Guess I'll pick this moment to remind people that this forced arbitration thing is a scare tactic and is not legally binding. You can still sue (assuming you have the funds or a lawyer willing to work pro bono).
Note, I rarely, if ever, use a TV anymore, so smart TVs have never appealed to me. But Roku seems to be very anti consumer (between the forced arbitration and their ad policy), so I don't understand why someone looking to get a smart TV would actually want a Roku over an alternative.
Maybe I'm just poorly informed, but it just seems like almost anything else should be a better option?
I have used Rokus for a while. I have a stick, and a TV that came with it installed.
Pros: It's cheap, and it works. Their interface isn't perfect, but it's good enough. It's supposed to serve ads, but thanks to my pihole it's just a blank rectangle taking up part of the screen. The app is serviceable. My wife and I can simultaneously stream the audio to our phones, and both listen with headphones, which means we can enjoy a movie even when the kids are asleep.
When I chose the platform originally, the other options were Google, Amazon, and Apple, and at the time they were still fighting over licensing each app and proprietary software. I also had a KODI HTPC at the time, and it's still running 15 years later as a Plex media server. The Roku had a faster response time and easier navigation. Roku has a Plex app so I can still stream all the movies I have.
Cons: The stick is showing its age, and the new terms of service are just scary enough to put me on notice that I might need a new streaming device
If they ever show an advertisement or a commercial before or over top of something I'm watching, that will be the day I switch. Today, I would probably go with an nvidia shield, or maybe even a game console since they all run streaming apps now. But any system has the potential for enshittification.
For the TVs where Roku/FireOS/others I'm forgetting are the primarily operating system, they subsidize the cost of the TV making it much cheaper compared to others, especially for the size. Of course, this lower price point comes at the cost of privacy and intrusion of advertising.
I use VLC and an HDMI cable...fuck services from any company. They are all untrust worthy and don't give a damn about you or their product provided you see ads and they sell your information.
Streaming giant Roku has confirmed a second security incident in as many months, with hackers this time able to compromise more than half a million Roku user accounts.
In a statement Friday, the company said about 576,000 user accounts were accessed using a technique known as credential stuffing, where malicious hackers use usernames and passwords stolen from other data breaches and reuse the logins on other sites.
Roku said in fewer than 400 account breaches, the malicious hackers made fraudulent purchases of Roku hardware and streaming subscriptions using the payment data stored in those users’ accounts.
Roku said it refunded customers affected by the account intrusions.
Following the security incidents, Roku said it rolled out two-factor authentication to users.
Two-factor authentication prevents credential stuffing attacks by adding an additional layer of security to online accounts.
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