Roku TV Smart Projector to compete with Google TV OS and Android projectors

Hopefully this leads to sub $300 projectors

(credit: Kevin Lee / The Shortcut)

• 📽️ Roku unveils its first projector in a reference design

• 📺 Roku invites its TV partners (like TCL and Roku) to develop Roku-powered projectors

• 🔨 Roku could break up Google’s iron grip on the projector market

• 🛜 Roku TV Smart Projector wirelessly connects to Roku speakers and smart home devices

In addition to announcing new Streaming Sticks and Mini-LED TVs, Roku unveiled a TV Smart Projector.

The Roku TV Smart Projector sadly won’t ever come to market, and instead is a reference design being made available to third-party TV partners who build TVs running Roku’s software (i.e., the new Hisense U6QF and TCL QM6K)

(credit: Kevin Lee / The Shortcut)

This projector doesn’t really break new ground in design and bears a striking resemblance to the LG CineBeam Q, but what could be game-changing is a sub-$300 Roku projector. Currently, the lowest-priced projector we’ve come across is the $379 Xgimi MoGo 3 Pro. Google almost has an iron-grip on projectors with most models running either Google TV OS or Android.

The Roku TV Smart Projector (left) looks awfully similar to the LG CineBeam Q (right) from 2024 (credit: Kevin Lee / The Shortcut)

Roku’s OS could also introduce some big benefits, as this reference design was able to shoot audio to a pair of Roku Wireless Speakers. It should, in theory, also be able to wirelessly connect to Roku’s TV Wireless Soundbar, but this wasn’t demoed during the Roku event. Roku also demonstrated how its reference projector can connect to smart home devices, such as its new battery-powered security cameras.

Roku has been agressively expanding to manufacture its own TVs, soundbars, smart home devices, and projectors could be its next market.

My biggest dream is for Roku to develop a smart home hub with a tiny projector. Just think of Apple’s rumored next-gen HomePod with an iPad on a robot arm, but in the simpler shape of a smart speaker that could project a screen onto any surface. But this is just me speculating on what potential devices Roku could help develop

• Up next: Hisense L9Q Trichroma Laser TV is a home theatre projector and sound system all-in-one

Kevin Lee is The Shortcut’s Creative Director. Follow him on Twitter @baggingspam.