- Roku Voice can answer questions about movies, shows, and actors
- Better discovery tools, including Live TV Zone search and soon, Live TV Channel Guide
- Bluetooth headphone mode rolling out globally to Streaming Stick / Stick Plus
Roku has announced a slew of updates to its smart TV platform that will arrive in the coming months, including an AI upgrade that sounds very similar to the Gemini feature on Google TV.
Roku Voice is getting a big upgrade, and in addition to the usual command-based navigation, you’ll be able to ask questions like “what kind of fish is Nemo?” or “how scary The shiny one?” and get spoken answers.
Roku Voice will also be able to analyze follow-up questions, and it will offer quick launch options for shows and movies from its catalog where appropriate and relevant.
Roku’s Fall Update: What’s New?
Roku has also improved its discovery features. Trailer plays get a new Ways To Watch button, which lets you see which channels or apps can stream the show and jump straight from the preview into the show or movie.
The search function also becomes more useful. It’s already been added to the What to Watch section, and Roku will roll it out to more parts of the platform. Live TV Zone is the next destination to get the search tool and then it rolls out to Live TV Channel Guide.
As you browse, your Roku TV or streaming device will show you where to stream each title by highlighting up to two streaming apps based on your active subscriptions.
Another welcome feature is Bluetooth Headphone Mode, which is rolling out to more devices. It comes to both the Roku Streaming Stick and the Roku Streaming Stick Plus.
Roku’s mobile app is getting several top-wanted upgrades
In addition to the above improvements, Roku is also rolling out new live scores and reminders for Roku Sports. The former will display live results on game pieces, so you can keep an eye on multiple events at once. Additionally, there is a no-spoilers option if you plan to watch events on catch-up. And reminders send you a mobile message when it’s time to tune in to a game.
Roku will also be rolling out improvements to its mobile app starting in the next few weeks, including some most requested features such as subtitles, Find My Remote, sleep timers and quick shortcuts. There’s a new rate button that lets you mark shows and movies as liked, disliked and/or watched, mirroring the TV app, and your feedback syncs across all your devices. The About page also gets a new navigation bar that organizes everything into sensible categories such as TV Shows, Movies and Sports.
The software updates will begin rolling out to Roku devices and to the mobile app stores over the next few weeks.
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