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Westinghouse to show Roku Ready TV at CES

The company's new line of LED TVs are designed to work with Roku's Streaming Stick.

David Katzmaier Editorial Director -- Personal Tech
David reviews TVs and leads the Personal Tech team at CNET, covering mobile, software, computing, streaming and home entertainment. We provide helpful, expert reviews, advice and videos on what gadget or service to buy and how to get the most out of it.
Expertise A 20-year CNET veteran, David has been reviewing TVs since the days of CRT, rear-projection and plasma. Prior to CNET he worked at Sound & Vision magazine and eTown.com. He is known to two people on Twitter as the Cormac McCarthy of consumer electronics. Credentials
  • Although still awaiting his Oscar for Best Picture Reviewer, David does hold certifications from the Imaging Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Standards and Technology on display calibration and evaluation.
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David Katzmaier
2 min read

Westinghouse's UX60 will be certified Roku Ready. Westinghouse

Today Westinghouse announced a line of TVs designed to work with the Roku Streaming Stick, a USB-key-size dongle that provides the functionality of a full-fledged Roku box -- our Editors' Choice for streaming video -- without having to connect additional wires.

The TVs have MHL (Mobile High Definition Link)-enabled HDMI inputs, into which the stick can be plugged. Numerous other MHL-equipped TVs will also be announced at CES next week, theoretically allowing them to also work with the Stick, but many will likely have their own smart TV suites built in, and few will be guaranteed such functionality by offering Roku Ready certification.

A Stick plugged into an Insignia TV's HDMI input. Sarah Tew/CNET
CNET spoke to Westinghouse VP of Marketing Rey Roque, who said the company will show a 60-inch, edge-lit LED TV at CES that's bundled with the Stick. The TV's remote will control both the set and the full Roku experience. Westinghouse will also sell smaller sizes (46, 50, and 55 inches) that might also be bundled, as well as Roku Ready TVs that don't include the $99 Stick.

Currently we know about a couple of other Streaming Stick Ready TVs, from Hitachi and Insignia. In our review of the latter the Stick worked well, replicating the full Roku experience, so we expect the same from these Westinghouse models.

The Stick is currently a niche product and most buyers would be better served with a standard Roku box, especially when paired with a good universal remote. But if more TVs like the Westinghouse come out, and especially if that $99 price drops, the future of streaming video could be on a stick.