Roku just entered the artsy television fight, announcing a new family of big screens hundreds of dollars more affordable than Samsung’s The Frame TVs. Not only can you mount the Roku Pro Series TVs flush against a wall, but they can also present fine art when you’re not bingeing your favorite shows or enjoying movies. On top of all that, Roku’s adding some smarts that automatically adjust picture modes too.
Roku’s latest TVs pack a Fine Art mode and are made to be mounted on your wall, all while a new Smart Picture mode automatically adjusts to improve image quality.
Roku Pro Series TVs beat The Frame on price, with decent specs
The Roku Pro Series TV is sold in three sizes, starting with a $900 55-inch model, while its $1,200 65-inch and $1,700 75-inch options fill larger walls. These cost $600 to $1,300 less than Samsung’s similarly sized The Frame televisions, though those come with their own wall mounts (which Roku charges $100 extra for). You can also use the Roku Pro Series TVs with their included “feet.”
Each Roku Pro Series TV offers the same basic features, with Mini-LED backlighting, 4K resolution, four HDMI ports (one of which has eARC), refresh rates of up to 120Hz and Dolby Vision IQ (which automatically adjusts HDR picture based on ambient light). Performance and sound also get upgrades, thanks to a new processor and the company’s new Soundstage Audio features. The latter seeks to provide deeper bass and stronger immersion with side-firing speakers, along with Dolby Atmos support.
For those wall-mounting the Roku Pro Series TVs, there’s a built-in kickstand for accessing ports on the back of the TV and cord management straps to keep things clean.
My favorite Roku Series TV feature, though, is a little touch: the lost remote button on the side of the TV. Right next to the power button, and physically distinct (so you don’t accidentally click it), this Roku remote-shaped button will play a chime from your missing clicker to help you find it.
Roku ups its art game with Backdrops
While all those features are good, Underscored readers may be more interested in Roku Backdrops, which will let you show a series of works of art on the set when it’s not otherwise in use. Debuting on the Roku Pro Series, and coming to all Roku TVs in the coming months, this feature will open up your screen to what a Roku rep told CNN Underscored is “a large array” of public domain art.
A few examples from the images Roku supplied to CNN Underscored tease the paintings from some of the masters, including Claude Monet, Edward Hopper and Vincent Van Gogh. No word on if the full array can compete with the new store of images debuting along Samsung’s 2024 The Frame TVs. Backdrops will be free at launch, though I wouldn’t be shocked if a premium version with more art came at a price down the line. Other Roku devices, including the company’s streaming sticks, will get Backdrops at a later date.
If you’re not looking to bring the museum life to your home, you can also upload your own images to Roku Backdrops, or select its built-in screensaver-like images that show off glorious views of nature.
Roku also announced its new Smart Picture mode, which is coming to all Roku TVs, even those made a decade ago. This default setting for the Roku Pro Series TVs will automatically adjust your picture settings based on the content you’re watching. If it identifies animation, you’ll get Vivid mode for brighter color, and Movie mode will turn on if you’re watching content that supports Dolby Vision or HDR10+. Thankfully, Movie mode turns off the motion-smoothing features that create the dreaded soap opera effect. Roku told CNN Underscored that this setting is similar to the Filmmaker mode seen on many TVs that is intended to give viewers the picture quality that creators intended — not just one that looks good on a retail store floor.
Smart Picture mode is intended to aid the 91% of customers (according to a poll Roku commissioned) who claim to never adjust their picture settings — since I can’t come over to everyone’s homes and fix this myself. Oh, and the neural processing units in the Roku Pro Series TVs enable Smart Vision Max, which will optimize specific elements, for more accurate blue skies and boosted detail. These are all optional features, though, so you won’t need to turn over the keys to your settings to your Roku TV if you don’t want to.
Roku’s also introducing a new version of its $30 Voice Remote Pro, which is included with the Pro Series TVs. Its biggest new feature is backlighting (a finally-tier feature for Roku remotes), added alongside a 50% larger battery and USB-C charging. This is one more nail in Micro USB’s coffin, which I can’t wait to close when I upgrade my e-reader and Bluetooth speaker. And while this remote has switched from two to one physical buttons for programmable shortcuts, clicking that button will let you select one of two user-chosen actions. In place of the other programmable button is one that brings up a content guide.
Will the Roku Pro Series TVs be great enough to be counted among the best TVs? Stay tuned to find out.