Smart TV vs. Roku TV – what’s the difference?

While “smart TV” is a key TV feature retailers often tout, there are a lot of folks who don’t know what a smart TV offers, or in some cases what it means. And what about a Roku TV? Is a Roku TV different from a smart TV?  

We’re here to answer your most commonly asked questions! 

What is a smart TV?  

Also referred to as a “connected TV,” a smart TV is a television that connects to the internet and has a built-in operating system (OS), like your mobile phone or personal computer. A smart TV makes it possible to stream movies and TV shows from the ever-growing list of streaming services such as Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, and more. 

What’s the difference between a Roku TV and smart TV? 

Most TVs are smart nowadays, but many don’t deliver on that promise. From a busy home screen, to confusing settings and remotes with too many (or not enough) buttons, sometimes smart means complicated. It’s a TV, it should work like one.   

Designed for simplicity with Roku streaming built in, Roku TV is smart TV made easy. The customizable home screen puts your inputs, streaming favorites, and free live TV all in one place—like they should be. Search across thousands of streaming channels at once or discover something new to watch in just a click. Bring out the best in your TV with simple settings that anyone can understand. Best of all, you’ll always get the newest features without having to think about it. 

Do I need an internet connection to use a Roku TV? 

To take advantage of awesome features such as streaming sports, searching for the latest episode of The Morning Show or pausing live TV, you’ll want to connect your TV to the internet. 

Do I need a Roku TV to watch entertainment on Hulu, Prime Video and Netflix?  

If you’re shopping for a new TV, a Roku TV is a great value and an easy way to access your favorite entertainment. Roku TVs offer paid channels including Hulu, Prime Video, Netflix, Max, and Peacock, as well as free options like The Roku Channel, The CW, and more.

If you’re not quite ready to upgrade your TV, Roku streaming players are a great option to turn your older TV into a smart TV (Roku streaming players can connect to your TV via HDMI or composite cables).  

4K, 8K, OLED, Dolby Vision — What do these really mean?  

Another important consideration when looking for a new TV is picture quality. The terminology can feel a bit overwhelming, so here’s what you want to know before purchasing a new TV. 

TV Resolutions 

• 1080p/Full High Definition (FHD) – This is the screen resolution used by most standard HDTVs – 1920 pixels x 1080 pixels tall. These TVs are great for a secondary room, including a bedroom, kitchen or child’s room. 
• 4K/Ultra High Definition (UHD) – Most TVs support 4K resolution – or 3840 × 2160 pixels. A 4K TV features 4 times as many pixels as an HD TV – and that means you will see a more detailed, life-like picture. 
• 8K/Full Ultra High Definition (FUHD) – The most detailed picture you can get in a TV today, at a whopping 7680 × 4320 pixels, or 4 times as many pixels and detail compared to a 4K television. 

LCD, LED, QLED, OLED Panel Technologies 

• Liquid-Crystal Display (LCD) – LCD technology powers everything from digital watches to mobile phones to TVs. A standard LCD display will have millions of pixels that can be turned on and off dozens of times each second, allowing an LED backlight to shine through the screen and create a very bright image. 
• Light Emitting Diode (LED) – LEDs are used to create the light that shines through the screen on an LCD television. The number of LED lights in a modern TV control how bright a TV can get. Modern LCD TV sets have a smart video processing algorithm that controls how much contrast there is between dark and light scenes. 
• QLED/Quantum Dot – When you see a TV identified as a ‘QLED’ TV, that means it has an LCD screen with a quantum dot film layer lit with LEDs. The quantum dot film dramatically improves the TV’s ability to accurately create the red, green, and blue primary colors resulting in more life-like and vibrant images on the screen. 
• Mini-LED – Mini-LED is one of the latest approaches to LCD backlight design and uses the latest semiconductor technology to shrink the physical size of LED lights. Because there are so many LEDs, the panel can be much thinner than traditional LED lit TVs. With more LEDs to light the TV, the TV brightness and contrast increase dramatically, accurately reproducing what the eye sees in the real world. 
• Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) – As the name suggests, OLED displays are self-light emitting displays that don’t require an LED backlight as its light source. Individual pixels in OLED displays produce their own colors and can be completely turned off, producing an infinite black, resulting in tremendous contrast between dark and light scenes. By the way, we recently launched our first ever OLED TV in partnership with Sharp! Click to check out the OLED Sharp Roku TV.  

Color & Lighting Technologies 

• Full Array Local Dimming – The number of LED lights in a modern TV impacts how bright a TV can get, and how much contrast there is between dark and light scenes. Televisions with Full Array Local Dimming use a larger number of LED lights that are spread across the TV in a series of checkerboard “zones.” The number of zones can range from a dozen or two, up to thousands of unique areas that can be illuminated. 
• HDR10, Dolby Vision and HLG – Movies and shows encoded using High Dynamic Range (HDR) technologies promise to look even more colorful and vibrant than traditionally encoded content (or Standard Dynamic Range content). HDR10 is one of the most widely adopted versions of HDR. Dolby Vision is capable of delivering even greater color depth and allows for the content creator to fine-tune the HDR experience dynamically from scene to scene. Hybrid Log-Gamma (HLG) is a form of HDR tech primarily used by broadcasters for sports. Any of these HDR technologies will make watching a modern 4K or 8K TV look even more incredible than traditional HDTVs. 

How do I buy a Roku TV?

Ready to improve your entertainment experience with a Roku TV? There are hundreds of models across brands including TCL, Hisense, Sharp, Philips, Westinghouse, and more, available at retailers including Amazon, Best Buy, Target, Walmart, and more. Simply head over to the Roku TV section on Roku.com to learn more, and be sure to check out our new OLED Sharp Roku TV.

Happy Streaming!