You know how not awesome it is when a channel you watch is getting dropped by (insert carrier here) so you get several months of bleeding heart coverage? Lots of overly dramatic commercials. Giant ticker boards in bright colors scrolling by during stuff you might actually want to watch. You know, with the implication that we the consumer are suppose to pick sides between two people looking to carve the fattest chunk out of our wallet possible.

Yeah. That has now officially arrived to streaming land.

Quote:Dear Roku Customer,





We are sending this email to update you on the possibility that Google may take away your access to the YouTube TV channel on Roku. Recent negotiations with Google to carry YouTube TV have broken down because Roku cannot accept Google’s unfair terms as we believe they could harm our users.



Ensuring a great streaming experience at an exceptional value is the core of our business. We will always stand up for our users, which is why we cannot accept Google's unfair and anticompetitive requirements to manipulate your search results, impact the usage of your data and ultimately cost you more.



While we are deeply disappointed in Google’s decision to use their monopoly power to try and force terms that will directly harm streamers, we remain committed to reaching an agreement with Google that preserves your access to YouTube TV, protects your data and ensures a level playing field for companies to compete. We encourage you to contact Google and urge them to reach an agreement to continue offering YouTube TV on Roku and to follow standard industry practices pledging not to require access to sensitive search data or to manipulate your search results.





Thank you,

Roku

Roku seems to be always having these problems.

God bless Roku

Roku still hasn’t returned the Spectrum TV app to their apps.

(04-26-2021 11:31 AM)georgia_tech_swagger Wrote:  You know, with the implication that we the consumer are suppose to pick sides between two people looking to carve the fattest chunk out of our wallet possible.

That's exactly what they're doing. Google thinks people love their services enough to demand that every other company give Google unlimited access to consumers' personal data. Roku thinks their customers like Roku enough to switch from YouTube TV to another streaming service, instead of finding another device to deliver YouTube TV to their TV sets.

Google is a data mining leech. Way to go Roku for standing up to them.

(04-26-2021 11:45 AM)solohawks Wrote:  Roku seems to be always having these problems.

It's because they have no leverage and are always angling for a way to grow their revenue. They have the Netflix problem, they own the platform but not the content.

Never used YouTube TV, I've been using AT&T TV Now on the grandfathered plan. I get all my sports and RSN needs, no NFL Network but they don't have anything content wise now that Prime Video has TNF

(04-26-2021 01:31 PM)Sicembear11 Wrote:  

(04-26-2021 11:45 AM)solohawks Wrote:  Roku seems to be always having these problems.

It's because they have no leverage and are always angling for a way to grow their revenue. They have the Netflix problem, they own the platform but not the content.

Yep! I admire their ability to keep fighting and delivering a quality product

(04-26-2021 11:45 AM)solohawks Wrote:  Roku seems to be always having these problems.

To be fair---Ive found Roku to be the most agnostic of the streaming devices. It seems to be the only one that isnt trying to push you into a certain product universe (unlike AppleTv, Firestick, or Chromecast for instance). All the streaming devices Ive owned have worked just fine--but I have a house full of Roku's because they have always provided equally convenient access to every service---and I like that. I still remember early on when I could not access Amazon from an AppleTv device because Apple wouldnt provide an app for it. That was it for me and AppleTv.

(04-26-2021 02:37 PM)Attackcoog Wrote:  

(04-26-2021 11:45 AM)solohawks Wrote:  Roku seems to be always having these problems.

To be fair---Ive found Roku to be the most agnostic of the streaming devices. It seems to be the only one that isnt trying to push you into a certain product universe (unlike AppleTv, Firestick, or Chromecast for instance). All the streaming devices Ive owned have worked just fine--but I have a house full of Roku's because they have always provided equally convenient access to every service---and I like that. I still remember early on when I could not access Amazon from an AppleTv device because Apple wouldnt provide an app for it. That was it for me and AppleTv.

That's my experience as well. I have two Roku smart TVs, and a cheap Roku device from about 2014 that is hooked up to an older "dumb" HDTV.

All three Roku TVs work just fine, I have zero issues streaming Netflix, Disney, Hulu, HBO, Discovery+, ESPN+, whatever. And I've never had trouble finding and loading the apps for it. No, I've never used them for something like a big cable-replacing service like YouTube TV, but for all the streaming I do it works great.

I also have an Amazon Fire TV and that works fine as well, but I find its remote and menu system much clunkier than the Roku.

(04-26-2021 02:58 PM)quo vadis Wrote:  

(04-26-2021 02:37 PM)Attackcoog Wrote:  

(04-26-2021 11:45 AM)solohawks Wrote:  Roku seems to be always having these problems.

To be fair---Ive found Roku to be the most agnostic of the streaming devices. It seems to be the only one that isnt trying to push you into a certain product universe (unlike AppleTv, Firestick, or Chromecast for instance). All the streaming devices Ive owned have worked just fine--but I have a house full of Roku's because they have always provided equally convenient access to every service---and I like that. I still remember early on when I could not access Amazon from an AppleTv device because Apple wouldnt provide an app for it. That was it for me and AppleTv.

That's my experience as well. I have two Roku smart TVs, and a cheap Roku device from about 2014 that is hooked up to an older "dumb" HDTV.

All three Roku TVs work just fine, I have zero issues streaming Netflix, Disney, Hulu, HBO, Discovery+, ESPN+, whatever. And I've never had trouble finding and loading the apps for it. No, I've never used them for something like a big cable-replacing service like YouTube TV, but for all the streaming I do it works great.

I also have an Amazon Fire TV and that works fine as well, but I find its remote and menu system much clunkier than the Roku.

Yes - I've got 3 Roku devices on different TVs and they've all worked great.

Interesting point from Sicembear11 above that Roku has the platform but not the content. You can see how Netflix identified that as a risk over the past few years and shifted its strategy to buying and producing a lot more of its own content. It wasn't that long ago that it was considered strange that a streaming show would be nominated for an Emmy... and now it's the linear TV shows that are in the minority in a lot of categories. The pandemic seems to have pushed the Oscars on that front, too - last night, there was absolutely none of the streaming/Netflix consternation that accompanied "Roma" a couple of years ago.

(04-26-2021 02:37 PM)Attackcoog Wrote:  

(04-26-2021 11:45 AM)solohawks Wrote:  Roku seems to be always having these problems.

To be fair---Ive found Roku to be the most agnostic of the streaming devices. It seems to be the only one that isnt trying to push you into a certain product universe (unlike AppleTv, Firestick, or Chromecast for instance). All the streaming devices Ive owned have worked just fine--but I have a house full of Roku's because they have always provided equally convenient access to every service---and I like that. I still remember early on when I could not access Amazon from an AppleTv device because Apple wouldnt provide an app for it. That was it for me and AppleTv.

Roku has the largest market share of OTT devices.

Even though Apple makes their own devices, they know Roku is basically king which is why they have Apple TV+ available on Roku.

(04-26-2021 01:31 PM)Sicembear11 Wrote:  

(04-26-2021 11:45 AM)solohawks Wrote:  Roku seems to be always having these problems.

It's because they have no leverage and are always angling for a way to grow their revenue. They have the Netflix problem, they own the platform but not the content.

Content can’t be viewed though without a device pretty much.

I have 5 Firesticks in my home. I have side-loaded them with what I consider to be the best apk apps. As with any streaming device the apps are constantly changing. I pay for Prime for free shipping for Amazon so I use the video feeds there. I also have Netflix and Hulu that my son pays for.

My Spectrum cable bill dropped from over $200 in 2019 to $79 when I went with strictly internet only. I regularly have 3 Firesticks streaming movies or ball games and I have zero lag.

I actually bought a Roku before my first Firestick. While I agree the menu is more user friendly than the Firestick, especially since the latest 4K menu update, my problem with Roku is that it’s a locked down platform. Roku doesn’t allow you to add developer apps to the device.

Firesticks allow me to control what I want on the device. Amazon has started preloading more of their apps on the latest generation devices but I hide what I can’t delete. If Roku ever considered letting apk loading on their device I would consider purchasing at least one to play around with.

Presently I’m rewiring my pool house and adding a TV to the bar area by the pool. Unless things change I will be adding a 6th Firestick to that area.

(04-26-2021 06:03 PM)CardinalJim Wrote:  I have 5 Firesticks in my home. I have side-loaded them with what I consider to be the best apk apps. As with any streaming device the apps are constantly changing. I pay for Prime for free shipping for Amazon so I use the video feeds there. I also have Netflix and Hulu that my son pays for.

My Spectrum cable bill dropped from over $200 in 2019 to $79 when I went with strictly internet only. I regularly have 3 Firesticks streaming movies or ball games and I have zero lag.

I actually bought a Roku before my first Firestick. While I agree the menu is more user friendly than the Firestick, especially since the latest 4K menu update, my problem with Roku is that it’s a locked down platform. Roku doesn’t allow you to add developer apps to the device.

Firesticks allow me to control what I want on the device. Amazon has started preloading more of their apps on the latest generation devices but I hide what I can’t delete. If Roku ever considered letting apk loading on their device I would consider purchasing at least one to play around with.

Presently I’m rewiring my pool house and adding a TV to the bar area by the pool. Unless things change I will be adding a 6th Firestick to that area.

https://www.howtogeek.com/290787/how-to-...roku-apps/

As a side note....
If anyone is reading this thread and thinking about getting into streaming content, check out Troypoint.com

Troypoint is an excellent source for information on all streaming. You’ll get a lot of your questions answered.

Here’s an interesting article on the differences between Roku and Fire TV.

https://troypoint.com/roku-vs-firestick/

(04-26-2021 06:11 PM)Hokie Mark Wrote:  

(04-26-2021 06:03 PM)CardinalJim Wrote:  I have 5 Firesticks in my home. I have side-loaded them with what I consider to be the best apk apps. As with any streaming device the apps are constantly changing. I pay for Prime for free shipping for Amazon so I use the video feeds there. I also have Netflix and Hulu that my son pays for.

My Spectrum cable bill dropped from over $200 in 2019 to $79 when I went with strictly internet only. I regularly have 3 Firesticks streaming movies or ball games and I have zero lag.

I actually bought a Roku before my first Firestick. While I agree the menu is more user friendly than the Firestick, especially since the latest 4K menu update, my problem with Roku is that it’s a locked down platform. Roku doesn’t allow you to add developer apps to the device.

Firesticks allow me to control what I want on the device. Amazon has started preloading more of their apps on the latest generation devices but I hide what I can’t delete. If Roku ever considered letting apk loading on their device I would consider purchasing at least one to play around with.

Presently I’m rewiring my pool house and adding a TV to the bar area by the pool. Unless things change I will be adding a 6th Firestick to that area.

https://www.howtogeek.com/290787/how-to-...roku-apps/

Thanks for sharing that Mark but I have never been able to get that to work. Honestly I don’t know anyone that has.

Most of the time if you have a Roku and you want to use an app from outside their closed loop you have to use a screen mirroring app and the picture is terrible.

That article is from almost 4 years ago. I don’t know if that still works on the later generation Roku devices.

(04-26-2021 06:21 PM)CardinalJim Wrote:  

(04-26-2021 06:11 PM)Hokie Mark Wrote:  

(04-26-2021 06:03 PM)CardinalJim Wrote:  I have 5 Firesticks in my home. I have side-loaded them with what I consider to be the best apk apps. As with any streaming device the apps are constantly changing. I pay for Prime for free shipping for Amazon so I use the video feeds there. I also have Netflix and Hulu that my son pays for.

My Spectrum cable bill dropped from over $200 in 2019 to $79 when I went with strictly internet only. I regularly have 3 Firesticks streaming movies or ball games and I have zero lag.

I actually bought a Roku before my first Firestick. While I agree the menu is more user friendly than the Firestick, especially since the latest 4K menu update, my problem with Roku is that it’s a locked down platform. Roku doesn’t allow you to add developer apps to the device.

Firesticks allow me to control what I want on the device. Amazon has started preloading more of their apps on the latest generation devices but I hide what I can’t delete. If Roku ever considered letting apk loading on their device I would consider purchasing at least one to play around with.

Presently I’m rewiring my pool house and adding a TV to the bar area by the pool. Unless things change I will be adding a 6th Firestick to that area.

https://www.howtogeek.com/290787/how-to-...roku-apps/

Thanks for sharing that Mark but I have never been able to get that to work. Honestly I don’t know anyone that has.

Most of the time if you have a Roku and you want to use an app from outside their closed loop you have to use a screen mirroring app and the picture is terrible.

That article is from almost 4 years ago. I don’t know if that still works on the later generation Roku devices.

Well, my Roku is more than 4 years old, so...

(04-26-2021 04:46 PM)MWC Tex Wrote:  

(04-26-2021 01:31 PM)Sicembear11 Wrote:  

(04-26-2021 11:45 AM)solohawks Wrote:  Roku seems to be always having these problems.

It's because they have no leverage and are always angling for a way to grow their revenue. They have the Netflix problem, they own the platform but not the content.

Content can’t be viewed though without a device pretty much.

Roku doesn't make the only device for streaming through a TV set, though. Google (unfortunately) has leverage in that they can try to migrate YouTube TV subscribers to another device, including their own Chromecast. For that matter, Google could send a free Chromecast to every YouTube TV subscriber and tell them to use it if Roku drops the YouTube TV app.