Roku lands JVC as latest smart TV licensing partner

The Roku TV licensing program is getting its newest manufacturer today as Shenzhen MTC brand JVC said it will begin making smart TVs with Roku’s operating system.JVC will use Roku’s TV hardware reference designs and Roku OS to create a line of JVC smart TVs with the first HD JVC Roku TVs expected to ship in the U.S. later this year.“Roku is America’s #1 streaming platform because it is incredibly easy to use and offers access to countless movies and TV episodes all from the home screen,” said John Araki, chief technology officer of JVC, in a statement. “We are looking forward to marrying our longstanding history of innovation with Roku’s popular smart TV platform as we aim to improve our customers’ everyday life with smartly designed products making life a little more fun.”“For more than 90 years JVC has been delivering quality video and audio products and we look forward to working with MTC to grow the JVC smart TV presence in the US,” said Chas Smith, general manager of Roku TV and players, in a statement. “We know most TV manufacturers will license a TV OS and are proud of our low-cost purpose-built solution and the level of collaboration and support that we offer our partners while delivering a superior experience to consumers.”