{"id":475124,"date":"2022-07-17T19:00:56","date_gmt":"2022-07-17T16:00:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/what-is-roku-and-how-does-it-work\/"},"modified":"2022-07-17T19:00:56","modified_gmt":"2022-07-17T16:00:56","slug":"what-is-roku-and-how-does-it-work","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/what-is-roku-and-how-does-it-work\/","title":{"rendered":"#What Is Roku, and How Does it Work?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_84 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a2de5d80a021\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a2de5d80a021\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/what-is-roku-and-how-does-it-work\/#%E2%80%9CWhat_Is_Roku_and_How_Does_it_Work%E2%80%9D\" >&#8220;What Is Roku, and How Does it Work?&#8221;<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-2' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/what-is-roku-and-how-does-it-work\/#A_Brief_History_of_Roku\" >A Brief History of Roku<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/what-is-roku-and-how-does-it-work\/#What_Is_a_Roku\" >What Is a Roku?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/what-is-roku-and-how-does-it-work\/#How_Does_a_Roku_Work\" >How Does a Roku Work?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/what-is-roku-and-how-does-it-work\/#What_Do_I_Need_to_Use_a_Roku\" >What Do I Need to Use a Roku?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h1><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%9CWhat_Is_Roku_and_How_Does_it_Work%E2%80%9D\"><\/span>&#8220;What Is Roku, and How Does it Work?&#8221;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n<div>\n<figure style=\"width: 1200px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"type:primaryImage size-full wp-image-815530\" data-pagespeed-no-defer=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Roku-box.jpg?width=1198&amp;trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"Roku TV box.\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"type:primaryImage imagecredit\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shutterstock.com\/image-photo\/calgary-alberta-canada-april-28-2020-1717028395\">oasisamuel\/Shutterstock.com<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Roku is one of the most popular names in the streaming device category. You\u2019ve probably seen it on <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/stores\/node\/2530324011?ie=UTF8&amp;field-lbr_brands_browse-bin=Roku&amp;tag=hotoge-20\">Amazon<\/a> and at <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/bestbuy.7tiv.net\/c\/156932\/671509\/10014?subId1=htg&amp;subId2=817495&amp;sharedid=&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bestbuy.com%2Fsite%2Fbrands%2Froku%2Fpcmcat748300871560.c%3Fid%3Dpcmcat748300871560\">Best Buy<\/a>. What does this strange name and purple color scheme bring to your TV? Let\u2019s find out.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"A_Brief_History_of_Roku\"><\/span>A Brief History of Roku<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Roku was founded in 2002 by Anthony Wood. However, not much h<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>ened with the company for several years. Before the company had released any products, it started working with Netflix in 2007.<\/p>\n<p>The idea was to create a device to allow people to stream Netflix on their TVs. However, CEO Reed Hastings decided to drop the project and Netflix spun off Roku as its own company. The first Roku was released in 2008, still developed in collaboration with Netflix.<\/p>\n<p>Many people consider Roku to be the first company to popularize the idea of small, low-cost set-top boxes for TVs. As of January 2022, Roku has over 60 million active users. The idea seems to have been well received.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_Is_a_Roku\"><\/span>What Is a Roku?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<figure style=\"width: 1156px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-pagespeed-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/streaming_rokuultra.jpg?trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"roku ultra and remote on grey background\" width=\"1156\" height=\"650\" data-credittext=\"Roku\" src=\"\/pagespeed_static\/1.JiBnMqyl6S.gif\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"imagecredit\">Roku<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cWhat is Roku?\u201d and \u201cWhat is <em>a<\/em> Roku?\u201d are two different questions. Roku is the name of a company, but it\u2019s also the name of the devices it makes: Roku TVs, Roku set-top boxes, Roku streaming sticks, and Roku soundbars.<\/p>\n<p>All of these devices serve the same purpose\u2014to give you access to streaming services, apps, and <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/game\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"7\" title=\"Game\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">game<\/a>s on your TV. The Roku device\u2014whichever type it is\u2014plugs into your TV (or is built into the TV) and displays the Roku software.<\/p>\n<p>Roku set-top boxes are sorta like consoles. They\u2019re little boxes that need to sit on a shelf or your TV stand. Roku streaming sticks are much smaller, the entire device plugs into the HDMI port and hides behind your TV. A Roku soundbar is simply a soundbar with the Roku software built-in.<\/p>\n<p>The last type of Roku is a Roku TV. This is an entire TV that has the Roku software built-in. You don\u2019t have to buy a Roku device separately and plug it in. Everything is built right into the TV and you control it all with one remote.<\/p>\n<p>Essentially, a Roku is a combination of hardware and software aimed to bring streaming services and other content to your TV.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_Does_a_Roku_Work\"><\/span>How Does a Roku Work?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<figure style=\"width: 650px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-814984\" data-pagespeed-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/2022-06-29_16-58-01.png?trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"Roku Channel on the home screen.\" width=\"650\" height=\"366\" src=\"\/pagespeed_static\/1.JiBnMqyl6S.gif\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"imagecredit\">Roku<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Let\u2019s talk about the Roku software, the secret sauce to Roku\u2019s popularity. At its core, Roku devices are intended to be easy to use. That starts right at the \u201chome screen,\u201d the main screen you see when your turn on your Roku device.<\/p>\n<p>The Roku home screen displays all the channels (apps) and games you have installed. They can be installed from the \u201cChannel Store,\u201d which is very similar to the Google Play Store or Apple App Store. There are channels for Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video, Roku\u2019s own channel, and pretty much any streaming service you can imagine.<\/p>\n<p>From there, you can launch the channels and use them like you normally would on any other platform. For example, sign in with your Netflix account and you\u2019re ready to stream TV shows and <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/watch-movies-tv-seriess\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"8\" title=\"Watch Movies &amp; TV Series\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">movies<\/a> on your TV. The Roku remote makes it easy to move around the screen and launch whichever app you\u2019d like to use.<\/p>\n<p><strong>RELATED:<\/strong> <strong><em>What Is The Roku Channel?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_Do_I_Need_to_Use_a_Roku\"><\/span>What Do I Need to Use a Roku?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<figure style=\"width: 1200px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-pagespeed-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/roku-2K-streaming-stick.jpg?trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"roku 4K streaming stick\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" data-credittext=\"Roku\" src=\"\/pagespeed_static\/1.JiBnMqyl6S.gif\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"imagecredit\">Roku<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>There are really only two things you need to get the Roku experience: a screen and the Roku software. There are a number of ways to achieve this. The most common way is with your existing TV and Roku device.<\/p>\n<p>Roku offers plenty of options to make this happen, though. Starting at around $20, you can get a <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Roku-Express-Streaming-Media-Player\/dp\/B07WVFCVJN?ref_=ast_sto_dp&amp;tag=hotoge-20\">Roku Express<\/a>, which is a tiny set-top box. A step up is the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Roku-Streaming-Device-Vision-Controls\/dp\/B09BKCDXZC\/ref=sr_1_1?ots=1&amp;slotNum=2&amp;imprToken=dcc0f776-e364-c11c-51f&amp;tag=hotoge-20\">Roku streaming stick<\/a> for around $30-70. The next step up is the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Roku-Streaming-Rechargeable-Hands-Free-Listening\/dp\/B09T4VZDYV\/ref=sr_1_4?ots=1&amp;slotNum=0&amp;imprToken=dcc0f776-e364-c11c-51f&amp;tag=hotoge-20\">Roku Ultra<\/a> for around $80, it\u2019s a larger set-top box. At the top of the ladder is the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Roku-Streambar-Streaming-Premium-Released\/dp\/B08G8JH836\/ref=sr_1_18?ots=1&amp;slotNum=1&amp;imprToken=dcc0f776-e364-c11c-51f&amp;tag=hotoge-20\">Roku Streambar<\/a>, a full soundbar with Roku built-in for $90.<\/p>\n<p>If you\u2019re in the market for a new TV, you can skip all these external devices and buy a <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/TCL-Dolby-Vision-QLED-Smart\/dp\/B0885F5GMP\/?ots=1&amp;slotNum=3&amp;imprToken=64c0f77d-7442-ea39-ba2&amp;tag=hotoge-20\">TV with the Roku software built-in<\/a>. There are <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.reviewgeek.com\/71547\/the-4-best-roku-tvs\/\">many Roku TVs<\/a> at every size, resolution, and price point. It\u2019s super handy to have it all in one package, but it does mean upgrading the Roku experience requires getting a new TV too.<\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<p>A Roku is simply a device that turns your TV into a smart TV. It puts apps and games on the big screen, easily controllable with a remote. A Roku is similar to a Google TV or Apple TV, but easier to use. If you are interested in a simple user interface to watch Netflix and other services on your TV, Roku is a good place to start.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script>\n setTimeout(function(){\n  !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s)\n  {if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?\n  n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};\n  if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';\n  n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;\n  t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];\n  s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s) } (window, document,'script',\n  'https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/fbevents.js');\n   fbq('init', '335401813750447');\n   fbq('track', 'PageView');\n  },3000);\n<\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. 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You\u2019ve probably seen it on Amazon and at Best Buy. What does this strange name and purple color scheme bring to your TV? Let\u2019s find out. A Brief History of Roku Roku was&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":475125,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Roku-box.jpg?height=200p&trim=2,2,2,2","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-475124","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/475124","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=475124"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/475124\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/475125"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=475124"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=475124"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=475124"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}