Roku, the company best known for its video-streaming players and portable "streaming sticks" that connect to TV sets, has teamed with two TV manufacturers to create Roku TV, its first television with built-in streaming capabilities. The televisions, made by Roku’s partners TCL and Hisense, will sell in four different sizes. The smallest measures 32 inches and is priced at $229, while the largest is 55 inches at $649. TCL models are available now on Amazon, and Hisense models will be available in September. Roku customers have used the small set-top boxes and “sticks,” similar to flash drives for video, to stream popular entertainment services like Netflix, Spotify, and Hulu Plus on separate TVs. With Roku TV, the streaming services are available without a detached player. Roku, based in Saratoga, Calif. since 2002, is offering a simpler remote (“with just 20 buttons,” the company said) with Roku TV and a corresponding mobile app for iOS and Android.
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--- Rebecca Ungarino