Roku will debut a new range of high-end Smart TVs in the coming weeks, dubbed Roku Pro Series. The custom-designed flatscreens look set to be a significant step-up from previous hardware efforts by the company, which is the most popular TV streaming software in the United States.
The Roku Pro Series will arrive with a thinner design than models in the Roku Select and Plus Series range. The screen will boast a 4K Ultra HD resolution, coupled with a QLED panel with mini-LED local dimming. “Wide cinematic sound” is also promised for the Pro Series.
Expect to find a new "premium" Roku remote in the box to match the high-end experience of this pricier telly. Roku hasn’t revealed the design of the upgrade channel-changer yet, but we’re likely to get more details ahead of the scheduled launch this spring.
Expect to hear more details about the Roku Pro Series in the coming weeks ahead of a US release date "this spring"
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Roku has confirmed three sizes will be available at launch: 55-, 65- and 75-inches. Unfortunately for Roku viewers based in the UK, there’s no confirmed release date outside of the United States.
“Roku Pro Series’ picture and audio quality, polished design, unique features, and ease-of-use bring the market leadership and innovation that Roku is known for to a TV made for streaming,” announced Chris Larson, Vice President of Retail Strategy at Roku.
“As we hit 10 years of the Roku TV program, we believe this new line of TVs will set a new standard for an elevated streaming experience.”
Prices for the Pro Series start from roughly $1,500, which is £1,180 converted. For comparison, Samsung charges between £649 and £1,699 for its QLED 4K TVs, depending on the exact features. We’ll need to see the Roku Pro Series for ourselves to see whether the custom-designed telly is competitive with the top-end of Samsung’s QLED range ...or the entry-level TVs.
As well as its flagship Roku Pro Series TVs, the company has also announced a new software feature called Roku Smart Picture.
Using a combination of Artificial Intelligence (AI), machine learning, and data from its content partners, Roku Smart Picture can work-out what type of content is on-screen and quietly adjust TV settings to ensure you’re always getting the best viewing experience possible.
For example, when you switch from a movie to live sports coverage, settings will be tweaked to enable motion smoothing and increase brightness and contrast. If you start playing video games, you might need to enable a higher refresh-rate or enable surround sound.
Similar features have already been introduced by other TV manufacturers, so you don’t need to worry about diving into the settings menu every time you switch between HDMI inputs or channels, but it’s nice to see that Roku viewers can expect hassle-free optimisation soon too.
Smart Picture isn’t exclusive to the Pro Series models, but will be rolling out to all Roku TV models in spring, the US company has confirmed.
In addition to the arrival of its first premium TVs, Roku also teased expanded retail availability of its existing Roku Select and Plus Series TVs in the coming months, with more details to follow.
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If you’re looking to upgrade your telly in 2024 and love the Roku user interface ...there’s plenty to look forward to in the coming weeks and months. Stay tuned.