My Samsung SmartTV picture died and after troubleshooting to determine the picture had indeed croaked, I started looking for a replacement. I'd been spying TVs at Costco, but decided to see what was offered here on Amazon. This RokuTV caught my eye because of the price. It was more than reasonable for a 4K 50" TV. I thought about it for a few days and then decided to get it.
It arrived the next day. The TV is ridiculously lightweight, which was a bonus for me. It was easy to set up and was ready to go in minutes. I already have Rokus throughout the house, so I signed into my account and all my apps were there on the homescreen. I logged into all my existing accounts and was ready to stream as usual in about 10 minutes. I then checked out the live TV options.
Setting up so that I could catch local broadcast channels was easy. Just a toggle to antenna in the setup (just like other TVs). Roku Live TV channels also populated and added hundreds of channels of free content, much of it useful (movie channels, music channels, topic-specific channels, etc). There will always be something to watch with this TV.
The TV comes with a channel guide. A bonus feature of the channel guide is that it is user controlled, i.e. it moves as slowly or quickly as you want it, so you don't have to wait while it slowly scrolls. Lots of information about the shows and channels is included as well, and you can favorite channels as you go using the options button (*) on the remote. The channel guide only works for live TV, and is easily accessed by pressing the left arrow on the remote.
Volume control is on the side of the remote, which is handy, but the remote (like all Roku remotes) is super sensitive, so you can (will) sometimes accidentally mute, increase/decrease volume, change channels or go to the streaming homepage. Minor annoyance, and certainly better than other remotes that require a hard press of the buttons to get anything done. The remote also has a 3.5mm mini-jack headphone jack on it (!) which is a great bonus! It can be voice activated as well by pushing the mic button, but I'm not going to use that feature (I draw the line on IoT devices beyond a smartTV), so I can't speak to how that functions. There are dedicated buttons for streaming services on the remote (these are different on every Roku remote we have in the house, so your results will vary). There are also 2 shortcut buttons on the remote that you can easily program, and an instant replay button. The remote is just a tad heavier than other remotes, but that is actually a good feature: the remote feels good and fits well in the hand. It also takes 2 AA batteries which is a huge bonus over 2 or 3 AAA batteries. The only drawback to this remote is that it lacks number keys, which means you have to quickly scroll through the channel guide to get to your live TV channel. OTOH, most people will probably just use the voice controls to access a channel quickly. So far, it's been a minor inconvenience; if I watched more broadcast TV it would be annoying.
The TV has 4 HDMI ports, 1 USB, 1 LAN, RCA IN (only) connection, 1 optical port, antenna/cable connection, and a 3.5 mm headphone jack. The Dolby Sound on the TV is clear and there is little to no distortion at full volume. Sound settings can be changed to match audio output (e.g., music, movies, etc) or just left on auto so it adjusts on its own. The TV can accept Roku Wireless speakers that upgrade to 2.1 sound, but I've not figured out how; the TV does not support bluetooth. Alternatively, you can use the HDMI 1/eARC port for your ARC/eARC home sound system. The auto brightness on the TV is a nice feature and offers the appropriate visibility for specific lighting situations (i.e., bright daylight, nighttime, no light). Dark scenes in shows don't wash out in darkness or in bright light surroundings. The TV does not support web browsing, but it does offer screen mirroring (found in advanced system settings) to allow you to connect to a laptop or tablet.
The Select Series is the low-end of Roku TVs, but it's a substantial improvement over my Samsung SmartTV is every way. And, for a low-end version, it's a good TV at a bargain price. It doesn't have all the bells and whistles that a higher-end version would have, but if all you really want to do with it is stream shows and movies, you really can't go wrong with this TV.
| Brand Name | Roku |
|---|---|
| Item Weight | 54.9 pounds |
| Product Dimensions | 13.2 x 57.1 x 35.6 inches |
| Country of Origin | China |
| Item model number | 65R4A5R |
| Color Name | Black |
| Special Features | Bezel-Less Design, Local Dimming, HDR10+, Ambient Light Sensor, Voice Remote |
| Speaker Type | Built-In |
| Standing screen display size | 65 Inches |
