In the US, Roku is one of the big players in the streaming industry. The manufacturer’s streaming sticks and players have been available in Germany since 2021. Now Roku would like to gain a foothold in this country with its own televisions.
When you think of streaming sticks, the first thing that probably comes to mind is the Fire TV stick from Amazon. But in the USA, Amazon has to admit defeat to another group, because the local company Roku is also in charge there. The manufacturer ventured into Germany last year with various streaming sticks. Roku has now also announced its first TV sets at the IFA.
Roku TVs launch in Germany
“Own TVs” is perhaps a bit of an exaggeration, because the TVs presented are actually a cooperation between TV manufacturers, who supply the hardware, and Roku, who provide the system. The resulting Roku TVs come in different sizes and with different display technologies. In an interview with TECHBOOK, the group named both the Germany-based manufacturer Metz and TCL as partners.
The smallest and cheapest televisions are already available for a few hundred euros – Roku was not able to give us an exact price when asked. However, these will be announced in time for the start in October. For comparison: In Great Britain the Smart TVs are already available and cost from 149 pounds, the equivalent of almost 175 euros.
Roku offers its TVs in sizes between 32 inches and 65 inches. Most models come with an LCD screen, but there is also a version with a QLED display. All televisions have a triple tuner and can therefore be operated on different TV connections. They also support the language assistants Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri. The wireless transmission methods Airplay 2 and Miracast are also on board.
However, the cheapest model of the Roku TVs does not have Bluetooth and only offers HD resolution. But it has at least three HDMI ports, dual-band WLAN and a USB port and will probably cost around 200 euros. However, most models support 4K, but are then also a bit more expensive – nevertheless, in an interview with TECHBOOK, Roku indicated that the TV sets will all be in a very affordable price range.
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Universal search and new Roku TV app
What is special about the Roku TVs is their interface, which the provider provides. Visually, it is very reminiscent of the surface of the streaming sticks, so it looks very tidy. Backgrounds and screensavers can be set individually so that the look can be changed at any time. The various programs and channels are arranged in the form of tiles and can be moved according to priority. Apps for Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+ etc. are already pre-installed, but other streaming apps can be downloaded free of charge. All common streaming providers are represented in Germany.
Unlike Amazon, for example, Roku does not focus on any content on its interface, since the manufacturer does not operate a streaming service itself. When searching for a series or a film, users are thus shown the search results across all apps and can decide for themselves where they want to access the content. It is practical that free offers are displayed at the top. It is also possible to search for genres such as “comedy”, “action films” or “horror”. Then the Roku TV displays appropriate content – also across all services. This gives users a much better overview of the programs offered by the streaming providers than with those who primarily advertise their own content.
Search terms can be typed in, but users can also use voice input. Roku offers a special smartphone app for this. It offers features such as “private listening” that allows you to listen to the sound from the TV through headphones connected to the smartphone. So they don’t have to be connected to the TV first – a positive side effect, the lack of Bluetooth support in some models is hardly significant.
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Role model Amazon?
Amazon has also been cooperating with TV manufacturers for some time and provides their Fire TV-style interface, which is specially designed for their own content. However, Amazon was not necessarily a pioneer, because Roku itself has been marketing its TV sets for years – just not in Germany. Here, the company has found partners in Metz and TCL, who are best known for their cheap televisions. It remains to be seen how users will accept the very tidy interface of the Roku TVs. It’s not nearly as playful as Tizen, webOS or Fire TV. It is also heavily designed for content, i.e. streaming apps and Internet channels of the TV stations. After all, Roku promises regular software updates to deliver new features and improvements.
Arthur van Rest, VP International at Roku, said: “Users are devoting more and more of their entertainment time to streaming, while continuing to watch a significant proportion of linear TV. So we’re excited to bring Roku TV to Germany and provide a great experience for everyone. Consumers in Germany want the best possible TV experience that includes all their favorite entertainment, is easy to use and gets them to the show they want to watch as quickly as possible.”