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[Strega]

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...

[eclairesndonuts]

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.

[Streamer317]

When coming up with an idea such as this one needs to look at from ALL angles. When Microsoft offers free Windows upgrades like from 7-10 they have you run a compatibility scan. It checks if your hardware will support 10 before you install it. How do you suppose this will work? When you buy a computer such as a Dell you get a list of the hardware it comes with. Windows itself even tells you this. When you buy a tv you don’t get a break down of the internal hardware nor is there a way to check this. TCL is the lead manufacturer of Roku TV’s. How do you think they would feel about this? If you format a USB stick on Windows it’s usually fat32. Do you think a TV supports a fat32 formatted USB drive? It would take a special formatted drive also. 

[atc98092]

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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. 

[Streamer317]

@atc98092  Thank you. People simply don’t understand that hardware and software work in conjunction with each other. That would be like installing Windows on a Chromebook. Different hardware is used for each operating system. You cannot erase an Android TV’s software and install Roku over it. 

[DBDukes]

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@Streamer317 wrote:

...You cannot erase an Android TV’s software and install Roku over it. 

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But you can install Linux on a Windows PC or a Mac, replacing the original OS. So with little more knowledge than that, the possibility certainly seems reasonable.

[Streamer317]

That’s Cuz Lenox is open source

[DBDukes]

@Streamer317 

Linux being open source has nothing to do with whether or not it can be installed. It has to do with whether or not it may be installed. There's a difference.

[Streamer317]

@DBDukes  What I meant is that Linux is a free and open source OS. It’s actually fully portable. Roku on the other hand will never make Roku OS open source. When you run Linux on a Windows PC it doesn’t remove Windows. Linux makes a separate partition on your HDD. It’s almost like running a virtual machine. Either way you look at it Roku will never release a downloadable version of their OS to be installed on any smart tv. End of story 

[DBDukes]

@Streamer317 

And, you can install Windows on an Intel-based Mac. I know because I have. Neither OS is open source. Open source has nothing to do with it.