One of the coolest things about Samsung’s ultraexpensive and minimalist Frame lineup of TVs is that they look like, well, a TV, but even more like a blank canvas ready for a fine art piece. Of course, you had to buy those digital paintings, or pick up a subscription to the art store, but it looks stunning in person. Roku is now drawing some “inspiration” and bringing a dash of artistic serenity to its streaming platform, starting with Roku-branded TVs.
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Roku is calling it Backdrops, a concept that will “transform your TV into a canvas.” Backdrops will arrive as its standalone app, which is essentially a catalog of “famous classics, wide-ranging museum collections, abstract designs,” among other art genres. Of course, if you deem the picture of your pooch adds more joy to your living room than a digital painting of a sun-kissed valley, Roku will let you cycle through your own gallery of pictures in the name of flexibility.
The idea is to save users the pain of seeing a blank screen or having it destroy the entire aesthetics of their living space. But what sets Roku’s endeavor apart is the delivery model, which, as the company proudly advertises, “For Free.” No purchase hassles, no subscription shenanigans. For anyone who’s lived through the era of NFTs, they won’t have to dismiss Roku’s upcoming feature with the “Why do I pay for JPEG on my TV” argument.
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