Roku To Announce Refreshed Streaming Devices Lineup With 4K, HDR Support

For those who passed up the Roku 4 last year it looks like Roku, Inc. is planning a huge upgrade for this year. Several leaks have indicated that HDR support will be arriving this year, alongside five new streaming devices this fall.

Zats Not Funny claims that Roku, Inc. will be giving each of the new devices names instead of a number. That’s why the successor to the Roku 4 will be called Roku Ultra. As for the company’s other streaming devices, they will also be getting their names changed. The entry-level Roku 1 will be replaced with Roku Express and Express Plus, while the Roku 2 and 3 will be replaced by the Roku Premiere and the Roku Premiere Plus, respectively.

As for HDR support, that will be a feature reserved for the Roku Premiere Plus and the Roku Ultra. Users will be able to take advantage of the feature if they have HDR-capable TVs. The Ultra model will also be the only device to come with a remote control locator and an optical audio output.

The Roku Premiere, Premiere Plus and Ultra are all expected to have 4K video streaming support. Currently, the Roku 4 is the only streaming device from the company that supports 4K video streaming.

The lower-end models, Express and Express Plus, will most likely come with faster processors, but the latter may possibly come with a voice-controlled remote as well, as pointed out by Engadget. These models are also expected to be the only ones to come with RCA (analogue) outputs that are intended for older TVs.

There’s no word yet on when the new Roku streaming devices will launch, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if they arrive during this holiday shopping season. If that’s the case, consumers should expect an announcement in a month or two, as pointed out by The Verge.