King of the streaming sticks updates its range

Roku has revamped its operating system to include a guide to programing, available both over the Internet and from over-the-air broadcast channels. All were extant products that have simply been refreshed.

Roku has unveiled their fall-streaming hardware lineup after its successful IPO.

Next is the Roku Streaming Stick and the Streaming Stick+, which cost $49.99 and $69.99, respectively. Roku OS 8 should begin rolling out from early October, as well. It’s meant for classic TV owners, however, as it has options to connect composite A/V ports. The Roku Express starts at $29.99 MSRP with the Express+ model available for $39.99, exclusively at Walmart. The wireless receiver has been moved from within the stick itself to the power cord, in order to improve its performance and range. It supports 4K at 60fps, and Roku says that the Wi-Fi range is four times what it was on its predecessor. Roku is coming out with an updated range of streaming boxes and sticks. Roku’s current lineup is faster, with more capable remotes that – finally – include power and volume controls for your television, so you don’t need a second remote cluttering your entertainment center. Meanwhile, a remote finder button on the device will help users locate the remote if it becomes lost. It also comes with an ethernet port, whereas the other devices are wireless only.

Following a two-day rally last week, the stock remains up 68 percent from the price in its initial public offer.

Additionally, a 4K spotlight serves up 4K, HDR, and Dolby Vision content. Amazon last week announced that the latest Fire TV model with 4K video will sell for $70, down from $100 previously.

The Streaming Sticks also get upgraded processors. Apple is reportedly investing more than billion in original content annually.

In the streaming hardware sector, Roku competes with Amazon, Apple (AAPL), Alphabet (GOOGL)-owned Google and others.

Roku has also added local antenna broadcast TV options to search results for TV customers using a TV antenna.

Last, but not least, the flagship Roku Ultra will soldier on with its 4K/HDR/60fps capabilities, wireless and wired network support, microSD slot and voice remote with an included headphone jack. Voice control and search have also been updated with enhanced natural language understanding. Roku’s entire platform is built on showing you content from every source, and barring the unremovable Fandango app, doesn’t play favorites with any one service. During a recent demonstration, Shubhada Hebbar, launched the Hulu online video app on a new TCL TV monitor by speaking into the remote control, even though the monitor was turned off.

Disclosure: I worked at CBS Interactive in 2014 and 2015, and some of my work involved CBS All Access and Star Trek: Discovery.