You don’t have to be smart to operate Roku OSHisense jump on Roku simplified Smart TV platform, with oodles of content, 1200 channels, movies and music
Announced at CES today, Hisense plans to license the new Roku Smart TV platform in 2014.
Roku is currently the most popular streaming player in the US.
Its home screen unifies all content sources in one place in simple boxes (not zillions of apps) to watch live TV, stream via Netflix, Amazon, or music via Rdio, Vudu, Pandora.
Hisense, along with fellow Chinese brand TCL, are the first to sign up to Roku TV. Roku Channel Store has oodles of choice – 1,200 channels, 31,000 movies, TV shows and live sports news, music, science, tech, foreign language and so on.
Both brands will make TVs in sizes from 32 to 55 inches, and are likely to be the affordable Smart TV options than the big name brands.
“How often has one family member not been able to use their Smart TV because the other one wasn’t there to show them how to use [the controls]? We want to fix that by just making it really easy to use,” Jim Funk, Roku SVP of product management, said in an interview.
Hisense will ship the first Roku based TVs later this year. No Aussie pricing nor availability has been released at this stage.
The TV and the remote control has 20 buttons – half the number found on other ‘Smart’ TV remotes.
Roku TVs can be controlled via app for Apple iOS or Android.
Hisense is the fifth largest global TV manufacturer in the world and hopes to expand their marketshare.
Pricing will be determined by the manufacturers and should be released later this year.
