As if there wasn’t enough to watch on TV already, Roku’s “Live TV Zone” takes you deeper via a central gateway that can be accessed directly from the Roku Home Menu.
The Roku Live TV Zone provides access to cable alternatives, including Hulu, fuboTV, Philo, Sling, and YouTube TV, local and national news, sports, movies, and more.
There are two ways to navigate through the Live TV Zone.
- You can click on the channel/app icons for the most popular channels.
- You can click on the Live TV Channel Guide and access a linear channel listing that includes program start times just like you do would do when accessing broadcast channels on TV or channels on your cable or satellite system.
There are over 200 channels to choose from (as if Roku’s 5,000+ streaming apps weren’t enough to choose from already).
Some of the channels include:
- The Roku Channel
- ABC News Live
- NBC News Now
- Hallmark Movies and More
- Lifetime Movie Favorites
- Weather Nation
- Game Show Central
- CBS Sports
- TMZ Live
- Rotten Tomatoes
Most of the channels and content are free (includes ads), but if you want to watch content offerings in the cable alternative category, you will be required to pay subscription fees.
Roku’s Live TV Zone is similar to other services such as Pluto TV or XUMO, but with some channels, you might not find those services.
Roku’s Live TV Zone feature is a new addition included in their OS 10.5.
Some other Roku OS 10.5 features include:
Roku Voice Expansion: Almost all streaming channels in Roku Search support Roku Voice. You can also use voice commands to enter Email addresses, Passwords, PINs, and on-screen keyboard entries.
Roku Search Music and Podcast Row: Music and podcast listeners can use voice search and play music and podcasts. Roku has also partnered with Spotify to provide access to millions of podcasts.
Roku Mobile App Home Tab and Save List: A new Home tab in the Roku Mobile app provides easy access to entertainment, such as access to browsable movies and shows collections. You can also create a Save List to watch later.
Sound Settings via the Roku Mobile App (US): Roku device sound settings, such as night mode, automatic volume leveling, and speech clarity, can be made directly in the Roku mobile app rather than just the remote control or the device’s on-screen menu.
Check out more features provided in Roku OS 10.5 in our previous report (also includes info on Roku’s 4K streaming sticks).
For more information: roku.com
Related reading: Does Cutting the Cord Make Sense Financially?
