Roku has neglected to mention that any Roku 3 boxes purchased outside the US will lack one of the device’s key features, the Universal Search function.
The highly publicised universal search function isn’t featured in any Roku 3 set top boxes purchased anywhere outside of the US, but the company hasn’t said that on any of its websites.
One of our readers, Jim Gayes, purchased a new Roku 3 box after it became available to purchase in the UK at the end of September.
However, he was disappointed to find that the highly publicised universal search feature was mysteriously absent from the device.
Roku’s universal search allows users to look for specific programmes, films or other content across all of the services offered by the set top box, including BBC iPlayer and Netflix.
“We do apologise, but for the UK Roku player models do not have a search feature. As this is only available in the US Roku models,” said a Roku Support Operator. “We are sorry to hear about your disappointment, but don’t worry we will raise this up to our engineers and hopefully they will add this feature later on for the future updates for your Roku player.”
We reached out to Roku for comment on the lack of the universal search function on the Roku 3, and supposedly other models too, and the company confirmed that it is a US exclusive feature.
The Roku 3 retails for £99.99 in the UK, and the universal search functionality is one of its key features, beyond being able to turn any TV into a Smart TV.
Hopefully, Roku will launch the feature outside of the US in the near future as part of a software update.
Next, read our pick of the best TVs of 2013.
Thanks Jim!
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
