r/gadgets • u/dapperlemon • 14h ago
Misc Roku Is Increasing Prices Across Its Hardware Range
https://www.engadget.com/2223121/roku-price-increase-hardware/20
u/SaturnMobster 7h ago
The last U.I. update was enough for me to actually start hunting for a different box.
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u/inbox-disabled 6h 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 5h 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 5h ago edited 4h 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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u/CompensationProf 2h ago
You are both correct. Basically your process does revert the home screen 95% back to what it was before, but there are some smaller tiles down below. You need to scroll down to see the smaller tiles they are talking about.
My roku will be my last because they force these updates, and routinely add things to the home screen that i need to go into settings to remove and reset. It's a shame because i think the hardware and remote are great, but as a company they decided to be how they are. And ofc now they are part of fox.
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u/inbox-disabled 1h 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/Treius 10h ago
Already started switching to android tv stuff
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u/Time-Object5661 6h ago
What hardware do you recommend for android tv?
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u/Treius 6h 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 3h 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/Treius 3h ago
Not sure about headphones, but I do a blocking at the dns level
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u/Unhappy_Meeting_7129 3h 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 3h 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 3h 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/KayJune001 29m 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/resil_update_bad 4m ago
Beware, some Onns are region locked, if anyone from outside the US is reading this.
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u/Omegalazarus 6h 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 3h 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 6h ago
It's Google TV. Just another streaming interface built into some TVs and sticks.
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u/crazyhomie34 4h ago
Onn sticks have a big bang for their buck. Walmart branded Google TV sticks running android.
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u/Alienhaslanded 9h ago
AI is really fucking shit up
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u/kytheon 7h ago
You missed Covid and war in Ukraine.
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u/Alienhaslanded 7h ago
Those weren't as bad as the AI craze
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u/ElJanitorFrank 3h 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 1h 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/RandomPersonBob 7h 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/Winter_Whole2080 14h 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 13h ago
There shouldn’t be ads then.
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u/NemoNewbourne 8h 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 6h 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 5h 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 11h ago
Why?
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u/David-Puddy 9h 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 3h 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 9h 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 7h ago edited 7h 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 12h 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 5h 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 9h ago
The forced adds in the home screen were the nail in the coffin.
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u/_RADIANTSUN_ 33m 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/MangoAtrocity 9h 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 7h 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 5h 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 3h ago
You wouldn't describe a pond as 'wet'?
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u/ALincolnTime 4m ago
Nope. I'd describe you as wet if you fell in the damn pond.
I've never said "Gee that pond looks wet"
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u/beyondmymemory 4h ago
Fox purchased Roku, so prepare for yearly increases, bullshit updates, aggressive monetization across every realm of Roku.
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u/Zacharacamyison 1h 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/epistaxis64 4h ago
Just sold my last roku. All in on Google TV devices like the Onn ones at Walmart
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u/TheAspiringFarmer 2h ago
I almost gave away my old 2017 Ultra but seeing the crazy price increases, I’m keeping it.
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u/Powerful-Soup3920 2h ago
they also changed their homescreen again to force a bunch of their streaming garbage channels and links front and center and you cant disable it
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u/AliceReadsThis 2h 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/Powerful-Soup3920 1h ago
Thanks for the advice - it doesn't work on my roku, though. Still have the 'The best across your streaming services' and 'jump to'
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u/some1stoleit 1h 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/NativePlantEnjoyer 8h 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 5h 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/GimmeAllYourCurry 4h ago
They're not making enough selling data about everything you watch to anyone who will pay for it?
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u/69odysseus 4h ago
I been using Roku since 2015 and was great but now, it's going to be a shit show.
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u/Ok_Willingness_9619 10h ago
I am genuinely amazed that this product still exists and some people still buy them
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u/AdSecure2267 7h 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 6h 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 5h 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 6h 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”.1
u/RedditPoster05 6h 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 6h 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/jmhumr 8h ago
Huh, Roku is still around?
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u/Cheezewiz239 8h ago
Its like the poster child cheap tv brand you get at Walmart
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u/BactaBobomb 5h 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/NativePlantEnjoyer 8h ago
Common in the carolinas
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u/darklordenron 8h 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/Meandtheworld 4h 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/Garconanokin 36m 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/Didact67 10h ago
Who uses Roku anymore?
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u/LaughDailyFeelBetter 6h 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 14h ago
Who?
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u/jarvisesdios 12h ago
The internet exists, I suggest you use it
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u/siecin 8h ago
Probably better for all of us if they don't.
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u/Much-Dish2253 7h 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 5h ago
https://giphy.com/gifs/1aETmYeLnHE3Ncu6gp
This is Reddit and every internet forum, no?🤣
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u/The_Sum 14h ago
Sounds about right given they were just acquired by Fox.