this post was submitted on 27 May 2026
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I don't feel pity for anyone who bought one of these. You knew what you were purchasing.
They have ads on the home screen on their streaming boxes too. Maybe not as bad as their TVs, but definitely bad enough. Roku has getting steadily worse for quite a while, but their products have really gone to shit over the last several years.
For those looking for an alternative solution, one option is to buy a cheap Onn streaming box (which runs Google TV), and then side-load an open source launcher onto it. No more ads, but still a nice user experience.
The only wrinkle is that you'll need to use Adb and hook it into your PC one time and use some terminal commands to get the new launcher to stick around after device restarted. But it's not too bad.
Google tv is terrible too. Better off buying an apple stream box imo.
I see this as a warning not a call for pity.
ditto.
I have the Projectivity launcher on my Bravia; greatest thing I’ve ever done to my TV. But it’s still a Google TV first, and I doubt they’ll allow launchers for much longer. I feel like my time is limited with the setup I enjoy; and seeing ads get more invasive elsewhere paired with clamping down on VPNs, it just makes me think it’s just gonna get worse
Perhaps the next YV might need to be a hospital or commercial display.