Hitachi Will Offer HD And 4K Roku Smart TVs This Fall

Hitachi is onboard to make Roku smart TVs, the company has announced. This upcoming fall, Hitachi will offer a line of Roku TVs with both HD and Ultra HD 4K resolution, all of them with various sized displays and Roku's own OS. The televisions, as with the TCL and Hisense versions that have been available for a while, will give users access to Roku's streaming channels while eliminating the need to have a separate set-top-box or Roku Streaming Stick.

The two companies announced their plans today, but didn't launch into details about how many models Hitachi will roll out this upcoming fall season, nor what array of screen sizes and prices we can expect. Thus far, Roku TVs have aimed at a relatively budget-friendly price point, and have proven a popular way for the everyday entertainment consumer to get their hands on a smart TV.

For example, TCL currently offers a 40-inch LED Roku TV for $300, and a 32-inch LED 720p TV for about $170. No doubt Hitachi's 4K resolution offerings will be more pricey than the "HD" versions, but we'll likely see the same kind of budget-friendly pricing structure.

In its present state, Hitachi's website shows a 65-inch LED 1080p TV shipped with a Roku Streaming Stick for $698 USD. It isn't unreasonable to guess we'll see the company stick to a similar pricing structure for its Roku TV offerings, in that the only big difference will be the Roku OS integrated rather than being delivered via an HDMI stick.

Last year was the first full year of Roku TV's existence. During it, the company says it saw a big spike in growth with sales making up 8-percent of the United State's smart TV market. This year, the 40 or some available Roku TV models will increase to more than 60 models and will span a half dozen manufacturers, of which Hitachi is one. Roku TV screen sizes, at least at this time, will max out at 65-inches.