Roku is the latest company to lean into the trend of throwing artwork onto your TV screen, offering viewers some serene relaxation time when they’re not actively watching something. Today the company announced a new feature / app called Backdrops, and it all sounds very familiar.
Rolling out first to Roku-branded TVs and third-party Roku TV sets (and then to Roku streaming devices “later in the fall”), Backdrops features “a catalog that includes famous classics, wide-ranging museum collections, abstract designs, and more.”
Here’s more on what to expect:
Viewers can also learn more about the artwork, including artist name, year it was created, and a brief description for each image, even cycle in photos from their personal collection to display on the largest screen in their home. Whether wanting to relive that unforgettable sunsets captured or showcase a favorite piece of art, the choice is in the hands of the viewer.
Credit where it’s due, Samsung’s The Frame sparked this whole phenomenon, which has since been copied by Hisense, TCL, and other TV makers. Amazon has also brought an “Ambient Experience” to its Fire TV platform for a similar effect. There’s more to The Frame’s success than the artwork alone, of course; the TV has customizable bezels and a matte screen finish that makes the whole effect more convincing.
One nice aspect of Roku’s approach is that there’s no subscription required to access any of this; Backdrops will let the company’s customers choose between “thousands” of art pieces for free. And as you can see in the screenshot above, some notable artists are included.
Roku is at least recognizing it’s a little late to this game with the silly, over-the-top video up top that describes Backdrops as “revolutionary.”
But fear not: Backdrops won’t be replacing Roku City as the default screensaver on Roku’s platform. The two function a bit differently. Backdrops can be triggered manually, or you can set an artwork collection to display whenever a Roku TV is in its “off” state. Bu if you doze off on the couch, you’ll still wake up to Roku’s signature side-scrolling metropolis screensaver. That’s precious ad space, after all.
