After the recent decisions taken by the American technology company based in Saratoga, Roku 4 is probably going to release by the end of this year. The company has decided to phase out their support for their classic video streaming devices in the market.
From the looks of it, Roku will no longer be providing any updates or new channels for its old Roku Players that have been manufactured from May 2008 to May 2011, as reported by Variety. Meanwhile, the classic Roku devices and other Roku-based players which will no longer receive any updates are Roku HD (2000C), Netgear XDS (NTV270), Roku XDS (2100X), Netgear XD (NTV250), Roku XD (2050X), Roku HD (N1100) Roku SD (N1050), and Roku HD-XR (N1101 and N1000).
The first device by Roku was launched in 2008 and it became the first streaming device to successfully stream Netflix to TV. Since then, the company has added 2000 more channels to its system and they were made available on the online platform.
The older video streaming models of Roku only have access to 1200 channels, which is quite a lot more than the current streaming devices which were released into the market since then. According to the recent statements released by the company, Roku has taken the tough decision to stop launching new streaming channels, push firmware updates, upgrade existing channels or introduce the Roku Mobile App for Roku streaming devices.
According to Roku, their streaming technologies have evolved and along with that, the technology for streaming has also been advanced. At the same time, the channel partners have decided to focus their development efforts on the latest generation of Roku streaming players only.
Furthermore, the decision seems logical since there are a lot of new features which are not supported by the older Roku devices. They have limited channel selection due to the lack of performance in the older-generation players.
It is being expected that the new decisions has definitely something do with encouraging users to discard their older generation Roku devices and instead focus on the new upcoming device heading our way. In the meantime, the company has decided to serve its top four streaming devices which were released in the market since June 2011, the Roku Stick, the Roku 1, the Roku 2, and the Roku 4.
According to the estimates by Park Associates, Roku enjoys a market share of 34% and had the No.1 selling streaming devices in the US last year. According to the survey results of the first quarter of 2015 for American Broadband Households owning a streaming device, Google Chromecast and Roku emerged as the main rivals with Roku comprising 37% and Chromecast at 19%.
Apple TV enjoys a 17% share while Amazon Fire TV is at the fourth spot of 14%. CEO Anthony Wood of Roku declared in a recent interview that it can certainly hold its own in a competition with devices from other heavy-weight manufacturers like Google, Apple and Amazon. The manufacturer already enjoys a certain edge over the devices from these companies and with Roku 4; they wish to continue with their success.
The latest reports suggest that the device is going to come with some significant upgrades and improvements with advanced hardware specifications and a polished user interface. Roku enjoys fierce competition in the market and with the availability of the upcoming Roku 4, it needs to be seen whether the company can still enjoy its supremacy in the streaming market.