• AmbiguousProps@lemmy.today
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    3 days 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.

      • AmbiguousProps@lemmy.today
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        3 days 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.

        Note that I did all of that after the tv was configured and set up, YMMV if it’s a brand new tv as it may need to call home to do the initial set up.

      • ALostInquirer@lemm.ee
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        3 days ago

        Would you happen to know of any guides or have advice on identifying the adservers to block?

        • Snot Flickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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          3 days ago

          I’ve always just done it manually by viewing the Pi-Hole logs for the device I am on while the ad is loading. It takes getting into the weeds a bit.

          Further, I don’t have a Roku so I’ve never looked into it myself.

          That being said, a quick search brought up this hosts file:

          https://gist.github.com/sidward35/cea28bedd0ec0b1bceec8c2b22c163c4

          Adlist for Pi-hole with domains for Roku, LG, and Samsung

          Not sure if it’s current or not. Lots of threads about Roku ads making it through after being previously blocked.

          • ALostInquirer@lemm.ee
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            3 days ago

            Appreciate the reply and link regardless! It’s always whack-an-ad with these intrusive jerks.

      • Hellmo_luciferrari@lemm.ee
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        3 days 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.

        • Snot Flickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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          3 days ago

          True, but most people are buying off-the-shelf stuff and they don’t have their own localized piracy-enabled libraries with a Jellyfin server.

          Further, I’m pretty sure you’ve got to connect your Roku at least once to install player apps like Jellyfin. But maybe you don’t, I’m not at all familiar with if you can sideload on a Roku.

  • gedaliyah@lemmy.world
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    3 days 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.

  • MiniMoose4Free@lemm.ee
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    3 days 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.

  • spongebue@lemmy.world
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    3 days 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 🤔

  • RowRowRowYourBot@sh.itjust.works
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    3 days ago

    Im literally willing to ditch the device and cancel all streaming services because of this. When I turn on my TV I don’t want to be forced to consume ads when I haven’t been provided with anything in return.

  • spaghettiwestern@sh.itjust.works
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    3 days ago

    Not a surprise for Roku. The company has been getting progressively worse in the last few years and their enshittification is accelerating. Their recent forced download of an update that requires users to agree to arbitration to use our TVs was intended to ultimately take control of those TVs completely away from the people who own them.

    Right now it’s possible to block Roku’s static ads and presumably the autoplaying ones using a local DNS server like Adblock Home or Pihole, but it’s only a matter of time before Roku blocks everything unless we watch the ads they are trying force down our throats. I’m already in the process of obsoleting all 5 Rokus we own.

    It has taken Roku years to build up enough market share to allow this kind of behavior and it will take years for the market to abandon them. Their executives will claim ignorance as to why users are walking away when it finally hits their bottom line.

      • LandedGentry@lemmy.zip
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        3 days ago

        Apple has absolutely no interest in injecting ads like this. That’s not their business model. Apple has a thousand things wrong but it’s reasonable to assume they aren’t going to pull this kind of rug pull.

        • TheGrandNagus@lemmy.world
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          3 days ago

          I definitely think Apple is less susceptible to this, but people seem to forget that Apple literally has an ads business.

          Look at the ads in Apple news and in a couple of other places. Apple isn’t immune to injecting ads into the UX of their products.

        • Snot Flickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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          3 days ago

          https://www.statista.com/statistics/1330127/apple-ad-revenue-worldwide/

          They still have an ad business, and ads are what companies turn to when times get tough. There’s no guarantees that Apple will stay on top for other reasons, and to assume such a thing will never happen is truly foolhardy.

          It’s like believing Valve will be the same after Gabe Newell dies.

          Further, Apple relies deeply on TMSC and since the US is basically in a nosedive of idiocy and protectionist tariffs, there’s a significant chance their supply line for their chips could be deeply impacted, and by extension, their profits from their computing products. Whether from tariffs or China taking over Taiwan, Apple could easily get fucked out of luck fast.

            • Snot Flickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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              3 days ago

              No, you implied that they’ll never ever ever never ever in a million years turn to their ad business to supplant lost sales elsewhere and that related things couldn’t happen to impact their sales. Which is a bogus and easily disproven line of thought.

              • deadkennedy@lemm.ee
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                3 days ago

                bro, you’re projecting and read all that in the other poster’s reply on your own.

                chill and rebuild binutils and clang from source again

              • LandedGentry@lemmy.zip
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                3 days ago

                I did nothing of the sort. You’re projecting all sorts of stuff onto what I said. I said they would not inject ads like this. In this insanely intrusive manner or as a flagrant rug pull. That’s not how they operate.

                • Snot Flickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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                  3 days ago

                  That’s not how they operate.

                  That’s literally the implication that I’m talking about that you say I’m projecting onto this. You don’t know the future, that can change.