When Roku announced its first set of self-branded TVs last year, it said that it was getting serious about selling its own TVs. Back then, the company announced cheap LCD TVs (and even a reference OLED TV for partners). Now, the company says it wants to bring affordable TVs that also offer great picture quality. To that end, the company has announced the Roku Pro series of 4K TVs to compete with LG, Samsung, Sony, and TCL.
Roku Pro 4K QLED Mini-LED TVs cost less than $1,500
Roku started as a software company that sold media streaming boxes powered by Roku OS. The company is ten years old now, and it is turning into a TV behemoth. It is already a big player in the smart TV software market and wants to back that up with value-for-money TVs. Today, the company announced the Roku Pro lineup of 4K QLED TVs. They come in 55-inch, 65-inch, and 75-inch sizes and feature Mini-LED backlighting for much better contrast and higher brightness for striking HDR visuals. With price tags of below $1,500, these TVs offer local dimming, similar to Samsung's Neo QLED TVs. These TVs can also be mounted on a wall without any visible gap, thanks to an accessory it will sell to its customers.
As expected, these TVs run the latest version of Roku OS, bringing apps and content from several partners and providers. Moreover, carrying forward with this year's in-trend AI theme, Roku says it will leverage AI to improve audio and picture quality on all its Roku-powered TVs. The company says that over 90% of TV buyers never change their picture modes or settings. So, Roku wants to handle that task using the Smart Picture feature, which detects the content on the screen and optimizes picture settings for the best possible visuals. The company says that it has data from over a billion hours of content watched on its platform, and it uses AI to analyze it and offer the best picture adjustments. If a Roku TV detects cinematic content, it will turn off motion smoothing.
Roku Pro TVs will start shipping in the spring of 2024
Roku's new TVs will be designed in-house and manufactured by a partner. These new TVs will begin shipping this spring. We still don't know whether these TVs support HDMI 2.1, 120Hz high refresh rate, VRR, Dolby Vision/HDR10+, and Dolby Atmos. More specifications will likely be released closer to launch.
Check out Samsung's premium 8K Neo QLED TV from 2023 in our hands-on video below.
