This is one of those simple deals that’s hard to argue with. The Roku Streaming Stick HD is down to $15.99 from $29.99. If you’ve got an older TV in a bedroom, kitchen, dorm, or guest room that’s missing apps (or just runs painfully slow), this is the quick fix. You plug it in, connect to Wi-Fi, and you’ve got a modern streaming setup without buying a whole new TV.
It’s also a great “keep in a drawer” gadget. If you travel, bounce between rentals, or visit family and end up stuck with a clunky TV interface, a cheap Roku stick can save the night.
This is an HD streaming stick that plugs into your TV’s HDMI port and comes with a Roku voice remote. Roku’s big advantage is that it’s simple and consistent. You get access to the usual major streaming apps, plus free and live TV options through Roku’s platform.
No fancy specs here, and that’s fine. The point is getting reliable streaming with minimal hassle for very little money.
At $15.99, you’re basically paying impulse-buy pricing for something you’ll probably use for years. This is perfect if:
If you’ve got a 4K TV and you care about the highest resolution, you’d look at a 4K streaming stick instead. But for basic HD streaming and a smoother experience on an older set, this is a great deal.
For $15.99, the Roku Streaming Stick HD is an easy upgrade that fixes a lot of annoyances fast. If you’ve got any TV in your house that feels “behind,” this is the cheap, simple way to bring it up to date.
Some of the best shots in Grok Imagine’s AI-made Odyssey don’t contain actors. Ancient landscapes stretch into the distance. Close-ups of grimy hands suggest people who have touched something rougher than a keyboard. For a few seconds, the illusion holds.
https://twitter.com/imagine/status/2113712964419063911
YouTube videos could soon look better without eating quite so much data, right? Thankfully, the platform plans to introduce a new video format called AV2 on its web player in early 2027, promising more efficient streaming and potentially fewer playback hiccups on slower internet connections. The big headline is a roughly 30% improvement in compression efficiency over AV1, YouTube's existing video format. That doesn't guarantee every video will use 30% less data, but it could make streaming a little easier on both internet connections and data allowances.
What is AV2, and why should viewers care?
YouTube is changing how its Home page works, giving viewers more control over what shows up there and making some of the app’s most-used sections easier to reach. Custom Feeds are now replacing the existing topic chips for eligible users, while YouTube is also testing a redesigned top bar on mobile that moves Subscriptions closer to the Home feed.
YouTube first started experimenting with Custom Feeds earlier this year, letting you type out what you wanted to watch and turning that request into its own stream of recommendations. Now, the feature is starting to look less like a side experiment and more like something YouTube actually wants people to use as part of their everyday Home page.