As the holiday sales hit we just wanted to call your attention to something you should pay attention to. There are two products called the Roku Ultra. There is the Roku Ultra, otherwise considered the top Roku model on the market, and a slightly discounted version called the Ultra LT, which is sold exclusively through Walmart. Both have the Ultra moniker but what makes the Ultra LT any different from the non LT? There is not much actually but the differences may be factors for ones needs.
Ultra has a USB Port
One difference in the design of the products is that the Roku Ultra has a USB port. Do you need the USB port for normal daily use? No, absolutely not. I have been using Roku products for 10 years and have never used the USB port on a Roku. Why does it have a USB port? This is for playing media stored on a USB stick or hard drive. This is a pretty specific use case, but for those who need it, it is a game changer. Roku has channels that are built around accessing the port. But for the average streamer, you can probably go your whole natural life without ever using it.
The Ultra offers Dolby Atmos
This is another pretty specific thing. Dolby Atmos is a top audio spec that those with high-end sound systems covet, so the ability to deliver Dolby Atmos can change a home theater setup substantially again, provided that someone has made a heavy investment in speakers and we mean thousands of dollars. For your TV it will not make a difference. If it is a difference-maker though, go for it, and can we hang out?
The Regular Use differences
The last two differences will have a much bigger impact on daily use. The Roku Ultra has the wonderful lost remote finder. This has been featured on Roku’s top products for a goodly number of years now and it is a major time and sanity saver. Have you misplaced your remote? Or was it your wife? Why are you always blaming me I DON’T LOSE THINGS I PUT THEM BACK! Ok sorry for the unpleasantness there. See the Roku Ultra has a little button on the top and if you can’t find your remote you can click it and it will make the remote beep or whistle or make other sounds so you can find it behind the pillow, under the baby Yoda or on top of the refrigerator. HOW DID IT GET ON TOP OF THE REFRIGERATOR!
Last but not least is the Roku Ultra has programmable shortcuts on the remote. This was a feature long requested by customers who wanted to change the preset buttons on their remotes. Roku still has preset shortcuts, they are not going to throw money away guys, but they also give users two buttons that can be programmed to launch whatever your heart pleases. So want to set up a Pluto TV button? You can. Plex you got it. You can set up whichever channels you want.
Otherwise, the Roku Ultra LT provides all of the bells and whistles that the most deluxe version does. And it usually does so at a discount. Now be wary during black Friday-inspired sales though. Roku may well discount the Ultra below the price of the Ultra LT. So keep an eye out. The most important thing about both The Ultra LT and The Ultra is that they both have strong Wi-Fi and Ethernet ports allowing for the strongest connection to the Internet. It will always give you the best support for streaming if the Roku is plugged in.
So there you have it. Stream on my friends.
