TV box provider Roku has entered the smart speaker market – but not going head-to-head with Amazon Echo and Google Home. Instead, it has really launched a not-so-smart speaker system which works alongside its existing voice capabilities, to deliver the same overall experience as an Echo.
This launch means that a Roku TV, or any Roku box or flash stick, can have improved sound which is linked to its existing voice capabilities. This suggests Roku feels its base is being invaded by Google and Amazon Voice, which are being used to control Roku devices, and by those giant’s speakers replacing the TV sound. It is nervous of losing control of its own installations and having other branded speakers attached to them.
So it does not want to get caught in the crossfire of the voice control battle, but its own voice system is not highly rated by users. It is built around the Nuance voice control platform, and was out in 2015, so it is available to gradual improvement in its integration with Roku metadata.
The Roku TV Wireless Speakers add depth and stereo separation to all the content on a Roku box, including movies and music simply because most TV sets don’t have good enough sound. The vendor will push them to existing customers for an introductory price of $150 a pair, rising to $200 after the offer.
There are already home theater systems with premium voice with a simple “Bluetooth” pairing set up. The speakers also offer Automatic Volume Leveling to lower the volume on loud scenes and boost the volume on quieter ones and Dialog Enhancement to improve the intelligibility of speech.
Roku has a lot to protect because it claims that one out of every four smart TVs sold in the US is a Roku TV. The speakers ship with a Roku TV Voice Remote, which many may already have, to control both the Roku TV and the speakers, and a new Roku Touch, a battery powered table-top voice remote, featuring a press-and-hold design for voice commands, playback control buttons and programmable pre-set buttons.