Roku starts using AI, explores crowd-sourcing for better picture quality

Update the iPad. Scan the aging computer for viruses and spyware. Turn off motion smoothing on the TV. Many people double as tech support for their relatives during the winter holidays, and optimizing TV settings has been one of those tasks for years. Now, Roku wants to do away with that.

The streaming device maker is introducing a new feature called Roku Smart Picture for smart TVs made in-house as well as by its partners this spring that automatically adjusts a TV’s picture setting based on the content that is being watched at any given moment.

Roku Smart Picture wants to bring better visual quality to the masses. “Our research has shown that more than 90 percent of the customers do not change picture quality modes at all,” said Roku’s director of picture quality Erwin Bellers during a CES press preview event. “If you're watching a movie, then it ought to be the best picture mode to set the TV (to) movie mode. If you're watching sports, it will be best to set the TV (to) sports mode – but really, no one is doing that.”