Users are unimpressed, eager to toss devices if test sticks.
  • _sideffect@lemmy.worldEnglish
    10·
    1 hour ago

    This is why I disconnected my parents Roku tv from the internet last year, when they started to get updates that wouldn’t download, and freeze the whole tv, i said enough is enough

      • surph_ninja@lemmy.worldEnglish
        4·
        43 minutes ago

        Wish it had more apps, but Apple TV is pretty solid. With the Steam link app, it’s also good for couch gaming on your pc.

        • Darren@sopuli.xyzEnglish
          1·
          24 minutes ago

          We use Moonlight instead of Steam Link. It requires a little more setting up at the PC end, but overall seems to be a more smooth result.

          • flightyhobler@lemm.eeEnglish
            1·
            4 minutes ago

            Witch brands have moonlight available natively? I think I remember Samsung. Anything else? LG doesn’t…

      • CatZoomies@lemmy.worldEnglish
        2·
        16 minutes ago

        Just a heads up that the Smart Cancer has already begun infecting PC monitors. Samsung makes Smart Monitors.

        It won’t be long before there are no longer Dumb Monitors.

  • Brotha_Jaufrey@lemmy.worldEnglish
    9·
    4 hours ago

    I only ever tried using a Roku so I could stream my PC to my smart TV, but it turns out there’s MASSIVE latency. Of course I returned it. If I had to deal with that AND ADS, I would have set that shit on fire

  • blazeknave@lemmy.worldEnglish
    231·
    11 hours ago

    Almost downvoted instinctually as a reaction to the headline. Visceral reaction. I hate this beyond belief.

  • PeteZa@lemm.eeEnglish
    610·
    4 hours ago

    It’s 1000% worth it to spend a little extra on a TV to get one that runs Google TV. Android is just superior compared to Roku in this regard. I actually have an Apple TV 4K as well, and regularly switch between the two.

    • Glitterbomb@lemmy.worldEnglish
      11·
      2 hours ago

      Manufacturers need to put the cheap ass software on a cheap ass $20 stick. Stop fucking up TVs with it. Stop accepting any ‘smart’ features and stop calling them smart. They’re invasive advertisement platforms, full fucking stop. It is in fact NOT worth it to get a google TV, because they’ll pull this shit or worse next week. We had perfectly functional TVs for decades before this shit, stop acting like the only choice is to surrender your hardware.

    • dan1101@lemm.eeEnglish
      1·
      2 hours ago

      So far. And I actually prefer the Roku UI even though the Google TV will do more things, like let you sideload apps. Roku is propietary.

      • Trainguyrom@reddthat.comEnglish
        1·
        51 minutes ago

        The sad thing is Roku’s UI was pretty dang good before they added a row of ads at the top, a half screen ad on the left and replaced the background with an ad every 2 weeks, waiting a full minute for it to load the latest nonsense the highest bidder paid them to shove in my face. The ads absolutely ruin a good platform.

  • selokichtli@lemmy.mlEnglish
    9·
    9 hours ago

    I was thinking about changing my Roku TV anyway. “Dumb” TVs are the future for me.

      • ThePowerOfGeek@lemmy.worldEnglish
        1·
        2 minutes ago

        Sure. The device I use is an Onn streaming a Android TV box. I think I got the 2023 4k streaming version and it was about $20, from Walmart. You can probably get cheaper models, but I wanted one with an Ethernet port.

        Then I installed a couple of alternative launchers from the Play store on device. I also loaded F-Droid as well (though I had to do that directly through an apk). I can’t remember which launcher I went with in the end, but it was either FLauncher or Projectivity. They were both good.

        The wrinkle here is that the OS defaults back to the default launcher (which has ads and a lot of clutter on it). But I used a free command line tool called adb to switch the default launcher off.

        I’ve been very happy with the new setup. My kids (who use it all the time) occasionally complain that an app will crash while they are watching something, and take them back to the home screen/launcher. But I haven’t run into that, and it’s probably just them accidentally hitting a remote (which I know they accidentally do a lot).

        I documented the process and posted them here, in another thread a few months ago.

        Additional note: The default YouTube app isn’t very conducive to quick profile switching, which can be annoying. To switch profiles you basically have to go back to the OS level and do it there, then go back into the YouTube app. It’s an Android TV quirk. But I discovered that if you side-load the Amazon Fire version of the YouTube app onto the device, you can switch profiles within that version of the app, and it works just fine.

    • CmdrShepard42@lemm.eeEnglish
      221·
      16 hours ago

      This is already my experience but still use a Roku to access Plex. Looks like I’ll need to get something else or figure out if i can block them with Ad Guard Home

      • unconsciousvoidling@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
        8·
        14 hours ago

        I use pi hole and the experience is not entirely smooth. I don’t know if anyone else has experienced this but my pi hole blocks ads but every few weeks Roku has an update and it locks up the entire operating system and I’m stuck in a loop of trying to get my update so I can return to normal. I for the hell of it disabled pi hole for 5 minutes and it wound up working but not until I dropped pi hole. So it’s as if it every so often decides to hold the operating system hostage if I don’t drop pi hole for updates. Makes me think they likely get all the telemetry they are trying to collect for selling data. I like not watching ads 90 percent of the time but it pisses me off that they are likely still spying on me by forcing me to communicate with their servers every now and then.

        • Ulrich@feddit.orgEnglish
          10·
          11 hours ago

          My brother in Christ, please just connect another device to your TV and disconnect your TV from the internet. No one should be using the built-in software for exactly this reason.

        • LeeroyTubbins@lemm.eeEnglish
          4·
          12 hours ago

          Interesting, I use PiHole as well and have no issues with any of my Roku devices. I wonder if you have more restrictive blocking or some particular rule that I don’t. What lists are you using in PiHole?

        • Tim_Bisley@piefed.socialEnglish
          4·
          12 hours ago

          I can’t recall having that issue but I stopped using pi-hole because it was blocking certain functionalities on some websites. It required a more hands on approach than I wanted to dedicate at the time.

  • spaghettiwestern@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    85·
    17 hours ago

    Not a surprise for Roku. The company has been getting progressively worse in the last few years and their enshittification is accelerating. Their recent forced download of an update that requires users to agree to arbitration to even use our TVs was intended to ultimately take control of those TVs completely away from the people who own them.

    Right now it’s possible to block Roku’s static ads and presumably the autoplaying ones using a local DNS server like Adblock Home or Pihole, but it’s only a matter of time before Roku blocks everything unless we watch the ads they are trying force down our throats. I’m already in the process of obsoleting all 5 of our Roku devices.

    It has taken Roku years to build up enough market share to allow this kind of behavior and it will take years for the market to abandon them. Their executives will claim ignorance as to why users are walking away when it finally hits their bottom line.

  • nul9o9@lemmy.worldEnglish
    17·
    14 hours ago

    Roku had the best smart tv ui. I was seriously bummed when the ads started rolling in a few years ago.

    I want an open source streaming client, but from what I hear DRM gets in the way of that.

    • PeteZa@lemm.eeEnglish
      1·
      4 hours ago

      I’ve much preferred Google TV for some time now. The recommendations and live free tv options are essentially built into the UI. Although I do use the Roku app as one of my free streaming options lol.

  • drascus@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    9·
    12 hours ago

    I have a vero-V but honestly the apps are lack luster. Its amazing if you have your own library of content. I saw my first homescreen add on roku yesterday. I am pissed.

  • RowRowRowYourBot@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    47·
    17 hours ago

    Im literally willing to ditch the device and cancel all streaming services because of this. When I turn on my TV I don’t want to be forced to consume ads when I haven’t been provided with anything in return.