What’s the best alternative? I have a fire cube, and I’m getting sick of it. Apple TV? Is there a FOSS solution that’s close to the same quality interface?
“Awful”: Roku tests autoplaying ads loading before the home screen
Submitted 1 year ago by flop_leash_973@lemmy.world to technology@lemmy.world
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2025/03/roku-says-unpopular-autoplay-ads-are-just-a-test/
Comments
danc4498@lemmy.world 1 year ago
SuperNerd@programming.dev 1 year ago
AppleTV is very easy, and what I did. I haven’t seen any ads in the home screens.
ThePowerOfGeek@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Some good options already listed. But here’s another.
Hey an Android TV box (Onn brand or similar) and install an open source launcher on it, like Projectivity. You have to use adb to disable the default launcher after the new launcher is installed, otherwise it keeps defaulting back to the default one. But once don’t it’s smooth sailing. You have a dedicated streaming device with a remote control and a nice UI with zero ads on the home screen.
ILikeBoobies@lemmy.ca 1 year ago
invent.kde.org/plasma/plasma-bigscreen
A tv-like front end for Linux but the project doesn’t see enough support yet
underisk@lemmy.ml 1 year ago
The best is unironically to pirate and use something like KODI on a SBC that can run libreElec.
nul9o9@lemmy.world 1 year 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.ee 1 year 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.
BrianTheeBiscuiteer@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Shit. I got a Roku TV. That’s one big fucking stick to toss.
ripcord@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Eh, I just started connecting cheap ($30 or so) used Apple TVs to mine. I saw the writing on the wall.
Lexam@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Step 1. Factory reset.
Step 2. Do not allow it to connect to the Internet.
Step 3. Connect a Linux based computer to it and run everything through the computer.
Lost_My_Mind@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Instructions unclear. TV now controlled by Nicole the fediverse chick.
Cyber@feddit.uk 1 year ago
I’m just glad I’ve still got my MythTV running.
Clent@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 year ago
Whomp whomp. You get what you pay for.
deadkennedy@lemm.ee 1 year ago
thank goodness pi hole can block the majority of roku ad sources
OceanMew@lemmy.blahaj.zone 1 year ago
none of this is a big deal, simply never connect your TV to the internet
Sl00k@programming.dev 1 year ago
I see this thrown around a lot.
90% of us watch Netflix, Plex, YT TV or some other streaming service, how do I watch these with 4k quality without connecting to the Internet? That’s just an unrealistic request for 90% of TV users.
bdonvr@thelemmy.club 1 year ago
Use a separate, not ad-riddled device plugged in via HDMI. If you have a game console it can do this.
I don’t know what’s good for Android TV boxes it used to be the NVIDIA Shield was a well regarded streaming device but it’s really old now. Google makes one (Google TV Streamer) and you can install a custom launcher if you’re a bit technical and the “suggested content” of the stock launcher bothers you. Same for other Android TV boxes.
Apple, like them or not, makes a really decent TV box with no system level ads and an interface that mostly stays out of the way.
spongebue@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Looking around Roku’s site, I found this email address: AdsPR@roku.com
I’m planning on giving them a brief but firm “oh hell no” letter. I wonder how many others will do the same 🤔
gedaliyah@lemmy.world 1 year ago
For years I was a big fan of Roku. It represented a better value alternative from the big corporations pushing their own agenda like Google, Apple, Samsung, and Amazon. They made products that were intuitive and user oriented and carved out a very nice and stable market share for themselves because of it. Now they’re just leveraging their hardware relationships to transform the software into something terrible.
I used to look for tvs with Roku built in. Now I’ve disabled Roku features from my smart TVS and use a separate streaming device.
jacksilver@lemmy.world 1 year ago
I think the issue is they hit market saturation and haven’t been able to develop any real revenue streams beyond the sale of devices (which is one time cost while maintenance and development constantly drain them of any profit).
I suspect the increased enshitification is because they need other revenue streams. Just take a look at their stock price and it doesn’t paint a great picture for them.
THX1138@lemmy.ml 1 year ago
Apple TV for the win
melfie@lemmings.world 1 year ago
I don’t want any device for my TV that makes it hard to install free apps like Jellyfin without logging into an account. I tried fake accounts with Apple devices in the past and ended up with a couple devices that were basically bricked when the fake email account I used got disabled due to lack of activity.
SnotFlickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zone 1 year ago
If you think another private company with profit on their mind is safe, I’ve got a bridge to sell you.
Blue_Morpho@lemmy.world 1 year ago
It’s not that they won’t do it. It’s that they currently don’t so it’s a good choice.
When they add ads, then we can find something else. I’m on Roku now but have been increasingly annoyed by the increase in ads.
THX1138@lemmy.ml 1 year ago
As it stands now Apple TV for the win and I’d be legit shocked if Apple puts ads as you boot up an Apple TV.
mystik@lemmy.world 1 year ago
They just did this to me. How can I tell them they failed this test?
potentiallynotfelix@lemmy.fish 1 year ago
Don’t connect your Roku to the internet.
tal@lemmy.today 1 year ago
Don’t connect your Roku to the internet.
I thought that Roku was some kind of streaming service to a device. Doesn’t that need to be Internet-connected to function?
kagis
Ah. Apparently that’s what they originally did, but they’ve also subsequently come out with smart TVs, which I assume can operate without an Internet connection.
greybeard@lemmy.one 1 year ago
Roku started as a streaming media box. You paid them money, they gave you a box that could play Netflix and Youtube. It was a simple transaction. Unfortunately, at some point they decided to start selling/giving their OS to TV manufacturers. This was actually nice at the start. You got a smart TV who’s “Smarts” were designed by competent people. A revolution at the time. But the drive to drop prices lower and lower meant that there was no margin on the TV, which means Roku had to investigate other ways of making their revenue, AKA Ads and selling data.
Of course, the stand alone box probably would have went that way anyways, but at least with selling a dedicated box, there is a clear financial benefit without the need to get invasive.
SnotFlickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zone 1 year ago
Or better yet, use a Pi-Hole or something similar to block the relevant adservers at the IP level.
CeeBee_Eh@lemmy.world 1 year ago
That’s not better, you didn’t allow any smart TV to connect to the internet.
Hellmo_Luciferrari@lemm.ee 1 year ago
I wouldn’t say this is “better”
I do run a pihole, but I still will never connect my roku to the internet. It is much better to have a media PC or other streaming device I have control of fully connected.
ALostInquirer@lemm.ee 1 year ago
Would you happen to know of any guides or have advice on identifying the adservers to block?
MiniMoose4Free@lemm.ee 1 year ago
My vizio tv auto plays shows, ads, and light music if you leave it idling too long after you turn it on. Moving the remote down just once disables it till the next time your on home screen.
AmbiguousProps@lemmy.today 1 year ago
Roku is bad, I have one older Roku ““smart”” tv that I just block from accessing the internet entirely, and use a shield with a custom launcher instead.
firadin@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Is there any point in getting anything above the bottom tier Shield? Just trying to use it to replace my chromecast/stream tv and youtube
melfie@lemmings.world 1 year ago
I haven’t really compared the specs of between them recently, but I have the Pro, and the main decider for me at the time was that it was $50 more and has Ethernet. That being said, I added a USB Ethernet adapter to an Onn device and it works, though the first one I tried didn’t work. It was worth the $50 at the time not to deal with that for the Shield.
Ulrich@feddit.org 1 year ago
You should not buy a Shield. They haven’t been updated since…2019? And there’s really no reason to. Get the $20 WalMart one.
limonfiesta@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Nvidia has absolutely destroyed the stock Shield TV experience with ads, but it’s easy to install custom launchers like Projectivy. The underlying system is still a privacy nightmare, but I genuinely don’t care that Nvidia knows what TV shows I watch.
I mean, I do care, just not enough to use something like Kodi as my primary TV interface. Maybe if I used any ad supported services I’d feel differently, but I don’t, so meh.
consumptionone@lemmy.world 1 year ago
I have been using an onn 4k streaming box, which runs Google TV. They’re $20. It’s pretty easy to disable the default launcher and have it boot to Flauncher. Then you can side load smart tube for an ad free YouTube experience asking with Plex, stremio, or whatever else you want to stream.
dugmeup@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Oh please do tell more
AmbiguousProps@lemmy.today 1 year ago
So, I use regex to block all Roku domains on my network via pihole:
(ads|logs|cloudservices|image|images|web|prod.mobile|wwwimg|captive|customer-feedbacks|amoeba|amoeba2|sr|giga.sb|cs).roku(.admeasurement)*.com$Then, possibly overkill due to the above, I used OpnSense firewall rules to block all traffic from my Roku tv. I think I just got fed up with seeing Roku spam in my pihole, as the above regex seems to completely “break” Roku.
After that, I set up FLauncher (following the method #2 instructions on the gitlab page) on my shield. This makes it so I only see the Roku launcher for a few seconds while the shield starts up, and then I’m dropped straight into flauncher. I chose flauncher because it’s very simple and barebones, so you might want to explore other options if you want more advanced features. I don’t really need those features since I’m usually using an app anyway.
JiveTurkey@lemmy.world 1 year ago
Won’t hurt my feelings to throw their shit tv right in the trash.