# Roku Ultra Review: Finally There's Always Something Good On TV *By James Hills — Updated April 2017* Roku sent me one of their Roku Ultra units to test out on a trip, so I was excited to give it a whirl! Hotel TV's and cable packages have gotten a lot better in the past few years. As a kid I remember getting excited to see the "Free HBO!" sign, while today you generally see a large flat screen TV in your room with a moderate assortment of channels to help you relax before bed. The problem here though is exactly why so many people (including me) are cutting cable from our own homes. It's the programming. Unfortunately, there's very little that the hotels and resorts can do aside from what some have graciously done by providing accessible HDMI and other ports. This allows me to bring my own content and cut the cord when I travel. The Roku Ultra is their top of the line streaming product and supports 4K video streams up to 60fps and HDR as well as standard 1080p content with it's quad-core processor. It's got pretty much every feature you could imagine included. Among these are WiFi as well as wired internet support, USB port, MicroSD slot,  optical digital audio out, and a great remote. The remote itself doubles as a gaming controller, includes voice search support, and even has a remote finder if you get it lost. Plus, the remote just feels great. It's nice to see that Roku's industrial design is as good as their UX! ## ## Cutting the Cord At a Hotel Room Isn't Easy At home, it's easy to connect pretty much any device as long as you have the password for the wifi access point. At a hotel you typically have to connect, then login to a screen before you are actually connected. I've tried this with my Chromecast and failed, even my FireStick (which does have support for navigating networks like this) was far from seamless. However, with just a few minutes of effort I had my Roku Ultra setup.  ### Ten Reasons Why Guys Love a Viking River Cruises Rhine Getaway ManTripping: Men's Travel and Lifestyle Blog for busy men who love to travel. ManTripping [Read More](https://ads.flowmediamarketing.com/go/u1hvlqbwatDL_teUOG2Dgw.1476) ### Best Breweries to Visit on a Canada and New England Cruise Canada New England cruises feature walkable breweries in Halifax, Portland, and Boston. Late port departures let you explore Moosehead, Allagash, and Dieu du Ciel without rushing. CruiseWestCoast [Read More](https://ads.flowmediamarketing.com/go/u1hvlqbwatDL_teUOG2Dgw.439) ### Vietnam and Thailand Adventure in 16 Days A 16-day Vietnam and Thailand adventure covering Ho Chi Minh, Hoi An, Hue, Halong Bay, Bangkok and Chiang Mai, ideal for culture and nature lovers. 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BTW It also worked great with the travel router that I purchased to work around this exact issue and that does save even more effort since I connect that to the hotel's network once for all my devices. ## Man Gear Pick of the Month September's Pick Amazon (affiliate) ### Kenyon City Grill Portable Stainless Steel Electric Grill Why we picked it: a grill you can actually carry to the campsite, the tailgate or the cabin without borrowing a truck. Stainless, no propane tank to wrestle, and hot enough to cook for four guys rather than reheat for one. 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However, the other benefit for those of us who are up late at night, is that you can watch a movie without having to worry about the volume bothering your neighbors! ## All The Same Roku Channels You Already Love The actually device has minimal impact on the experience of navigating Ruko and selecting content to watch. That's true upto the point where you are wanting to view 4K and HDR content though. However, for a typical HDTV you have all of your favorite channels available to watch.  In our case, since we were testing it out on our Spring Training Trip, we thought it appropriate to find Major League. So, we did a search and found it then played it. Smooth, simply, easy and no having to make sacrifices to Jobu! ## Explore Your Photos on a Big Screen to Recap Your Day One of the features that I honestly don't use too much at home, but I do like when traveling is to be able to share photos on the TV via the mobile app. Unfortunately it was a bit over compressed to share video from my phone properly but photos from my phone played beautifully in a slideshow. While we're talking mostly about traveling and hotel rooms, this is a great feature if your travels happen to take you home to your parents' place or a friend's flat too where you want to share your photos with them on their TV too. ## It's About Watching the Content You Want, When and Where You Want it! While hotels have come a long way, there's not much farther they can go (short of offering a Roku player to each guest). Luckily, Roku has a wide variety of products ranging from the Ultra that I am reviewing here at $129, down to [Roku Express](https://amzn.to/2o0oDQk) at only $29. Realistically, the best choice for travelers is the [Roku Streaming Stick](https://amzn.to/2oAcVwY) that plugs right into the TV's HDMI port and still comes with a "point anywhere" remote. Top Picks Flow Voyages ### Book your next cruise with Heather at Flow Voyages Flow Voyages is a travel advisor specializing in cruises and resorts. [Contact Flow Voyages](https://ads.flowmediamarketing.com/go/1XywGct1_gdx3zKn9m8jcQ.617) Promoted by FlowAds Details Written by: James Hills Published: 05 April 2017 Last Updated: 04 April 2017 ### 🚢Ready To Book A Vacation? Let us help you plan a cruise, all-inclusive resort, or tour for your next guys trip, family vacation, or romantic getaway. 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