Roku Pro Series TVs arrive, with mini-LEDs, muscular processing

Roku is shipping the Roku Pro Series TVs it announced at CES in January. The new line of smart TVs feature higher-end specifications, more powerful image processing, and come with what looks to be a much-improved remote control with backlit buttons.

And if Roku’s software powers your TV from another maker, you can look for big improvements there, too.

Roku is using quantum-dot panels with 4K resolution, 120Hz refresh rates, 10-bit color, and mini-LED backlighting for its Roku Pro series. The TVs will be available in 55-inch ($900), 65-inch ($1,200), and 75-inch ($1,800) SKUs. A thin, wall-mount accessory is available for $99 to complement the already wall-hugging design.

We haven’t reviewed one, but if they’re anything like Roku’s existing models, the Pro Series will be very good TVs, thanks in part to those mini LEDs, but also from some seriously upgraded processing power. A separate neural engine now handles picture quality concerns, allowing the CPU itself to deliver snappier interface performance.

We also expect good things from the Pro-series’ side-firing speakers, which should add a sense of space and separation to both stereo and surround audio.

The Pro-series’ thin design means bass response will likely be limited, but you can’t have everything; i.e., you can’t have both thin and thumpy. Well, not unless you’re Sony and you vibrate the actual glass of your OLED panel. LED-backlit LCD manufacturers don’t vibrate the display because the multiple layers of those panels might separate in response to prolonged thrumming. That, my friends, would do nothing good for the picture.

If you lose your TV remote nearly as often as I do, you’ll appreciate this insanely handy feature of the Pro Series: Push a button on the side of Roku Pro-series TV and the remote will chime, making it easier to find. I hope this becomes an industry standard soon.

My only wish is that Roku offered its Pro-series in smaller sizes.

The Roku Voice Remote Pro (revision 2)

The Roku Voice Remote Pro (revision 2) will be available for purchase on its own for $30, and it offers several big improvements. The most obvious change–and perhaps the most useful–is that its buttons are now backlit. That will make the remote vastly easier to use in a darkened home theater. There’s also a programmable launch button in addition to the four advertising buttons. Located above the two preset buttons on the right-hand side, you can program this button to launch any app or switch to any TV input you want. Finally, the remote has a larger rechargeable battery. Being a Roku user, I seriously want one of these.

Smarter picture optimization

Basically, Roku Smart Picture selects the preset appropriate for the material being displayed. Personally, I use the same setting for everything, but I’m a Luddite and many users love to tweak. The presets themselves can be adjusted, so you still get the picture you want. You can turn off this feature if you wish.

This and most other new features in the Roku 13.0 operating system will be available to older Roku TVs, whether Roku built them or not. This, of course, depends on the quality and abilities of the hardware.

And while it’s a bit late to the party, Roku has joined the TV-as-picture-frame gala with its “Backdrop” feature. As with other TVs, this simply displays static images or artwork in place of the black void which is a TV when it’s turned off. Be aware, however, that it will increase your home’s energy consumption.

While the Roku operating system has been losing ground to Google TV, I still prefer it, so the improvements are more than welcome. And we are quite sure the new Pro Series TVs will compare favorably with models in the same price range.

For the nonce, we’ll ignore the company’s decidedly dictatorial handling of its new dispute resolution agreement. I find the agreement perfectly fine, being a non-litigious type. That said, no vendor should shut off features in a product you already own–no matter what the reason.

Author: Jon L. Jacobi, Freelance contributor