Which Roku To Buy: Picking The Best Roku Device
Theres a long history to dive into about when Roku, Inc. was founded in 2002 the Roku founder, Anthony Wood, serving as the Vice President of Internet TV at Netflix in 2007 and the first Roku model being introduced in May 2008.
We wont go into all the details here, but long story short the first Roku device was developed in collaboration with Netflix. For a longer version, you can read our dedicated Roku history piece.
Since its beginning, Roku has grown significantly and currently has around 43 million users. Through its growth, Roku now offers an assortment of streaming devices to suit different peoples needs, and you can stream a ton of content from various online services.
Roku media players are easy to use, and theyre great for any cord-cutter. You can get access to both free and paid content from thousands of channels and streaming services, including Hulu, , AppleTV, Disney+, ESPN and Netflix on Roku, as well as its own streaming channel, The Roku Channel.
The beauty of it is that youre not tied to a monthly fee or contract .
Many Roku devices are similar in appearance and some of the older Roku devices are still sold on sites such as Amazon, so you need to read the small print to make sure youre buying the correct one. That fine print will differentiate features from one another, too, such as whether it streams in HD or 4K resolution.
What Do I Need To Stream Netflix Shows In 4k On My Roku Streaming Device
To play movies and TV shows in 4K, you will need:
- A Roku streaming device that supports 4K Ultra HD
- A 4K Ultra HD compatible television that supports 60fps
- A Premium High Speed HDMI Cable
Eric Anderson
Writer and owner of CATV.org. Eric covers the latest happenings in the world of cable TV: deals, reviews, previews, new tech gear & more.
Should You Buy A Roku TV On Black Friday 2021
Theres a pretty good chance youve heard from Roku lately, whether its in the news, or as part of the streaming platforms latest marketing push. Good timing, then, since weve got some serious decisions to make when it comes to any Black Friday Roku deals. There are a lot of Roku products, which means there are a lot of fantastic Black Friday deals to be had. And one of the most important will be from Roku TV itself.
- View best Roku TV Black Friday deals at Amazon
- [/cc-link
Recommended Reading: Oculus Quest How To Cast To TV
How Does A Roku Smart TV Work
Roku licenses its streaming platform for use in smart TVs. This means that Roku doesn’t make its own TVs, but it allows manufacturers to include Roku features inside their TVs.
There is no need to buy an additional streaming device since the features of a Roku streaming stick or box are already inside the TV . When it’s time to stream a television show or movie, users simply turn on the TV set and use its controls to download, set up and use the streaming apps as needed.
TV brands that make Roku TVs include Element, Hisense, Hitachi, Insignia, JVC, Philips, RCA, Sharp, and TCL and All Roku TVs are LED/LCD TVs. Screen sizes range from 24 to 75-inches. Depending on the brand/model, a set will feature 720p, 1080p, or 4K display resolution. Some Roku TVs are compatible with one or more HDR formats.
What Is 4k Ultra Hd Resolution
The term 4K refers to the resolution of the TV, which is a measure of how much detail you can see on the screen. The resolution of a traditional 1080p Full HD TV is limited to 1,920 columns and 1,080 rows of pixels, while a 4K Ultra HD TV has an increased resolution of 3,840 columns and 2,160 rows of pixels. With four times the resolution of 1080p, 4K offers improvement in picture clarity over existing HD resolutions.
Recommended Reading: Can You Mirror Oculus Quest To TV
Best Roku Deals For December 2021
Its the perfect time of year to snag discounts on the little products youve been holding off on, like these amazing Roku deals. The Roku streaming stick will turn any TV into a smart TV. If youve been considering splurging but the price was just outside your reach, these Roku deals should help you pull the trigger. Of course, you could always upgrade your whole setup with 4K TV deals, since those are already getting hefty price cuts.
There are Roku deals from retailers across the spectrum, but some of the best ones weve seen so far have been at Amazon. Demand for consumer electronics far outweighs the supply this year, which has been hampered by a serious microchip supply issue. But weve collected your best options below.
Samsung 50 Class Qled Q60t Series 4k Uhd Dual Led Quantum Hdr Smart TV
If youre not really interested in gaming but still want a sharp picture with excellent color contrast and deep blacks, then Samsungs QLED technology is a great choice.
Quantum dot light-emitting diode, or QLED, is Samsungs answer to getting the best out of their less expensive screens by using something other than the standard white LEDs with color filters over the pixels.
QLED technology allows LED TVs to provide the richness of color associated with far more power-hungry plasma screens.
In addition to great screen resolution, the Q60T Series also features built-in Wi-Fi connectivity, Google Assistant, and Alexa functionality. There are also three HDMI ports and two USBs to connect the rest of your home entertainment system to.
What we like:
- The use of QLED tech to get better picture quality without the energy demands of plasma.
- The Google Assistant and Alexa enabled voice commands.
What we dont like:
- The plastic feet feel a little cheap and unstable.
If you want excellent picture quality but arent interested in a power hungry plasma screen, then Samsungs QLED technology is a great choice. The Q60T Series provides rich colours and deep blacks using only energy-efficient LEDs.
Also Check: How To Uninstall Apps On My Samsung TV
Tcl S305 Series Roku TV Review: Solid Streaming
Here’s the thing about small TVs: Their picture quality is pretty much all the same.
The Good
The Bad
The Bottom Line
TV manufacturers tend to pour their effort and latest image-enhancing extras like 4K and HDR into larger models that will be used in more demanding viewing environments, and incidentally can be sold for a higher profit. In the world of small, bedroom-sized TVs — I’m talking 43 inches and smaller — the focus is on reducing cost to hit a price point.
So what separates a good small TV from the pack? In my book it’s convenience and ease of use, and nobody does that better than Roku TVs. Chinese TV maker TCL is the leader in televisions powered by the Roku operating system, the same one found in my favorite external streaming devices. Roku streaming, complete with thousands of apps and a dead-simple menu system, is built right into the TV, and everything is controlled by one remote.
K Roku TVs With Great Picture Quality
All Roku smart TVs provide tons of content and convenience, but only a handful deliver a great picture
When you shop through retailer links on our site, we may earn affiliate commissions. 100% of the fees we collect are used to support our nonprofit mission.Learn more.
When it comes to streaming platforms, weve been fans of Roku, whose streaming media players have typically been among the top models in our ratings. But how about Roku TVs, which use the same smart TV platform?
When Roku TV sets started appearing almost seven years ago, they came from minor brands and generally fell short when it came to picture quality and other measures of performance.
But consumers now have more choices now, with some 10 brands offering Roku TVs, including Hisense and TCL. Some of these setscertainly not allperform as well as or better than TVs from the best-known brands.
Recommended Reading: Is Discovery Plus Available On Lg Smart TV
Easy Living With The Roku Mobile App
You can use your smartphone or tablet as a remote and search for your favorites with your voice or keyboard, with the Roku Mobile App. You can search using your voice or keyboard, and share your videos, music, and photos to your television. You will also be able to cast movies and videos from the web with Netflix and Youtube mobile apps. This HD TV also works with Alexa and Google Assistant. Maybe it& #0146s the middle of the night and you don& #0146t want to wake anyone up? With this powerful mobile app, you can use your headphones for private listening.
Best Buy Has A Cheap Tcl 65 Inch 4k Roku TV Deal That’s Only $500 Right Now
Grab a 65 inch Roku Smart TV for only $499.99 at Best Buy right now
ByTroy Flemingpublished 9 December 21
If you’re hoping to find a good deal on a cheap 65 inch 4K TV, Best Buy has an excellent offer on the a TCL display that just may be what you’re after. Dropping to just under $500 with this discount, this deal gets you an excellent 65 inch 4K Roku TV cheap thanks to $200 discount it’s getting.
On sale for $499.99, TCL’s 4 Series 65 inch 4K Roku TV is a fully featured mid-ranged display at an unbeatable price. Powered by Roku, this TV comes with thousands of movies, TV episodes and music channels directly in the user interface. From your favorite streaming apps like Netflix, Hulu and Disney+ to Roku’s very own channel, this deal on TCL’s 4 Series 65 inch 4K Roku TV offers one of the best TVs under $1,000 right now.
For the value, Best Buy’s deal on this TCL 4 Series is a great option for those looking for a gaming display as well. With some of the same features the best gaming TVs come with, if you’re a gamer on a budget in need of a good TV for your PS5 or Xbox Series X this deal will do you well. While it may be locked to 60 Hz, the TCL 4 Series makes up for it with HDR10 and HLG as well as Clear Motion Index 120 motion enhancement.
Recommended Reading: How To Mirror Samsung Phone To Samsung TV
Tcl 28s305 Roku Led TV Best Selling TV In 2021
Here comes TCL Roku Smart TV the 28 inch model which assures to deliver all of your favorite media content through more than 450,000 movies and TV episodes accessibly.
This TV has a sleek, modern design and a simple, intuitive interface.
TLC 28S305 LED TV with the built-in Roku is the best bedroom-size television promising the best smart-TV experience. This device gives you a simple access to thousands of apps and allows you to easily stream video from the TVs own remote. Presented at an affordable price, the Roku S305 720p TV is potential to bring home.
- Smart functionality offers
- Over 4,000 streaming channels to discover
- 720p HD resolution and direct-lit LED for great picture quality
- 60Hz refresh rate avoids motion blur
Its only downside is no Ethernet port.
For those who want a small TV less expensive, take the Roku-powered TCL S305 into consideration. You may want to check out TLC 32S305 model, the best 32 inch TV, if the 28 inch does not meet your expectation.
Should You Buy A Roku Streambar
The Roku Streambar is the option for those who want a soundbar with the Roku smart platform built in. That means just one HDMI connection to your TV will give you an external speaker as well as access to all of the Roku apps and services.
The system comes with four 1.9-inch full-range drivers for sound two forward and two side-facing. There’s no Dolby Vision support nor any upward-facing drivers for Dolby Atmos sound. You can stream audio to it over Bluetooth as well as AirPlay and there’s a USB for local playback as well. There is also an optical input.
The voice remote is included with the UK but not US version.
Should you buy the Roku Streambar?
We gave the Roku Streambar a score of four stars at its full £130 so, should you find it cheaper, it would seem like very good value.
The feature set is obviously excellent and there’s plenty of volume for a bigger audio performance than the one offered by the average TV. There are more cinematic-sounding bars, though.
Don’t Miss: Mlb Network Kodi
K Uhd Or Oled: Which Is Right For You
Now its time to decide which type is appropriate for your lifestyle. But what do all these acronyms mean? No worries, its quite simple once they are broken down.
4K UHD, also known as Ultra HD, or Ultra High-Definition, has a total resolution of 3840 by 2160 pixels, which is four times the total amount of pixels than found in Full HD. Because of the increased pixel count, there is a noticeable difference between a standard HD and a 4K UHD TV the closer you sit with 4K, you wont see the individual pixels from a foot away, so the picture is more lifelike than ever. That is, assuming you’re watching a program recorded in 4K. As it stands now, more and more new films, sports broadcasts and television programs are slowly converting to 4K.
OLED, or Organic Light-Emitting Diode, is different because the panels emit their own light when an electric current is charged through. 4K UHD TV, on the other hand, requires an external light source for display. The quality of OLEDs surpasses other types because of the color display and contrast ratios. They are also are much thinner, lighter and more energy efficient.
How To Choose The Best Roku TV For You
When it comes to buying the best Roku TVs, our general advice for TV shopping holds true: Find the right screen size for your space, figure out what your budget is, and be smart with where you try to save a buck.
Always go 4K: Lower-resolution TVs may be tempting with super low prices, but you’ll definitely see the difference on a 4K TV, and that quality is worth paying more for. And the latest 8K Roku TV from TCL may look tempting, but we still recommend holding off on 8K until you can actually get movies and shows that use the higher resolution.
HDR support: For the best picture, we recommend getting a set that offers high dynamic range support. HDR10 is the base standard, while Dolby Vision is a higher-caliber format, and we recommend opting for Dolby Vision support when you have the choice.
Port selection: Connectivity is another chief concern. More HDMI ports will let you connect more devices, like game consoles and satellite boxes. And if you have a soundbar, you’ll want to connect it using an HDMI port with ARC.
From smart functions to port selection, we offer plenty of advice in our TV buying guide, which explains the ins and outs of features like HDR, different types of display, and even extended warranties. And if you still have questions about smart TV features and capabilities, check out Smart TVs: Everything you need to know.
If you’ve narrowed down your TV shopping by brand, price range or screen size, check out our picks for the best TVs in each.
Read Also: How To Watch Showtime Anytime On Samsung Smart TV
My Favorite Indoor Antennas
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This site is not owned by any retailer or manufacturer. This is an independent review site that receives compensation from the retailer or manufacturer when you purchase through the affiliate links on this site. I personally test and/or research each product or service before endorsing it.
The Overall Roku Product Review
Generally speaking for all models, theyre user friendly and easy to navigate around. If youre familiar with how to use an app on your smartphone, youll have no problems finding what you want to watch in good time.
With regards to the navigation, the interface seems a bit dated. Roku havent updated their interface for a number of years and even though it is pleasantly simple, it could do with some more advanced features and a theme overhaul.
That being said, Roku has clear, clean and lightweight menus which allow you to customize your home screen with your favorite apps and a variety of attractive themes. The system couldnt be more attractive or simpler to use.
Having the Roku app makes life easier, considering a lot of us are guilty of holding our phone and somehow having one eye on the TV with the other on our hand, its sometimes easier to use our phone rather than find the remote.
Assess your needs before buying, because the Plus variants dont always have the features that you need. You could be just as happy with the cheaper model and still get everything you want out of it.
Here are some examples of other top Channels available on Roku:
Also Check: How To Get Discovery Plus On Smart TV
What Does A Roku TV Do
Roku TVs provide access to familiar services such as Netflix, Vudu, Amazon, Hulu, and YouTube as well as over 5,000 more official and non-official services depending on location. They also provide access to additional devices that can be plugged into it as well as over-the-air TV broadcasts when an antenna is connected.