this post was submitted on 17 Mar 2025
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Technology

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

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[–] Snapz@lemmy.world 1 points 5 hours ago

Go look at the down votes on all your posts and just how universally unpopular your take is - That's called being wrong. That's fine, you can be wrong sometimes, that's okay. It doesn't define you, but stop digging in the wrong direction.

I can pay for music, I often don't on principal. I work to find other ways to contribute to artists as directly as I can (patreon, merch, shows, etc). I'm not alone in that. You had some weird guilt socialized into you that tells you your value is in what you spend and own. Protest at any level is valid. Copyright law is bullshit, DMCA takedowns are bullshit, DRM and digital streaming music that you never actually legally own is all bullshit. Anything you can do to make that broken system nervous or hurt is a great and valuable thing to broader society.

You are unequivocally wrong here, you're the last person to realize that, but you still can realize it here and now today and go forward from here. How about it, take the olive branch, bud?

[–] FauxLiving@lemmy.world 4 points 10 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 10 hours ago (1 children)

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

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

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.

[–] Taleya@aussie.zone 1 points 1 hour ago* (last edited 1 hour ago) (1 children)

My big issue with kodi is that i like my media library to be human navigable and named and it does not. Dealbreaker

[–] FauxLiving@lemmy.world 1 points 7 minutes ago* (last edited 7 minutes ago)

Kodi doesn't organize your media, you use other applications for that (tinymediamanager, sonarr/radarr, etc).

The default library layout, for Plex/Jellyfin/Kodi is very human navigable, for example TV Shows are in this format:

TV Show Name
 |-Season 1
 |-Season 2
 |-\-S02E01-Episode_Name.mkv

There may be a few extra files in the directories depending on what metadata you're storing and what you're pulling from the Internet, but it is organized and navigable.

[–] cmnybo@discuss.tchncs.de 27 points 22 hours ago (19 children)

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

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[–] SandySocks@lemmy.world 26 points 22 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.

[–] Drusas@fedia.io 24 points 1 day ago (4 children)

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

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[–] Dudewitbow@lemmy.zip 14 points 1 day ago (16 children)

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

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[–] fakeplastic@lemmy.dbzer0.com 9 points 22 hours ago (6 children)

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

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[–] PieMePlenty@lemmy.world 2 points 16 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 8 hours ago (1 children)

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.

[–] PieMePlenty@lemmy.world 1 points 5 hours ago

You are right. Ive looked into it and it lacks memory for what I'd want out of it. Pi4/5 would certainly work though it would no longer be the "stick" form factor.

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[–] floo@retrolemmy.com 10 points 1 day ago (4 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.

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[–] Zachariah@lemmy.world 8 points 23 hours ago (3 children)
[–] LiveLM@lemmy.zip 2 points 15 hours ago

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

[–] nova_ad_vitum@lemmy.ca 4 points 18 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 16 hours ago (1 children)
[–] Zachariah@lemmy.world 1 points 9 hours ago

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

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[–] LiveLM@lemmy.zip 1 points 15 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 🫣

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