As of today, Roku boxes and their streaming platform are officially available in Canada, ready to bring more than 100 channels of entertainment to connected home entertainment systems without the need for a computer.
U.S. Roku uses have access to over 450 channels, but Roku said it expects to rapidly add a similar number of content deals to its Canadian offering.
Among the channels included in today’s launch are Netflix and Crackle; live and on-demand sports from the National Hockey League and Major League Baseball; music from Rdio and TuneIn Radio; photos and videos from Facebook and Flickr; news and weather from the Wall Street Journal and CNBC; and a selection of casual games like Angry Birds, Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy.
Canadian consumers have two models to choose from: the Roku 2 XD Streaming Player for CAD 89.99 and the Roku 2 XS for CAD 109.99. They both have integrated Wi-Fi and support up to 1080p HD video, while the latter adds a remote with motion control, an Ethernet port and a USB port.
We have a simple formula for our best-selling streaming players: provide access to a ton of entertainment at a low price, while maintaining a best-in-class streaming experience,” said Chuck Seiber, vice president of global marketing at Roku. “We’ve set the same high bar for ourselves with the launch of our players today in Canada.”
Related links:
Roku – official site
Roku – press release
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/roku-streaming-players-launch-in-canada-2012-04-16
The Verge – Roku to launch in Canada with over 100 channels, pre-orders start today
http://www.theverge.com/2012/4/16/2950849/roku-canada-release-channels
Yahoo News’ The Right Click – Roku Canada launches streaming player, bringing popular U.S. platform north of border
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/blogs/right-click/roku-canada-launches-streaming-player-bringing-popular-u-184813816.html
Engadget – Roku 2 XD and Roku 2 XS launch today in Canada with over 100 channels
http://www.engadget.com/2012/04/16/roku-2-xd-and-roku-2-xs-launch-canada/
