Why I’m cautious about the Roku TV Smart Projector

Incorporating technology across devices in your home makes a lot of sense in most cases. Let’s say you’re able to hook up

your security system
to your smart speaker or tablet. This allows you to monitor what’s happening on one device while looking at another, and it’s incredibly helpful to keep track of different areas of your home all at once.

To

use your voice
to ask a piece of tech about another piece of tech is an ideal feature that still amazes me to this day. The same goes for being able to bring your devices with you wherever you go. Roku recently announced new Streaming Sticks that have been made more efficient. Both the

Roku Streaming Stick
and Roku Streaming Stick Plus will be available on May 6 and are smart enough to be powered by plugging them into a TV — that means no more outlets. This makes them as portable as ever.

Roku also announced adding “an all-new Roku TV Smart Projector reference design” for its Roku TV partners. That means companies that make Roku TVs now have the ability to make a Roku TV Smart Projector. This may seem like a great idea, but I do have some reservations about it. Here’s why you might want to pump the brakes on buying a Roku TV Smart Projector when it comes out.

Roku Streaming Stick Plus (2025)

A slim plug and play streaming stick that includes 4K/HDR support and includes a voice remote. 

Leaving it open to the manufacturers is a mistake

There won’t be a uniform design or process

Roku / Philips / Pocket-lint

There are many manufacturers that make Roku TVs because Roku offers the design to third-party manufacturers. It lets them build TVs that just include the Roku TV operating system, which gives manufacturers the upper hand as to how they want the consumers to interact with it. It also means that Roku TVs are never the same.

This becomes a headache for the consumer and means they’ll need to do even more research into each individual TV. Sure, you know that you want a Roku TV. But which of the Roku TVs do you want? TCL? Philips? Hisense?

All of these brands make TVs that run Roku OS, but don’t let that fool you — they’re not created equal. Sure, the variety is nice, but it also makes shopping a bit more complicated. The same thing will happen with projectors that start using Roku OS. Just because two devices run the same system doesn’t mean they offer the same features, performance, or build quality.

So if you’re thinking about buying one, you’ll need to do more than just check for the Roku logo. Dig into the details — what ports it has, what kind of sound setup it offers, whether it supports the resolution and features you care about.

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Smart projectors can become out of date

Roku is opening itself up to being obsolete

If you’ve used a smart projector before, you know they come in all shapes and sizes with a wide range of features — but they’re ultimately tied to whatever operating system they run on. A lot of them use Android OS, which is great because you get access to the Google Play Store and a familiar app experience. Roku’s smart projectors, on the other hand, will rely on the Roku OS app store. That’s okay with me, because Roku does a good job of updating its apps — at least on their streaming devices.

That said, Roku will need to maintain the same update pace on projectors as it does on its streaming sticks and TVs. And while that sounds manageable, projectors don’t always make it easy. Unlike smart TVs, which usually update with a click of a button or automatically in the background, some projectors still require plugging into a computer to install software updates. That’s a tougher sell if you just want things to work without extra steps. If Roku wants these projectors to catch on, making updates as seamless as they are on TVs needs to be a priority.

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The cost is going to be more than you may think

Smart TV projectors are rather expensive if they’re good

One of Roku’s biggest selling points has always been its affordability. The latest Streaming Stick+ and Streaming Stick clock in at just $40 and $30, making them some of the most budget-friendly streaming options out there. These devices are up-to-date, intuitive, and fit into just about any budget.

On the flip side, smart projectors tend to cost quite a bit more, especially if you’re looking for strong resolution and high-quality lenses. In some cases, depending on the size and features, a projector could end up costing you more than a Roku TV. If Roku’s smart projectors are priced too high, you might be better off buying a Roku TV instead — it could give you more bang for your buck.

The reason Roku devices are being pushed as portable solutions is simple: you can toss one in your bag, bring it anywhere, and plug it into any TV or projector to instantly get that Roku OS experience. So, rather than shelling out for a brand-new smart projector, you could just stick a Roku Streaming Stick into an older projector and give it a whole new life — smart features and all.

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The audio quality probably won’t be great

You have to find the right balance

When you’re streaming through a projector, a lot has to line up for the picture to look great. Most smart projectors focus heavily on display quality, aiming for sharp resolution and brightness levels that can hold up even in daylight. That’s a big plus if you want to use your projector any time of day — but it’s rare that the audio quality coming out of the speaker of the projector is anything worth writing home about.

Projector speakers, to put it bluntly, aren’t known for their sound quality — and it’s hard to fault manufacturers too much for that, since the priority is clearly on visual performance. With Roku opening up its smart projector OS to different manufacturers, that means sound quality is going to vary a lot from model to model. Some might surprise you, others might need an external speaker just to be watchable.

It will be really important to read reviews to understand which ones have the best sound. Consumers ideally want a projector that has good picture and audio quality. The problem is that the ones that tend to have that are the most expensive. TVs can offer a better bang for your buck in terms of finding that balance.

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Projectors can often require more maintenance

This is uniform across all smart projectors

TVs often get a bad rap because they can malfunction sometimes. But, usually it’s the connection between the TV and your Wi-Fi, the cable, or something else that isn’t actually the TV’s fault. There’s rarely a lot of maintenance that needs to be done — meanwhile, projectors have a lot of intricate pieces that may need replacing over the years. The cheaper one is made, the more likely it is to need replacing.

Replacement lamps for projectors aren’t cheap, and depending on how often you use your device, that cost can add up — making the long-term investment a bit questionable. That doesn’t mean all Roku TV Smart Projectors will need replacements, but it’s a reality across the board when it comes to projectors. Even the smart ones. You also have to be incredibly careful anytime you use a projector, because, odds are, you’re going to be picking it up and carrying it to wherever you want to watch.

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