Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I ordered my Ultra 2020 directly from Roku, as Amazon was back ordered. It arrived on Oct 16th, one day after the release date. I am using it to replace my Ultra 2018 model. I also have a second 4K TV with a Roku Streaming Stick+ as well as a Sharp Roku TV. I recently tried and returned the Fire TV Cube. So besides reviewing the 2020 Ultra, I will be making comparisons. The 2020 Ultra is advertised as being 30 percent faster than previous versions. If it is, I can barely notice. Not worth an upgrade if speed is your only motivation and you already have a 2018 or 2019 Ultra. What it does bring to the party is support for Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision. I have a 4K TV and audio system that support both so the upgrade was worth it for me. I have found that Dolby Vision (offered on many Netflix Originals) is superior to standard HDR. If you're not as fussy as I am about getting maximum picture quality, getting Dolby Vision might not matter to you. The Fire TV Cube does support both Atmos and Dolby Vision, so that is an alternative, of course. Personally, I prefer the menu system on Roku. I found the Fire TV menu to be cluttered with ads, and was always navigating around its Prime Video-centric bias. I love Prime Video but I didn't like being forced to always look at the Prime Video options first. Roku is a neutral displayer of viewing options. Another problem I had with the Fire TV Cube was keeping the audio in sync with the picture. At least twice a day I had to unplug the Cube to get the audio resynced. That trick always worked, but it was a nuisance. I did initially have a problem with audio sync on the 2020 Ultra, but I was able to correct it in Settings. The Ultra defaults to audio with "Auto Detect". I changed this Audio Setting to "Auto Passthrough" and that solved the problem. The biggest improvement in the Ultra 2020 is the remote. It features a sound control rocker with a mute button. It has voice search. It has four quick access apps: Hulu, Sling, Disney+, and Netflix. In addition, it has two programmable buttons, which I used for quick access to Prime Video and YouTube. The remote is capable of controlling both your TV and audio receiver IF both your TV and audio receiver have HDMI-CEC capabilities which are turned on. Most newer devices have HDMI-CEC, but be sure yours do if you expect the Roku remote to control your system. Compared to the Roku Streaming Stick+, which supports 4K and HDR, the Ultra has a wired LAN connection option in addition to a fast wifi with better range than previous Roku devices. Wired is always better if you have the capability. I also find that while the Ultra gets pretty warm, the Streaming Stick+ gets downright hot. Twice the Streaming Stick+ has displayed an "overheat" warning. That makes me nervous. Finally, the Roku devices, like the Fire TV Cube, can be controlled with Alexa. Just make sure you have downloaded the Roku Routine in the Alexa App and then run "device search" to add the 2020 Ultra. Punchline: the Roku Ultra 2020 is an excellent streaming device. The apps work faster and better than the apps within my LG SmartTV. The apps are also updated far more frequently than the ones installed on the TV. The Ultra 2020 is worth it provided you have or plan to buy a 4k TV which supports Dolby Vision and you also have a Dolby Atmos sound system. Otherwise, the Streaming Stick is half the price and almost as fast. The Fire TV options will be fine for you if you mostly watch Prime Video and are comfortable with the Fire TV menu system with all its ads.