Review on Enhanced 4K/HD/HDR Streaming: Roku Ultra with Premium JBL Headphones by Daniel Greene

The 2019 Roku Ultra was a big step up from our six-year-old Roku 3. Setup is very easy, just follow the clear quick start guide and then the on-screen instructions. If you've used Rokus in the past, all of your existing apps will be downloaded as part of the install. Unfortunately, you also get a bunch of other apps along the way. You must remove them one by one. You will also need to re-register with each of your subscription services. It's tedious, but I believe it's necessary for security reasons. When running, loading, navigating and downloading apps, it was faster than on our old Roku. Voice search and the ability to control basic TV functions with the remote are nice touches. A new feature that I particularly like is the presence of two programmable buttons on the remote control. They can be configured to perform any function that can be performed using voice search. I programmed ours to launch the two apps we use the most. However, I have a serious complaint about the remote control. The mute button is on the side of the remote where my hand naturally cups it. [Cm. Photo] I found it almost impossible to pick up or hold the remote control without accidentally muting the TV sound. At first I thought it was the small hands, but my husband, who has much larger hands than me, had the same problem. I ended up remodeling the remote by wrapping a square of thick padding around the button and securing it with tape. [Cm. other photo] Ugly, but this prevented accidental muting, but still allows access to the button with a pinky press. I downgraded my rating by one star due to mute issues. Otherwise, this device is an absolute winner and highly recommended, especially for streaming viewers who, like me, want an ethernet-connected device for optimal performance.