You know right away that you're talking to a severe gadget aficionado when he tells you that during the DVD era of the aughts, his living room was powered by Crestron pro AV equipment.
But even Chris Larson, the man who led TCL's invasion of the U.S. smart TV market in the middle of the last decade and is now in charge of Roku's global TV push as VP of retail strategy, has his technological limitations.
“Every time I wanted to add a new piece of equipment to my AV system, I'd have to have that Crestron guy come back out and program it in for me,” he told Next TV over Zoom on a hot late-August morning from his home in Orange County, Calif.
Perhaps it was frustrating consumer experiences like this one that forged Larson into the captain of the consumer electronics industry he is today, foisting software and hardware that is easier for laypeople to use and cheaper for manufacturing partners to build.
Whatever forged this dude, he has a unique perspective and insight on what the global living room of the future will look like … and how it will be supplied. It was one exciting talk. Here's a transcript of our half-hour discussion:
Daniel Frankel: I don’t know if you recall, but we’ve intersected. You were on the Next TV “Watch List” back in 2020. Boy, your life must have changed. Could you even go outside for coffee in Orange County without being mobbed?
Chris Larson: Well, the paparazzi did get overwhelming.
Daniel: So you’ve been there from the beginning, Chris. You were the North American honcho at TCL in 2017 when it partnered with Roku to take over the continent.
Chris: It was August of 2014 that was the first step for Roku TVs. Both TCL and Hisense launched on that day in August of 2014.
Daniel: What…