So if someone has told you that you should think about getting a Roku, or if you were considering purchasing it as a gift for someone because of its’ low price, then you may have found yourself asking “What is a Roku?” or, more specifically, “What is a Roku 3?”.
Roku Basics
Sounds Great! What Else Do I Need?
The most important thing to have, and something without which the Roku will not work at all, is a broadband Internet connection. Almost everything that you watch or listen to on your Roku will come from the Internet, and streaming videos, especially in HD, requires Internet speeds that you can usually only get from a cable, fiber-optic or DSL Internet connection. Additionally, you will also need to have a Wi-Fi connection to use many of the Roku models. The Roku 3 has a port for a wired ethernet connection, however, if you are looking to get a Roku 3 and don’t have a wireless network set up in your home.
So Why Should I Get the Roku 3, Specifically?
But the Roku 3 is the top-of-the-line model that Roku sells and if you don’t have Wi-Fi issues and if you have seen or used a Roku 1 or 2 and found the speed to be adequate, then you will probably be just as happy spending less money on the Roku 1 or the Roku 2.
What Comes with the Roku 3?
The Roku 3 comes with the Roku unit itself, the Roku remote control, a power cable, batteries for the remote and a pair of headphones. The headphones are for a cool feature that allows you to mute the TV and instead have the sound come through the headphones, which you can connect to a port on the remote control. This is an amazing feature for people that listen to TV in bed, but share the room with someone that prefers silence.
Anything Else I Should Know?
The Roku 3 doesn’t actually turn off, ever. Once you haven’t been watching it for a while, it will enter a sleep mode. You don’t need to worry about any excessive power drain, however, as the Roku uses about the same amount of electricity as a nightlight. The Roku 3 also has both a memory card slot and a USB port, to which you can connect the appropriate media and watch videos that you have stored on memory cards, USB flash drives or external hard drives. This feature is not found on every Roku model, however, so make sure to check the product page for the model that you are looking at if you have decided not to get the Roku 3. If you want to know more about the Roku 3, we have a couple of other articles you might find helpful. Our Roku 3 review goes into more detail about the Roku 3 and the setup process, and this article offers more of a comparison between the last generation of Roku models. After receiving his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Computer Science he spent several years working in IT management for small businesses. However, he now works full time writing content online and creating websites. His main writing topics include iPhones, Microsoft Office, Google Apps, Android, and Photoshop, but he has also written about many other tech topics as well. Read his full bio here.
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