You might be surprised to hear that Roku has been selling streaming boxes since 2008, but if you were one of the early adopters, we have some bad news: Netflix will stop working soon on some of those early devices.
As Engadget reports, some Roku users are being alerted that Netflix will no longer work on their device after Dec. 1 this year. The reason given is one of technical limitations, meaning Netflix is making a breaking change to its streaming app for these very old boxes. Roku stopped updating any hardware it sold prior to May 2011 back in 2015, so this shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone.
The devices confirmed as no longer streaming Netflix in December include the Roku SD, Roku HD, Roku HD-XR, Roku XD, and Roku XDS. The SD, HD, and HD-XR were released in May 2008 and count as first-generation devices. The XD and XDS were revamps of the first-gen devices launched in Sept. 2010. If you're still streaming with one of these models, congrats on getting so much value out of them!
If you're going to have to upgrade, Roku has you covered regardless of your setup and likely for a much lower price than you paid for that first-gen device. Its streaming devices were refreshed last month, with four players available: the Roku Express, Roku Premiere, Roku Streaming Stick+, and Roku Ultra.
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The Roku Express is the cheapest option at $29.99 and gets you a player with a remote and HDMI cable included capable of streaming at 720p with upscaling to 1080p. At the high end you've got the Roku Ultra for $99.99. The extra expense gets you a faster experience, enhanced voice remote, and a pair of premium JBL headphones as well as 4K streaming with support for HDR.