Roku Screensaver suggestion
This aquarium hasn’t changed since it was first made. If you don’t want to add any other screensavers at least update this one. The aquarium is beautiful but I have heard so many people say the exact...
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ThisishT , Kimbaroars , Mehrab3497 , Roku didn't develop the aquarium screensaver - I'm guessing they licensed it. How it was adapted for Roku devices I couldn't say. You can find an interesting history of the screensaver here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PprsZgA-kxs
It's been around for decades and it's not likely that it will ever change from what it is unless the original developer makes a change.
Thanks for the clarification, renojim. I'm not trying to be combative with my reply—just genuinely curious about how Roku handles screensaver content and, more broadly, how Roku approaches all UI content. That makes sense—if Roku licensed it, that would explain the limited animation options and why feature request might not go anywhere. Still, it's interesting to compare that with Roku City, which Roku developed in-house uses billboard-style ads, while creative touches in licensed ones seem to get less attention. That contrast says a lot about what gets prioritized.
On a side note, on my device I notice similar logic in how Roku handles UI content—like how the "Explore Recommendations" and "Your Apps" rows consistently override "Continue Watching" in the What to Watch section. It's subtle, but it reinforces how Roku favors engagement and monetization over user continuity, even in passive or convenience-driven areas.
I would think that most companies are looking to make money and prioritize features that sell their products or services versus things that do not mainly because that is what they are in business to do.
If Roku doesn't own the right to modify the animation, then there is nothing they can do but pay for the license and utilize it as it is.
Appreciate your take, JWS9518—and I don't disagree with the broader point about companies prioritizing features that drive revenue. That's the nature of business, and if Roku doesn't own the rights to modify screensaver animation, then fair enough.
That said, in my reply post to renojim, it wasn't just about animation ownership—I was also pointing to a broader pattern in Roku's UI logic.
On my device I've noticed a consistent UI pattern in the What to Watch section where a row like "Explore Recommendations" can appear and disappear—often without my input or clear triggers—and along with "Your Apps" where both rows are competing for top-row position in the What to Watch section and consistently override the "Continue Watching" row—which reflects my actual viewing behavior and continuity— not platform-driven suggestions. It's a quite shift away from my continuity, but it reflects a larger design philosophy—one that favors engagement metrics over my continuity.
Updating my original post with additional observations.
Roku continues to demonstrate that they can—and will—modify my What to Watch section whenever they choose, I made no changes to my device—this behavior was entirely system-driven. On 9/24, the "Explore Recommendations" row mysteriously vanished from the What to Watch section—as it has so many times before—and by 9/26, poof, it's back in the top-row position. Once again, the "Explore Recommendations" row has overridden my "Continue Watching" row—a pattern shared with "Your Apps", as both can displace the only row that reflects my actual viewing behavior and continuity. Why is Roku so resistant to simply locking the "Continue Watching" row into the top-row position of the What to Watch section?
Are Roku users genuinely unbothered by this kind of override logic, or is the lack of response a sign that others are simply too resigned—or too intimidated—to speak up? At times I wonder if I'm the only one experiencing this specific issue, or just the only one documenting it.
For context: my original post was solely about screensaver animation. The Roku UI behavior issue originally surfaced as a side note in a reply to renojim, which itself was linked to a post I'd sent to another Roku user about screensaver animation. The reply from JWS9158 was only about screensaver animation—however I included in my reply to JWS9518 that on my device I've noticed a consistent UI pattern in the What to Watch section where a row like "Explore Recommendations" can appear and disappear—often without my input or clear triggers, and yet I still haven't received any direct replies addressing this override behavior itself.
If I'm not the only one seeing it, why does it feel like I'm the only one speaking?
