No hostility is being shown. It’s just the ridiculousness of your request. Absolutely no company is going to offer a free version of the operating system for anyone to use on any device. So according to you I guess Apple should release free versions of iOS. Google should release free versions of android. Amazon should release free versions of their operating system for the fire devices. The list goes on and on. Like I said even if you could download Roku onto a USB stick. Exactly how would you install and onto a TV? How would anybody know if their TV is compatible without having a breakdown of the internal hardware. TV manufacturers do not give out the internal breakdown of their devices. You’re under the impression that if Roku does this then then just like magic any smart tv turns into a Roku TV. What about TCL, Hisense and Sharp? Don’t you realize those companies won’t allow it because they sell Roku TVs and I will hurt their profit?
I’m not an expert on the technical aspects of how it could be imported to an existing Smart TV, but Roku operates on simpler and cheaper components than most OS competitors, so they should all be fully capable of running the OS if there is a way to do this, even via an HDMI connection to a laptop. You’re not hearing me. Roku makes negative money to get their devices into the hands of users. Free OS is at least less capital intensive to growth user accounts than negative unit cost. Quarterly revenue per user is upward of $45. Why spend money for an acquired user when you can achieve the same revenue per user for free? I hear what you’re saying that it isn’t a straightforward task, but the financial aspect makes sense.
I understand what you're proposing, and I don't think it necessarily conflicts with Roku's business model but I see plenty of obstacles, such as: how homogenous are smart TVs in general? (ie how many versions of the Roku OS would there need to be?) Does Roku want to open up any parts of their OS to let others try to port it? (And can they maintain the level of control that they desire if they do?) And do TV companies, other than those already working with Roku want the Roku OS on their products? Who supplies support when something goes wrong? Currently, even with partner TV companies, Roku points you at them – will, for example, Samsung, want calls about Roku OS users..
I'm sure this idea has already been tossed around a executive meeting or two...
Thank you. That’s a reasonable response, and I understand what you’re getting at. I appreciate that you took the time to consider it and analyze the logistical challenges without shooting down the idea outright. I was just curious to discuss this with people who may have relevant input or a financial interest in Roku like myself.
You highlight the one significant issue with the idea in your original post: compatible hardware. I would be willing to wager that there is no other TV on the current market that has hardware that would be compatible with the Roku OS. Samsung uses the Tizen OS, LG uses something called Web OS, Sony uses Android TV (as does some others). While each might have some components that would be recognized by the Roku OS, it's highly unlikely that all hardware would be detected and work properly with the included drivers.
Roku is not going to develop an OS for other Smart TVs. They have enough issues with their OS on the existing hardware, and are not going to expend the resources to modify their OS for alternate hardware. One of the most difficult things Microsoft has to deal with for Windows is the wide variety of hardware their OS is expected to work on. And it's why Apple stopped building versions of the Mac OS for anything but the hardware they themselves provide.
While I like the idea in theory, I recognize that the practicality of it simply will never make a business case for Roku.
