Roku OS 10.5 Offers Easy Access To Content, Roku Voice Help, New Mobile Features And Expanded Surround Sound Capabilities

Free Roku Software Update Includes New Live TV Tile for Streaming Players, Voice Control of Netflix and Spotify, Plus Additional Performance Enhancements

Roku, Inc. announced Roku OS 10.5 will begin rolling out to Roku devices in the coming weeks. Roku OS 10.5 introduces new features putting Live TV front and center for streaming player users, tips on how to get the most out of Roku Voice, new surround sound configurations for audio device owners, more voice control options and updates to Roku mobile app features. Additionally, Roku announced an all-new Roku Streaming Stick 4K and Roku Streaming Stick 4K+ in another announcement today.

“The Roku OS is purpose-built for streaming TV, and our laser focus enables us to deliver updates that have an impact and make streaming easier for our wide variety of customers,” said Ilya Asnis, senior vice president of Roku OS at Roku. “With Roku OS 10.5, consumers who want to use their voice can now access new features and ways to get to content quickly. Live TV lovers have fast access to a one-click guide on all Roku streaming devices. In the Roku mobile app we’ve made private listening even better and added a Save List, as well as other helpful features. Roku audio device users can build out complete 3.1 or 5.1 surround sound systems for a truly premium audio and streaming experience. We hope everyone enjoys the update and look forward to feedback.”

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ROKU OS 10.5 FEATURES:

EASY ACCESS TO CONTENT

• Live TV Channel Guide for Roku Streaming Players (US) – The Roku Channel’s Live TV Channel Guide has over 200+ free live TV channels and Roku player owners can now add the Live TV channel directly onto their home screen for instant access. Simply search for “Live TV on The Roku Channel” to install the channel onto the Roku Home Screen and instantly browse a wide variety of content.

• Roku Voice – Roku has been expanding the number of channels that support voice commands for direct to playback. Now nearly any channel in Roku Search supports the feature, including Netflix and Spotify.

• Roku Mobile App Home Tab and Save List – The newly added Home tab in the Roku Mobile app provides easy access to the latest and greatest entertainment, and features Zones, browsable collections of movies and shows available across a number of top genres, and popular/seasonal topics, for even more convenient content discovery. Plus, users can save movies and TV shows to the Save List to watch later when they’re in front of their TV again. The Save List can be accessed via the Home and Remote tabs, and users can add titles that they find via search to their Save List.

• Roku Search Music and Podcast Row – Roku OS 10.5 provides a more integrated music experience across the Roku platform with the introduction of voice search and playback of music, podcasts and video podcasts. Users will see search results within a more visual “music and podcast” row and will feature Spotify as the launch partner with millions of podcasts and over 70 million tracks available.

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SIMPLIFYING SET UP

• Enhancements to Voice entry for Email, Password, and PIN for on-screen keyboards – Roku Voice can be used to complete device setup or login to supported apps by entering email, password, and PIN information by voice. Keyboards that support Roku Voice will display a microphone icon, so users can quickly identify when voice entry is an available option.

• Sound Settings via the Roku Mobile App (US) – Customers can now control their Roku audio device’s sound settings, such as night mode, automatic volume leveling and speech clarity, directly in the mobile app. This feature is great for users who want to quickly and conveniently adjust their sound settings without interrupting their entertainment, music, or game by pulling up the onscreen settings menu.

Additional Roku OS 10.5 features include:

• Wireless Mobile Private Listening for Streaming Players – Advancements to our Audio/Video (A/V) sync feature enhances the wireless private listening experience by intelligently adjusting based on the type of headphones connected. The advanced A/V sync feature enables users to make further refinements via their smartphone camera if needed by measuring the TV screen and automatically adjusting the audio delay between the wireless headphones and the TV. This feature will surface when users have wireless headphones connected to the Roku mobile app and is accessible within the settings menu in the app.

• New Surround Sound Configurations (US) – Roku Streambar®, Roku Streambar Pro, and Roku Smart Soundbar owners now have access to additional speaker configurations with the introduction of 3.1 and 5.1 surround sound compatibility. Roku Wireless Speakers can now be used as front speakers with the Roku Streambar, Roku Streambar Pro, and Roku Smart Soundbar creating a 3.1 (Left/Center/Right) or full 5.1 surround sound system when used with rear speakers.

• Introducing Roku Voice Help –Roku Voice Help can be found in the settings menu and educates users on the kinds of commands Roku Voice supports and provides examples, like how to search for movies and TV shows, launch channels, play music, control playback, and more. Roku Voice Remote Pro owners will also get tips on using hands-free voice.

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