While 4K TVs are more affordable than they’ve ever been, they’re still not exactly cheap, especially if you’re looking for a smart TV. Fortunately, Roku is looking to do for 4K TVs what the company did for HD TVs, offering a TV with all the brains of a high end smart TV but without the price tag. It looked like TCL was going to bring the first 4K Roku TV, but that turned out not to be the case.
Roku announced today that new 4K UHD Roku TVs from Insignia are coming to Best Buy. The new TVs are available in screen sizes ranging from 43-inch to 55-inch and feature quad-core processors and 802.11ac Wi-Fi, and while they’re not going to be the thinnest or prettiest-looking smart TVs you’ll ever see, the price tag will likely make up for that.
“Best Buy is the destination for all the latest in TV technology,” said Luke Motschenbacher, Best Buy’s vice president for televisions. “With the new 4K UHD Insignia Roku TVs, the 4K viewing experience is now available to more of our customers than ever.”
To make sure users are able to quickly and easily find 4K content to show off their new TVs, Roku has included both a 4K Spotlight Channel, and a dedicated 4K UHD category in the channel store. This section includes Netflix, Ultraflix, YouTube, Plex, and other providers of 4K, and will keep growing as more streaming services move to 4K.
Aside from the 10+ streaming channels offering 4K, customers also get the standard Roku experience, which currently offers over 3,000 different streaming channels. The interface will be familiar to anyone who has ever seen a Roku streaming box or used another Roku TV before, but is simple enough that even those who are new to smart TVs will have them up and running in no time.
The 55-inch model NS-55DR710NA17 is the best-in-class here, but still sells for a modest $650. If you’re buying for a small space or just want to save some spare cash, the 50-inch NS-50DR710NA17 sells for $500, while the 43-inch NS-43DR710NA17 sells for $400.
“These new TVs combine excellent picture quality and resolution with an easy to use smart TV experience that is truly unique to Roku TV — all at an affordable price,” said Chas Smith, SVP and general manager Roku TV & Players. “Customer response to the HD Insignia Roku TV models has been tremendous and we expect that same enthusiasm for these new TVs as consumers look for a great 4K UHD smart TV.”
Every model is available now at the Best Buy website, and Roku says that the TVs will be available in Best Buy locations nationwide starting early next month. The new TVs are also available from Best Buy in Canada, though there is one caveat: only the 50-inch and 43-inch models are available.
