Roku adds headphone option to latest video-streaming stick

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – Roku is looking to outshine its rivals by adding a headphone-listening option to the latest version of its thumb-sized stick for streaming Internet video.

The headphone option works with Roku’s next-generation streaming stick and its updated smartphone application unveiled Tuesday. The stick and app sync together so a viewer can hear the audio of an Internet video though headphones plugged into a smartphone’s jack.

Roku built the feature in response to the popularity of its recent line of video-streaming boxes that can be heard through headphones plugged into the remote control.

The new streaming stick is also equipped with a more powerful chip that gives it eight times more processing power than its predecessor.

Roku is still pricing the stick at $50, the same as its predecessor.

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