Can You Add A Roku To A Smart Tv

"My smart Tv set already has some apps built in like Netflix, Hulu, Pandora, etc., so why would I need Roku, or any other streaming product for that matter?"

Well, the reality is that while your "smart" TV does come equipped with some video streaming, music, and game apps, information technology simply falls short when compared to a video streaming product similar Roku.

Do I need Roku if I accept a smart TV?

While you don't demand Roku if you lot have a smart TV, when compared to a standard smart Tv, Roku has: more than content options, an easier menu to navigate and manage, a better remote, faster and smoother load times, more frequent updates, and less garbage or "throwaway" apps!

So, even if you already take a smart TV, y'all should all the same consider ownership a Roku streaming device.

What is Roku?

Roku allows you to access free and paid Television set shows and movies, all within a single interface. It acts equally home base for all your entertainment needs.

In a lot of means you can think of it like an iPhone. It provides y'all access to all the Boob tube and movie apps out there and yous can pick and cull which ones you desire and then organize them accordingly.

And it'southward incredibly easy to setup and to use.

Equally a result, most smart TVs take tried to emulate Roku's success but Roku continues to outshine them in almost every way…

	Roku Limited	Roku Express 4k	Roku Streaming Stick	Roku Streaming Stick 4k	Roku Ultra
Motion-picture show Quality	Hard disk	Hard disk drive, 4K, HDR10+	Hard disk, 4K, HDR	HD, 4K, HDR10+, Dolby Vision	HD, 4K, HDR10+, Dolby Vision
Connects to Tv via	HDMI Cable	Premium HDMI Cable	Built-in HDMI	Built-in HDMI	Premium HDMI Cable
Wi-Fi & connectivity	Standard Wi-Fi	Fast Wi-Fi	Long-range Wi-Fi	Fast, long-range Wi-Fi	Best Wi-Fi & Ethernet
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Content is king

It wasn't all that long ago that your Boob tube options were quite express – y'all either had cablevision, or you didn't.

Then came premium channels like HBO, Showtime and Starz. You had to pay extra for access to this "premium" content but it was, in large role, drastically better than cable idiot box.

This model, of premium, streamable content actually started to take off in the 2000s with companies similar Netflix blazing the trail.

Not long after the success of Netflix, the Hulus, Amazon Primes and Disney Pluses of the globe starting popping up, and the consumer'due south access to great content expanded exponentially.

The TV watching world underwent a dramatic shift from a foundation congenital on cablevision, to a foundation built on streaming apps.

Unsurprisingly, that's when "smart" TVs started to come up virtually.

The TV articles realized that folks wanted easy access to their existing streaming subscriptions, so they started working with these companies to build their apps directly into their TVs.

Which was neat in some ways (you lot had access right from your TV), and crap in others.

The crap role was/is that TV brands have to fight for contracts with these streaming services in order to put them on their TVs, and fifty-fifty worse, sometimes these deals become "exclusive".

All of this is to say – your smart Idiot box doesn't have access to all the streaming apps out there.

That's were Roku comes in.

Because Roku has congenital such a massive user-base (the current marketplace leader for streaming services), streaming apps like Netflix, Hulu and others want to be on the Roku platform, because that'due south were the consumer is.

As a outcome Roku has the most streaming apps out there. If you lot accept a subscription to a streaming service, chances are extremely high that you can access information technology with Roku.

That's just not the example with your stand solitary smart Idiot box.

User feel matters

TV articles originally got into the business organization of building and selling TVs (hardware), not software. And information technology shows.

As the trend towards smart TVs emerged, companies like LG, Vizio and Sony scrambled to gather teams of engineers, developers and designers to build the app interface you ultimately interact with to observe and launch Netflix, for example.

These "smart" features were seen more than or less as "add-ons" to the TV and as a result the interfaces these companies came up with simply aren't user-friendly or intuitive.

It can exist down correct painful just trying to find a streaming app on a lot of these TVs.

Roku, on the other manus, was built-in along side these streaming apps. Actually, interestingly enough Roku used to be owned by Netflix.

Consequently, from the onset Roku had the end-user, you, in mind when it congenital its software. The blueprint is simple and like shooting fish in a barrel to use and you can organize and rearrange the carte du jour/apps every bit you see fit

Do I Need Roku If I Have a Smart TV user experience

If yous can apply an iPhone, you tin use Roku.

Remote controls are still a affair

Some other underrated attribute of Roku is the remote you lot become with information technology.

In my experience, the "smart" Goggle box remote you get when you buy a Telly is normally oversized and has fifty+ buttons on it.

Information technology'south confusing to use.

Roku'southward remotes are delightfully unproblematic (noticing a theme here?). Depending on which remote you become, there are usually less than 20 buttons, and they all serve a purpose.

Bated from basic functionality like controlling the TVs volume and irresolute channels, it also has "quick-launch" buttons for popular streaming services like Netflix and Hulu.

These allow y'all to launch those apps with a single click of a button. Non bad.

do i need roku if i have a smart tv remote

You tin can also use the remote to organize your abode page of apps and move your favorite apps to the top.

In addition to the actual remote, Roku built a "Roku remote app" that you tin download to your smart telephone.

This is really handy for me since I frequently lose remotes but rarely lose my iPhone.

Speed makes a difference

Smart TVs drop the ball on speed in two main ways.

The first is on the hardware side.

The majority of smart TVs have adequately weak processors built into them that have a hard fourth dimension keeping upwards with the demands of streaming apps like Netflix.

I've personally experienced a ton of lag time when trying to apply streaming apps through the smart Tv set interface.

The second speed constraint comes from the software side.

Streaming apps focus their fourth dimension and energy developing and building their app to be compatible with the platforms that reach the greatest number of consumers. Right now there are really four major players: Roku, Apple, Amazon and Google.

So if you're not one of those four companies, odds are the app congenital for your product didn't become congenital with the aforementioned level of care and attention to particular.

That'due south why it's slow and buggy and occasionally just outright freezes on you.

Software changes often, updates are necessary

For the same reason identified above (major streaming apps just not focusing a lot of their time and resources building their app for anyone other than the Large Four) has an impact on software updates.

Software is never "washed". Information technology is always irresolute and (hopefully) improving.

As new changes, features and fixes are implemented they are released and made available every bit an update to the existing software version.

These updates and fixes happen faster and more often on Roku than they do for any smart TV version.

Once more, it'southward all near the consumer and the majority of consumers are on Roku. Information technology just makes sense that Roku would focus their free energy there.

Throw away the trash

A big annoyance of smart Telly interfaces is the junk they add that y'all can't get rid of.

There are always obscure streaming apps that make a bargain with the Television set manufacturer to exist included in their interface that you then have to wait at every day and never use.

This doesn't happen with Roku because you have 100% control over your app card.

Run into an app you don't use? No problem, delete it.

Can't see an app you have a subscription with?

Worry not, just search for information technology and download it, and then rearrange your carte du jour and then it shows upwardly at the superlative.

Again, simple concepts Roku has mastered that smart TVs have not.

Exceptions

There are certain situations were buying Roku or some other streaming service just isn't necessary.

The first would be if you aren't using the "smart" aspect of your smart TV.

For example, if you just watch cable and don't have subscriptions with any streaming apps than obviously don't buy Roku.

And yes, a smart Telly will work without an net connectedness.

In addition, if you accept a gaming system like XBox One or Playstation 4, these devices have streaming services built into them that work pretty well.

I'd explore these first and see if you like them before ownership Roku.

And finally, you tin avoid buying an additional device altogether by just buying a smart TV with Roku congenital in!

Several different Tv set manufactures have gone this route, including TCL and Sharp.

Conclusion

So, exercise yous need Roku if you already have a smart Television set? Regardless of whether or not you already take a smart TV, yous should consider buying a Roku streaming device considering Roku has:

more content
a better interface
a simpler remote
faster loading time
more frequent updates
less "throwaway" apps

That said, if y'all just watch cable on your smart TV, or if you lot accept an Xbox One or Playstation four, y'all don't really demand Roku since these devices already take robust streaming interfaces built in.

	Roku Express	Roku Express 4k	Roku Streaming Stick	Roku Streaming Stick 4k	Roku Ultra
Picture Quality	Hd	Hard disk, 4K, HDR10+	Hd, 4K, HDR	Hd, 4K, HDR10+, Dolby Vision	Hard disk, 4K, HDR10+, Dolby Vision
Connects to Television via	HDMI Cable	Premium HDMI Cable	Congenital-in HDMI	Congenital-in HDMI	Premium HDMI Cablevision
Wi-Fi & connectivity	Standard Wi-Fi	Fast Wi-Fi	Long-range Wi-Fi	Fast, long-range Wi-Fi	Best Wi-Fi & Ethernet
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