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Prime Video Now Charging Extra for Ad-Free Viewing
Barb Gonzalez  |  Jan 31, 2024  | 
On January 29th, Amazon started running ads with its video-on-demand Prime Video streaming service. As announced in September 2023, Prime subscribers must pay an extra $3 a month to watch ad-free.
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Qplay Calls it Quits
Barb Gonzalez  |  Jul 25, 2014  |  First Published: Jul 23, 2014  | 
The Qplay app and adapter will cease to function after July 25, 2014. Was Qplay a bad idea?
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Quibi Short-Form Videos Coming to Mobile Phones
Barb Gonzalez  |  Feb 13, 2020  | 
Is short-form video the future of entertainment? Jeffrey Katzenberg, former chairman of Walt Disney studios, co-founder of DreamWorks Animation, and the brainchild behind Quibi (pronounced "kwibee"), thinks so. In case you haven’t heard, Quibi — short for “quick bites” — is an app built to deliver high-quality, short videos to your mobile phone for watching while you’re on the go and time is limited — like when you’re sitting in a waiting room or standing at a bus stop.
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R.I.P. iTunes: Apple Announces New Music, TV and Podcast Apps
Barb Gonzalez  |  Jun 06, 2019  | 
Apple’s iTunes will soon be a thing of the past. At its Worldwide Developer’s Conference (WWDC 2019), Apple announced that iTunes will be put to rest.  Instead of the one-stop streaming media app for 18 years since it first launched alongside the iPod, each type of media will now stream separately to its own app.
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Reelgood: TV Guide for the Streaming World
Barb Gonzalez  |  Jul 26, 2017  | 
The Reelgood web app makes it easy to find something you want to watch by aggregating movies and TV shows across many streaming services.
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Review: Amazon Fire TV 2015 Edition
Barb Gonzalez  |  Oct 21, 2015  | 
The new Amazon Fire TV streams beautiful 4K video but it doesn't yet have all the features listed in its product description.
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Review: The Roku Ultra Struts its Stuff
Barb Gonzalez  |  Oct 19, 2016  | 
In the past year, TVs and streaming services have upped their game adding HDR (high dynamic range) for a broader color display. Roku is keeping pace with the Roku Ultra ($130) that streams 4K video and supports the HDR10 format.
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Rocki Wi-Fi Adapter Adds Streaming to Any Sound System
Barb Gonzalez  |  Dec 03, 2014  | 
The Rocki WiFi adapter connects to any speaker or sound system that has a line-in or RCA connection. Find out if this funny-looking little device is the next gadget you'll need to add to your streaming arsenal.
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Rogan, Young, and Spotify
Barb Gonzalez  |  Feb 02, 2022  | 
Over the last two years, social media has faced increased scrutiny for the information posted on its platforms. In response, Twitter and Facebook started either including links for more information on a subject or removing posts with false information. This past month, the same focus has turned to entertainment streaming platforms via Spotify.
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Streaming Device ReviewsSmartStream
Roku 4 Streaming Media Player Review
Barb Gonzalez  |  Nov 04, 2015  | 

Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value
PRICE $130

AT A GLANCE
Plus
4K streaming to UHDTV
Agnostic search finds titles in multiple services
Notifications when specific movies become available

Minus
Remote mic is inaccurate
Search can’t find specific episodes of specific seasons

THE VERDICT
If you own a 4K TV, this is a slam-dunk. If not, the advances in hardware are still enough to step up from a Roku 2.

One must wonder if Roku waited to release its fourth-generation media streamer until the aptly named Roku 4 was capable of streaming 4K content. The newest Roku box can connect to compatible UHDTVs to stream 4K movies, TV shows, and videos from Netflix, Amazon, YouTube, M-Go, and a growing number of 4K streaming sources. And though 4K streaming is the Roku 4’s main appeal, improvements in hardware and the software interface make it the best Roku box yet.

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Roku and Plex Offer Free Live TV Channels
Barb Gonzalez  |  Aug 12, 2020  | 
If you've cut the cord and are looking for free content, Roku and Plex have new Live TV offerings.
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Roku Announces New Streaming Players & OS Update
Barb Gonzalez  |  Sep 19, 2019  | 
Roku today announced new streaming players and an upgrade to its operating system that will make it easier to browse content.
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Roku Announces OS11.5 Upgrade & New Products for Fall
Barb Gonzalez  |  Sep 14, 2022  | 
Roku just announced the Roku OS11.5 update to its operating system. This update includes improved discovery features for users to find and stream what they want to watch from the home screen. The fall virtual press conference also brought news of a lower-priced Roku Express player and wireless subwoofer.
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Roku Announces Streaming Stick 4K and Roku OS 10.5
Barb Gonzalez  |  Sep 22, 2021  | 
Roku is upgrading its operating system and has announced plans to release a new Roku Streaming Stick 4K and Roku Streaming Stick 4K+ in October. The new Roku OS 10.5 promises to speed up content retrieval and improve Roku Voice commands in addition to adding wireless surround sound and streamlined audio adjustments.
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Roku Channel Adds Shows, Removes YouTube TV
Barb Gonzalez  |  May 13, 2021  | 
Roku officially announces the addition of live TV channels and Roku Originals while in the middle of a feud with Google that has resulted in the YouTube TV channel being removed. Here are the details.
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