The company wouldn't share specific performance info on that new CPU but called this box "the most powerful Roku ever," claiming the Roku 3 will feature substantially faster performance when browsing or changing apps. Outwardly, as you can see from the pictures it's showing off a design that executives compared going from the brick of previous versions to a smooth pebble -- its overall footprint is largely unchanged from previous models, counter to our assumption from the measurement of its FCC label. The remote still features motion sensing for gaming, while the box itself brings the usual assortment of Ethernet, USB and microSD ports. While the hardware control of the remote has not changed (beyond the addition of two volume buttons for the headphone output) how users will interact with the Roku has been altered significantly now that the channel UI has gone from a horizontal bar to a grid of icons that spans across the vertical axis as well.

The reason for the change? The company claims user feedback indicated that while the old simpler menu worked well enough for 10-15 channels, in a world where it's offering 750+ channels and offering features like search across multiple providers, a new look is needed. We can't argue with the logic, and we'll be waiting for our hands-on impressions to see how much easier this is making it for users, and not just additional channel operators looking for a little more homescreen exposure.

As you can see from the pictures and video, the UI is largely focused on the left and right halves of the screen, with users selecting content on the left and viewing details on the right. It's also capable of displaying nine channel icons at a time now and it wraps around so you can scroll either way. There's one other software tweak worth noting, the addition of themes. The player defaults to "graphene", but if you're a heavy user and need to switch your look up there will be five separate options available at launch that change the colors and background details.

Other details we were interested in were whether the pumped up processor would enable the return of an official YouTube channel for Roku and what kind of new features may be on the way for its mobile remote apps, but so far there's nothing to report there. The press release did reveal a few new channels on the way however: Fox Now, PBS and PBS Kids. With slightly bumped specs and a refashioned menu the Roku 3 is unlikely to turn the ever-crowded set-top box market upside down. Still, viewed as a logical evolution reflecting the services offered and the possibility to do more in the future, it will be interesting to see if this company can continue to expand beyond the expectations of its initial aim as a Netflix box to offer even more types of entertainment, and adapt more easily to a changing market than its larger competition. We'll have hands-on with a unit in the coming days and will be able to let you know then how this version compares to its predecessors.