Apple TV? What’s that? We’re all about Roku and its amazing, cheap array of streaming set top boxes, and today we’ve got some good news from the company: its Roku media streamers are headed to the UK.
The company has announced that it will launch Roku boxes in the UK and Canada in early 2012. Roku boxes are small, cheap (Starting at $59.99 or £37), and offer more than 350 channels to stream, including American giants like Hulu, Netflix and HBO. Some of the latest Roku 2 models also allow media playback from local storage too, and even play games such as Angry Birds.
Roku 2: Five ways it beats Apple TV
By comparison, the £99 Apple TV is a rather less appealing device in the UK than it is in the US, thanks to its lack of British streaming services, and it’s here that Roku could shine. It says its platform will allow for region specific channels, so you’d have to fancy the likes of BBC and Lovefilm will want to get in there with their own apps.
It’s possible to buy Roku 2 boxes on Amazon right now, but be warned: you won’t be able to watch much of the premium content locked to the US on them for now. We contacted Roku for details on UK channels and pricing, but a spokesperson declined to comment.
(Pictures: The Roku 2 line of devices)
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