expired Posted by Hooksta • Jul 21, 2021
Jul 21, 2021 3:03 PM
Item 1 of 5
Item 1 of 5
expired Posted by Hooksta • Jul 21, 2021
Jul 21, 2021 3:03 PM
Roku Streambar 4K Streaming Media Player & Audio
+ Free Shippingfrom $99
$130
Amazon
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Streambar Pros (for my use case):
1) Seemless pairing with wireless speakers. The initial setup was very easy. On its own (without the surround wireless speakers) it's pretty nice for a $130 soundbar (what I paid, MSRP), and the built-in Roku streaming device provides for a convenient, all-in-one package for those who don't have a Roku TV but want a complete streaming solution without having to add an extra dongle or streaming device/box.
2) My Roku TV actually seamlessly utilizes the streambar and the paired wireless surround speakers -- meaning that I use the Roku remote that came with my TV, and stream through my TV's built-in Roku (rather than streaming through the streambar hardware) for the reasons below:
Streambar Cons:
1) As others have noted, the device is *noticeably* slower than the Roku ultra (it takes a little longer to launch an app, exit an app, navigate within apps, etc., and there's an ever so subtle sluggishness while navigating the Roku OS, along with the occasional "spinning circle" kind of delay you get on a device that is short of hardware resources). This is a little bit annoying if you're accustomed to the "snappy" experience of an independent/dedicated streaming device, but if you're used to the Roku experience typical of that found on lower-end Roku-enabled TV's, then this really won't be much of an issue for you.
2) As others have hinted, the included remote does *not* offer a headphone port like that of the Roku Ultra -- but whether or not that matters to you is completely subjective.
3) The streambar does *not* have a memory card slot for expanded storage. This one really annoys me, because it has extremely limited internal storage. Say you have like 15 apps your household uses. The streambar can only keep a handful of them "at the ready" -- it manages which apps are cached and ready to go for you, so you don't have to install/unistall; but when launching an app that you haven't used in a while (kind of a round robin thing I think?) then it has to load up the resources for it. The good news is that it remembers your logins and stuff for each app (so it's not "deleting them") -- but it does mean you have to sit there and wait as it prepares the app prior to even launching it. Although this also happens with my TV's built-in, it seems that even my TV has more memory available because it doesn't happen nearly as often. Combined with an already somewhat sluggish interface as is, the more frequent occurrence is ultimately why I rely on my TV's built-in Roku interface -- and if I didn't have it available for me to fall back to, I'd probably be a lot more annoyed with the oversite on the streambar's hardware deficiencies.
Conclusion:
If you want the clean and simple small-form-factor "all in one" convenience of a decent soundbar+streaming device + the option to add the wireless speakers and/or subwoofer down the road (which pair very nicely)...for $100, this is a good buy...just know what you're getting.
https://www.amazon.com/Roku-Strea...B08G8JH
I got this for our living/family room BF last year. I'm not an audiophile by any means, but to me at the very least it certainly sounds significantly better than our TV's native speakers. Sound from the Streambar is very clear, we watch TV/movies and play Nintendo Switch and it can fill the room with sound. I personally think it's worth the $100. 😄
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edit: $130 seems to be
edit: $130 seems to be
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https://www.amazon.com/Roku-Strea...B08G8JH
for instance the disney and sling buttons to hbomax, tcm, etc?
big waste of real estate if one doesnt have those apps
i just read that those buttons are advertising agreements between the channel owners and Roku, and can't be edited/changed. which sucks.
I got this for our living/family room BF last year. I'm not an audiophile by any means, but to me at the very least it certainly sounds significantly better than our TV's native speakers. Sound from the Streambar is very clear, we watch TV/movies and play Nintendo Switch and it can fill the room with sound. I personally think it's worth the $100. 😄
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https://www.rtings.com/soundbar/t...19666/1765
https://www.amazon.com/Roku-Strea...B08G8JH836 [amazon.com]
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Important if you need or want to watch with a headphone.
Again, i may be wrong but when i looked at one at a store, the remote did not have an input jack
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