Skip to main content

RCA releases 12 new ‘Roku-ready’ HDTV models

Roku-ready.RCA.TV
Image used with permission by copyright holder
RCA TV today revealed that it has a dozen new HDTVs that are “Roku-ready” thanks to each model’s pre-installed Roku Streaming Stick. The 12 new models, which feature screen sizes ranging from 28 to 65 inches, offer convenient access to the Roku Channel Store and Roku’s 1,700 apps and counting.

Related: TCL and Hisense announce the first Roku TVs are landing soon

RCA TV pursued a novel approach to the integration of Roku functionality. Unlike the first true Roku TVs recently announced by TCL and Hisense, which have Roku software baked in, RCA’s Roku-ready models essentially ship with an onboard Roku Streaming Stick that’s already physically connected to the TV via HDMI. The Roku dongle is protected by a manufacturer-installed covering, so users won’t be able to remove it.

The Roku functions are fully accessible via the TV’s included default remote control, however, ostensibly offering a more streamlined approach than simply connecting a separate streaming device; users won’t need two remote controls to access Roku features, and there’s no installation or separate power supply necessary. The dozen models will ship and arrive ready to stream, meaning you’ll be able to instantly flip to the Roku home screen to begin streaming in any room with a Wi-Fi connection.

One example from this Roku-ready bunch is the 55-inch 120Hz backlit LED LCD Roku TV (LRK55G55R120Q), which features two HDMI inputs, composite and component video inputs, and one USB slot. The TV also has one digital audio output and one left/right audio output shared with the headphone out jack. Below is a list of the 12 different models, which are available today at Best Buy, websites for Walmart and Sears, BJ’s Wholesale Club, SamsClub.com, and select regional electronics retailers.

Related: Roku sticks it to the Chromecast with a more flexible streaming stick

HDTVs

  • 28-inch class 720p (model LRK28G30RQ, suggested retail price $199.99)
  • 32-inch class 720p (model LRK32G30RQ, suggested retail price $249.99)
  • 32-inch class 1080p (model LRK32G45RQ, suggested retail price $279.99)
  • 40-inch class 1080p (model LRK40G45RQ, suggested retail price $349.99)
  • 46-inch class 1080p (model LRK46G55RQ, suggested retail price $449.99)
  • 50-inch 1080p and 120Hz (model LRK50G45RQ, suggested retail price $549.99)
  • 55-inch 1080p and120Hz, (model LRK55G55RQ, suggested retail price $649.99)
  • 65-inch 1080p and 120Hz (model LRK65G55RQ, suggested retail price $999.99)

TV/DVD combos

  • 28-inch class 720p (model LED28G30RQD, suggested retail price $229.99)
  • 32-inch class 720p (model LED32G30RQD, suggested retail price $279.99)
  • 32-inch class 1080p (model LED32G45RQD, suggested retail price $299.99)
  • 40-inch class 1080p (model LED40G45RQD, suggested retail price $379.99)

With prices sinking as low as $250 for a 32-inch model, these new TVs are a seriously affordable way to get your Roku fix sewn into a new TV. Whether or not they’ll offer enough speed, picture performance, or overall value for your dollar, however, is another question entirely.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Alex Tretbar
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Alex Tretbar, audio/video intern, is a writer, editor, musician, gamer and sci-fi nerd raised on EverQuest and Magic: The…
Roku adds NFL Zone to its software, and not a moment too soon
A handout image showing NFL Zone on a Roku TV.

With the Week 1 games now in the books, Roku today announced that it's added an NFL Zone within the Sports section of its user interface.

The specialized area, which is available on Roku players and on Roku TVs, gives football fans "a centralized location to find live and upcoming games, so they can spend less time figuring out where to watch the game and more time rooting for their favorite teams.."

Read more
Google TV vs. Roku TV: which is the better streaming OS?
Roku Streaming Stick 4K.

Whether you're looking for a new TV or streaming device, two of the leading smart TV platforms and user interfaces you'll be choosing from are Google TV and Roku TV. Both of these content and navigational platforms are excellent options, with many shared pros between them.

For years, Google has provided the building blocks to smart TV brands from Sony to Hisense under that Android TV banner. Presently, the structural framework of the Android TV system is giving way to an all-new Google operating system known as Google TV. You'll find Google's latest OS running on Sony, Hisense, and TCL TVs, as well as first-party Google devices like the Chromecast with Google TV 4K and Chromecast with Google TV (HD).

Read more
The Roku Channel is now available as a Google TV app
The Roku Channel app on Google TV.

The Roku Channel — one of the major services in the FAST category — is now available as an app on Google TV and Android TV. That's a good thing because The Roku Channel says it already reaches an estimated 100 million people in U.S. households with its wealth of free movies and series.

But it's also still a step removed from competing services like the Paramount-owned Pluto TV, which has direct integration with the Google TV live listings and doesn't require a separate download. Still, it's more free content on a low-cost piece of hardware, and who doesn't like that? The Roku Channel sports more than 350 free live linear channels (as in everyone is watching the same thing at the same time), as well as movies and series, live news, and more.

Read more