Roku Debuts a Smart Soundbar

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For those who here follow or invest in Roku, some interesting news today: they came out with a smart soundbar.

https://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2019/9/4/20848492/ro…

“Where Roku’s original Wireless Speakers were accessories meant to make Roku TVs sound better, the Smart Soundbar is an even bigger living room play: with full-fledged integrated Roku hardware, it’s Roku’s play to take over the entirety of your streaming setup, no matter what kind of TV you have. Just plug the speaker into an HDMI ARC port, and you’ll get 4K video with Roku’s full suite of apps and a decent soundbar with both Bluetooth and Dolby audio support.”

Seems like a smart way to help them end up in as many households as possible! I would be curious to know how the margins on soundbars compare to their other hardware.

best,
nat

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Target price $179. Again, priced very competitively, cheaper than the FireTv competitor Nebula, Sonos or Bose. Will need to wait for reviews to ascertain sound quality, of course, but if it proves to be decent, this might once again prove to be a smart play by Roku, as what they are really after is the ever expanding user base, not just hardware revenue.

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