ultra may have a better CPU or something but the Premier+ is plenty fast enough for heavy streaming use. The Premier is a little cheaper but the Premier+ adds an RF remote so you don't need a line of sight, HDR support, and an ethernet port. That would be my choice even though you said you are going to be using WiFi anyways. The RF remote and HDR support are worth the extra $15.

Edit: it looks like the Ultra model comes with an optical audio port that isn't available on the Premier+. It also comes with a remote finder feature and has better support for Roku games. If you are just streaming video I would stick with the Premier+ and save $40.

 

[Jimbo]

I'm pretty sure they are both discontinued but that just means there are way better deals to be had. I bought a Premier+ heavily discounted from Amazon a few weeks ago to replace the old Roku 2XD Dish gave out during their dispute with AMC years ago. It's going for $60 on Amazon right now.

Amazon product ASIN B06XS33WDQ
As far as I can tell they can do everything the current model Ultra can do at a lower price. The Ultra may have a better CPU or something but the Premier+ is plenty fast enough for heavy streaming use. The Premier is a little cheaper but the Premier+ adds an RF remote so you don't need a line of sight, HDR support, and an ethernet port. That would be my choice even though you said you are going to be using WiFi anyways. The RF remote and HDR support are worth the extra $15.

Edit: it looks like the Ultra model comes with an optical audio port that isn't available on the Premier+. It also comes with a remote finder feature and has better support for Roku games. If you are just streaming video I would stick with the Premier+ and save $40.

I was thinking of getting one tomorrow, but I prefer to just go pick it up, vs ored and get it later in the week ...
Sadly, Best Buy does have both in stock (Premiere + and Ultra) but they are at $99.
Will they match an Online Amazon price ?

Edit:
I just noticed when I printed the page you posted that that price was for a Refurbished unit, I'm sure BB wont match that price ... because of it being refurbed.

However, I think I saw it on Amazon for $79 as well.

Looks like locally I can get it for $89.