What are the major differences between Roku Ultra and Roku Streambar?

If you’ve already ditched the cable for a modern streaming device, then chances are you’ve heard of Roku. It’s easily one of the fan-favorite streaming devices, and for good reason. You can use it to access over 350 live TV channels for free, stream your favorite movies and shows from your favorite app in the best possible quality, and even enjoy private listening via the headphone jack on the remote control. There are also other smart hidden features on the Roku device that make your viewing experience more convenient – from the powerful search function to the entertaining free games.

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If you’re convinced and want to make Roku part of your entertainment setup, you have several options to choose from. Two of the best are the Roku Ultra and the Roku Streambar. Both come with features like 4K streaming and Dolby support, but beyond that, how exactly do they differ and which one is best for you? Here’s everything you need to consider.

Roku Ultra is considered Roku’s top-tier streaming device as it is packed with premium features that you don’t usually find on other Roku streaming players. These include Dolby Vision, Wi-Fi 6, an upgraded remote control and Bluetooth headphone mode, to name a few. The Ultra was first launched in 2016 and has gone through several model iterations over the years. The latest in the pack as of this writing is the 4850, introduced in September 2024. You can use the Ultra with popular voice assistants and smart home systems, including Google Home, Alexa, Apple AirPlay and HomeKit, and of course, Roku Smart Home. It is available for $99.99.

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Released in 2020, the Roku Streambar is a fusion between a streaming device and a soundbar. At $129.99, it’s designed to be a more affordable solution to getting a 4K streaming device and a separate soundbar. There are two variants of Streambar: Streambar Pro and Streambar SE. The Pro variant came out in 2021 and features a larger design, Virtual Surround and a remote control with custom hotkeys. Launched in 2024, the SE variant is a smaller and more affordable version of the Streambar, but with added support for HDR10+ (which is not available in the standard Streambar).

As is standard with other Roku 4K streaming devices, the Ultra and Streambar are compatible with HD, 4K and 4K HDR TVs. However, Ultra also includes additional support for HDR10+ and Dolby Vision TV. HDR already produces vivid images as it turns up the brightness and gives you over a billion colors to make the images feel more lifelike. HDR10+ upgrades image quality even further by using dynamic (rather than static) metadata, which ensures images have balanced brightness and improved color saturation. Dolby Vision also makes use of dynamic metadata, so that instead of just one billion colors, it has a wider color spectrum of 68 billion.

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However, it’s important to note that for both Ultra and Streambar, you’ll need a compatible TV to watch content of such quality. If you do not watch videos in 4K, HDR10/HDR10+ or ​​Dolby Vision – or if your TV does not support these formats – you will not experience the full effect of the improved image quality.

In terms of sound capabilities, the Streambar clearly surpasses the Ultra, mainly because it functions as a soundbar. It supports PCM and Dolby Audio formats and is built with four 1.9″ full-range speakers. To create a listening experience that suits your taste, the Streambar provides you with various sound settings, including four sound modes that suit the content , you’re listening to, three speech clarity options to make dialogue easier to understand, and three volume modes for different types of entertainment Blu-ray player If you want even more premium sound, you can easily expand your entertainment setup with other Roku audio devices, such as Roku Wireless Speakers and Wireless Bass.

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On the flip side, the Ultra is purely a streaming device with no built-in speakers, so all its audio features – like digital stereo and DTS Digital Surround – only work via HDMI. If you want to upgrade the sound quality of your setup, you’ll have to rely on third-party soundbars and speakers, as the Roku Wireless Speaker and Subwoofers aren’t compatible with Roku streaming players like the Ultra. Ultra gives the Streambar an edge in that it supports Dolby Atmos for a more immersive listening experience than Dolby Audio. However, you still can’t enjoy Dolby Atmos content if you don’t have a compatible TV or speaker.

The two remote controls are different in many aspects. To begin with, the batteries in both remote controls are different. While Ultra’s remote, a Roku Voice Remote Pro (second edition), is rechargeable, Streambar’s remote, a Roku Voice Remote, includes replaceable AAA batteries. In terms of buttons, the Ultra’s remote has two additional buttons: a GUIDE button that shows you live TV and local news, and a Quick Launch button that you can customize to launch an app or activate a setting. Another smart differentiator of the Ultra’s remote is its backlit buttons, which make it easier to see while watching late at night.

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As you’d expect, both offer voice search and one-button control. This means you can ask Roku to do things like find Anne Hathaway movies, open Netflix, and turn on captions. In addition to the push-to-talk functionality, the Ultra’s remote also lets you issue voice commands hands-free for convenience. To control the device, just say “Hey Roku.”

What is probably the biggest difference between the remote controls for Ultra and Streambar is that with Ultra you can easily find your Roku remote. It features a so-called lost remote feature that, when triggered with either a voice command, a ping from the Roku mobile app, or a press of the dedicated button on the Ultra, will prompt the remote to play a sound.

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The way the Roku Ultra and Streambar are connected to your home network and TV is different. For home network connectivity, both streaming devices come with Wi-Fi and Ethernet capabilities. But while the Streambar is equipped with 802.11ac dual-band MIMO Wi-Fi, which is standard on most of Roku’s streaming devices, the Ultra has 802.11ax dual-band MIMO Wi-Fi 6. This means your movies and shows will load faster and you will experience less lag even if your home network serves several other devices at the same time. The Ultra also has a built-in 10/100 Base-T Ethernet port, so connecting directly to your router is as easy as plugging in the cable. On the other hand, the Streambar doesn’t have a standard Ethernet port, and you’ll need a USB-to-Ethernet adapter.

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For the TV connection, both streaming devices are compatible with any TV as long as it has a standard HDMI port. However, there are caveats. Ultra requires a TV with Dolby Vision (at 60 fps), HDR10, HDR10+ or ​​HLG support to view such content. Meanwhile, the Streambar requires an HDMI port specifically labeled as ARC (Audio Return Channel). If your TV only comes with a regular HDMI port, it works like any other Roku streaming device, playing audio through your TV. To route audio to the Streambar, use the included optical cable and connect it to another port on your TV, usually called digital audio out or digital output.

The Roku Ultra and Streambar vary significantly in size and design, and you can easily tell them apart. The Ultra is square in shape, lightweight at just 5.9 oz (167.2 g) and measures 4.9 x 5 x 1 inches (124.4 x 127 x 25.4 mm). It can be placed virtually anywhere near your TV. As long as you can easily connect the Roku device to the Internet and your TV, you’re good to go.

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The Streambar is much larger, measuring 4.2 x 14 x 2.4 inches (107 x 356 x 61 mm) and heavier, weighing 2.2 lbs (1089 g). Unlike the Ultra, there are more considerations when installing the Streambar. First of all, you achieve the best sound quality when it is placed in the center of your TV and at the same height as your ears when you are sitting. In this way, the sound will be perfectly synchronized with the visuals and will not sound interrupted. It is also important to remove any obstructions in front of the Streambar to ensure that the sounds coming from the device do not bounce off the objects and become muffled. The no obstructions rule also means that you should avoid placing your device in closed cabinets. When placing the Streambar on the TV stand or other flat surface, make sure it sits right at the front edge and not too far back. Otherwise, the sound from the speakers will bounce off the flat surface in front of it.

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Since the Ultra is newer, it is expected to be the faster streaming device. It contains a higher performance chip that makes interface navigation and app launching more seamless and lag-free. In fact, it’s marketed as over 30% faster than its Roku sibling.

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If you want to play personal videos and music on your streaming device, both Ultra and Streambar allow you to do so. They each have a USB port on the back where you can connect a USB stick or hard drive. However, the Ultra has support for more media formats than the Streambar, as it supports Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision. For videos, it can play AV1 (.MP4, .MKV) files, while for audio it can accommodate HEAAC (.MKV, .MP4, .MOV, .AAC), AC-4 with Atmos (.MKV, .MP4, .MOV , .AC4), DTS (.MKV, .MP4, .MOV) and DD+ (EAC3) with Atmos (.MKV, .MP4, .MOV) — formats, which Streambar cannot handle.

Finding the best Roku device for your TV is all about understanding what you care about more. Ultra is for you if you pay particular attention to the video quality you get from your streaming device and want to experience the best. With Dolby Vision and HDR10+ support, Ultra lets you fully enjoy such high-quality content in their intended formats. This Roku streaming device is also perfect for homes with congested networks (thanks to its Wi-Fi 6 capability) and small spaces (since you can easily hide it behind your TV without any problems). You might also want to get an Ultra if you prefer to control your TV hands-free and you’re tired of turning your living room upside down just to find your remote.

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On the other hand, Streambar is for you if you’re more of an audiophile. With its soundbar functionality, expanded audio options, and compatibility with other Roku audio devices, you can build a theater-like entertainment system right in your living room. Streambar is also great if you want to minimize the number of devices in your setup, perhaps to save space or to achieve a cleaner look. Since it doubles as a streaming device and a soundbar, it can reduce the overall clutter in your entertainment space.