Do you need a list of Top Roku browser? In this post, we will share the best Roku web browser options, plus a guide that provides a smooth Roku web browsing experience to you.
If you are new, Roku is a streaming service platform that allows you to watch your favorite shows and movies. It is just like a set-up box device but the only difference is that there are no cables involved in its functioning. It is a wireless technology that uses the power of the internet connection to provide streaming services to the user. The platform first came out in 2008 and it is the company that pioneered streaming for Television. All you are supposed to do is to create a Roku account and then enjoy paid or free video content on your bigger screen.
You might wonder that can we browse the web on a Roku? Yes! On the contrary to popular belief, it is possible to put in an online browser on your Roku. However, on the other side, the amount of Roku browser choices are limited and lacking in several features. If you want to know more about it, then keep reading the article.
Are there any Roku internet browser available?
Roku sticks and set-top boxes are not the simplest options if you wish to like to use your streaming device as an internet browser.
There are only two browsers within the Roku Channel Store despite being around for several years and despite several of Roku’s main competitors offering internet browsers on their own streaming devices. Neither of them is developed by Roku platform.
Which is the best Roku web browser in the channel store?
The two popular Roku web browsers that are available within the official Roku Channel Store are web browser X and POPRISM web browser.
1. Web Browser X
The best web browser for Roku is browser X. We use the word “best” somewhat very often. However, if you are expecting a slick and modern interface, you are going to get disappointed. The interface of Browser X looks like it was designed within the early 1990s. The fonts and therefore the entire interface is shockingly old and outdated.
Having said that, it does its work completely even though it’ll struggle to render and format highly complex pages. There are some pre-saved favourite like Google News, CNN, and ABC News, but you can visit any website by entering the URL. You can also add up your frequently visited sites to the list of favorites.
To launch an internet page, use the left and right buttons of your television remote to cycle through the links on a page, and then use the up and down arrows to scroll through the text window.
On the downside, the Roku browser will not be able to play videos and it cannot fill in the web forms, username fields, and the password fields.
2. POPRISM Web Browser
The second web browser for Roku which is available within the official channel Store is POPRISM browser. Many users believe this browser many levels worse than browser X.
The reason behind this is that it can only read the text and there are not any pictures, no GUIs, no CSS, no JavaScript, and so on. Whichever website you visit you will be just able to see a mass of unformatted text.
Although basic google search results of readable websites do appear and it is beneficial if you are very much into reading stuff. But we consider other purposes, the browser is said to be pretty useless for a large number of sites. It is considered less superior choice when considering to the other browser available on the official channel store.
The navigation through the website is somewhat good and it is done using the Roku remote operator. You can use the UP and DOWN keys to scroll one line. Whereas, to scroll ten lines at a time the LEFT and RIGHT keys can be used. A back button is also available which can be used to go back to the previous page and also a return button to move to the home page. There is plenty of other content is available at the home page and you can choose the one that you desire.
How to screencast a browser on Roku windows?
Both the options that are mentioned above are not of much use when it comes to the true motive of why we use a web browser for Roku. There is no point of having a web browser if the content it grants access to is very restricted. In such a scenario, the best thing we recommend you to do is to cast the screen of a browser of your choice from your android smartphone or windows laptop to Roku using screen mirroring.
This is a very helpful technique in the sense that you can now stream a much larger amount of content on television. But the only limitation it has is that you are now you will use an external device to stream. Hence, the streaming capabilities will depend entirely on that device.
Now, let us see how can you cast a web browser on windows to Roku. To do so, you must follow the mentioned steps.
- Go to Settings on Roku.
- Now, select System and click on the About and ensure if at least version 7.7 is running.
If you are not using the version then select System Update from System and choose Check Now. This will update the version.
- Then, launch the Action Center on your computer and click on Connect.
- Windows will now search for Roku just like searching for a wifi hotspot.
- Whenever Roku appears on the search, just click on it. A connection will be then made.
Now you can surf using a browser according to your preference.
How can we cast a web browser to Roku from Android?
If you would prefer to browse the internet on Roku from your Android device, then follow the instructions mentioned below:
- Open the Settings app on your Android device.
- Now, move to Connected Devices and open Pair New Devices.
- Now, you should wait for Android to seek out your Roku streaming stick or set-top box.
- Then, Tap on the name of your Roku and wait for the connection to initialize.
- Now, simply open the online browser that you wish to use on your Roku.
(Note: Not all Android smartphones and tablets support Miracast.)
Which is the best web browser for Roku?
No matter what kind of internet you use, the above mentioned are the only web browsers available for the Roku platform. We realized the fact that after reading this article, you will understand that no web browser can give you the perfect experience that is provided by the official web browser. The same goes for the Roku platform. But at least you can think about giving any of the two Roku web browsers a try! We hope Roku will launch the official native web browser very soon which will be best for you!
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