this post was submitted on 17 Mar 2025

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185

“Awful”: Roku tests autoplaying ads loading before the home screen (arstechnica.com)

submitted 16 hours ago by BrikoX@lemmy.zip to c/technology@lemmy.zip

69 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Users are unimpressed, eager to toss devices if test sticks.

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[–] FauxLiving@lemmy.world 3 points 3 hours ago (1 children)

They're not "smart" TVs. They're TVs with shitty android spyware boxes attached.

Stop using that garbage. Don't connect it to a network, just use it as a display.

If you need to watch YouTube on your TV go and grab an OSMC (Kodi-based OS for media boxes) media box. You can get a pre-built one for around $100, or install it yourself on a raspberry pi.

These manufacturers depend on you being lazy and accepting their spyware. You will save yourself so much more headache in the long run if you control your own hardware and software.

Trying to navigate through the world without some minimal knowledge of computers means you're going to get taken by every scam like what Roku is pulling.

[–] jacksilver@lemmy.world 1 points 2 hours ago (1 children)

It's not just the tvs, they're doing it on their streaming sticks too.

[–] FauxLiving@lemmy.world 1 points 1 hour ago

Yeah, every product that they sell will do it.

Using something like OSMC (or buying a Vero is you don't want to mess around with the setup) will let you control what runs on your player.

Until you do that, you're paying some random company while also giving root access on a device in your house and letting them waste your time with ads.

All you get out of the deal is avoiding having to learn how to use a new piece of software. A Pyrrhic victory due to the fact that you have to learn to use Roku.

I'd rather spend a few hours learning how to setup Kodi. It's free software, you don't pay for it and it's Free software, you control it with no strings attached.

[–] SandySocks@lemmy.world 24 points 14 hours ago

We had one on our TV the other day. This will absolutely be our last Roku.

In the meantime I immediately installed PiHole, to block all their ads.

[–] cmnybo@discuss.tchncs.de 22 points 14 hours ago (17 children)

This is one of the many reasons why you should be your own streaming service. 🏴‍☠️

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[–] PieMePlenty@lemmy.world 2 points 8 hours ago (2 children)

Ive never looked into it but how viable is a raspberry pi zero for this? I mean, is the hardware powerful enough and is there software available for easy TV use? Potentially paired with an android bluetooth remote.

[–] laurelraven@lemmy.zip 1 points 41 minutes ago

I don't have personal experience trying to do that specifically but the zero is a really underpowered device that's sluggish even updating itself. I've tried streaming games through a pi 4 which is way more powerful and even it struggled with the video being choppy, though it is more intensive than just streaming video by itself.

You'd probably have good luck with a pi 4 or 5, though, and they aren't very big either.

[–] Phoonzang@lemmy.world 1 points 8 hours ago

Tried this with streaming from the cable box, and it did not work really well. Upgraded to a Pi 4, which now runs a full Kodi MediaCenter and is connected via Gigabit Ethernet to the cablebox. I use a Logitech harmony with an IR USB dongle, which was a bit clunky to get to work because it's old, there's probably much easier Bluetooth solutions available, or you can just use your phone as remote. All in all I fiddled around an afternoon to get the whole thing to work, there's tons of how tos on the web.

[–] LiveLM@lemmy.zip 1 points 7 hours ago

Oh god, and I was considering getting a Roku stick for my old dumb TV, glad I went for a Xiaomi box instead 🫣

[–] Drusas@fedia.io 22 points 16 hours ago (2 children)

I will absolutely be getting rid of mine if I experience this.

[–] HexadecimalSky@lemmy.world 4 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

I only have my roku tv because I got it dirt cheap ages ago, I don't use it all that often and no good enough reason to replace it, I'm already considering replacing it with a dumb tv and just hooking up my laptop to it. If I ever experience this, it will make the cost of a new dumb tv 1000% worth it.

[–] reddig33@lemmy.world 6 points 13 hours ago (1 children)

You can reset your Roku tv and simply not connect it to the internet. It will still work as a dumb tv.

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[–] fakeplastic@lemmy.dbzer0.com 9 points 15 hours ago (5 children)

Roku is the worst thing to happen to TVs since motion smoothing.

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[–] Dudewitbow@lemmy.zip 12 points 16 hours ago (1 children)

Basically punishment for people who either don't get their own streaming box/avoid tvs with roku built in.

[–] spankmonkey@lemmy.world 6 points 15 hours ago (7 children)

What? This is reported to be happening on both sticks and tv versions of the rolu app.

[–] Empricorn@feddit.nl 12 points 14 hours ago (5 children)

It's capitalism... When every CEO, Board Member, and shareholder wants a yacht, it's literally never enough. They even created a term to describe this inevitable deterioration of every company's product: enshittification.

[–] Snapz@lemmy.world 3 points 9 hours ago (1 children)

It's not that they all want yachts, they make enough to each buy multiple yachts. It's just that nothing is ever enough. They don't know what success is, so they chase the undefined feeling until they die unfulfilled. Fucking living dead and a cancer on collective humanity

[–] laurelraven@lemmy.zip 1 points 52 minutes ago

They want nesting yachts.

And once they have a nesting yacht, they want an even bigger yacht to nest that one in.

It's yachts all the way up.

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[–] floo@retrolemmy.com 10 points 16 hours ago (1 children)

I never plugged mine into the Internet. I just plugged in an Apple TV, and I’m good to go. No ads, no sweat, no problem.

[–] possiblylinux127@lemmy.zip 5 points 15 hours ago (1 children)

New devices don't allow that

[–] floo@retrolemmy.com 10 points 15 hours ago* (last edited 15 hours ago) (2 children)

I got mine three weeks ago from Amazon. How much more new can it get?

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[–] Zachariah@lemmy.world 8 points 15 hours ago (3 children)

NVidia Shield 2 when?

[–] LiveLM@lemmy.zip 2 points 7 hours ago

Never, apparently. Dunno why Nvidia is dragging their feet on this one

[–] nova_ad_vitum@lemmy.ca 4 points 11 hours ago (1 children)

Apparently Valve might be releasing a shield-like thing. If they do it's an instant buy for me.

[–] PieMePlenty@lemmy.world 3 points 8 hours ago (1 children)

A steam link?

[–] Zachariah@lemmy.world 1 points 1 hour ago

Steam Link 2 that also does 4K video would be awesome.

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[–] Blaster_M@lemmy.world 3 points 13 hours ago

I remember when Roku was the big cost saving alternative to TV. I remember when it was the all in one streaming aggregator.

Meh, I don't even watch TV anyway

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