Roku has kept its eye on simplicity ever since that first player while also making products that often are far more affordable than those of its competition. "People underappreciate how important price is," Wood says. "At the end of the day, $10 at retail makes a huge difference." Parks Associates senior research director Brett Sappington agrees that low prices were key to the company's success. "That really helped Roku," he says.

From the article "How Roku Morphed From a Quirky Hardware Startup to a TV Streaming Powerhouse" by Janko Roettgers.