Roku TV announces new smart home features rolling out this winter

Roku TV is trying to tie as many of its devices as possible into a single ecosystem for easier access. In that regard, the company announced this week a slew of new features that will be rolled out in “Winter 2024.”

The highlight of the announcement is the ability to view live streams on a big TV. Basically, Roku users will be able to turn their TVs into security monitors, assuming they’re using compatible cameras.

Roku also confirmed plans to add the same functionality to medium and small screens like phones and computers via the Web View. But that’s not everything that Roku plans to bring to its users by the end of the year.

A new Camera Carousel that automatically cycles through each camera feed on your TV will be added too. This will make use of motion detection to display the camera where the action is happening.

Another interesting new feature revealed by Roku TV is the ability to receive alerts on your TV when your camera detects pets, packages and people. Up until now, these notifications are sent to your phone, but you’ll soon have the ability to receive them on your TV too. You’ll just have to enable them from the settings menu (included with Camera subscription).

As per Roku’s announcement, the new Camera Carousel, Smart Home Web View, and additional notifications will become available for free with software updates that will be rolled out this winter.

It’s important to mention that these features are available for all Roku Smart Home camera and doorbell products, including Roku’s Floodlight Camera, Video Doorbell, Wire-free Video Doorbell and Chime, Indoor 360 Camera, Outdoor Wire-free Camera, Indoor and Outdoor Wired Camera SE, and the company’s new Indoor and Outdoor Wired Cameras.