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Three Features that could Unseat Roku

Three Features that could Unseat Roku

Here Are Three Device Features That Could Unseat Roku

August 10, 2021

News in the streaming device world has been quiet as of late. Believe it or not, that's a good thing --- and fairly meaningful. After several years of product competition, we may have hit a bit of stability in the market. The Roku is the clear winner on that end, but that does beg the question: What would it take to unseat the current streaming device champions?

Streamer's Spotlight: Three Device Features That Could Unseat Roku

The Roku has dominated the market for several years. As the cord-cutting revolution becomes less a revolution and more a way of life, it's certainly a household name as far as products go. But there's no end to the ways that products can be innovated and improved upon. Roku will presumably continue to improve its products to maintain its market dominance, but as a bit of a "what if", here are three features an imaginary Roku competitor could include that might eat into Roku's market share.

1. Wireless Connectivity

Wires are still the bane of everyone's existence. We're starting to see the hints of a truly wireless society, though. Wireless charging is now a thing for mobile phones, and of course, wireless communication technologies such as Bluetooth are now standard across many devices.

Still, the tech still has a long way to go, especially for charging. Wireless chargers are only convenient when they're built-in. For mobile phones, most wireless chargers don't reduce the number of wires needed, only exchange a wire from the phone to the wall, with a wire from the charging device to the wall.

The first TV streaming device that goes completely wireless will alter the landscape, but it'll need two things to make that happen. First, it will need to be able to connect to TVs with a wireless connection. Currently, that's not mainstream. But even adding an HDMI Bluetooth receiver would streamline this process.

The second thing that needs to happen would be range extending. The fewer devices cluttering around the TV, the better. This leads to cleaner TV mounting scenarios. If we can connect our device to our TV from any room, and stream and watch without a physical device located anywhere, we're definitely in business.

2. Multi-Device Support

Now here's a game-changer. Right now, if you want to access your Roku account on every TV in your house, you need a Roku device for every TV. That can be expensive. But what if you could broadcast to multiple TVs at the same time from one hub device? Any TV streaming product company that can make that happen is going to be stealing the keys to the kingdom right from Roku's hands.

3. Multi-User Support

Supporting streaming to multiple devices from the same TV device is one thing, but what if it can support multiple user accounts with different preferences, logins, and more? Again, this would be game-changing for the TV streaming market. So, to all of you product designers out there...these ideas are free!

This Week's Streaming Guide

1. FOX Reboot of 1970s 'Fantasy Island' Premiers Today

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2. Disney's 'What If...?" Premiers Wednesday

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3. 'Star Trek: Lower Decks' Returns for Season 2

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4. Netflix Brings Another Video Game to the Small Screen with 'Monster Hunter: Legends of the Guild'

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