Hi All
Why doesn't ROKU make a sell a YoutubeTV specific product.
1. Remote with Youtube TV launch app button
2. Ability to auto launch the YoutubeTV app when the device and TV are first turned on?
The ROKU streaming devices and WIFI components are better than most streaming devices out there.
It's a shame that Roku doesn't make a streaming device specifically for YTTV.
Simple, Roku does not own YouTube. It would be up to YouTube to create their brand of TV. And like Dan says, they would have to have a licensing agreement to have a dedicated button or anything along those lines.
Folks who have influence.
1. Roku and other streaming devices were designed for streaming movies where the workflow is lots of clicks and a 2 hour content stream without more clicks. Searching what is on.
2. Since the introduction of streaming TV services, no one has redesigned the devices for TV where the workflow and user experience is completely different than watching a 2 hour movie. People who watch TV generally want to check and see "What else is on" and often change many channels within a 2 hour period.
So why don't these devices have primary services profiles: Netflix, YoutubeTV, Hulu, The primary profile would make it easier to jump into the primary profile app.
I've been searching for a new Roku device and I can't find devices that have the things I need.
Programable app button for YoutubeTV, WIFI 6e or WIFI 7 (EERO has supported WIFI 7 since Nov. 2023)
Seems like these products need some refreshing and a design specifically for a TV viewing workflow.
A programmable remote would be great, but it all boils down to money and whether that is cost effective to do as well as licensing and cost of licensing and whether the various entities responsible for all that are willing and feel it is both effective and valuable to them to do.
TVs for the same basic reason, especially since there are hardware variations with the different manufacturers and the tweaks that tend to do to both their hardware and the OS that is installed. That tends to make it difficult for a company who licenses their firmware out to companies.
Wi-fi is the same, cost. Just look at the cost of those newer routers for example that have 6E and 7. I am not against having it on a device, but for a streaming device to have it, the cost has to make sense for the benefit it gives and currently I am not sure that is the case.
At the end of the day, no company can/will make everyone happy with all the moves they make or how they design their product or OS.
1. Companies pay to have the dedicated button. So Google would need to pay Roku for a dedicated YTTV button.
2. No Roku can open a specific app when starting. It's simply not programmed to do that. Remember that unless the Roku is connected to a switched power source, it's always "on" so it wouldn't see a command to start a specific app when you turn the TV on.
That said, the latest Roku Voice Pro Remotes have a user programmable button (the 2nd generation has one button, the original Voice Pro remote has two) so you can program it to start YTTV if desired.
No one is going to build a devices that is dedicated to a specific service, unless that service provider builds their own. Roku actually started as a Netflix only player, but quickly realized they needed to support additional services. Since then, I haven't heard of any device that is designed for a single provider.
