Gift Shop merchant Amazon.com has the Roku Premiere streaming media player for 50% off its list price. For just $19.99, you can pick up one of the top media players that has an average of 4.7 out of 5 stars from over 79,000 reviews!

Buy the Roku Premiere from Amazon

The sale is likely due to the fact that the Premiere is an orphaned item in the Roku product line. When you visit the Roku website and look at the list of products, the Premiere isn't listed, but a quick Google search did find the product page, complete with an "Add to cart" button at the $19.99 price. Best Buy lists it as a Black Friday price, which could mean that it really is just a temporary price adjustment or that it's a good way to package a clearance item.

Either way, the Premiere is a nice streaming media player, and for $20, one that should be considered if you're looking for a new device.

Roku highlights the following features:

• Easy to use with a simple setup
• Includes Premium High Speed HDMI® Cable
• Find and enjoy 4K movies with the 4K Spotlight channel
• Share videos, photos, and music from your Apple device using AirPlay.
• Stream free TV, live news, sports, music, movies, and more
• Simple remote

It was introduced in September 2019, so it shows its age when it comes to supporting the latest and greatest WiFi standards. While it connects to 802.11 b/g/n 2.4 GHz networks, it will not connect to 5 GHz networks like the Roku Streaming Sticks do. Unlike the more expensive Roku Ultra, it does not have an ethernet port.

The strangest issue that we've found is that the version of the Netflix app installed on the Premiere does not support Dolby Atmos. This is strange because other apps, such as Disney+, VUDU, and Amazon Prime Video, support Atmos just fine on the device. We chalk it up to one of those oddities that is part of the "fun" of streaming media (and why we continue to prefer physical discs).

However, it supports 4K and HDR and has an array of most of the popular apps that you are likely looking for. The Roku website features Netflix, Disney+, HBO Max, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, and more. You can find a complete list of what you can watch on Roku's What's On page.

Its best feature when compared to many media players is that it can be controlled via IR. If you have a universal remote (like the late Harmony remote product line), using a separate remote for a streaming stick can be frustrating. While most remotes have control capabilities that vary from rudimentary (volume only) to less frustrating (on/off, volume), not having to do the remote shuffle is the whole reason why people buy universal remotes in the first place.

For $20, it's hard to go wrong with a pretty full-featured streaming device. If you have more needs, then definitely check out the Roku Ultra, Roku Streaming Sticks, or the Amazon Fire TV products instead.

Amazon is also offering 50% off their Amazon Fire Stick 4K right now, which is a pretty good price for a very capable device.

Just to cover our bases, keep in mind that this is a sale that is happening at the time of this writing. It may end at any time, so if you're interested, don't delay!