Roku is no longer a neutral platform after today’s Roku OS 9.1 update

https://techcrunch.com/2019/04/09/roku-is-no-longer-a-neutral-platform-after-todays-roku-os-9-1-update/

by e1ven • 7 years ago

106 70 7 years ago

jordigh• 7 years ago

I have kind of enjoyed Roku, but I've wished to install adblock on it, and perhaps an alternative Netflix interface that doesn't have any kind of autoplay.

Is this currently possible? Someone must have already figured out how to truly own their own device, haven't they?

e1ven• 7 years ago

I'm not sure about an alternative UI, but for ad-blocking could you use Pi-hole?

vaishaksuresh2• 7 years ago

Look into PiHole. That is what I have, some ads still get through, but for the most part, ads are blocked across the network.

jlgaddis• 7 years ago

Just for the Roku itself or are ads in "channels" blocked as well?

I only rarely watch anything on TV but the girlfriend complains quite a bit about all of the (often repetitive) ads on Hulu -- and I'm pretty sure we even pay for it.

Deploying Pi-Hole has been on my to-do list for a while but if it can block ads on Hulu I'd move it up to the top of the list!

groovybits• 7 years ago

<< adblock >>

PiHole works well for this: https://pi-hole.net

jftuga• 7 years ago

This is on my PiHole blacklist:

austin.logs.roku.com

captive.roku.com

scribe.logs.roku.com

(^|\.)logs\.roku\.com$

(^|\.)sw\.roku\.com$

ukyrgf• 7 years ago

The only way to stop Netflix's insane autoplay feature is to stop subscribing to Netflix.

keepmesmall2• 7 years ago

It's configurable in the web version. More of a TV-with-closed-software problem.

DoofusOfDeath• 7 years ago

Not sure if it's me, but it seems like just about every UI- and service-change that Netflix has made in recent years seems intended to make me unsubscribe.

onlyrealcuzzo• 7 years ago

Serious question: why does everyone seem to strongly hate the auto-play feature? I kind of like it. Ditto for YouTube.

kevin_thibedeau• 7 years ago

I pretty much ignore the Roku search as it has too much PPV content. If I care about what's on the Roku channel I'll just navigate to it.

What they really need to do is get rid of the high friction signup process for new channels. Why should I have to go to an external website when Roku should have all the identifying information third parties would need?

tracker14• 7 years ago

Because they actually care about security and potential data leaks... or do you want all your billing data accidentally going to a fart app developer your kid clicked on?

toast0• 7 years ago

I pretty much ignore the Roku search as it has too much PPV content.

The search can be pretty iffy, but it's faster than searching in each app, and sometimes it catches things is fringe apps I wouldn't have thought to install. (although, those usually have terrible interstitial ads -- TV shows have built in slots for commercials, use them please, people!)

shados• 7 years ago

I literally gave up on Funimation because every time I had to login, and looked at my password manager's randomly generated password, I died a little inside, since they didn't use the typical "just enter those couple of digits from the website and you're good to go", which is a nice compromise.

Dunno if it changed, it was a while ago.

clintonb2• 7 years ago

Blame the channel creators. I'm surprised Netflix still doesn't have the option to input a code on a website. Amazon, Showtime, and numerous other channels support this feature.

clintonb2• 7 years ago

What they really need to do is get rid of the high friction signup process for new channels. Why should I have to go to an external website when Roku should have all the identifying information third parties would need?

Are you referring to the friction of inputting the code on the service provider's website? If so, I think that is a much better solution than having to input the password generated by my password manager.

Even if Roku wanted to serve as some form of identity provider, you'd still have to go through some small bit of friction to associate your Roku account with the service provider. Given that we are talking about security and access to saved credit cards in some cases, I think a small amount of friction is warranted. The short codes are an excellent balance of convenience and friction.

desireco42• 7 years ago

I think TC is overreacting and being sensationalistic here. We should treasure Roku especially today when every platform is blocking every other platform, they are place of sanity.

At least I do.

tssva3• 7 years ago

Especially when all the new "exclusive" to the Roku Channel features are either actually already available for other channels to take advantage of or will be shortly.

cptskippy• 7 years ago

Roku previously sold content but then it was transitioned to FandangoNow.

dgellow• 7 years ago

Wow. TechCrunch is hijacking the back button on mobile in a really bad way. After opening the link I see 5+ entries in my browser history, meaning I have to use the back button really a lot to go back to HN!

What a great way to make me feel I shouldn’t have agreed to the the Oath screen ...

gloflo• 7 years ago

Press and hold

jolmg• 7 years ago

I have to use it twice. That's still pretty bad.

jackewiehose• 7 years ago

And when you scroll down to the end of the page you will be redirected to some other page and you cannot scroll up back to origin.

What is wrong with you web developers? Have you ever used a mouse-wheel before??

reificator• 7 years ago

I have no clue why so many sites break the scroll wheel, break the back button, break default functionality that you'd otherwise get for free.

I've successfully pushed back against requirements to do this, and I've unsuccessfully pushed back. I've tried to not do this kind of thing in my own work whenever possible. Usually it's very easy to do so, because it's the default behavior that you get for free.

stordoff• 7 years ago

I'm seeing more and more sites with infinite scroll, and I hate it every time, but I haven't seen one yet where you cant scroll back up.

It feels incredible distracting when another article appears out of nowhere when you have just finished reading one.

ehsankia• 7 years ago

The URL changing on scroll is really confusing. I've often tried to link a techcrunch article, only to realize I linked the wrong one...

darkpuma• 7 years ago

Incidentally javascript is completely unnecessary to read the article: https://0x0.st/zZIt.png

I strongly recommend blocking all javascript, including first party javascript, by default. You'll probably be surprised how many websites won't require you to whitelist anything.

madrox• 7 years ago

It's not just mobile.

Abishek_Muthian• 7 years ago

I use kindle to read HN, except for JS stuff (voting) everything works & so does 90% of linked articles.

Article Mode on Kindle makes the reading experience pleasant, but doesn't work for sites like Techcrunch using nasty Javascripts.

rambojazz• 7 years ago

I hate TC in this regard, so much so that I don't read it anymore and I'm afraid to click their links. If you scroll too much, the page you were reading disappears, you see completely different content. The back button doesn't work. Overall it's really confusing and gives me anxiety because I don't know if what I'm reading is what I came here for.

martinraag• 7 years ago

I use those GDRP screens for a little moment of mindfulness now to consider, whether I really want to read the article behind it. The answer has turned out to be almost always no and I don’t think I’ve missed much.

phjesusthatguy32• 7 years ago

I just bought a Roku for my elderly in-laws; I was expecting the experience to be awful but instead it was very nearly everything I could hope for from an embedded device. If these changes mean they get pointed to free content first (above what the thing already did!) I'm going to have to say this is a good change.

They're going to be watching live TV on Sling for the most part. We're going to add on an AirTV so they can get PBS in the Sling interface as well. They already watch Netflix on their Vizio TV, and hopefully we can get them to turn off the TV's internet connection with the Rokus.

asark• 7 years ago

Now that all TVs are "smart" the ones with built-in Roku are just about the only ones I find tolerable. Pretty fast booting, especially from "sleep", compared to the rest, and the interface isn't garbage. The remotes are pleasantly simple and normal. You can use your phone as a remote if you lose it. You can "upgrade" older TVs to have the same interface with one of their cheaper stick products. Pretty nice. Like the poor (frugal) person's Apple TV, and not as big a compromise in experience as one might think. I kinda like them better, in fact.

tssva3• 7 years ago

I sold my Apple TV and replaced it with a Roku Premiere +. I found the Apple TV to be a usability nightmare.

tyingq• 7 years ago

I can say that any sort of auto play previews are immensely annoying. I watch more Prime than Netflix now, and that autoplay preview is high on the list of why.

Free content is similarly irrating because it's loaded with commercials that you can't even fast forward through.

julianlam• 7 years ago

If you use Firefox, the "Netflix Tweaks" plugin is quite nice and stops the autoplay.

cdubzzz2• 7 years ago

Get them to join PBS Passport, as well! (:

https://help.pbs.org/support/solutions/articles/12000012972-...

Disclaimer: I work for a PBS member station.

redstar92• 7 years ago

Any chance for an Xbox one app by PBS? Paying member of passport but this would really increase my watching. It's weird that there is a pbs kids app but not the full pbs app on Xbox one.

phjesusthatguy32• 7 years ago

Yep, they're going to do that too, but they want the antenna because they're mostly set in their ways and want to watch live TV. Netflix was a huge step forward for them.

scarface744• 7 years ago

I bought my dad a Roku TV. He hates the login process and it seems to randomly sign him out from his cable provider.

Every time I go home I have to re sign him in.

While I don’t have to do that with Netflix, the discoversbilty of any videos that aren’t recommended is awful.

scarface744• 7 years ago

Roku has never been neutral. The CEO said himself that he doesn’t see Roku as a hardware company. Roku has always made money by advertising. From the ad that takes up half the home screen to the hardcoded short cut buttons that go to the highest bidder.

https://www.recode.net/2018/9/13/17852908/roku-anthony-wood-...

Roku is no longer a neutral platform after today’s Roku OS 9.1 update

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