Roku launching first TV sets

Over-the-top set-top-box maker Roku has partnered with TCL and Hisense to launch the first TV sets with its technology built-in.

The Roku TV models will be showcased at the Pepcom Digital Experience media event at CES in Las Vegas this evening, with Roku claiming that it now plans to license the new design platform and technology to more manufacturers.

The TCL and Hisense Roku TVs are due to be released this Autumn in the US and Canada, with each manufacturer looking to up their presence in the North American market.

TCL currently claims to be the third largest global TV manufacturer after shipping nearly 12 million TVs in 2012, with Hisense claiming fifth place after shipping more than nine million.

“Consumers will enjoy the ease and satisfaction of Roku TV while manufacturers leverage our design specifications, content relationships and software expertise. At the same time the content community will gain additional distribution and revenues through an already popular and trustedstreaming platform – now in the TV,” said Roku CEO Anthony Wood.

Roku claims that the new Roku TV sets will remove “all of the complicated layers and menus, and unnecessary features and settings that plague TVs today.”

The smart TV sets will have a Roku home screen, designed to unify all content sources in one place, “making it easy to watch live programming, stream a movie or listen to a song in just seconds.”

The TVs will be controllable from the set remote control or from a Roku app for Apple iOS or Android. Pricing for the TCL and Hisense Roku TVs, which are expected to come in sizes ranging from 32 to 55 inches, is yet to be announced.