Roku just announced a new feature called “Backdrops,” which says it transforms your TV into a canvas. Like the popular Frame TV from Samsung and other alternatives, this free feature will showcase artwork and photography while the set is not actively showing content.
The catalog will include thousands of curated works, Roku says, including famous classics, wide-ranging museum collections, and abstract designs.
You’ll be able to create a gallery of your favorite art or cycle photos from your own collection. Pre-generated galleries will also be available, including certain artists and museums. Paintings will include the artist’s name, the year the artist created it, and a brief description. Roku says galleries will be evolving as it adds pieces over time.
Backdrops will be available via your TV’s settings menu or the Backdrops app on your set, which will automatically show up once the feature is available. You can click the power button, start Backdrops manually through the app, or use your voice to start showing works. Settings are available to adjust the brightness of Backdrops to match the ambient light in a room and to choose how long the TV shows each image (from 10 seconds to a whole day).
Since other sets with this feature like The Frame have anti-glare screens, the artwork feature can look almost identical to an actual canvas. Given that the quality of Roku TVs varies, it’s tough to tell if Backdrops will have that same quality. Still, it’s a nice addition that should add new life to your television.
The rollout will happen over the next few weeks, starting with Roku-branded TVs and third-party Roku TV models. Later in the fall, Roku streaming players and stream bars will get Backdrops.
