Roku OS 9.3 Delivers New Ways to Get to Entertainment Quickly
March 31 2020 - 09:00AM
Business Wire
Roku Voice Now in Spanish Language, Expanded
International Support, Visual Search Results, News and more; Plus,
New Customization and Performance Improvements
Roku, Inc. (NASDAQ: ROKU) today announced Roku® OS 9.3
will start rolling out to Roku devices in the coming weeks. The
free, automatic software update focuses on helping consumers get to
content quickly via Roku Voice™ enhancements, improving overall
performance, new customization options and more.
This press release features multimedia. View
the full release here:
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200331005226/en/
Roku TV and Home Screen (Photo: Business
Wire)
“The Roku OS continues to get better with a specific focus on
delivering strong performance, especially on older devices, new and
more ways to find content, and unique features to our customers,”
said Ilya Asnis, senior vice president of Roku OS at Roku. “With
Roku OS 9.3, we’re adding new functionality to Roku Voice in
multiple regions around the globe with the primary goal of
delighting our users in their day-to-day use of our devices. We’ve
designed Roku Voice to enable consumers to get to the content they
want quickly, allow them to browse in new ways and control their
experience with a laser focus on entertainment.”
Roku OS 9.3 features coming to Roku devices include:
SEARCH & DISCOVERY
- Spanish Language Roku Voice Support (Mexico & U.S.)
– Users can speak commands in Spanish to launch channels, search
for titles, actors, or genres, as well as control media playback on
their Roku device.
- Visual Search Results (U.S.) – Roku Voice search results
will now be presented in a more visual, easy to browse display with
categorized rows including relevant movies, shows, short-form
entertainment and more for quick discovery of entertainment. Search
results are unbiased and selected content will offer a list of
channels featuring that title, sorted by price.
- Support for News Related Commands(U.S.) – “Show me the
news” will now direct a user to a Roku Zone filled with news
channels. "Play the news" will launch a live stream of ABC News
within The Roku Channel. “Play the news on …," will launch the
named news channel and remember that preference for future
commands.
- Playback from Search(U.S.) – 50+ streaming channels now
support direct playback from search when using Roku Voice by
directly playing the show or movie when possible, rather than
displaying search results.
- Roku Mobile App – The free app is expected to feature a
new navigation bar at the top of the mobile screen when users are
connected to a Roku device providing access to Roku Search, a new
icon that displays a dropdown menu of devices designed for users to
easily switch between the Roku devices they want to control with
their mobile app, and a shortcut to the remote screen. The redesign
includes quick access icons so users can launch useful mobile app
features without the need to exit the remote screen including the
ability to browse and/or launch their recently viewed channels
directly from the remote screen and more.
VOICE FEATURES FOR SELECT INTERNATIONAL MARKETS
- Spanish Language Roku Voice (Mexico) – Roku Voice allows
users to quickly find their favorite entertainment by searching for
titles, actors, or genres, as well as control media playback on
their Roku device, launch channels and more via a Roku Voice Remote
or the free Roku mobile app.
- Roku Voice(Canada, Ireland and the UK) – Roku Voice
gives users a greater variety of supported voice commands including
new ways to find entertainment such as searching by a selection of
popular movie quotes, and the ability to speak more natural phrases
like “Show me …” or “I want to watch …” when speaking voice
commands, plus, media playback controls such as “Fast forward” or
“Pause” and device control such as “Turn on closed captions.”
- Works with Amazon Alexa and Works with Google Assistant
(Canada, Mexico and the UK) - Control Roku players and Roku TVs by
speaking to Alexa-enabled and/or Google Assistant devices.
Additional updates in Roku OS 9.3 include:
- Customization – Home Screen wallpapers, as well as
screensavers, are now accessible from a single “Theme” menu item
located within Settings. Theme packs, which consist of a wallpaper
and screensaver, are a new way for users in the U.S. to customize
their experience for a consistent look and feel when using their
Roku devices.
- Performance – A reduction in device boot times, faster
launch times for a select number of channels (with more supported
channels coming soon), a more responsive Home Screen and faster
navigation when using features such as Featured Free.
ROKU AUDIO
Enhanced Roku Smart Soundbar & Roku TV™ Connectivity
(U.S.):
- Access more soundbar settings directly from the TV interface,
eliminating the need to switch back and forth between menus or use
multiple remotes; enabling Roku TV Ready features.
- In the Roku TV Settings Menu, pair an external device such as a
mobile phone to the Roku Smart Soundbar for audio playback via
Bluetooth® or pair other Roku audio products to the soundbar, such
as the Roku Wireless Subwoofer and Roku TV Wireless Speakers for
full surround sound.
Availability
Roku OS 9.3 will begin rolling out to select Roku players next
month and is expected to roll out to all supported streaming
players, including the Roku Smart Soundbar, in the coming weeks.
Roku TV models are expected to receive the update in phases over
the coming months.
About Roku, Inc.
Roku pioneered streaming to the TV. We connect users to the
streaming content they love, enable content publishers to build and
monetize large audiences, and provide advertisers with unique
capabilities to engage consumers. RokuTV™ models and Roku streaming
players are available in select countries around the world through
direct retail sales and licensing arrangements with TV brands and
service operators. Roku audio products are available in the U.S.
through direct retail sales. Roku is headquartered in Los Gatos,
Calif. U.S.A.
This press release contains “forward-looking” statements that
are based on our beliefs and assumptions and on information
currently available to us on the date of this press release.
Forward-looking statements may involve known and unknown risks,
uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results,
performance or achievements to be materially different from those
expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. These
statements include but are not limited to those related to the
roll-out timing; added functionality, including through Roku Voice
and audio enhancements and the available of such enhancements in
certain geographic regions; improvement in performance; and
customization of, as well as the content made available by, Roku OS
9.3. Except as required by law, we assume no obligation to update
these forward-looking statements publicly, or to update the reasons
actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in
the forward-looking statements, even if new information becomes
available in the future. Important factors that could cause our
actual results to differ materially are detailed from time to time
in the reports Roku, Inc. files with the Securities and Exchange
Commission, including our Form 10-K for the year ended December 31,
2019. Copies of reports filed with the SEC are posted on Roku’s
website and are available from Roku without charge.
Roku and the Roku logo are registered trademarks and Roku TV and
Roku Voice are trademarks of Roku, Inc. in the U.S. and in other
countries. Trade names, trademarks and service marks of other
companies appearing in this press release are the property of their
respective holders.
View source
version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200331005226/en/
Seana Norvell Roku Consumer PR snorvell@roku.com
Roku IR ir@roku.com
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