Hands-on with the Roku Streaming Stick Video
Hands-on with the Roku Streaming Stick Video Transcript
Let's run down my favorite games, Pinochle, Tiddlywinks, High stakes baccarat and my favorite, Hide The Roku Box. Somewhere on me, there is one. It's actually not a box, it's the new Roku Streaming Stick. This is a Roku box and what is basically a slightly oversized thumb drive form factor, however that's not a USB connector, that is a new form of an HDMI connector, new to most of us, anyway. MHL Mobile High Definition Link is what that means. It is an HDMI shape plug, but it has additional connections and to be able to power the device, in this case a Roku box on a stick as well allow remote control pass through between this and the TV, for example it's plugged into. Inside this guy is basically all the guts of a Roku Box. You've got all the technology for the video streaming, you got the Wi-Fi built in and of course the high definition audio video passing through the HDMI part of the MHL connector. Now, this is being supported by several TV makers. These ports are not on every television you're seeing right now, but going forward. You can expect to see it rather commonly. This will be coming out second half of the year from Roku. Pricing is not set yet, but you know it's gonna map roughly to the boxes they have on the market right now. The idea here is when you use this, you don't have to plug in on wall (wort?) somewhere to power the thing. You're not running cables back and forth. We're at the point now, we're the cables are actually bulkier than the Roku box, so this kind takes us toward direction of elegance that make sense for the simpler, cleaner living room that a lot of folks are interested right now. And again, power and remote control all integrated, so second half. We're seeing it here for the first time at CES 2012. I'm Brian Cooley with the Roku Streaming Stick.
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Roku Streaming Stick Review
The good: The Roku Streaming Stick offers to streamline your smart TV setup by eliminating power cords and the need for a separate remote. The experience is akin to that of other Roku boxes and is one of the best streaming setups available. The device offers a motion remote and dual-band 802.11n networking.
The bad: The Roku Streaming Stick is completely functional with only two displays at present, and one of these (a 3M projector) already includes the Stick. For the same $99, the fully featured Apple TV is a better way to go if you're part of that ecosystem. While some TVs do have MHL, it still has a narrow appeal as the other Roku boxes offer better compatibility.
The bottom line: While the number of devices that support it will probably grow, the Roku Streaming Stick is still a niche item when compared with every other Roku device.
Roku Streaming Stick Specs
Manufacturer: Roku
Part number: 3400R
Roku Streaming Stick Prices
Online stores
| Store | Certified rating | Inventory | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
 |  Rate this store See store profile | In stock | $63.49 |
 | Rate this store See store profile | In stock | $63.49 |
| RadioShack.com | Rate this store See store profile | In stock | $99.99 |
| Amazon.com Marketplace | Rate this store See store profile | In stock | $89.99 |
| Amazon.com Marketplace | Rate this store See store profile | In stock | $89.99 |
