What you need to know
- Roku teased a few new features preparing to arrive on its streaming dongles and TVs “this winter.”
- The company showcased a new “camera carousel” for its TVs, which will switch its view automatically if it detects movement.
- Laptops and computers will pick up a “web view” version of Roku Smart Home for viewing live camera feeds.
Roku is upgrading its smart home experience by bringing better integration with smart TVs later this year.
In a blog post, the company teased several new features for Roku Smart Home, such as expanding the usefulness of camera feeds on your TV. Users with a Roku camera or video doorbell can already view those feeds on a TV; however, this upcoming update adds a “Camera Carousel.” In this view, users can select and view a camera’s live feed with additional options through its new feature.
The left side of the view will list the “carousel” first, with the remaining cameras you may have connected beneath.
Roku states the carousel will “automatically” cycle through any connected cameras on your TV. What’s more, it will switch feeds depending on motion. If Roku detects movement, it will quickly switch to show you what’s happening without any user input.
The company is building on its smart home and TV experience with additional notifications on the large screen. These notifications involve “events” picked up by your Roku Smart Home camera, and users will receive an alert on their TV for occurrences like packages or people at their door, as well as movements from their pets.
These alerts are wrapped in your Roku Camera subscription and enabled via the settings.
Lastly, Roku is extending its smart home support to smaller screens. The “Smart Home Web View” is set to debut on laptops later this year. From there, Roku states users will have access to every camera feed they have set up around the house, similar to their TV.
The company states these updates should begin rolling out “this winter.” Roku reminds users that these features will arrive through a free update and will be available on Roku TVs and streaming dongles.
Roku started its journey into smart home and TV integration a couple of years ago when it launched its suite of devices. The company saw its array of plugs, lights, and more as a “natural extension” for consumers. More importantly, Roku highlighted its devices came pre-packaged with Roku TV OS integration. This lets users quickly view a camera feed without reaching for their phone.
Additionally, the company’s voice remote can be used for vocal commands to surface a camera feed.
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