American TV brand RCA is expanding its presence in the U.K. with the launch of its first Roku TVs in the country.
RCA made its U.K. debut very recently with a selection of entry-level smart TVs, but the Roku TV models are a definite step up in quality and part of a more concerted push to grab a slice of the nation’s TV market.
The company says the new models are available now from Amazon, combining “RCA’s affordable hardware” with “Roku’s award-winning platform” to offer a quality screen at a very low price.
Choices include the 32-inch HD-ready RR32HD1 starting at just £130, the 40-inch full HD RR40FD1, priced at £170, and the 55-inch, 4K RR55UD1, which costs a very reasonable £270. In addition, the company is throwing in 30 days of free access to Discovery +, so long as customers buy and activate one of the new sets by January 15, 2023.
RCA said the new models feature localised version of the Roku smart TV platform, which means they come with key applications such as BBC iPlayer, ITVX, All 4, My5 and Freeview Play, bringing the very best free TV channels. Added to those local services are the likes of Netflix, Disney+ and Amazon Prime Video.
Those applications will be accessible via Roku’s slick and customisable TV interface, ensuring they are much more user-friendly than most similarly-priced smart TVs. Other features include regular updates from Roku and a universal search function that allows users to find TV shows, live sports and movies from across all of their installed apps. For paid content, Roku even presents the results in order of price, so users can find the cheapest way to access it.
RCA added that the new TVs will all come installed with the latest version of Roku, which is Roku OS 11.5. That’s a relatively recent update that began rolling out globally in November and adds new features including a Save List on the Home Screen, where users can save their favourite movies and shows, and more visual search results to make browsing easier. Other new features include enhanced Entertainment Details that organise universal search results more efficiently, more visuals with Roku Voice search, and a Bluetooth enabled private listening feature that makes it easy to mute the TV and listen through a pair of compatible headphones.
The RCA Roku TVs are all compatible with Apple Airplay 2, meaning an additional source of content, and they work with voice control platforms like Apple Siri, Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant.
“As a leading provider of a full range of tech products internationally, we are excited to bring RCA TVs to the U.K in partnership with Roku.” said Simon Lucas, General Manager at Innoview International Limited. “The TVs are assembled at our facility in South Wales and customers will benefit from its on-site call center.. With value for money a key consideration for consumers this holiday season, we expect these HD and 4K UHD Roku TVs to be a real winner.”
