Maria Diaz/ZDNET
Are you a cord-cutter? The last time my family paid for cable TV was in 2017. Since then, we have watched all our TV entertainment on streaming services. While some shows are still difficult to find, nearly everything is available if you're willing to look for it or pay for it.
If you watch TV via streaming, you need a device to download and present the stream. Most smartphones, tablets and computers have apps that will do this.
Also: Your Roku has secret menus and settings - here's how to access them
But they leave something to be desired when it comes to spending Fourth of July weekend curled up on the couch watching the latest episodes of The Librarians: The Next Chapter (season bought via Apple TV+) or rewatching Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (on Paramount+) before the new season debuts next week.
And that's where the class of device the ad industry calls CTV comes in. CTV (Connected TV) is the industry's term for streaming gear such as add-on devices for your TV or smart TVs themselves.
Back when my family cut the cord, we also standardized on one streaming TV platform: Roku. Roku did something different with its user interface that we really liked. It placed the external device inputs on the same menu as the streaming services. As such, you could use the same selection process to choose the Xbox as you would to select Netflix. It was a confusing hassle to switch inputs before Roku introduced that simple menu innovation.
Also: These 6 products helped me cut ties with cable - and save $1,200 a year
That one Roku TV with the integrated input menu eventually became two, then three, four, and now we have five. If we get a TV, we get a Roku TV. It's just that simple.
We are not alone. According to TV analytics firm Pixalate, "Roku led in CTV device market share in the USA (38%), followed by Amazon Fire TV (18%) and Apple TV (13%)."
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