We finally got our hands on the new Streambar from Roku. This is a super compact soundbar that also sports a 4K streaming device inside.
Like all Roku products, everything you need comes in the box. Of course, the Streambar itself, a power brick and cable, a remote with batteries, a HDMI cable and an optical audio cable.
Setting up the Streambar is pretty straight forward. Simply connect the unit to your TV via HDMI (ideally the input labeled ARC if you have one on your TV) and connect the power to the Streambar and you should see the dancing ROKU logo on your screen.
Mike connected to his existing Roku TV and the TV recognized everything and basically allowed the Streambar to take over control of the TV. If you don’t already have a Roku TV (or an ARC HDMI port), you may need to use the included optical cable so that you can use the Streambar with any content on your existing TV (cable, dvd, etc.) in addition to the Roku system that is built into the Streambar. The onscreen help will walk you through this entire process, regardless of your hardware setup.
Follow the onscreen steps to pair the remote, connect to wifi – while there is a wired connection listed, there is no ethernet port on the unit itself. There is a USB port on the back that may allow for a ethernet dongle to be attached but we didn’t test this yet. We had to perform a quick software update once the unit was online.
The final step is to create or log in to a Roku account. If you already have an account, it will display a code to use on a computer or phone to setup the Streambar with your account or you can create one. This allows you to manage your services and channels that are displayed within the Roku interface.
We tested the Streambar in a fairly large family room area as well as in a smaller bedroom. The Streambar seemed to perform well enough in the larger room, but it seems to shine in smaller spaces like a dorm or bedroom. This makes sense, given its compact size.
Overall, we’re really impressed with the Streambar. It won’t replace your Sonos sound system in your home theatre but is the perfect way to make your bedroom tv smart and sound great.
You can find the Streambar on Amazon and at Roku.com. It retails for $189 Cdn.
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