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Roku announced its first self-branded TVs at CES last year<\/a>, and as expected, the main emphasis was on budget pricing and providing a solid, dependable product. Above all else, the Roku Select and Plus Series TVs were a vehicle for getting Roku\u2019s software into even more homes. But the first-party Roku TVs fell a bit flat in terms of picture quality compared to sets from TCL, Hisense, and other TV makers that play in the same pricing territory. They were fine<\/em> but unexceptional.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n For 2024, Roku hopes to step up its video chops with a new Pro lineup of TVs due to ship later this year. The Roku Pro TVs will come in 55-inch, 65-inch, and 75-inch sizes for \u201cretail prices under $1,500.\u201d They\u2019ll feature Mini LED local dimming for improved contrast and deeper blacks. The company also says it\u2019ll offer a unique mount for these models \u201cthat marries both design and functionality\u201d and allows the Roku Pro sets to rest flat against the wall.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n As is becoming a theme this year, Roku says these TVs will also leverage AI to automatically adjust picture and audio settings based on the specific content you\u2019re viewing. Roku\u2019s research shows that over 90 percent of customers never change their picture modes at all, so now the company is going to handle that duty itself. A new Smart Picture feature will detect the content on-screen and automatically optimize the image settings to make it look its best. (Roku Smart Picture will also be coming to third-party Roku TVs this year; it\u2019s not just limited to Roku\u2019s own hardware.) <\/p>\n<\/div>\n Roku\u2019s customers have streamed billions of hours\u2019 worth of content on the platform, and the company says this has given it a wealth of data and expertise when it comes to video processing, bit rate optimization, and so on. If you\u2019re wondering about motion smoothing, it\u2019s on by default, but whenever Roku Smart Picture detects cinematic content it\u2019ll turn off the smoothing automatically. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n Like its first wave of TVs, the Roku Pro sets are designed in-house but manufactured by an OEM partner. There are only so many companies churning out panels and TV hardware nowadays, so I\u2019m sure Roku\u2019s partner will quickly be identified once the TVs start shipping in the spring. Unfortunately, Roku is staying pretty tight-lipped about other hardware features and the tech specs until closer to launch. Can they do 120Hz and VRR? One would hope so with the \u201cPro\u201d label, but we\u2019ll have to wait a couple more months to find out the whole story.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n My biggest question is how the Roku Pro TVs will stack up against the first OLED Roku TV, made by Sharp,<\/a> that was announced in November. But the OLED comes at a premium, with the 55-inch model starting at $1,500. And once you\u2019re spending more than that, are you still shopping Roku TVs in the first place?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n