Roku needs to seal the deal

Roku is an operating system that controls a smart box that lets you watch various streaming TV programs and channels.  It is also possible to buy many lower end TVs with the Roku platform built in.  I have an Apple TV and I prefer Roku whenever possible.  Roku doesn't have the restrictions that Apple TV has so you can make purchases using apps like Vudu using the program.

I have one of the newer devices and it stream 4k HDR beautifully without and problems.  Even the new remote is dope because you can flip a button and it because a smart listening device where you can tell it what program to play or to pause.

Now you may think Amazon Fire, Roku, Google, and Apple TV are all about the same.  Unfortunately you would be wrong.  Roku has two things going for it.  Roku was the original manufacturer of the connected box used for Netflix in the infancy days.  They worked with Netflix and learned from them how to run a company and launch a product.  They are just as smart as Netflix.

The second thing they have going is that their TV Operating System is the best one out there.  It is very easy to use.  There are thousands of apps and all of the apps allow you to do transactions.  They are very close to having online gambling and all types of sports TV with partnerships with FUBU.tv and others.

In my opinion, Roku's biggest competitors are Samsung and Sony.  If you buy a good Samsung Tv or a good Sony TV you will get their own native apps to stream Disney, Netflix, and Hulu.  It might not be as good as Roku, but for most people it will be good enough.  Same thing with a Sony TV, you may be satisfied with their apps.

This means the key to Roku's long term success in the current product cycle is to get their OS into Sony and Samsung.  It should be possible.  They could offer a better revenue share and they could probably offer more hours of watching.  Samsung and Sony can stop working on their OS and work on content and monetizing the content using the tools that Roku has already perfected.

If I was Samsung, I would buy Roku and rebrand it.  Samsung doesn't have its own device and people would love a Samsung device.  As long as they didn't mess up the software or the deal structure, it could really give Samsung televisions a big advantage.  Other TVs would have to use inferior systems and end users would buy Samsung and possibly get introduced into the Samsung ecosystem. Samsung needs to spend more time creating an ecosystem that you can stay in from Phone to PC to Televison.