Skip to main content

Roku adds universal search for mobile devices, discloses its users’ top searches

roku reveals top overall searches actor results
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Roku today revealed details on what people search for the most via the universal  search function on its set-top boxes. The disclosure is part of Roku’s rollout — beginning today — of a software update for Roku 3 players that will allow customers to use Roku Search via the Roku mobile app for Android and iOS mobile devices. The search function will come available for additional models within the next few weeks.

Roku’s search function, which has been beefed up over time since the feature’s 2012 debut, now polls the more than 1,500 channels available through the Roku Channel Store. Currently, the function sifts through the many channels, searching for movie, TV show, actor or director entries, allowing the user to make the best channel choice in terms of availability, convenience and affordability. Today’s blog post uses Daniel Craig as an example. Simply type “Da” into the search bar with the actor field selected, and Daniel Craig will pop up among any other actors matching the criteria. Select Craig and his filmography appears, with each movie within paired with channel availability and associated pricing.

Recommended Videos

With all of these channels and users searching for content, Roku is naturally able to see what we look for most. The company took a close look at aggregated on-device search results from the last few months and tallied up its users’ favorites. Category-wise, television series dominated the top 25 searched titles. Roku then looked at the popularity of individual movies, shows and people. Here’s what they came up with:

Top Searched TV Series:

  1. Downton Abbey
  2. Breaking Bad
  3. SpongeBob SquarePants
  4. The Walking Dead
  5. The Big Bang Theory

Top Searched Movies:

  1. Pitch Perfect
  2. Despicable Me
  3. Despicable Me 2
  4. Silver Linings Playbook
  5. Star Trek Into Darkness

Top Searched People:

  1. John Wayne
  2. Clint Eastwood
  3. Sandra Bullock
  4. Jason Statham
  5. Tom Selleck

Roku 3 players will automatically receive the aforementioned software update, which is expected to be completed by April 22.

Alex Tretbar
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Alex Tretbar, audio/video intern, is a writer, editor, musician, gamer and sci-fi nerd raised on EverQuest and Magic: The…
Surround sound smackdown: Sonos Arc Ultra System vs. Sony Bravia Theater Quad
Sonos Arc Ultra and Sub vs Bravia Theater Quad

Are you looking for a top-tier Dolby Atmos surround sound system that gets as close as possible to a full-on receiver and speakers? I have two favorites. Let’s pit them against each other. 

First, on the Sonos side, there is the Arc Ultra with its enhanced bass performance, the new Sonos Sub 4, and two Dolby Atmos-capable Era 300 speakers. On the Sony side it’s the Bravia Theater Quad system matched up to Sony’s best subwoofer, the SW5. 

Read more
This Samsung 83-inch OLED TV has a $1,000 discount today
Samsung S85D 4K OLED TV.

Samsung produces a ton of TVs, so it’s no surprise to us that some of the best TV deals are on Samsung products (because there are so many!). Fortunately, Samsung is one of the best TV brands in the business, especially when it comes to 4K OLED TVs. As luck would have it, we came across a major discount on a monstrous Samsung: 

For a limited time, when you purchase the Samsung 83-inch S85D Series OLED through Best Buy or Walmart, you’ll only pay $2,500. The full MSRP on this model is $3,500. 

Read more
Advance Paris brings its gorgeous, premium amplifiers to the U.S.
The Advance Paris A12 Classic Integrated Amplifier.

You've probably never heard of Advance Paris, but the prestigious French audio manufacturers are hoping to change that, today announcing that its premium lineup of amplifiers and hi-fi separates, adorned with their signature luminous VU meters, are now available to the U.S. market.

Hi-fi enthusiasts and audiophiles will undoubtedly be most interested to get their hands on Advance Paris' most popular component, the flagship A12 Classic Integrated Amplifier. The 120-watt-per-channel (into 8 ohms) integrated amplifier combines both solid state and tube amplification, with two tubes on the pre-amplification section for that smooth, warmer sound that only tubes can deliver.

Read more