Technology

Roku used to be pretty great, but the writing was on the wall after the IPO in 2017. This is just one more step in the decade-long march toward total enshittification.

This is technically correct, but it’s not new. They’ve had this ad for years.

FYI if you already have a Roku, you can block these with a network level ad blocker like Pihole.

Edit: Here’s a list of common Smart TV domains to block.

I know everyone shits on Apple but … my cheap Apple TV has 0 ads, except the ads the apps may have.

I assume Google has, and probably killed, at least 1 variant?

They updated my roku a few months ago with this and there was an opt out to revert, and I took it. It asked if I really wanted to change back to the old UI as it would be unable to swap back. I hope that stays true!

Roku is another prime example of enshitification.

Now I have all my "smart" TVs disconnected, and I hooked up some inexpensive Android TV boxes (with a couple minor modifications). No more ads!

We really need to figure out an open source TV OS or something. I want a Linux based OS for a small PC explicitly to stream Plex or other streaming services. I think I read that licensing for the transcoding or something was the hang up.

People love to hate Apple, and that's fine (Tim Cook sucks ass), but the AppleTV is honestly the best streamer and you can't change my mind.

Zero ads on the Home Screen, and even the first gen 4K box that came out 8 years ago is still fast as hell and getting updates.

I know this because I had one in my closet and just took it out the other day when setting up a TV in my bedroom. It downloaded updates and is now rocking and rolling again.

Is anyone running https://plasma-bigscreen.org/ yet?

Great, I got rid of Amazon fire stick after they stuck ads in movies and got a Roku.

Now I'll have to switch again or start pirating. Another loss for civilization

How do people tolerate this? Just looking at this pic makes me want to turn it off and throw it out the window.

Literally nothing about the interface is about the user. It all screams everything except what you might want or need. Well, maybe the Zootopia tile is good, of all things, but not much else.

Mine haven’t been connected to the internet since about a year before they pushed out that update that forced you to agree to their revised surveillance terms or you could never use it again.

My googleOS TCL never got internet access in the first place. Who needs integrated apps when you have tons of mostly old computers kicking around?

Roku had the best ui a few years ago, everything i dont contol is just shit now.

They have been slowing ramping up the enshitification over the last year. It time to add some more features to my Kodi install!

I built Kyu Launcher so you can get Roku experience on your Android TV.

1. Buy one or more NVIDIA Shield Pro 2019 editions for whatever TV (and make sure whatever brand TV you use is itself completely disconnected from the internet) you like watching things on.

2. Replace the built-in NVIDIA / Google Launcher with a custom one like WOLF or FLauncher completely free of ads.

There are completely ad-free wonderful little alternatives to every ever-enshittifying service out there...

• ~~YouTube~~ - > SmartTube Next

• ~~Subscription Streaming Services~~ - > Plex (or Jellyfin if you're just doing local and no special devices that need transcoding)

• ~~Twitch~~ -> S0undTV

3. Combine that with a NAS of your choice and (optionally) a few pieces of free software setup through a containerized deployment system like docker by following the guidance of Dr. Frankenstein along with an account with Mullvad.

...Any other steps there may or may not be are for you to figure out on your own.

Roku has had a big ad on the side for a while now? I've been blocking it with DNS.

The easiest way to avoid ads is use an android streamer (I use the Google tv streamer) and install projectivity launcher. You get the cleanest UI that's fully customizable with only what you want to see. I also installed a button remapper app to change the netflix button on my remote to open Plex. It's a very easy stress-free experience using my tv

I really really wish general society had brains.

I'm not preaching anything new here, that people who know what a fediverse wouldn't already know.

That being said, never buy roku anything. This isn't new. It seems every 3-6 months I read a new headline where roku shits all over their customers.

And I know I know this. And I know you know this. However I also know we collectively are like 3% of society. Walk into any target or walmart or best buy, and you'll see walls and walls of tv's. And 90% of them say they have roku built into the menu. Well, WE know not to buy that tv. However, everybody else still buys it, and then complains 2 years later when their tv is bogged down and slow and they need a new tv.

I really wish it were legal to stand in these stores, and anytime someone tries to buy a roku, or roku tv, I could just beat the shit out of them with a tire iron. In my mind that seems like a perfectly justifiable response. But apperently thats "assult" and I would be "deranged" and "psychotic to even think that was ok".

Pssshhhh......

laughs in a Linux Raspi, hooked up to a dumb projector, sitting behind a pihole and streaming from an in-house Jellyfin media server

Mine doesn’t. Because I set it up with no Internet connection, so it’s just a dumb tv now.

It's why I'll switch after mine stops working. Terrible UI now.