infoTECH Feature

February 02, 2011

Roku Gets Firmware Update with USB Playback and Al Jazeera English

Roku users will be happy to know their HD-XR and XDS devices are getting a new lease on life with a new firmware update. The latest release allows the streaming video devices to playback media from a plugged-in USB flashdrive. According to the Roku Forums, “you can use the channel to play back personal video, music and photo files from a USB drive right on your TV.”

The Roku USB Media Player can be installed from the Roku Channel Store for free. Supported formats include MKV, MP4, MOV, and WMV/ASF for video, AAC and MP3 for audio and JPG and PNG for images. The XDS model sells with a price tag (News - Alert) of $100 while the Roku HD-XR has been discontinued. Before taking advantage of this feature, users need to have firmware 2.9 build 1529 loaded onto their compatible Roku set-top boxes, which was released last week.

In addition to the media playback feature, Roku now features Al Jazeera English for those interested in continuous coverage of current events. Despite cable companies’ reluctance to offer the news network, subscribers are looking to Al Jazeera because they are providing the best coverage of the Egyptian crisis. Roku users don’t have to look further than their devices for up to the minute news. The free streams are available via Roku’s Newscaster Channel.

Recently Roku made headlines as it landed its very first cable channel, WealthTV. Instead of paying for standard subscription fees, Roku customers can pay just $2.99 per month for WealthTV’s video-on-demand selections as well as access the available 24/7 linear feed. The news posed the question if the future of TV was in the hands of Internet TV boxes, however, too many cable networks rely on checks from cable giants such as Comcast (News - Alert) and Time Warner to provide revenue in affiliate fees. Simply put, the competition simply does not exist.

Want to learn more about the latest in communications & technology? Then be sure to attend ITEXPO East 2011, taking place Feb 2-4, 2011, in Miami. ITEXPO (News - Alert) offers an educational program to help corporate decision makers select the right IP-based voice, video, fax and unified communications solutions to improve their operations. It's also where service providers learn how to profitably roll out the services their subscribers are clamoring for – and where resellers can learn about new growth opportunities. To register, click here.


Michelle Amodio is a TMCnet Contributor. She has years of experience in business and marketing. Previously, she worked in broadcast journalism and as an editor abroad in London, England for a privately owned magazine. To read more of her articles, please visit her columnist page.

Edited by Tammy Wolf
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