What you need to know
- Roku has announced its first smart TVs designed and built by the company.
- Roku Select and Roku Plus TVs will range from 24 to 75 inches.
- Roku is also providing a reference model for partners interested in building OLED Roku TVs.
There have been plenty of Roku TVs over the years, but they’ve always been made by other manufacturers. However, now Roku is throwing itself into the mix by launching its first in-house TV models at CES 2023.
The company unveiled the Roku Select and Roku Plus models, representing budget and premium smart TVs, respectively. There will be 11 models between the two, ranging from 24 inches to 75 inches, with HD and 4K models.
The cheaper Roku Select models will feature the Roku Voice remote, while the Roku Plus models will be bundled with the Voice Remote Pro. However, either variant will get a boost in audio thanks to the new Roku TV Wireless Soundbar.
Known for its smart TV dongles, Roku is the latest to get into the hardware TV game after Amazon launched its own in-house TVs in 2021 with the Fire TV Omni series. This allows companies to take more control of the hardware and software while still relying on partners to expand and enhance the experience with their own hardware offerings, something Roku seems keen on encouraging. In fact, Roku says that innovations introduced with its TVs will be available through the Roku TV program for other OEMs to take advantage of.
And in addition to the first Roku-branded TVs, the company is also launching an OLED reference design for partners in the Roku TV program to build TVs for the platform with better colors and contrast. It’s unclear when we’ll start seeing models arrive on the market, but it’s encouraging to see the company pushing for higher-quality TV sets to add to its collection of Roku TVs and devices.
“This new OLED Roku TV reference design enables our brand partners to deliver the premium TV experience that OLED brings, including dark black levels, superb contrast and superior viewing angles, along with all the features that Roku users love,” says Tom McFarland, vice president of Business Development at Roku TV.
As for the Roku Select and Roku Plus series, these TVs are expected to arrive this spring, along with the new Roku TV Wireless Soundbar. The TVs will range in price from $119 to $999.
