Buying guide for best Roku TVs
You may know Roku as the brand name for the original streaming service hardware. Over its almost two decades as a company, though, Roku has consistently offered new options and products that build on its technology. One of the newest types of Roku products is the Roku TV.
When purchasing a Roku TV, it’s important to note that you are not buying a television made by Roku itself. Instead, various TV manufacturers license the Roku operating system (OS) and software and install it on their TVs. They then can market their TVs as Roku televisions.
The Roku interface enhances the smart TV capabilities of these units. It simplifies the process of using streaming services and apps with your television, as Roku is one of the most popular smart TV interfaces.
How to buy the best Roku TV
Size
Just as with most brands of televisions, Roku TVs come in multiple sizes. A TV’s size is reported by the manufacturer in inches, measured diagonally from one corner to the other across the screen. Screen sizes for Roku TVs range from 32 to 85 inches. Generally speaking, the larger the screen, the larger the price.
In a small room where seating is close to the screen, you don’t need a huge TV. To get an idea of the TV size you need, divide the average number of inches your seats are from the screen by 1.4. If you sit 96 inches from the screen (about 8 feet), a TV screen size of 65 to 70 inches is ideal.
Screen type
Screen technology plays a role in a TV’s image quality. Do you want an LCD screen or an OLED screen?
- LCD: An LCD (liquid crystal display) television screen uses a matrix of LCD pixels to create images. The pixels require backlighting to make them bright and visible. Some inexpensive LCD TVs use lighting at the edges of the screen. Pricier LCD TVs rely on LEDs (light-emitting diodes) to create a more consistent backlight and a better overall picture.
- OLED: OLED (organic light emitting diode) televisions have pixels that generate their own light. In this way, they differ from LCD TVs. This technology gives OLED TVs impressive picture quality—but you must pay a premium for this technology.
Roku TVs primarily use LCD technology, but a few models do use OLED technology.
Resolution
Roku televisions are available in multiple resolutions. (“Resolution” refers to the number of pixels the screen can display.) TVs with a higher number of pixels deliver sharper and better-looking images on the screen.
- HD: Smaller Roku televisions may have an HD (high-definition) resolution. Often, they are 1080p HD TVs with a maximum resolution of 1080 x 1920 pixels. Most current television programming is available in a maximum HD resolution.
- 4K: The majority of Roku TVs deliver a maximum resolution of 4K (2160 x 3840 pixels). Only a limited amount of programming is available in 4K resolution right now. Eventually, though, 4K resolution programming is expected to dominate the market.
- 8K: Only a few Roku TVs offer a maximum 8K resolution (4320 x 7680 pixels). This type of television is extremely expensive. Furthermore, 8K programming is rare. However, 8K TVs can upscale lower-resolution programming to fill the extra pixels.
The primary licensees for the Roku OS are Hisense, Insignia, and TCL. These companies make TVs that feature the Roku OS.
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Top Roku TV features
Smart TV
A smart TV is a TV you can connect to the internet and use to stream video. All Roku TVs are smart TVs. The Roku OS makes them so.
Roku TVs deliver a high-quality smart TV experience courtesy of an easy-to-use interface that simplifies finding, managing, and watching streaming video.
Voice control
A Roku OS TV can be controlled with voice commands. The user simply speaks into a compatible Roku remote control, a smartphone with Roku mobile app, or connected smart assistant.
Personalized recommendations
The Roku OS includes a feature called My Feed. This allows you to specify your favorite TV shows and movies and receive notifications and updates when those shows and movies are available on one of your streaming services. Roku also tells you when the cost of a particular pay-per-view movie that you are tracking drops.
Updated features
The Roku OS is constantly undergoing improvements and changes. You receive all these updates for free. Most of the time, Roku simply updates itself in the background, so you receive the new features as quickly as possible.
Detailed TV show guide
If you have an over-the-air antenna connected to your Roku TV, the Roku guide will display a viewer guide for these channels. You also will see information about shows and movies available on your streaming services and on the channels that are part of those services. Roku TV users tend to appreciate the fact that Roku sorts and tracks everything for them.
DID YOU KNOW?
Roku started as a company in 2002 and gained notoriety by offering a streaming media player for use with Netflix in 2008.
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How much do Roku TVs cost?
Inexpensive
Low-cost Roku TVs carry a price of $100 to $200. These are usually televisions from budget manufacturers. Expect the screen size to be 40 inches or less.
Mid-range
Mid-range Roku televisions cost $200 to $400. These TVs typically come from budget manufacturers as well, but the screens may be larger – from 40 to 55 inches.
Expensive
The priciest Roku TVs cost anywhere from $400 to $2,500. These are large TVs, typically ranging from 55 inches to 85 inches.
Some budget manufacturers offer large-screen TVs in this price range. You will also find some OLED smart TVs in this price range.
Do you use a smart assistant such as Apple Home, Amazon Alexa, or Google Home? Roku TV is compatible with all of them.
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Tips for making the most of your Roku TV
Although using the basic features of the built-in Roku operating system is easy, there are a few advanced features you should know about.
- Use the Roku Channel. The Roku Channel is accessible on your Roku television. On it, you will find numerous free television shows and movies as well as access to some premium channels and movies.
- Use the Roku search function. Rather than scrolling through dozens of menu screens in search of a certain movie or TV show, open the Roku search feature. You then can type search keywords.
- Rearrange your apps. As you add apps for streaming channels and other items to your Roku OS interface, you may want to rearrange them for easier access to your favorites. From the settings menu on your Roku TV, select the move channel option. Use your remote control to move apps to your desired location.
- Delete old apps. You can remove apps in much the same way that you rearrange them. From the settings menu, select the remove app option. (If you don’t see this option, you probably have an active pay subscription involving the app. In this case, you’d need to cancel your subscription first.)
- Select screensavers and themes. The design of the Roku interface is fine on its own. However, if you want to improve its look, the Roku OS interface on the TV has multiple themes and screensavers you can select. From the settings menu, select themes or screensavers to see your options.
- Use the mobile app. Roku’s mobile app is available for iOS and Android devices. You can use the mobile app to control the TV and its Roku features. The app connects with the TV through your smartphone’s connection to your WiFi network.
FAQ
Q. Can I watch over-the-air channels with my Roku TV?
A. Yes. Just attach an HDTV antenna to the television before scanning for local over-the-air channels.
Q. Do I have to pay extra to watch channels on my Roku TV?
A. With Roku TVs, you would pay for any cable TV subscription, satellite TV subscription, or streaming TV subscription you want to use. Most subscriptions can be managed through the Roku interface on the television. You do not have to pay extra to use the Roku OS itself. The Roku interface is there to make the management of your content easier.
Q. Can I use a Roku streaming box with my Roku television?
A. You could, but the benefit to buying a television with a Roku operating system is that you don’t need an extra box. The Roku television and Roku player contain essentially the same software, so adding a box to your Roku TV would be an unnecessary duplication.
Q. Do I need to connect my Roku TVs to the internet?
A. To make use of the benefits and features of a Roku TV, you must connect the TV to the internet. You could run an Ethernet cable from your router to the TV, or you could connect the TV to your WiFi router.
