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Roku has unleashed its Black Friday deals early, and it's a brilliant time to upgrade to a new flatscreen. Roku is available in a series of standalone devices — competing head-to-head with the likes of the Apple TV, Fire TV Stick, and Google TV Streamer — and preinstalled on Smart TVs from TCL, Sharp, and JVC.
These Smart TVs powered by the popular Roku platform enjoy the biggest cuts in the early Black Friday sale. The flagship QLED TV series, designed and built by TCL, now starts from just £258 for a 43-inch model. That discount is available from Currys and Very, with both online stores offering flexible payment plans.
Over the last decade, the most popular screen size has steadily increased in the UK, up from 32-inches to between 48- and 55-inches. If you're looking for a bigger panel to really luxuriate in the latest blockbusters, boxsets, live sports, and video games, the QLED TV from TCL has plunged to £348.
Smart TV built by TCL and powered by the latest iteration of the Roku platform has plummented to £348 in the first Black Friday sales on Currys and Very. It comes equipped with high-end features like Dolby Vision support, 4K UHD resolution, and a Quantum Dot panel. There's built-in support for Freeview as well as streamers like BBC iPlayer, ITVX, Channel 4, Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, and Apple TV+. You'll enjoy free access to everything available on the latter as a bonus for upgrading to this discount telly too.
For that, you'll take delivery of a 4K Ultra HD resolution — that's 4x as many pixels as High Definition, with support for the Dolby Vision standard, and Smart HDR that intelligently upgrades SDR content to take advantage of the one billion colours produced by the Quantum Dot panel built into this TCL telly.
There's baked-in support for Chromecast and AirPlay 2, so you can wirelessly beam content from your phone with a few taps. Roku has also added Game Master mode for low-lag gaming performance when a console is connected to the flatscreen via HDMI 2.1. There's also a two-year guarantee on all TCL Smart TVs.
All Roku TV models come equipped with the award-winning Roku OS and integrated Freeview tuner, providing access to thousands of streaming services. Users can enjoy popular apps including BBC iPlayer, ITVX, Channel 4, My5, Netflix, Disney+, Prime Video and Paramount+.
These Smart TVs are compatible with the Roku mobile app, which unlocks voice search functionality, touchscreen remote controls, and private listening through headphones — handy if you want to watch something on the big screen without disturbing others in the house.
Fire TV is one of Roku's biggest competitors, and Amazon has its own QLED TV range, dubbed Fire TV Omni QLED series. These models are available in the same screen sizes as the Roku range, but the latest price cuts on Amazon can't quite compete with the savings on-offer from Currys and Very.
Amazon has dropped the 43-inch Fire TV Omni QLED from £549.99 down to £379.99 — a generous 31% cut. However, it's not enough to beat the 43-inch Roku QLED TV, which costs £258.
When it comes to the more popular 55-inch size, the Fire TV Omni QLED model costs £519.99 — much pricier than the £348 price tag listed on Currys and Very for the same screen size from Roku. That's a £171 saving by choosing the Roku platform over the Amazon-owned software.
Elsewhere, every one of these Roku TVs will ship with three months of Apple TV+ for free — worth £26.97. The offer is open to both new and returning Apple TV+ subscribers, with easy on-device redemption via QR code. Apple TV+ sets itself apart from the likes of Prime Video, Netflix, BBC iPlayer, ITVX, and other streamers by only offering its own exclusive shows and films.
Parks and Recreation star Adam Scott will return for the second season of Severance on Apple TV+, a critically-lauded and mind-bending series from director Ben Stiller APPLE PRESS OFFICE Apple has resisted licensing agreements with other broadcasters, so you won't find forgotten BBC or Channel 4 shows reappearing, or US syndication staples like Seinfeld, Friends, and The Big Bang Theory available to watch. Instead, it has solely focused on commissioning its own critically-acclaimed shows and films that cater to a diverse range of tastes.
The streamer has enjoyed a string of hits, including feelgood comedy series Ted Lasso, psychological thriller Severance, science-fiction epic Foundation, and Harrison Ford-fronted comedy Shrinking. The platform’s film offerings are equally impressive, with CODA standing as a defining title in its lineup.
This moving drama about a young girl navigating life in a family of deaf adults won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 2022, bringing both representation and resonant storytelling to the forefront. It also helped Apple TV+ become the first streaming service to win an Oscar.
If you're not fussed about QLED picture quality or 4K Ultra HD resolution, Sharp's Roku TV High Definition range offers budget-friendly options, with the 43-inch model reduced to £229.99 from £259.99 at Currys.
The range includes smaller sizes, with the 32-inch model priced at £149.99 and the compact 24-inch version at £129.99. These models feature Active Motion 400 technology for enhanced sports and action viewing, plus Dolby Digital and Dolby Digital+ sound compatibility when paired with a compatible soundbar.
Roku-powered Smart TVs from JVC have been slashed in the early Black Friday sales, offering a wide range of screen sizes, starting from a compact 24-inch model, at low price tags
JVC PRESS OFFICE
All Sharp models include HDMI and USB connections for gaming consoles and satellite boxes.
And rounding out the current sale, JVC Roku TV range presents an affordable second TV solution, with the 43-inch model reduced to £219.99 from £249.99 at Currys. The lineup includes a 32-inch version at £129.99, down from £159, and a compact 24-inch model priced at £118.99.
These smart TVs support HDR10 and HLG content for enhanced picture quality, whilst offering voice control compatibility with Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa. Each model features three HDMI ports and access to over 500,000 movies and shows through the popular Roku streaming platform.
