Roku has come a long way since last year’s CES, when it first announced the Roku Streaming Stick – a device that allowed consumers to essentially turn any TV into a smart TV. This year at CES, Roku has introduced Roku TV, its own line of hardware. TCL and Hisense will manufacture the TVs, but it will be Roku-branded and will encompass everything that makes Roku distinct.
According to Roku CEO Anthony Wood, in a blog post he wrote for Roku.com introducing Roku TV:
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. Just like Roku streaming players, Roku TV will have full access to theRoku Channel Store filled with more than 31,000 movies and 1,200 channels that feature TV shows and live sports plus news, music, kids, food, science, tech, fitness, foreign language and other programming – more options than all the other Smart TVs in the market. Roku TV will feature just 20 remote-controlled buttons – half the number of traditional TVs – so consumers will only need to interact with the necessary controls. And speaking of controls, Roku TV can be navigated via mobile devices with the Roku app for iOS or Android as well as support casting standards including DIAL.
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In the blog post, Wood does not miss the opportunity to highlight Roku’s tremendous accomplishments in 2013, including:
– Roku has sold a cumulative 8 million Roku players in the United States
– 1,200 channels available in the Roku Channel Store
– 70% Roku player streaming hour growth to 1.7 billion hours
