Roku has launched a line-up of new Smart TVs exclusive to AO.com in the UK. Built by Veltech, the new range offers resolutions of 2K High Definition and 4K Ultra HD. Sizes range from 32-inch and top-out at 43-inch, with prices starting from £139.
If you’re signed up to the AO Membership Scheme, you’ll enjoy an exclusive discount on these models — dropping the starting price to just £119. The most expensive model of these new Roku-powered TVs will cost you just £179 for AO members, or £209 for everyone else.
Roku is one of the most popular TV platforms on the planet, with its easy-to-navigate software, voice search, and catalogue bursting with thousands of streaming services and apps, including the likes of Disney+, Netflix, Prime Video, BBC iPlayer, ITVX, Channel 4, Apple TV+, and YouTube. Roku is available on a range of small set-top boxes that plug directly into the HDMI of any flatscreen, but it’s also adopted by several prominent television manufacturers to power their entire Smart TV experience.
Engineered by the teams at Veltech, these new Roku-powered Smart TVs come equipped with a Freeview tuner to watch live television from the likes of the BBC, ITV, and Channel 4
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Similarly, we’ve seen manufacturers like Hisense, Toshiba, and TCL turn to Amazon’s rival Fire TV software — originally designed for its range of HDMI dongles, dubbed Fire TV Sticks — to power every aspect of their televisions. For comparison, the most affordable 4K Smart TV built by Amazon starts from £279.99 — £70 more expensive than Roku’s newly launched rival.
This isn’t the only way that Roku competes head-to-head with Amazon. While the latter has its ad-supported FreeVee streaming service, The Roku Channel is a free-to-watch streamer packed with popular boxsets, films, and documentaries. In total, the telly brand claims to have 80,000 movies and TV shows available to watch on-demand right now.
Roku is also investing in original productions that you won’t be able to watch anywhere else, like Weird: The Werid Al Yankovic Story starring Harry Potter alum Daniel Radcliffe, adult cartoon series Doomlands, and Kevin Hart-fronted parody show Die Hart. RuPaul’s Drag Race champion Sasha Velour hosts a reality series called Nightgowns for Roku, and home renovation show Murder House Flip …that does exactly what it says on the tin.
Aside from the shows, Roku is known for its comprehensive search function that can look-up titles in every app installed on your TV. This means you’ll never accidentally rent a movie that’s included as part of the catalogue with one of your streaming services.
When you search across the Roku platform, you’ll be able to see what shows are available for free or sort results by price. It also offers voice search for all Roku-powered TVs, compatibility with both Alexa and Google Assistant, and there’s a companion app for your iPhone or Android that doubles up as a remote too. iPhone owners will be able to wireless beam photos, videos, and apps to the big screen via AirPlay 2 too.
With automatic software updates, Roku is always rolling out new features and designs to TV owners worldwide.
Speaking about the new launch, Richard Halton, Country Manager at Roku UK, said: “The new Veltech Roku TV range marks another milestone in our TV partnership programme and sees the integration of Roku’s seamless streaming capabilities with Veltech’s impeccable TV quality. These new models are exceptional value for consumers and provide them with the perfect immersive viewing experience.
“We are committed to providing our customers with even more choice from their Roku TV experience, maintaining our position as a leading provider of streamed entertainment.”
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Roku lets you search for films, TV shows, actors and directors across every streaming service installed on your Smart TV or streaming set-top box — saving you the arduous process of launching and checking every individual app ROKU PRESS OFFICE
All of these models from Roku (and those from Amazon equipped with the rival Fire TV operating system) include a built-in Freeview tuner to watch live terrestrial channels. This is a different approach from several other TV manufacturers, which have ditched Freeview in favour of the newer Freely system, which beams live television from BBC, ITV, and Channel 4 over a Wi-Fi connection.
Jonathan G Evans, UK Managing Director at Veltech added: “We are thrilled to be partnering with Roku and their award-winning operating system. This partnership will give consumers access to a vast amount of great entertainment, and our high-quality TVs assembled in the UK. We look forward to our customers experiencing the culmination of both brands’ industry-recognised expertise in an affordable offering.”