In the battle for the living room, Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Roku rise above all other contenders. These technology companies all have one thing in common: They manufacture external devices that connect to conventional televisions to allow people to view streaming music, TV shows, and movies from the comfort of their couch.

    For nearly six years, Roku enjoyed the spoils of this approach. On Monday, the company signaled that those good times could eventually come to an end -- even as sales for its boxes approach a cumulative eight million in the U.S., more than a third coming in the last 10 months.

    In an announcement at this year's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Roku introduced Roku TV, its first attempt to offer actual televisions loaded with its software. The company will work with Chinese electronics makers Hisense and TCL to produce several models, ranging in price from several hundred dollars to upwards of $1,000, depending on screen size. In doing so, the company implicitly acknowledged that while it is flourishing today, it cannot survive solely as an accessory, and that it must embed itself in the television to thrive in the long term.

    Smart televisions gained attention in 2011 as the next frontier for Internet connectivity, and adoption has increased since they arrived on store shelves shortly thereafter. But their interfaces were often difficult to use, streaming quality was sometimes spotty, and some models could lack popular content that others offered. Oh, and they were expensive.

    Today, most major television manufacturers offer smart TVs, including Samsung, Panasonic, Sony (SNE), LG, Sharp and Vizio. They offer popular services such as Netflix (NFLX), Hulu, Pandora (P), and Vudu. Their price is more in line with conventional television sets. According to recent research from NPD Group, sales of connected TVs doubled from 11% of televisions sold to 22% between November 2012 and November 2013. In a survey, 38% of smart TV buyers said connectivity was important.

    But they can still be troublesome to use, and adoption rates lag behind those for cheaper external devices such as the $500 Xbox and $400 Sony Playstation gaming consoles, Google's $35 Chromecast, the $99 Apple TV, and the $99 Roku 3.

    Roku chief executive Anthony Wood smells opportunity. He believes that Roku TV -- which will roll out in stores in fall 2014 -- gets Internet-connected TV right without an external device, keeping his company in the game as set-top boxes face extinction. The product differentiates itself by simplifying the experience (fewer remote controls, a unified interface) while offering more channels, to the tune of 1,200 or so. As time passes and more people decide to upgrade to a smart TV, Wood hopes that they will pick a Roku-branded set over any competing one.

    在客厅争夺战中，苹果（Apple）、谷歌（Google）、微软（Microsoft）和Roku是其中的佼佼者。这些科技公司都有一个共同点：他们都生产可以与传统电视连接的外部设备，使用户可以坐在舒适的沙发上听音乐、看电视、看电影。

    六年来，Roku公司从这种方式中收获颇丰。它的机顶盒在美国的销量累计达到八百万台，其中，过去十个月的销量占了三分之一以上。但在周一，这家公司向外界透露的信号却显示，这种好日子可能要到头了。

    在今年于拉斯维加斯举办的消费电子展（Consumer Electronics Show）上，Roku公司宣布推出Roku电视，这是它首次尝试提供预装自家软件的电视产品。这家公司将与中国电子设备制造商海信（Hisense）和TCL合作。生产的产品分多个型号，根据屏幕尺寸的不同，价格从几百美元到1,000美元不等。此举相当于间接承认，虽然发展迅速，但仅仅作为一家配件制造商不足以支持它继续生存下去。因此，Roku公司必须进军电视行业，才能获得长期发展。

    智能电视作为互联网连接的下一个前沿早在2011年就已经引起了关注。之后不久，智能电视便进入商场，使用率也日益提高。但它们的界面往往难以使用，播放质量不稳定，而且有些型号缺少其他型号提供的热门节目。另外，这些智能电视价格都很高昂。

    如今，多数大型电视制造商都已经在提供智能电视，包括三星（Samsung）、松下（Panasonic）、索尼（Sony）、LG、夏普和瑞轩（Vizio）。他们提供奈飞（Netflix）、视频网站Hulu、Pandora和Vudu等颇受欢迎的服务，而价格也基本与传统电视机一致。研究机构NPD Group近期的调查显示，2012年11月至2013年11月期间，互联电视的销量从11%增加到了22%，翻了一番。此外，调查还显示，38%的智能电视购买者认为连接非常重要。

    然而，智能电视的使用依然存在许多问题，而且使用率也远远低于其他价格更低的外部设备，例如售价500美元的Xbox和400美元的索尼Playstation游戏终端，谷歌仅售35美元的Chromecast，99美元的Apple TV，以及99美元的Roku 3等。

    Roku公司首席执行官安东尼•伍德认为时机已经来临。他相信，Roku电视（将与2014年秋上市）将使互联网电视摆脱外部设备，可以让公司在机顶盒濒临消亡的情况下，依然有与其他公司继续角逐的机会。这款产品将简化用户体验（更少的遥控器、统一的界面），同时将提供更多频道（约1,200个频道），从而给这家公司带来差异化优势。随着时间的推移，越来越多的人将把自家的电视机升级为智能电视，伍德希望消费者会在众多竞争品牌中挑选Roku电视。

    "People are going to buy TVs, and our goal is to get Roku into as many as we can," Wood said. If the company can trade on its brand loyalty, all the better.

    That's important because none of the technology companies vying for people's attention in the living room -- Apple (APPL), Google (GOOG), Microsoft (MSFT), et al -- manufacture televisions. At least for now: Apple is believed to be working on such a product, but it traditionally acts as a stalking horse to others in the race to new industry segments, waiting until others firmly establish it before pulling ahead for the win. And Microsoft's latest Xbox model, the One, is designed from the ground up to be connected. "If you're playing a game, you don't have to stop to watch TV, surf the web, enjoy an app, check your fantasy team, or take a Skype call," Xbox spokeswoman Lisa Gurry said in an e-mail.

    The lengthy television buying cycle -- people now buy TVs every four to five years, down from seven or eight -- does have an end, though. People will eventually want to buy a new TV. When that happens, they'll expect that their new smart TV can do everything that their external device has been able to do for years.

    Wood wants Roku to get in on the ground floor. In the short term, Roku TV is an opportunity to expand the company's platform. In the long term, it may be the company's flagship product.

    "We don't like the term 'Smart TV,' " Wood said. "We just want to simplify the TV experience."  

    伍德说：“人们终归要买电视，我们的目标是让Roku电视走进尽可能多的家庭。”如果这家公司能够充分利用其品牌忠诚度，相信结果会更好。

    这一点非常重要，因为那些争夺消费者客厅的科技公司，比如苹果、谷歌、微软等，没有一家在生产电视机。至少目前没有：外界认为苹果正在研发类似的产品，但在争夺新兴行业领域的竞争中，苹果的一贯做法是先隐藏自己的意图，等其它竞争对手搭建好了市场之后，再突然杀出，取得最终的胜利。另外，微软的最新Xbox型号Xbox One在最初便被设计成一款联网设备。Xbox发言人丽莎•古丽在一封电子邮件中说道：“如果你正在玩游戏，不论是看电视、上网、打开一款应用、查看自己的梦幻球队，还是用Skype打电话，都不需要停止玩游戏。”

    漫长的电视购买周期终将结束。目前人们购买电视的周期是四到五年，较之前的七到八年已经有所缩短。人们最终会希望购买一台新电视。到那时，他们肯定希望新智能电视能够具备那些使用多年的外部设备的所有功能。

    伍德希望Roku先下手为强，在竞争中占据有利地位。从短期来看，Roku电视将为这家公司提供扩大平台的机会；而从长期来看，它或许会成为这家公司的旗舰产品。

    伍德说：“我们并不喜欢‘智能电视’这种说法。我们只是希望简化电视的使用体验。”（财富中文网）

    译者：刘进龙/汪皓