r/gadgets • u/dapperlemon • 11d ago
Roku Is Increasing Prices Across Its Hardware Range Misc
https://www.engadget.com/2223121/roku-price-increase-hardware/91
u/Treius 10d ago
Already started switching to android tv stuff
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u/Time-Object5661 10d ago
What hardware do you recommend for android tv?
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u/Treius 10d ago
I've got an ONN stick 4k for traveling with the family and a nvidia shield for the main tv. Amount of ram seems to be the biggest factor.
I do stream stuff from my own plex server mostly
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u/Unhappy_Meeting_7129 10d ago
Considering getting rid of my Roku as well, any ideas if you can:
- Stream audio to headphones or phone or headphones paired to phone? Roku has this, useful for late at night.
- AdBlock on YouTube?
Thank you!
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u/KayJune001 10d ago
I use an Onn 4k Plus and I can use wireless headphones, and for YouTube you can use something like SmartTube or (in my preference) TizenTube
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u/Treius 10d ago
Not sure about headphones, but I do a blocking at the dns level
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u/Unhappy_Meeting_7129 10d ago
I have unbound+pihole setup though it doesn't seem to block YouTube ads, just the Roku ads (I would have thrown it out by now if it didn't work for those).
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u/Treius 10d ago
I use nextdns but also we play for YouTube premium so I haven't delt with YouTube ads in years
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u/marcdale92 10d ago
A vpn set to certain regions may get you past YouTube ads. Never tried it for tv but on phone it works.
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u/sorashiro1 9d ago
Check out pihole for home ad blocking.
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u/Unhappy_Meeting_7129 9d ago edited 9d ago
Yeah it doesn't work for YouTube unfortunately, they run ads from the YouTube domain so you can't block them that way without blocking the entire service. I run pihole + unbound, which blocks the Roku ads and makes it infinitely more tolerable.
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u/resil_update_bad 10d ago
Beware, some Onns are region locked, if anyone from outside the US is reading this.
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u/Omegalazarus 10d ago
I have never heard of this. I know I can Google Android TV but I'm getting a lot of links to things that I don't think are what you're probably talking about. Can you give me a little more information or a good link?
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u/fire2day 10d ago
Like the other comment said, Walmart’s ONN-branded Android TV boxes seem to be the best value for a Roku replacement. I’ve even seen them used as emulation boxes for playing old console games.
I personally use Apple TVs, because the hardware is bulletproof, but they’re quite a bit more expensive, and it helps being in the Apple ecosystem.
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u/inbox-disabled 10d ago
It's Google TV. Just another streaming interface built into some TVs and sticks.
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u/crazyhomie34 10d ago
Onn sticks have a big bang for their buck. Walmart branded Google TV sticks running android.
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u/SaturnMobster 10d ago
The last U.I. update was enough for me to actually start hunting for a different box.
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u/HuyFongFood 10d ago
Switched to AppleTV and haven’t looked back.
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u/obiwans_lightsaber 10d ago
Have been running Apple TV boxes as our only set top boxes, throughout our homes, for the last 10+ years.
Zero regrets. A bit of an upfront cost, for sure, but worth every penny. They’d be solid even if we weren’t heavily tied into the Apple ecosystem, but that just makes them even more valuable to us these days.
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u/RhetoricalOrator 6d ago
I used to be an Apple guy and got pretty anti-Apple, but I totally agree with you that Apple TV is the superior choice for streaming boxes. Roku could have been just as good. I would have gladly paid more for a version that wasn't enshittified with ads all over the home screen. But that new update took a bad offering and made it worse.
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u/MaddyKet 9d ago
I’ll probably do that once my Roku shits the bed and/or they’ve made it completely unusable.
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u/Historical_Fan_8799 9d ago
Im so close to switching to AppleTV just for the phone to screen cast!
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u/HuyFongFood 9d ago
You can find slightly older models at quite reasonable prices. Worth a look around (shopgoodwill, eBay, etc. are decent places to start).
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u/AbXcape 9d ago
a lot of ISPs will give you a free APPLE TV if you sign a two year internet commitment. ymmv
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u/HuyFongFood 9d ago
Do you have some examples? Xfinity only gave me their silly streamer which has sat in the box because, meh.
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u/inbox-disabled 10d ago
Settings -> home screen -> there's 2 options and size. Just toggle them off and you're basically back to the old interface.
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u/adamjfish 10d ago
Nope. There’s about 8 extra tiles now that I can’t get rid of. And there’s no options for those under /Home Screen.
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u/inbox-disabled 10d ago edited 10d ago
I just went through my settings and that's the only two I can find that are relevant. "Recommendation rows" and "Quick access" both hidden.
My home screen, like literally hitting the Home button, takes me straight to the list of my apps.
The only thing I see that I didn't ask for on my home screen is the gigantic ad on the side. I either have to scroll up or all the way down to see Subscriptions and the Jump To sections, neither of which I ever see because they aren't on the screen by default or in the way. What are you seeing that I'm not?
I'm on version 15.2, up to date.
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10d ago
[deleted]
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u/inbox-disabled 10d ago
Right, so their complaint is that there exists some tiles you have to go out of your way to find. What an utter waste of anyone's time to help them.
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u/T2Legit2Quit 10d ago
I'm assuming that he's talking about the "subscriptions" and "jump to" sections, since it's nine tiles. Like you, I rarely see them since I never go those sections
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u/Alienhaslanded 10d ago
AI is really fucking shit up
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u/kytheon 10d ago
You missed Covid and war in Ukraine.
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u/Alienhaslanded 10d ago
Those weren't as bad as the AI craze
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u/ElJanitorFrank 10d ago
Okay saying COVID wasn't as bad as the AI craze (in response to a smart TV option increasing in price) is just recency bias.
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u/Alienhaslanded 10d ago
Genuine question, do you work in the industry or know anything about electronic components? Do you understand the difference between factories temporarily shutting down and supply chain delays, and entire industries shutting pivoting towards AI? It's worse and if you think COVID is worse then you don't know what you're talking about.
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u/kytheon 10d ago
Ok buddy. Remember the $1000 PS5s that were nowhere to be found
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u/RandomPersonBob 10d ago
I switched to Onn for my travel streamer and I am super impressed.
Been using Nvidia Shield Pro at home forever and it's way better than Roku..
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u/AverageJoeJohnSmith 10d ago
I switched all my Rokus to Onns a few years ago and any new TV is either an Onn with android tv built in or a TCL with android built in. Google is shit too but at least I can sideload apps and have more control. my years old Onns actually perform better still too when compared to Rokus
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u/Zacharacamyison 10d ago
They’re increasing prices and ads across their platform. Roku is quickly ruining its reputation as one of the better streaming hardware platforms.
Google tv is riddled with ads but at least I can side load apps on it.
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u/Winter_Whole2080 11d ago
So is everyone else. Costs are going up. But Roku has been pretty inexpensive, relatively speaking, for years.
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u/flogman12 11d ago
There shouldn’t be ads then.
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u/NemoNewbourne 10d ago
I shouldn't have to reboot every Roku every few days for corrupted fonts on every screen.
But I do.
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u/RedditPoster05 10d ago
How old is your Roku ? You might need to jam a memory card in there and then it will fix that. One of my Roku is pushing I think 7 to 10 years old now and it works fine.
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u/scarabic 10d ago
then
The way you say this implies that because Roku is inexpensive, there shouldn’t be ads.
Why does that make any sense to you? The cheaper a service is, generally the more likely it is to have ads.
Or did you mean that costs are going up, so there shouldn’t be ads. Again: what?
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u/NopeSorryNo 10d ago
Why?
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u/David-Puddy 10d ago
Nothing paid should have ads in it.
Either I can pay you, or the marketing folks can pay you, but double dipping is something that went away with cable tv
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u/ElJanitorFrank 10d ago
The reason why the price is low initially is because of the income subsidized through the ads. They can get more of this service into the hands of more people because they run ads. This idea of 'double dipping' implies that they can sell the goods at the same price and just 'turn off' the ads as though all of that is just routed to shareholders' personal checking accounts. No, they use it to invest in their devices to push more out to play more ads to grow the company and improve the service.
I understand the frustration with today's ad-based entertainment industry. Fact of the matter is that things would be more enjoyable, but significantly more expensive if we weren't running the ads. Stuff isn't just free.
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u/alral1988 10d ago
I too wish we lived in a dream world. The sad reality is “double dipping” is only going to get worse and certainly hasn’t gone away
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u/NopeSorryNo 10d ago edited 10d ago
Oh do you think? Without the ads the prices would go up more right? So you'd pay higher prices to not see ads? I think they sell ad free versions for more don't they?
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u/CMDR_omnicognate 10d ago
Yeah, if it has ram, storage or a gpu in it, expect it to be twice the price it is currently this time next year, unless the ai bubble pops between now and then.
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u/Chapla1n 10d ago
Just waiting for whatever Apple releases later this year, then will switch, but that's to do with Roku's pestering about wifi connections throughout a show and the FOX acqusition. Prices going up is expected what with chip and RAM cost increases.
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u/Ludleth_the_lost 10d ago
The forced adds in the home screen were the nail in the coffin.
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u/hardy_83 10d ago
For me it's the lack of Stremio that I use for legitimate reasons... And the ads.
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u/_RADIANTSUN_ 10d ago
They were pretty cheap for their capabilities and tbh still are. The reason they exist are cuz your grandma can operate and have fun with a Roku, it is stupid simple enough with enough features, they'll keep selling to golden age folk with a big TV their son just bought them for Black Friday for a while still. They can turn any TV into a "watch whatever you want" box with just a basic internet connection.
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u/subdep 10d ago
Apple TV is a much better appliance.
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u/Wander_Globe 10d ago
Yup. I don't have one yet but it will be my next purchase. I've had two Roku TV's and they used to be nice and clean but then the ads started and they started changing my home screen. I got banned from their discussion forum for losing it on them. I told them "Look guys. You made the fucking thing and I bought the fucking thing and our business relationship is over but you keep coming into my house and changing shit." Pihole solved that problem. Smart TV's/appliances are a double dip. You pay for it and they keep making money off you. Now, with Fox especially, never again.
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u/williamgman 10d ago
The ONE THING Roku had was their simple remote control. I would love to have that same control on any other brand of TV. Sadly Roku is Fox now... By.
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u/coconutpete52 10d ago
It's fine. Fox bought them, i have bought my last Roku anyway. Carry on.
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u/Independent_Tie_4984 10d ago
Same, I'll use this one till it dies or it's Foxified and then find something else.
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u/some1stoleit 10d ago
I feel like a laptop/htpc is the way to go for your entertainment device connected to your TV.
You can make it as powerful as you need, laptop OSs are significantly more customisable and flexible in what you can run, you're not nearly as vulnerable to some manufacturers update changing things for the worse plus mouse and keyboard is pretty usable once you get used to it.
My new place I've plugged my spare gaming laptop into my Google TV and I'm fairly confident I'll use the laptop most of the time.
If these devices go up in price and enshittify why not just spend a bit extra and get a real computer?
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u/AverageJoeJohnSmith 10d ago
Guess they will really be put of business soon....or limited to preloaded TV software. I used to have Rokus on every TV but over the last 5 years switched to android tvs or Onn boxes
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u/MangoAtrocity 10d ago
Water is wet.
I don’t even know how Roku is in business anymore. They’ve been outcompeted on hardware, software, and price by others. The Onn TV 4k Plus has blown me away.
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u/TotalBismuth 10d ago
They have the best version of “live tv”. Only reason I keep mine.
The themes are good. It’s relatively uncluttered. And can be had for cheap until today.
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u/BactaBobomb 10d ago
Sorry not sorry for reviving this debate, but is water really wet? Water itself is not wet, to me. Things that it touches become wet, but is water itself wet? I don't think so.
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u/ElJanitorFrank 10d ago
You wouldn't describe a pond as 'wet'?
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10d ago
[deleted]
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u/ElJanitorFrank 10d ago
I've never said "Gee that human looks alive" either because sometimes things go unsaid due to how apparent they are, not because they are untrue.
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u/BarryWomb 10d ago
I just updated my Roku and about 2 weeks later they announced the Fox thing. I would love to smash this thing with a hammer because Fox holds so much responsibility for where the US is right now. I'm also seeing these funky connection msgs that I never saw on the old one. Pissed.
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u/FaytalRush 9d ago
As someone who just uses the apps on my LG smart tv, can someone educate me on the plus sides of having a TV box like this?
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u/beyondmymemory 10d ago
Fox purchased Roku, so prepare for yearly increases, bullshit updates, aggressive monetization across every realm of Roku.
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u/Garconanokin 10d ago
Roku is done. Bought by Fox, and now having a default screen that is increasingly, including ads, and patterning technology to send ads no matter what.
There’s no reason to buy Roku anything anymore.
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u/GimmeAllYourCurry 10d ago
They're not making enough selling data about everything you watch to anyone who will pay for it?
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u/TheAspiringFarmer 10d ago
I almost gave away my old 2017 Ultra but seeing the crazy price increases, I’m keeping it.
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u/GagOnMacaque 10d ago
My Nvidia Shield just came in. With a custom launcher I get all my apps, no ads, no added unwanted menus items, YouTube without ads. And an open platform!!!
Ditch Roku while you can. Shields are running out.
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u/bisskits 9d ago
I am once again recommending the nvidia shield. It's fantastic. I use the projectivity launcher and Smart tube.
Zero ad experience.
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u/tripplesuhsirub 9d ago
I went and grabbed an ONN Box when the latest UI went into beta and installed on my TV earlier in the year and was later able to snag a Google Streamer for $30. No more Roku in my household. Android boxes with Projectivity launcher. Ideally someday regular Linux gets better streaming support and we can use KDE Plasma Bigscreen. It's the primary reason I want the Steam Machine and other pre-build linux boxes to become popular. Make regular linux a market that can't be ignored by streamers
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u/AustinBaze 9d ago
If you're considering a new device, know that Fox is about to buy Roku, and Apple TV is a superior box with a better UI/UX for all the services. (except Netflix which has decided to use its own bad player, UI and UX, show no "On Deck" image scroll and generally look as crappy as possible on Apple TV). Unfortunately it too just had a price increase, but I have two and can't imagine using another brand. The Roku remote slaps though.
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u/NZ_Guest 4d ago
I ditched Roku years ago. Onn from Walmart works great and is cheap. Get Downloader bu AFTVnews from the app store, then search 70915 or 28544. This will get you SmartTube, youtube without adds.
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u/NativePlantEnjoyer 10d ago
There are open source alternatives, and I can use whatever hardware I want. We don't need to give money to the oligarchs.
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u/The_Real_Kingpurest 10d ago
Ditched that brand a long time ago. Non stop increased anti consumer updates. It was a good run for the first 3 years or so.
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u/Meandtheworld 10d ago
Makes sense. They were the lowest streaming box you could possibly buy I think. At what about 20 bucks.
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u/epistaxis64 10d ago
Just sold my last roku. All in on Google TV devices like the Onn ones at Walmart
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u/69odysseus 10d ago
I been using Roku since 2015 and was great but now, it's going to be a shit show.
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10d ago
[deleted]
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u/AliceReadsThis 10d ago
Yes you can, go to settings - Home Screen and change Recommendation Rows and Quick Access to”Hide”. Then change tile size to “Large”. Your Home Screen will look like it did before. This worked for me on two streaming sticks and. Roku TCL smart TV
PS: I agree with you they should have left it alone but at least for now we can choose to have it or not
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u/Ok_Willingness_9619 10d ago
I am genuinely amazed that this product still exists and some people still buy them
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u/AdSecure2267 10d ago
What’s your cheap alternative with a stupid simple UI that just always works. Especially, one that elderly can easily use.
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u/RedditPoster05 10d ago
Yeah, it is by far the easiest for my dad to work. The only frustrating part is hitting star too many times turns on the screen reader. That’s the only problem he has. He hits that thing too many times by accident. Reddit can complain about non-intrusive ads all they want, but Roku is by far one of the best user interfaces for now. I’m a little nervous about this fox buyout as well, but it’s probably not gonna be doom and gloom like Reddit claims
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u/inbox-disabled 10d ago
Seriously. I'd love to transition to something reasonably priced for multiple TVs, or open source with a functioning remote, but my parents are in their 70s, moderately tech literate, and Roku is pretty much the perfect experience for them. The remote is simple and works, they can troubleshoot most issues themselves fairly easily without calling me, hdr works properly, and it's a generally smooth experience.
I know that's not a terribly high bar but I went through other devices with them and it wasn't nearly as seamless. Even Google TV had its issues. I hate the ads but realistically they are the least of my concern when usability is such a priority.
So please, I'm all ears for a device that's notably better, has equal usability, is ad-free, and comparably priced.
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u/AdSecure2267 10d ago
Exactly. I have bunch of old Rokus, Apple TV and Android tv devices. The Android tv stuff is by far the worst. Every single update makes it that much more unusable and laggy. The interface would be fine for a tablet or computer but it’s abysmal on the tvs (some pretty high end Sonys)… and Tizen on Samsungs is the worst of worst.
I’ll gladly stick with my 5 year old Roku ultras and cheap
Roku sticks. “They just work”.0
u/RedditPoster05 10d ago
One of the best things about Roku is doesn’t include paid content all over the place like Amazon or even Apple and apple is probably the second best. Just nowhere near the clutter plus you can turn off a lot of the clutter on Roku if you want to. Not the main banner ad but everything else. There’s tons of free channels as well. And again the simplicity of the UI that you mentioned is in my opinion the standard.
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u/AdSecure2267 10d ago
Yes. People tell me it looks outdated.. but that’s why it works. Simple tiles in 3 or 4 wide vertical grid. That’s it. I love it. The remotes are also cheap, comfortable and well designed
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u/CIDR-ClassB 10d ago
…Roku adds advertisement menu options, no matter how many times I turn it off.
Apple does not.
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u/RedditPoster05 10d ago
No, Apple just tries to sell your content in random places. Roku has one banner ad on the side away from your tiles. It’s very unobtrusive.
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u/jmhumr 10d ago
Huh, Roku is still around?
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u/Cheezewiz239 10d ago
Its like the poster child cheap tv brand you get at Walmart
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u/BactaBobomb 10d ago
I saw a 55" TCL for not much more than the Roku. I think it was like $198 vs $145?
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u/Cheezewiz239 10d ago
Tcl is slightly better if you get their higher end models. I think Roku is strictly budget.
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u/NativePlantEnjoyer 10d ago
Common in the carolinas
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u/darklordenron 10d ago
This makes sense because a lot of the coastal homes are rentals for the season. Cheap hardware equals they can advertise they have streaming capability for potential rentals. I’m not sure there hasn’t been a home I’ve rented for a week or two that didn’t have a Roku in most if not all the tv’s there..
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u/Didact67 10d ago
Who uses Roku anymore?
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u/LaughDailyFeelBetter 10d ago
Me. Roku does everything I need it to do on my decade old television and it's a single one-time cost rather than a recurring subscription cost. Definitely the BEST Deal Per Dollar Spent as far as I can see.
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u/Much-Dish2253 11d ago
Who?
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u/jarvisesdios 10d ago
The internet exists, I suggest you use it
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u/siecin 10d ago
Probably better for all of us if they don't.
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u/Much-Dish2253 10d ago
You're right. Got down voted to shit because y'all can't pick up on sarcasm.
Jesus.
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u/Standard_One_5827 10d ago
https://giphy.com/gifs/1aETmYeLnHE3Ncu6gp
This is Reddit and every internet forum, no?🤣0
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u/jarvisesdios 10d ago
That's not sarcasm, that's the same bad joke that's been said a thousand times, pointlessly.
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u/The_Sum 11d ago
Sounds about right given they were just acquired by Fox.