Today, Roku announced that OS 9.2 will begin rolling out to Roku devices in the coming weeks. With this update, Roku users will be able to access content more quickly and will have new ways to control the home entertainment experience. Roku also announced new Roku Players today and you can learn more about them HERE.
“The Roku OS allows consumers to easily get to the content they want to watch so they can sit back and relax,” said Ilya Asnis, senior vice president of Roku OS at Roku. “With Roku OS 9.2, we are giving our customers new content-rich experiences around 4K, voice and home screen controls.”
Here are the features and updates coming to Roku devices with OS 9.2:
SEARCH & DISCOVERY
Roku Zones – Search for a genre or topical subject for a curated selection of relevant content from channels across the Roku platform. Roku Zones are organized into browsable, categorized rows that may include new releases, free titles, rentals and more. Additional genres and topics may be added over time.
4K Spotlight Channel – A content-first, hand-curated selection of brilliant 4K entertainment from channels across the Roku platform now leverages the new Roku Zones architecture. Browse a wide variety of 4K titles across a number of categories such as Most Popular, Action, Drama, TV shows, 4K channels and more. A preview of the Spotlight section is shown below.
ROKU VOICE FEATURES
Set Sleep Timers on Roku TVs – Roku TV customers can use their voice remote or Roku mobile app to quickly set a sleep timer on their TV by saying things like “Go to sleep at 11 p.m.”
Search by Movie Quotes – Enjoy finding movie results by searching for the top quotes from thousands of popular movies across the Roku platform.
4K in Roku Search – Use Roku Voice to say “4K movies” to see results for a variety of popular 4K movies. Entering a text search for “4K” will now return results including the 4K Movies & TV Zone.
Support for Roku Media Player – Customers who use the Roku Media Player to play their personal music, movies and photos can now use Roku Voice to find, play and control stored files by using commands such as “Play,” “Skip,” and more.
Control Multiple Roku Devices with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant – Customers who use Alexa-enabled devices and/or Google Assistant to control their Roku device can now control multiple Roku devices in their home.
ROKU TIPS & TRICKS
The new Roku Tips & Tricks channel is packed with helpful videos created by Roku to assist customers in getting the most out of their streaming experience. The channel is installed on all Roku streaming devices, and videos cover a variety of topics, including notable features, new products, popular support topics and more.
ADDITIONAL UPDATES
In addition to the search and voice command updates, OS 9.2 will include several features that will improve the Roku viewing experience.
With the update, we’ll see channel performance improvements to video start times, along with better caching to reduce load screens when launching channels and making the initial setup of new Roku devices faster.
For those using the new version of the Roku Ultra, channel performance will be even further enhanced with the fast channel launch feature. The new fast channel launch feature gets users to entertainment faster, improving channel launch times for the top channels across the Roku platform. This is an improvement for all viewers but will especially benefit sports fans. Faster loading times means viewers will see less of a delay behind live games and less lag time when flipping from channel to channel.
A new shortcut section on the home screen will make it easier to find exactly what you’re looking for more quickly. At launch, Roku players will have a shortcut tile for adding channels and to turn the TV on and off. Roku TVs will have shortcut tiles for adding channels and setting a sleep timer. A screenshot showing the shortcut section is shown above.
The update will also include Roku TV support for the new Roku Wireless Subwoofer when Roku TV Wireless Speakers are paired to a Roku TV.
Roku OS 9.2 will begin rolling out to select Roku players this month and is expected to launch 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.
Did you know we have a YouTube Channel? Every week we have a live Cord Cutting Q&A, and weekly Cord Cutting recap shows exclusively on our YouTube Channel!
Please follow us on Facebook and Twitter for more news, tips, and reviews. Need cord cutting tech support? Join our Cord Cutting Tech Support Facebook Group for help.