The Roku Channel app gets more functionality on Google TV

By John Higgins Published November 25, 2024

The Roku Channel app on Google TV. — Phil Nickinson / Digital Trends

When I think about Roku, I generally picture my Roku Ultra streaming box or a Roku Streaming Stick and the clean, zippy OS it provides. Roku doesn’t end there though. The Roku Channel has more than 350 live channels available for free to anyone that downloads the app. It’s (not surprisingly) available on any Roku streaming device or TV, but last year The Roku Channel app also became available on Google TV.

Roku has some updates on the way to improve the way The Roku Channel integrates with Google TV, mainly through its visibility on the home page and search functionality. Instead of having to navigate and search for Roku content within the app, Google TV will now show recommendations from Roku in the Google TV live TV tab. Selecting those recommendations will launch you directly into The Roku Channel app to the desired show or movie. Content will also show up when searched through Google TV’s built-in search field.

Daniel Radcliffe in Weird: The Al Yankovic Story. — The Roku Channel

For the uninitiated, The Roku Channel is a free ad-supported television app, or FAST, that started back in 2017. Thanks to a pretty incredible amount of content, I think it’s one of the better ones. In addition to the many channels provided, Roku has produced its own original content, including the entertaining Morimoto’s Sushi Master (I’m a sucker for cooking competition shows) and the much-publicized Weird: The Al Yankovic Story. The added Google TV integration brings The Roku Channel in line with other FAST services, namely the Paramount-owned Pluto TV.

Recommended Videos

The Roku Channel app is also available on Samsung TVs, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, and through a web browser.

Former Senior Editor, A/V

John Higgins is the former Senior Editor of A/V at Digital Trends.

Topics

Audio / Video

What is Amazon Fire TV? Price, hardware, software, and more

A trio of Amazon Fire TV remote controls held in a hand in front of a television.

We all know the ways that companies name their products can be confusing, and Amazon is no exception here. Amazon Fire TV isn't a TV, or at least, it isn't only a TV. It's the Amazon ecosystem for streaming devices and Smart TVs that all run on Fire OS. Amazon's home entertainment HQ isn't just streaming sticks or the Smart TVs, it's the entire ecosystem from hardware all the way to the OS that powers everything.

Fire OS is the software that runs Amazon's Fire TV and tablets. Fire TV streaming sticks and the Cube are small streaming devices that connect to your TV, and give you access to streaming content. Amazon Smart TVs have onboard access to Fire TV, letting them access everything the streaming sticks can, without needing any accessories to do it.

Audio / Video

Happy Holidays: You’re going to pay more for Sling TV in December

Sling TV app icon on Apple TV.

Just in time for the holidays, Sling TV has announced that it will be increasing its prices by $6 per month, starting on December 20, 2024. The new pricing affects Sling Orange, Sling Blue, and Sling Orange and Blue packages. Sling's last countrywide price increase was in 2022, however, it increased its prices again for select markets in March 2023.

This latest price hike, which Sling TV attributes to the ever-rising cost of programming, brings the cost of Sling Orange to $46 per month, Sling Blue to $51 per month, and Sling Orange and Blue to $66 per month.

Audio / Video

Amazon’s Fire TV Soundbar Plus gets Dolby Atmos, but still no Fire TV

Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus.

Amazon is getting serious about home theater sound with its first Dolby Atmos soundbar. Following the company's release of the $100 2.0-channel Amazon Fire TV Soundbar in 2023, it has a new addition to the family: the Amazon Fire TV Soundbar Plus, which supports a 3.1-channel layout with both Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, for $250. You can also buy it with a companion wireless subwoofer for $375 or add a set of wireless surround speakers for a 5.1-channel setup for $490. However, you'll need to think carefully before you buy. Unlike other soundbars that have optional wireless accessories, you can't buy the subwoofer and surrounds separately.

Just like the first Amazon Fire TV Soundbar, the Fire TV Soundbar Plus doesn't actually contain Fire TV streaming hardware. To watch Fire TV content, you'll still need a Fire TV, like the Amazon Fire TV Omni Mini-LED Series that was announced at the same time, or one of Amazon's other Fire TV streaming devices. It's also not an Alexa device and isn't compatible with Amazon Alexa.