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Roku Sets a New Record: 10 Million Devices Sold

September 16, 2014 By Mary Duncan Leave a Comment

So far, the most popular streaming box in the US, Roku has sold more than 10 million pieces since its release in May 2008. Back then, it didn’t have any competition and Roku was the first Netflix on TVs. Now, Roku is not the only streaming box on the market but it’s still one of the most bought one.

The biggest rival is of course Apple, which has sold more than 20 million Apple TVs since it was first released back in April. Apple first launched the streaming player in 2007 to see what impact it will have on the market. When it brought more than $1 billion in revenue and sales, Apple’s CEO, Tim Cook decided that it was time to get serious about it. Roku’s other important rivals include Google’s Chromecast and Amazon’s Fire TV, which are gaining in popularity as we speak.

Although the competition hasn’t yet revealed any sales figures regarding their devices, Roku’s future is looking bright, even though they won’t sell as much as Apple.

Anthony Wood, Roku’s CEO and founder stated that:

“We’re thrilled that Roku is recognized for making America’s favorite streaming players. Our goal is make TV better for everyone and that single focus guides us to create better ways for consumers to easily and instantly enjoy the best streaming entertainment. With the recent launch of Roku TV, we’re offering even more ways to stream.”

According to Roku, an average of 37 million hours of video is streamed using their device every week, in comparison to Apple TV’s 15 million hours. Chromcast has 12 million hours, while Amazon’s Fire TV has 6 million hours. This means that Roku is people’s favorite when it comes to spending time watching TV on a streaming box.

Roku also stated that their device has a total of 1,800 streaming channels, 1000 more than its rivals.

The News Is Out: Google Android TV Is On Its Way

April 7, 2014 By Lori David Leave a Comment

Just like with smartphones, tablets, cameras, apps and other smart gadgets, the world of smart streaming services is getting increasingly crowded. Last week, Amazon launched their new streaming box called the Fire TV, a gizmo which lets you stream popular TV shows, play games, watch photos and even lets you karaoke right on your TV set. As you know, the Fire TV was not the first streaming box on the market. The other important competitors are Apple TV and Roku. But since there is no party without Google, the news is that a Google Android TV is in the making. The plans for releasing their own streaming box have just been revealed from unofficial sources to an online magazine. Of, course no one is really surprised but we’re wondering if Google will come up with something new in the field of streaming boxes, where there is a fierce competition.

What can Google Android TV bring new so that consumers will choose it over Amazon’s Fire TV, Apple TV or Roku? They all do essentially the same things: they send content to televisions through their channels, except for Roku that doesn’t have a direct channel. But they all have similar features like access to Hulu and Netflix.

Google Android TV – fun and fast, Google Says

The people from Google say that the new Android TV is more of an entertaining interface than a computing platform. They also said that their new streaming box will be “cinematic, fun, fluid and fast.” Just like Amazon’s Fire TV, Google Android TV will have a vocal command support and will focus on finding content easily. Google says that it shouldn’t take more than 3 clicks from the home screen to watching the desired content. That sounds pretty fast and we really hope this will be one of their TV’s highlights.

There aren’t many details revealed about the Google Android TV but we will definitely keep you posted on any updates.

Amazon Fire TV Finally Revealed

April 3, 2014 By Lori David Leave a Comment

Amazon has given us many cool products. It began as an online shop, they created the first E-reader, the Kindle, and now they announced their new box for streaming TV shows, photos, games and music right to your TV. Amazon Fire TV is a black device that is very light and portable.

Once you have set up the Fire TV, it will bring you to the main menu with the latest movies and television releases, latest music apps and games. The Fire TV runs on an Android system and features many cool apps like Pandora, Netflix, Hulu Plus, Crackle and many more. Unfortunately, it doesn’t include HBO Go in their list of channels but can buy it or rent it separately from the main menu.

Amazon Fire TV is a little black box that runs on a quad-core processor and a GPU. It comes with 2GB of RAM, a Wi-Fi connectivity that is a Mimo dual band and it supports a 1080p streaming. It features a Dolby digital surround and a thin, black remote control that works with Bluetooth. Another cool feature about the Amazon Fire TV is that it has a voice search and you can also stream photos from your phone directly into your TV. The X-Ray feature shows info on your tablet about the movies you are watching, as you’re watching it. This super feature was already available on their Kindle Fire tablet.

You feel like karaoke? Amazon Fire TV gives you that. It displays the lyrics to your favorite songs on your TV screen so you can sing your heart out without being embarrassed in the comfort of your living room.

Amazon Fire TV – other features

The FreeTime parental control mode filters the contents so that it’s appropriate for the kids.

In conclusion, Amazon Fire TV is a fun and useful gadget that costs $99 dollars and it’s a great competitor for other popular streaming boxes like the Roku.