Roku has long established itself as the premier destination for streaming devices in the US, and it’ll soon be giving that experience a new spin with a bright new feature.
Roku has announced the launch of the Philips Roku TV that will sport Philips’ Ambilight feature, and as far as we can recall, this will be the first Ambilight has been made available in the US.
Ambilight, for those not in a know, is a bias lighting system that casts colours onto the area behind the TV in real-time. As well as making the viewing experience more colourful, it’s said to have health benefits, reducing eye strain while watching the display. It’s also pretty fun to look at too.
As far as we know, these aren’t the same (excellent) Philips TVs that are sold in the US as the Philips name is licensed by a different company in the US (in Europe it’s TP Vision). While it’s great that Ambilight is coming to the US, don’t expect the European made TVs the make the journey across the pond.
Ambilight will work across films and games (no mention of music but we’d assume yes). Matched with Roku’s own Backdrops, the Ambilight feature will be able to change the “mood of your living space” even when the TV is not in use.
The TVs themselves will naturally support Roku OS, which offers access to thousands of titles across various entertainment apps, Roku’s ‘Original’s programming, 500+ live TV channels and more besides.
Those who own Roku’s suite of wireless speakers, soundbars and subwoofers will be able to join them together with the Philips Roku TV to create a home cinema experience; while the mobile app has voice command integration, remote control functionality and Roku Smart Home for checking up on smart devices in the home.
AirPlay compatibility ensures that you’ll be able stream music, videos, audio, and even games from an Apple device to the TV. It seems as if Roku is trying its hardest to turn you into a couch slob.
Standard HDR10 will be supported on these models (no mention of Dolby Vision or HDR10+). The Roku Smart Picture can automatically adjust the picture quality to optimise for whatever type of content you’re watching if you’re the type of person who doesn’t want to reach for the remote control all the time.
The Philips Roku TV with Ambilight will be made available in 43-, 50-, 55- and 65-inch sizes, and while there’s no word yet on prices, they will be available both online and in-store at Sam’s Club from today onwards.
