The tech industry’s move to offer more affordable 4K TV products continued this week with the introduction of a new line of streaming media players from Roku.
Roku said it would launch a $69 streaming stick (“Roku Streaming Stick+) next week that would support 4K video and HDR (High Dynamic Range). The company’s previous cheapest device that enabled both 4K and HDR was its Roku Ultra player, which retails for $99.
The Roku Streaming Stick+ is expected to ship on October 8, the company says. You can order it here from Amazon today for $65.
The 4K stick follows a similar price drop by Amazon which last week introduced a new $69 Fire TV player that supports 4K and HDR. The previous edition of Amazon’s 4K Fire TV went for $89.
Click Amazon: LG 55-inch 4K Smart TV: $668
The new $69 4K Fire TV will ship on October 25, Amazon says. You can pre-order one here.
But 4K hardware isn’t the only thing dropping in price. After Apple surprised the industry last month by starting to sell new 4K movies for around $20, which was $5-10 cheaper than the standard, Amazon lowered the price of some 4K downloads to under $20.
And Vudu, the streaming service owned by Wal-Mart, announced last weekend that it has reduced the sale price of more than 60 4K titles, with some under $10.
TV makers have yet to dramatically lower prices on 4K sets, but that will happen this holiday season if this prediction comes true.
If 4K doesn’t take off soon, it looks like high prices will no longer be a significant reason.
— Phillip Swann
Some of these 4K TV’s are watered down versions or made with lower quality components to bring down their price.
I’d settle for Directv to offer true HD channels (all channels).
What is the HYPE about 4-K.
It is going the SAME way as 3-D. (Doesn’t Move)
I agree with John, I’ll settle for DirecTV offering ALL Channels in HD at NO Extra Price.
Drop the $10.00 to Existing DirecTV Customers. (NEW DTV Customers DON’T Pay it
Actually, 4K is not going the same way as 3-D. As the OTA broadcasters move to ATSC 3.0, they’ll be able to offer 4K. The current drawback is the low amount of content, but it is coming. 3-D was a gimmick and viewers needed to wear bulky and expensive glasses.