"blade_005" wrote:
Neutral platform may mean different things for users, but compared to other platform choices, Roku was one of the more agnostic choices.
I am not sure if that is what you want to believe or you just are mad about the current changes to their features but the Roku has never been a neutral platform.
Each channel have to opt-in and send data to Roku for the Roku search feature to work for the channel. Similar is the Alexa Roku feature so if a channel wants to say no, they can stay opted out for this Roku feature.
Per the article, The Roku is no longer a neutral platform so lets get back to that.
Roku introduces "My offers" which is not a new feature. On older Roku boxes, there is a area on the home screen where Roku will display their players and accessories and users can buy them through the Roku platform. Now, this area has just been updated with content and re-introduced.
In this room alone, I have two Roku remotes with predefined (unchangeable) buttons for various channels that will lead to that specific channel's content or to the Roku Channel Store for installing said channel. (One is Neflix, HBO Now, Sling, and Hulu and the other Netflix, Spotify, Google Play, and YouTube) How many other streaming boxes have predefined buttons on their remotes to promote specific content which is not related to the streaming box?
Like I wrote before, Netflix was heavily integrated into the Roku platform but it has been diluted with other similar tier 1 services while there has always been a semi-open environment for lower tiered channels. Roku has always been prioritizing services and will always do so please do not be blue eyed about it and say Roku Platform is neutral (or has been neutral).
Yeah, Roku will always pornotize their "own" content (channel) but you can always uninstall their channel if you do not like the autostart of "their" content.