One of the frustrating problems with modern streaming is that there are so many channels — it's hard to keep track of where you need to go to watch a particular TV show or movie.
Fortunately, your Roku media player has a powerful search tool built in that goes a long way towards solving that problem. Roku searches across all streaming channels to help you quickly find the show you're looking for, and lets you watch it with just a couple of clicks.
Here's how to search on Roku to find the content you're looking for.
Check out the products mentioned in this article:
Roku Ultra (From $99.99 at Best Buy)
iPhone 11 (From $699.99 at Best Buy)
Samsung Galaxy S10 (From $899.99 at Best Buy)
How to use Roku search with the remote
Most of the time, you'll probably search with the on-screen keyboard using the Roku remote.
1. Using the remote, select "Search."
2. Type the name of the movie, show, actor, director, genre, or channel you want to find. Roku will display all the results it can find, so you'll see a mix of people's names, channels, shows, and more in the list of results.
3. Select the item you want. If you see a show, select it to start watching right away. If you searched by an actor's name, just select that actor and you'll see a page that lists all of his or her films. You can then select the one you want to watch.
When you select a specific result, Roku will also indicate the cost of the show. Some content is "pay per view," in which case you need to buy or rent the show.
If you have an over the air antenna connected to your Roku, the search results may also include current and future TV programming. If you select a show that's airing in the future, the Roku will switch to the correct channel, but you'll need to remember when it starts broadcasting.
How to use Roku search on the mobile app
If you prefer, you can use the Roku app on your iPhone or Android device to search for shows. It works essentially the same way.
1. Start the Roku app on your phone.
2. Tap the search icon at the top right of the screen.
3. Search for the show, actor, director, genre, or other criteria.
4. When you see the result you like, select it.
You can also use voice search on your phone. At the bottom of the screen, tap "Control" and then tap the microphone at the top right of the remote control page. You can use search terms like these:
- Show me movies with Patrick Stewart
- Find "2001: A Space Odyssey"
- Show me documentaries
- Hulu
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