Roku Announces AI-Powered Voice Control, New Projector, and App Updates
Roku today unveiled a series of significant upgrades to its streaming platform, including artificial intelligence enhancements to its voice control feature, a new affordable smart projector, and a redesigned mobile app, aiming to improve user experience and content discovery.
The most notable update introduces AI capabilities to Roku Voice, allowing users to ask more complex questions about shows, movies, actors, and characters – such as gauging the scariness of a film or finding similar content based on an actor’s work. Roku Voice will also maintain context during conversations, enabling follow-up questions without repetition. Bluetooth headphone mode is expanding to the Roku Streaming Stick and Roku Streaming Stick Plus, eliminating the need for a mobile app to connect headphones. These updates are rolling out to all Roku devices soon.
Beyond voice control, Roku is enhancing content discovery with interactive trailer buttons – “Ways to Watch” and “Save” – and a revamped Live TV Channel Guide featuring a search bar and prioritized streaming app suggestions based on subscriptions. For sports enthusiasts, live scores will appear directly on matchup tiles, and a new reminder feature will notify users before games begin. The company is also working on personalized content recommendations based on preferred genres and sports. The updated Roku mobile app will include shortcuts for common settings like closed captions and sleep timers, as well as the ability to rate and mark content as watched – a feature currently lacking on many competing platforms like Netflix.
Roku also announced the Vankyo smart projector, available at Walmart for $198, offering 1080p HD resolution, auto keystone and focus, and built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. This addition expands Roku’s hardware offerings beyond streaming sticks and TVs, potentially attracting a wider audience. The company recently expanded its smart home integration to include Philips Ambilight, further enhancing the immersive viewing experience.
Officials stated that the rollout of these features will occur over the coming weeks, with ongoing development planned to further refine the user experience and expand platform capabilities.
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ZDNET’s key takeaways
- New Roku upgrades will be free to all current customers.
- The upgrades include an AI-enabled Roku Voice feature.
- The company is launching a new $198 smart projector.
Roku, the streaming device manufacturer, just announced a list of updates for existing Roku users, along with a new affordable projector. The updates include enhancements to the Roku City screensaver, Roku Voice, Live TV Channels, the Roku mobile app, and headphone mode.
One of the biggest updates is the introduction of artificial intelligence (AI) features to its Roku Voice feature. The upgraded voice experience will enable Roku Voice to answer questions about shows, movies, characters, or actors. Users can ask more nuanced questions, such as “How scary is The Shining?” or “What are other movies with X actor?”
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Roku Voice will maintain context during the conversation, allowing you to ask follow-up questions about the same topic. This update is coming soon to all Roku devices, and users will be able to experience this through the Roku Voice remote or the mobile app.
Bluetooth headphone mode is also coming to the Roku Streaming Stick and Roku Streaming Stick Plus, eliminating the need for the mobile app and allowing you to pair Bluetooth headphones directly with the Roku streaming sticks. Until now, you needed to connect your Bluetooth headphones to your phone and use the Roku mobile app to enable headphone mode with these devices.
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New interactive buttons are being introduced to trailers on the Roku platform, including a “Ways to Watch” button and a “Save” button. You can go straight to the movie from the trailer without having to back out from the trailer menu.
The Live TV Channel is getting an updated look. You’ll see a new Search bar in the Live TV Channel Guide and the Live TV Zone. When you see the titles or browse through the platform, Roku will show up to two streaming apps under each title where you can stream, prioritizing your active subscriptions.
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For sports fans, Roku is introducing new discovery features, including live scores that appear on the tile cards of each matchup, without requiring a specific game selection. If you press the new Reminder button for a sporting event that’s coming up, you’ll get a notification when the game is about to begin.
Coming later is a new customization feature to narrow down your preferred content, including your favorite sports and TV or movie genres.
The mobile app is also receiving updates, including shortcuts that feature popular requests, such as closed captions and setting sleep timers. You’ll also be able to rate movies and shows and mark them as already watched (something I’d love to see Netflix adopt). The top of the app will sport a new navigation bar, allowing you to scroll through categories seamlessly.
The announcement included the new ability to interact with buildings in Roku City that have been featured in a promotion. As an introduction, Roku added new marquees that you can select to be transported to an exclusive music performance from Demi Lovato.
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After unveiling the first Roku TV projector last month, the streaming device company announced the new Vankyo smart projector which is available at Walmart. This portable projector features 1080p HD resolution, auto keystone, auto focus, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi. It’s priced at $198, and features 330 lumen brightness, a 1500:1 contrast ratio, and two 5W speakers.
Roku recently expanded its smart home compatibility to include Philips Ambilight, offering a more immersive streaming and gaming experience with Philips Hue lights.
