ROKU TO PUSH TV/PC CONVERGENCE WITH ROKU TV IN 2014

Roku, the settop box maker, has pushed the TV-to-computer converging point a bit closer with the announcement that it has licensed its platform to two Chinese manufacturers who will introduce the first Roku TV sets this year. While Apple, which also makes a settop box, dithers over whether it can effectively penetrate the saturated market for television sets, Roku appears to be employing the tactic Google adopted with Android — license the system and let others manufacture the product. Roku said in its announcement that its aim to see its platform become the “de facto operating system for a new wave of smart TVs.” Currently its settop box provides 1200 “channels” of online video content. The Roku TV sets, from China’s Hisense and TCL are expected to hit the U.S. and Canadian markets in the fall. Pricing has not been disclosed, but TCL currently makes a 4K Ultra HDTV that sells for less than $1,000.