From TechHive: One of the best features of Roku’s high-end streaming boxes—private listening by way of plugging headphones into the remote control—is coming to Roku’s least-expensive streamer: the new Roku Streaming Stick ($50), which is now available for pre-order. But you’ll need to provide your own headphones, and you’ll plug them not into the included remote but into your smartphone or tablet running the Roku Mobile App (available for Android and iOS).
It’s been a little more than two years since Roku shipped its well-received second-generation Streaming Stick, and this new model benefits from a number of upgrades, including a new quad-core processor that Roku says is eight times more powerful than the old one. But Roku’s engineers couldn’t pack enough processing power inside the new Roku Streaming Stick to support 4K video: Its resolution will top out at 1080p, like the Roku 3; you’ll need to step up to Roku’s top-shelf Roku 4 if 4K is a must-have feature.
The Streaming Stick’s diminutive size will render it at least as portable as the previous model. “The ability to take the streaming experience on the road is a key purchase consideration for Stick customers,” Roku SVP Sharad Sundaresan said in an embargoed briefing last week. “Many people also move the stick from one TV to another inside the home.” As with previous Streaming Sticks, this one can be powered either by one of the TV’s USB ports or with the AC adapter that comes in the box (for use with older TVs that lack USB ports or have USB ports that don’t deliver adequate power).
Sundaresan also said the new stick has an improved dual-band 802.11n Wi-Fi adapter, and that engineers had improved the antenna placement to increase the Stick’s wireless range. As with the previous Streaming Stick, Roku includes an RF remote control, but this one doesn’t include an integrated microphone for voice searches or, as I said earlier, a headphone jack for private listening. But Roku’s mobile app can tap into that hardware on your smartphone or tablet, and it also supports Bluetooth headphones. This feature is exclusive to the new Roku Streaming Stick; it will not be available to Roku’s other hardware.
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