Roku, the company behind the set-top box to turn regular TV sets into Smart TVs, has announced that it will be boosting its hardware by getting involved in making some smart TV hardware of its very own. It plans to sell the first Roku TV set in the United States this fall. The TVs will be manufactured by TCL and Hisense. If this venture works, it could mean big things for the world of Internet television.
The company made the announcement at a pre-CES event, the hope from the company is to put the ability to let you binge-watch your favorite show via Netflix or HBO Go right on your TV rather than lock all the necessary apps away in a set-top box or mobile device.
"We've applied the same principles that have made Roku the most popular streaming players in America to TVs," says Roku founder Anthony Wood in a blog post. "Roku TV removes all of the complicated layers and menus, and unnecessary features and settings that plague smart TVs today, and instead provides a Roku home screen that brings together all content sources."
Forbes reports that Roku is in a good position to become the operating system of choice for those who want to stream their content on their television set. The Roku operating system is one of the easiest to use and, more importantly, the most recognizable. If Roku manages to create TVs that can run on its brand, it could reach a point where Roku is to TV as Android is to smartphones.
So far there is no word yet on the pricing of the device, but Forbes notes that it will need to be competitive with mid-range sets in order to achieve the kind of ubiquity that it needs to become the industry standard or make Roku the dominant OS in this emerging Smart TV market.
Tell us what you think. Would you be interested in a Roku-inspired smart TV or would you prefer the technology stay on its set-top box? Comment and share your thoughts on Roku's latest move with us below.
