How to Set Up Your Roku TV, Box, or Streaming Stick

Robert Silva has extensive experience in consumer electronics and home theater product sales and sales supervision; he has written about audio, video, and home theater topics since 1998. Robert has articles published on HBO.com and Dishinfo.com plus has made appearances on the YouTube series Home Theater Geeks.

• Roku
  • The Ultimate Guide to Roku

  What to Know

  • Turn on the TV. Select a Language. Connect the Roku to your network router and choose your preferred network.
  • For the Roku Enhanced remote, select Check Remote Settings, create an account, and enter the activation code online.
  • To change or set up the remote, go to Settings >Remote >Set up Remote for TV Control.

  This article explains how to set up a Roku TV, Box, or Streaming stick. Instructions in this article apply to most Roku TV's and devices.
  

  Initial Roku Setup Preparation

  You purchased a Roku, and now you have to get it up and running. Whether you have a Roku box, streaming stick, or TV, the basic process is the same, and it's easy. We show you how to do it below.

  Here are some things you need to keep in mind before setting up your new Roku device:

  • Connect the Roku box or streaming stick to your TV using HDMI, or turn on the Roku TV.
  • If you have a 4K-enabled Roku streaming stick or box, such as a Streaming Stick+, Roku 4, Premiere, Premiere+, or Ultra, connect the stick or box to an HDMI port that's HDCP 2.2 compatible. There should be a label on the input. This is especially important for compatibility with HDR-encoded content.
  • Whether you have a 4K-enabled Roku stick, box, or TV, make sure you have access to internet speeds that support 4K.
  • If you have a Roku 1 or Express Plus, you have the option of connecting a Roku box to a TV using composite video and analog audio connections. However, this should only be used for analog TVs.
  • Put batteries in your remote control and plug the Roku TV, stick, or box into power with the provided power adapter or cord.

  Roku streaming sticks provide the option to use USB power. However, if your TV doesn't have a USB port, use the power adapter. Even if your TV has a USB port, it's typically better to use the power adapter.

  What Is Roku And How Does It Work?

  How to Set up Roku

  Once your initial prep is done, follow these steps to get your Roku device up and running:

  

  1. Turn on your Roku TV or the TV your Roku streaming stick or box is connected to. The first thing you see is the Roku power-up page, featuring an animated logo.

  

  Select the language used for the onscreen Roku menu system. For Roku TVs, you may also have to select the country you're in.

  Your country determines which features and services are available in your location, such as region-specific streaming apps.

  

  Connect the Roku TV, stick, or box to your network router for internet access. Roku streaming sticks use Wi-Fi only, while Roku boxes and TVs provide both Wi-Fi and Ethernet connectivity options. If using Wi-Fi, the Roku device searches all available networks. Choose your preferred network and enter your Wi-Fi password.

  

  If using HDMI, the Roku device automatically detects the resolution capability and aspect ratio of the TV and sets the video output signal of the Roku device accordingly. You can change this later if you wish.

  This step is not included in Roku TVs, as the display type is pre-determined.

  

  Your Roku remote should work automatically, as you need it to perform the steps outlined so far. If it does require pairing, you'll see a notification and instructions on the TV screen.

  To activate or change this later, go to Settings > Remote > Set up Remote for TV Control.

  There's no charge for using Roku devices. Still, payment information is requested to make it convenient to make content rental payments, make purchases, or pay additional subscription fees through your Roku device.

  

  Once you create a Roku account, further instructions display on the TV screen, including an activation code. Go to Roku.com/Link using a PC, laptop, tablet, or smartphone and enter the code number.

  

  You will see a message on the TV screen that your Roku device has been activated.

  Additional Steps For Roku TVs

  Roku TVs have some additional required and optional setup procedures before they can be used in a home theater setup. Here's what you need to do:

  

  • Select Home Use: Unless you're setting up your Roku TV for use as a store display, select Set up for home use. This sets the default video settings to the typical lighting environment in a home. The store display setting maximizes the TV's light output, color, and contrast settings to be suitable for brightly lit store environments.
  • Connect Your Devices: You can connect devices to your TV at any time, or you can do it all during the initial setup. Examples of input devices include a cable/satellite box, Blu-ray/DVD player, VCR, or game console. External audio devices include a soundbar or home theater receiver.
  • Turn On Your Connected Devices: The Roku TV can detect some devices and prompts you to turn on those devices before proceeding. When you're ready, select Everything is Plugged In and Turned On and follow any additional prompts.
  • Assign Input Names: You can assign a name and icon to the device connected to each input. To do this, choose from a pre-selected drop-down menu or select Set Custom Name to customize the input name and choose an icon from an available selection. The screen also displays a window showing the program playing on the device connected to the input. Use the up arrow and down arrow buttons on the remote to scroll through the list, then press the OK button to make your selection.

  At the conclusion of the above steps, your TV might play a welcome or demo video. If you don't want to watch it, press the Home button.

  Options for Roku TV

  • (Optional) Connect an Antenna: If you receive the non-streaming portion of your TV programming via antenna or non-scrambled cable channels without a box, select the Antenna TV icon on the Roku TV Home screen. The TV prompts you to scan for available channels you can view.

  Although all Roku devices share common setup and activation features, additional settings may be available on most players that can fine-tune your Roku user experience.

  Once your Roku streaming TV, stick, or box is set up, you can explore all the streaming content that Roku provides.