@BourbonOwen wrote:
adding of streaming channels has immensely bogged down the up/down channel changing.
I bet "recently viewed" slowed down channel changing. With favorites, you did all the work. You created the list, and the tv never had to do anything other than show you the list on request. Now they keep some kind of history about what you watched. Every channel change requires updating the "recently viewed" list, sorting it, saving it.
IMO, channel changing was already incredibly slow before the update. I'm not sure they even intentionally turned off continuous channel changing. It could be that the serialized "recently viewed" updating slowed things down so much that it misses the event (of continued press). Just a timing problem they missed. It's hard to believe they'd miss it. But, the resulting "recently viewed" list doesn't work. They missed that, apparently.
@PGB1 wrote:
(PS: Look at their stock chart. They are doing a great job of making money- Price March 16, 2020 = 63.84. Price Close January 11, 2021 = 403.00. Roku knows how to generate profits.)
A couple of points:
1. Stock price doesn't equate to doing the right thing. It's just speculation (among many whom the ancient chinese proverb applies: "10 million flies can't be wrong.").
Consider MagicJack. They had similarly bad customer sentiment, not advancing their product features. Their price movement was often used as "everyone complaining is wrong." After a couple years, the share price cratered and remained there until the stock was de-listed. You don't even hear anything about that product anymore (even though it still exists.).
2. The time period showing great results (earnings) coincides with the virus (people staying home more, watching more delivered content). The questions should be:
2a. How much better would earnings be if Roku actually cared about their customers, listened (not just a bottom-line opportunity while chasing short-term investor sentiment)?
2b. The virus was good news to Roku's earnings, bringing more people in need of entertainment. Unfortunately, now there are more people receiving Roku's buggy updates. Getting a peek at the man behind the curtain. The problem which already existed is now worse (more negative word of mouth, etc.).
I liked my TCL/ROKU for a year or so. Channel changing felt slow. I didn't like how I had to navigate a few menus to hide channels (and fav metadata wasn't alongside the hide list). I didn't like how we can't re-scan as an update to our existing discovered channels (and hard effort adding metadata to them). But, I didn't have anything to warn anyone of (much). I would've given it 4 stars out of 5. Maybe 3 for antenna, a 5 for streaming.
That's all changed now. (I have a very real & personal warning, one that I wouldn't have believed if I heard it from someone else. I had to see it myself to believe it.). Unfortunately, all those new virus-driven customers are being exposed to Roku's dark side too.
The public trade of Roku is a good point though. Commenting on investor forums could help. Roku might listen to shareholders more than customers. (That alone speaks volumes. But, work with what you have. I think Roku is a good idea and could be so much more than it is. If investors could steer Roku in ways customers can't, that would be good. I'm not talking about vengeance. Just investors having an interest too.).
"People are often amazed at how much we’ve done with the number of engineers we’ve got." (Roku CEO Anthony Wood, Austin Statesman, Oct 4, 2019). "Amazed" is one way of putting it.
