Samsung The Frame TV's fancy Art Mode is being copied by Roku

Samsung’s The Frame TVs were the first television sets in the market to double up as digital picture frames by offering a design that mimics picture frames and a large collection of artwork you can display on the screen. Amazon has attempted to offer a similar experience with the Fire TV devices by rolling out the Ambient Mode. Now, another brand is trying to copy Samsung and offer an experience similar to The Frame TVs, and that brand is none other than Roku.

Roku has announced a feature called Backdrops for Roku-branded TVs, third-party Roku TV models, and Roku streaming players and streambars. Backdrops is an app that contains a collection of artwork, including “famous classics, wide-ranging museum collections, abstract designs, and more” and can display them on the screen, turning your TV into an artwork or a picture frame.

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The company says that you can do even more with the Backdrops app by:

1. Creating a gallery of your favorite art and photography
2. Setting the amount of time each image is displayed or changing the image brightness to match the mood
3. Using your voice to turn Backdrops on or off with ease
4. Choosing a pre-generated gallery of your go-to artist, museum, and more
5. Learning more about the artwork, including artist name, year it was created, and a brief description.

Roku says that it will roll out the feature to Roku-branded TVs and third-party Roku TV models in the next few weeks and to Roku streaming players and streambars in the fall. To use Backdrops, go to the Backdrops app, enable it, and then click the power button. The Backdrops app will now show the selected artwork on your TV screen.