Watch this: Roku Ultra 2024: Backlit Remote Upgrades Roku's $100 Player
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I've been using the Roku Ultra 2024 for several days and have tested it against both the 2022 model and the Apple TV 4K (2021). I found the image quality to be very similar between all three units, especially when using Marvel's Avengers: Endgame on Disney Plus as a basic guide. Sound was a plus, too, and I was able to watch programs in Dolby Atmos, where it was available.
Speed is what people are here for, and I wanted to see if it was 30% faster than before. Using Endgame as my reference I used search from the main screen and pressed go. As you would expect, the 2022 model was the slowest, as it also has no caching capabilities, and it took an average of 17 seconds to load. The 2024 Ultra was quicker, and after an initial 19-second load, it opened every subsequent time in 14 seconds. Is the processor quicker, or is the cache doing its job? Only Roku can say, and the company did not reply to CNET's request for clarification. It's worth noting that the one-generation-behind Apple TV 4K (2021) was still noticeably faster at 8 seconds to load this movie.
Given that the device now enables you to stream to it over Bluetooth, I was keen to try it out. I needn't have been so cheerful. Connecting up a Pixel Plus 9 Xl over Bluetooth was easy, but the sound it made was singularly terrible. Everything came out of the center channel, and midrange sounds like voices and guitars sounded wibbly-wobbly, like they were filtered through a guitar effects pedal. Sadly, this is not yet the answer if you're looking for a way to stream Bluetooth to a TV or AV receiver.
On the other hand, I'm happy to report that adding a set of Bluetooth headphones to the Roku Ultra worked a lot better than streaming music. Using Dune: Part 2 and a pair of Bowers and Wilkins Px7 S2 headphones, I was able to hear whispered dialog and the whump of the worm-attracting thumpers without distortion. The movie even paused when I hit the main multifunction button on the headphones themselves.
There increasingly comes a point in our flagship streamer reviews when we ask, "Who is this for?" and that question is just as relevant here. The company offers some great stick-based streamers (such as the Roku Express 4K Plus), which cost half as much as the Ultra and provide 90% of the gains. If you're a true power user, then you may have already passed over the Roku line for the Apple streamers instead.
In the end, Roku's flagship streamer needed something truly "ultra" to keep it competitive, and a speed bump, faster Wi-Fi and Bluetooth aren't it. If you're interested in the remote itself, then you can pick one up separately, and your existing Roku will instantly feel like a new unit.
Source: cnet.com