Latest news with #TheRokuChannel
Stuff.tv
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Stuff.tv
Roku is rolling out a free upgrade to make movie nights easier
Roku is giving your summer screen time a boost, with a free update that adds new features designed to make finding something to watch easier and a bit more fun. Rolling out automatically to users over the coming weeks (inlcude Roku TV users and streaming sticks), the upgrade introduces handy new rows that put trending content and theatrical releases front and centre. The 'Top 10 Movies' and 'Top 10 TV Shows' sections now show what's being searched for most across the platform, refreshed daily and visible in Roku's 'New & Popular, Movies, and TV' menus. So if you're stuck for something to watch, you can just follow the crowd. Planning your next film night just got simpler, too. A new 'In Theaters Now' row shows the latest big-screen releases, complete with trailers and the option to save titles for later. Roku's existing 'Coming Soon' section has also been improved, giving film fans a clear view of what's hitting cinemas next. If you're just looking to kill a few minutes, 'Surf Mode' offers snackable video previews from The Roku Channel, powered by machine learning. These short clips let you quickly browse what's on offer, and if something grabs you, you can start watching instantly. The more you use it, the better it gets at knowing what you'll enjoy. Live TV hasn't been left out either. Roku's guide now highlights newly added channels in a dedicated section, while premium subscription content is featured more prominently in the recommendations row. Plus, the 'Live TV' and 'Roku Sports' sections have been given a fresh, more dynamic interface. None of this will cost you a penny, and the update will arrive without you lifting a finger. Whether you're after a cinematic hit, a trending show, or just flicking through clips to see what sticks, Roku's summer refresh is all about making your next watch a good one. Liked this? You can now download all of Apple's 2026 iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Watch software updates
CTV News
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- CTV News
Thinking of travelling solo? Tracee Ellis Ross has suggestions on how to do it well
This mage released by Roku shows actor Tracee Ellis Ross in a scene from the Roku original series "Traveling Solo with Tracee Ellis Ross. (Emily V. Aragones/Roku via AP) Tracee Ellis Ross, the actor best-known for her roles in shows like 'black-ish' and 'Girlfriends,' happens to be single and without children, but she doesn't let either hold her back from experiencing a fulfilling, joyful life, especially when it comes to vacations. When friends and family can't join her, or if she just wants to decompress, Ross will jet-set by herself and have a fabulous time doing it. She says she takes at least one solo trip a year, and if vacationing with others, might stay a little longer to include alone time. In a new three-part docuseries streaming on The Roku Channel, 'Solo Traveling with Tracee Ellis Ross,' a camera crew follows the actor on solo trips to Marrakech, Morocco; Cancun, Mexico; and Marbella, Spain. Ross says her first solo travel experience was in her 20s, and she's learned over the years that even the uncomfortable moments of being by herself have given her coping skills for everyday life. 'What I find is that I gain a muscle strength around being uncomfortable,' she told The Associated Press in a recent interview. 'It's like when a baseball player swings with two bats, and then by the time they get to the one bat, it feels lighter. When you get back into your regular day life and uncomfortable things happen, I have muscle memory to know how to walk through this on my own.' Ross shared tips to travelling as a party of one: Ease into it 'Start by going to dinner by yourself,' Ross says. 'And if you feel nervous about doing that, go to dinner by yourself on a Tuesday night at 6 o'clock and work your way up to going to dinner by yourself on a Saturday or Friday night at 8 o'clock. 'Walk up to the host and say, `I need a table for one.' See what it feels like to be in that experience because it will only be that times 10 on vacation.' She suggests bringing something like a book or an iPad when you're eating alone, and also for when you're spending time in your room. That way, 'if you end up having to stay in your hotel room the whole time and only going to a restaurant in your hotel or somewhere just around the corner, you don't feel like you have ruined your trip and done something stupid.' Know why you're taking the trip Ross says there are different reasons for solo trips and you need to understand what yours is. 'Are you going on a solo trip because you're single and want to meet other people? Are you going on a solo trip because your life is overwhelmed with your children, your dogs, your cats, your job, your life, your survival, all the things, and you're going to have a moment to sort of recharge and get away by yourself? Or are you going for an adventure?' she asks. Once you've decided what kind of experience you're seeking, you can make plans to achieve it realistically and safely. Safety, safety, safety No matter how independent you are, certain kinds of travelers are more vulnerable than others, especially if they're by themselves, Ross notes. Take safety seriously when mapping out your itinerary. 'You might not feel vulnerable, but depending on where you're going, it might leave you vulnerable. That's a very specific distinction and something to plan for in order to have a good experience,' she says. 'If you are a Black woman, if you are a woman, if you are LGBTQIA, if you are non-binary, if you are differently abled -- that might leave you vulnerable in a foreign place. Make sure you do the best diligence you can to make sure you're going somewhere that can create a sense of safety for you with whatever those vulnerabilities,' she says. Ross prefers to travel to destinations with resorts where she can feel safe on her own. 'It allows me to not have to adventure off property,' she said. And she returns to places where she's found comfort 'all the time.' Research many other parts of the trip too Ross says she's a planner by nature and does a lot of research online. She also asks around for info about best navigating the experience from beginning to end. She likes to know whether particular airports are busy and what to expect when she gets there. If it's a big airport and there's a lot of walking, she makes sure she has comfortable shoes. She also will pack a personal fan if it's going to be hot. Knowing what to expect won't just lead to feeling prepared and comfortable in general but feeling prepared and comfortable by yourself. Alicia Rancilio, The Associated Press
The Verge
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Verge
Roku is adding new ways to find things to watch.
Posted Jul 29, 2025 at 1:00 PM UTC Roku is adding new ways to find things to watch. The streaming platform began testing a new homepage in June, and now it's starting to roll out a new 'surf mode' feature that lets you scroll through a TikTok-like feed of show and movie clips from The Roku Channel. It will also introduce two new rows for the top 10 shows and movies on Roku, as well as add an 'In Theaters Now' row where you can explore movie trailers. Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates. Emma Roth Posts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All by Emma Roth Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All Entertainment Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All News Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All Streaming
USA Today
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Tracee Ellis Ross always brings four suitcases. Her 'bring it all' packing philosophy.
In the first episode of 'Solo Traveling with Tracee Ellis Ross,' the actress lingers in the lobby of her Morocco hotel trying to decide whether she wants to get a drink or not. 'One of the many advantages of solo traveling is that you can change your plans last minute,' she says in voiceover. 'I don't feel like going out anymore, and no one gets upset.' She turns around and orders room service instead. The three-episode show, which premiered Friday on The Roku Channel, follows Ross on vacations to Marrakech; Mexico's Riviera Maya; and Marbella, Spain, highlighting the joys of exploring the world on your own. Ross, who is also a producer and the founder of PATTERN Beauty, spoke to USA TODAY about her love of solo trips, airplane etiquette and why she usually has at least four checked bags. This interview was edited and condensed for clarity. You mention in the show that you've been solo traveling since your 20s. What do you enjoy about solo travel in particular? I really like my own company. I like being by myself. You know, I live a very full and jam-packed life. I often am working seven days a week and working when I'm on vacation, and doing things. And so it's an opportunity for me to allow the dust to settle and for life to kind of integrate into my being. I really enjoy the luxury of being. I do a lot of doing in my life. And so there's something about solo travel – the kind of solo travel that I do, because some people go on solo travel for adventure, some people go to meet people, some people go to sort of be away from their lives. The kind that I do really is about being, and I gain a muscle strength, which I liken to a baseball player that swings with two bats and then gets up to plate and swings with one. I feel like solo travel is a little bit like swinging with two bats, and I gain a muscle strength around the ability to hold my own self with confidence out in the world. I come back and you're like, going to a party by yourself is no big deal. I was curious what it was like documenting the travels, as opposed to other types of solo trips you might have taken in the past? It was weird. The first episode was weird. I was very uncomfortable. It was interesting. It was very important to me that we included the packing as part of the show, my packing and my travel and sort of what that experience is for me, because that's the sort of authentic truth of it. And I didn't want cameras in my home, so when we figured out how to do the cell phone and record that way, it ended up being one of the best tools on the show, because I was able to do that in a lot of the intimate moments where there wasn't the ability to have a camera person there, and that helped the experience feel more intimate. The other thing that we ended up doing, I recorded a lot of the quiet moments where there's no talking, and that's what happens when you're solo traveling. And then when we were in the editing process, there was the discovery that as much as that sort of reportage, what do you call it? Like, that documentary feeling, that it needed a voiceover, sort of an inner dialog voiceover. So, as opposed to it being written, it was really me talking my thoughts, and I thought that helped me feel more comfortable with what I was sharing, so that the experience of, 'Can you be yourself by yourself out in the world?', which is really what the underlying theme of the show is, felt articulated in that way. We get to see in the show your very meticulous packing process. What is one of your travel must haves that you always bring? Well, I always bring a medical kit, and that's both one that, you know, has a tourniquet, like, Band-Aids and Neosporin, and also your basics like Theraflu and anti-nausea (medication) and stuff like that, just in case. … The other is a pillow. It's a must have. I have a smaller pillow that will go in an onboard roller bag, because I know that I have expressed this and I think I talk about it in the show that I am a checked-bag girl. One of my packing philosophies is BIA, which is, 'bring it all.' I often check a minimum of four bags. And then I also talk about how I prepare for beauty and disaster. I also, in my carry-on, have a very meticulously and strategically put together bag that if the luggage doesn't arrive, I can still look chic and be fine for an extended period of time before I can get to a store. And so those things are really important to me. But, yeah, I kind of think it all through. I'm like, is it going to rain? Isn't it going to rain? We all know that now, the weather changes every day, so I have it all. Do you have a favorite travel memory from shooting? I really enjoyed the olive oil (tasting) in Spain. I felt very tickled and also silly that I didn't know that the majority of the olive oil in the world comes from Spain; I thought it was Italy, and I'm like, 'Oh, how did I not know that?' Who knew there were so many shades of yellow and green in olive oil, and who knew that olive oil could be just as intricate and expressive as wine? And I thought that was really amazing. Morocco and the nut carts were (some) of my favorites. Who knew, again, that a cart of nuts could be like a beautiful display of art? Also the 'Red City,' Marrakech, and that beautiful, sort of dusty rose color was one of my favorite, favorite things I experienced in the travel. Do you have a preferred way that you like to travel? We saw you flying in the show but are there other ways, like train or cruise travel, that you enjoy? Up until this moment, I have not been a cruise person at all, but I won't say that that's out of the question. I love flying. I'm an easy flyer. Growing up, I did a lot of taking a train because I went to school in Switzerland … and so I really find there's a real civility to the train that I quite enjoy. But due to my luggage, the train is not my preferred (method), and the airplane is the most easy. Do you have any travel pet peeves, things that bug you while you travel? Oh, I have many. People that cough and don't cover their mouth is just – I just don't understand. I'm sorry, I do not. I mean, put your face in your shirt. It's not that hard. People that go into the bathroom on the airplane in bare feet – I'm at a loss here. I want to help those people understand what is actually happening in the bathroom. … It's sort of airplane etiquette, being in tight, personal spaces with people and the different etiquette that people have. I just sometimes am at a loss why people don't have more courtesy for their fellow human than is right next to them, especially after COVID, and how we learned how easy it really is to protect yourself. Is there anything that you like to splurge on when you travel? I think the biggest is in time. I let myself sleep. Like if I want to stay up and watch my iPad and binge until 2 o'clock in the morning, so be it. If I want to sleep late, I sleep late. If I want to take an afternoon nap, I take an afternoon nap. If I want to have a glass of wine at lunch, I have a glass of wine at lunch and then take a nap. So, I think time is really the luxury for me on solo vacations and following my own pace and my own heart around. The splurge financially – I'm not really a shopper on solo travel. I did in Morocco, because how could you not? Like, it was just something that had to be experienced. But it's not a thing that I do. I'm not a person who goes to a gift shop or even has to go find this or that somewhere. I love museums and restaurants and things like that more in travel. But I do love extravagant first classes. And I do love a hotel room that if I am too anxious and can't sort of experience out there on my own, that I would be fine in my hotel room and in my hotel. Great American Vacation: Josh Gad's favorite travel splurge isn't what you'd expect For someone who hasn't traveled on their own and they're not used to it, do you have any tips for taking your first solo trip? I absolutely do. If you have the impulse to solo travel but you're nervous and you've never done it before, the first thing I suggest is that you go to dinner on a Wednesday night at 6 o'clock when a restaurant opens and see how you do. If you do well on that, try a Friday or Saturday night at 8 p.m. when it is jam packed with couples and groups of people. If you can accomplish that and feel good about it, I then suggest that you take a solo trip. If you still feel nervous about that, then you can either tack on a couple of days on your own during a trip that's already been planned with other people, or go somewhere you've been with other people on your own, so that you know what to expect from that environment. The other thing I ask people to ask themselves is, what kind of solo trip are you looking for? Do you want a solo trip of adventure, to meet people, to relax by yourself? It'll help you define where it is you want to go. And then the last thing that I think is incredibly important is, if you're traveling on your own, I suggest that people treat it like dating in that (you) let somebody know where you're going, give them your itinerary, so they can check on you and know where you are. And also if there are parts of your identity that perhaps will leave you vulnerable in a foreign place, perhaps if you are a woman on your own, a Black woman, LGBTQ, differently abled, anything that might perhaps be perceived as a vulnerability out in the world, do your due diligence to the best of your ability to find a location that you will be safe there. Obviously there's the unexpected, but that you can, to the best of your ability, make sure that you will be safe where you go.
Boston Globe
6 days ago
- Boston Globe
Tracee Ellis Ross on the joy and loneliness of solo travel
'Solo Traveling With Tracee Ellis Ross,' now available for free on The Roku Channel, premieres at a time when solo travel is growing ever more popular, despite criticisms that it can be scary, boring or unsatisfying. Black women in particular, who are actively prioritizing their well-being, are encouraging one another in Reddit threads and in the comments section of travel enthusiasts' social media accounts. Within these spaces, women are swapping notes on issues like safety, racism, sexism and loneliness -- all of which Ross discusses during her travels to Spain, Mexico and Morocco. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up The following interview with Ross has been edited and condensed for clarity. Advertisement Q: Is there any advice you want to impart to solo travelers? A: I don't believe in advice. I offer experience and hope. And this is my version. My transparency is about how I can give you a jumping-off point. I say this in the Mexico episode: There's got to be something between cat ladies and Joan of Arc. You know what I mean? Like, I really wish I had some other pictures on the wall culturally and historically that would show me what it means to push up against the cultural norm and choose yourself -- of the revolutionary act of joy, particularly for a Black woman, and of having the agency and the freedom to make choices that work for you, whether you have a partner or not . Q: Loneliness isn't often acknowledged on travel shows. Did you plan to address the topic, or did it just come up naturally? A: Well, I didn't tackle it on purpose. I just tackled what was honest. Sometimes things that didn't make you lonely at home might make you feel lonely while you're away. And sometimes things that you don't enjoy at home will become things you enjoy when you're away. I really wanted to make space for the show to feel as intimate and as truthful as the experience I was actually having. Sometimes I have to remind myself that feeling lonely doesn't necessarily mean that something's wrong. It just means I have to make space for the feeling. Q: Can we talk about that moment where you're dining alone and another table sends you a drink? A: I'm glad that you brought up that moment. Advertisement So, they sent over something -- I don't know, a drink. And I went over to thank them. In that moment, one of the women was pretty much saying, 'I felt bad for you.' And I was like, 'No, no, don't feel bad for me. This is a choice. And it's a joyful choice. And it's an exciting choice. And it's a life-affirming choice. And here's why.' Q: Were you ever concerned about how to make alone time interesting? A: I think there's a myth that I had to be doing things on the show. And I was like, well, I wouldn't do that. People were worried that it wasn't going to be entertaining. I was, like, have you met me? I'm nuts. I've got stuff to say. I had to figure out how to share this experience, this very intimate experience of solo travel. You can't just be in silence the whole time. And so a lot of the show was filmed on my phone, as opposed to being filmed by the camera guy. I would talk to my phone as if it were my inner dialogue. Q: What went into the choosing destinations for the show? A: One of the things I talk about when people ask about solo travel is: First and foremost, what kind of experience do you want as a solo traveler? I think you have to ask yourself that question -- particularly as a woman, particularly as a Black woman, or if you're LGBTQIA or nonbinary. What are the places and the ways you might be vulnerable in spaces that are not your home? And if the goal is to be yourself, by yourself, out in the world, how can you do that safely? Advertisement And so I asked those questions as we were planning the show. Q: Fashion is such a big part of the show. Each episode begins in your home while you're packing -- and it seems like a meticulous process. A: I joke, but I'm serious about this: I pack for beauty and I pack for disaster. When I say I'm an overpacker, it is at a level that is completely off the radar. I understand this. I am not in denial about it. Q: Do you approve of packing cubes? A: No. The only things I like packing cubes for are my lingerie, like my undies and socks, because otherwise they go everywhere. But I also like to put my socks inside my shoes so I'm not wasting space. Q: Where and when did you take your first solo trip? A: I went to Pink Sands in the Bahamas when I was shooting 'The Dish.' I'm not sure what made me decide to go or why I decided to go by myself, but I know what I got out of it. One of the things that I love about traveling solo is the sense of heightened experience -- heightened relaxation, heightened joy, heightened discomfort. You start to get a muscle strength, an emotional muscle strength around self-soothing and holding space for yourself and what your tools are in those moments that you bring back into your life. This article originally appeared in .
