Roku Devices Question

[rhym1n]

I'm just curious why there are an incredible amount of Roku devices out there? Let me go through the list of what I found on Amazon:

Roku Express
Roku Streaming Stick
Roku Premiere
Roku Premiere+
Roku Ultra
(The 5 listed above are always compared together)

Roku 1
Roku 2
Roku 3
Roku 4
(This is what I would expect)

It seems there are others too:
Roku 3170 RW Express+
Roku SE Streaming Media
and so on...

What Roku device(s) do you recommend? I have a Samsung TV, so I can't get SlingTV app on their OS, and have settled on Roku over Chromecast.

I need 2 for streaming wifi (preferably 802.11ac) and 1 for Ethernet.

 

[kanewolf]

Roku as a brand has been around for a long time. That is one reason for the many models. Assuming you are buying new, you should look at the feature comparison on Roku's homepage. Do you want 4K? Do you want optical audio output?
You say you want an ethernet port. That means only the Premier+ and Ultra. I got the ultra because I wanted the optical audio output since my home theater doesn't have HDMI.

 

[rhym1n]

Thanks, Kane. What is the difference between the premieres, ultras, etc., and the series of Roku 1, 2, 3, and 4? I noticed the Roku 4 is cheaper than the Premiere+ and Ultra is why I ask.

Maybe it's an older line?

 

[americanaudiophile]

I think the first list are current models and the numbered ones are discontinued. The Express plus has av outputs. The others only have HDMI output.
The high end models support 4k and 4k HDR streaming.
https/www.roku.com/products/compare#

 

[rhym1n]

Thank you both very much. It's frustrating that Samsung won't allow the SlingTv app for their OS. Or whatever the reason is.