Quick Summary
A new Backdrops feature is coming to Roku TVs and streaming devices.
It turns your set into a hung painting, with thousands of artworks to choose from.
Roku will roll out a free update in the coming weeks that will add a number of new features, including the ability to turn your TV into an artwork.
Much like Samsung's The Frame and the forthcoming TCL NXTFRAME TVs, the new Backdrops mode displays classic and contemporary works of art on the screen, enhancing your decor when you're not watch a show or movie.
Thousands of different pictures will be available to download and display for free – there will be no subscription fee to use them. They include paintings from the likes of Monet and Manet. You'll even be able to upload your own portraits for use on your set.
Images can be cycled through using the remote and you can create entire galleries that can automatically update by a set amount of time. You can also choose between different artist-specific galleries, or your favourite museum to see its collection.
Voice control is supported too, so you can turn Backdrops on or off using speech.
"Our TVs are more than a device for streaming shows and movies – they can now elevate the aesthetic of any room, with the ease of one click." the company's SVP of advanced development, Brian Pinkerton.
"Now, our customers can turn any TV screen into a conversation piece, and even better, it’s free."
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Backdrops will be available on Roku TV models (both own-brand and third-party) first before then hitting the brand's streaming devices "in the fall".
It's not clear whether this will be just for US devices first or whether it's a global rollout. We'll let you know as soon as we find out.
T3 is at IFA 2024 in Germany this week where we'll be looking at a large range of TVs, sound systems and other AV kit, so will bring you more news like the Roku update as we get it.
Rik is T3’s news editor, which means he looks after the news team and the up-to-the-minute coverage of all the hottest gadgets and products you’ll definitely want to read about. And, with more than 35 years of experience in tech and entertainment journalism, including editing and writing for numerous websites, magazines, and newspapers, he’s always got an eye on the next big thing.
Rik also has extensive knowledge of AV, TV streaming and smart home kit, plus just about everything to do with games since the late 80s. Prior to T3, he spent 13 years at Pocket-lint heading up its news team, and was a TV producer and presenter on such shows as Channel 4's GamesMaster, plus Sky's Games World, Game Over, and Virtual World of Sport.
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