Features, settings & updates

[tjj1133]

The reason i use Roku instead of Fire stick is so i don't have to have all this **bleep** on my home screen. Either remove or it i change to another streaming device

[rilyn]

My reason for choosing roku over other options is the clean interface. If that goes away, so does my preference for roku over fire TV.

[willir64]

@JoLiKMC 

Every time they do this it screws me up. I have 23 icons that means I have 5 rows plus one row for the short cuts. I have every row channels memorized so when I want to listen to music lets say I know how many presses I need to do for spotify. I don't have to use my vision aids to do it. When this was added I couldn't do my normal routine. Within 15 minutes because of this I had to go get help and start getting my aids out. Because of this instead of 23 icons I now has 37 icons and two additional rows to click over. It's like you going for your favorite morning drink and someone drinks all before you get any and then you find out all the stores are sold out.

[october45]

This is in response to the post that said everyone should calm down. 

Would I stop using Roku services completely and stop recommending them to friends and family over this? Absolutely!

Would I throw away my Roku TV's? No, I'd just plug a Chromecast into them and use that instead. I would throw away my Roku stick though. 

It's not a "small irritation", it's pretty big. It's a Roku forcing something you didn't want or ask for and no way to turn it off. I would and will absolutely switch platforms over asshattery like this. 

For people that have kids it's pretty messed up to have something you have no control of added to the home screen that your kids can browse through. A few of the shows in "new and popular are "operation sex sting" and "hoochie daddies". People don't want their kids to see stuff like that.  

For shame Roku. 

[JCGoodwin]

@willir64: "I have every row channels memorized so when I want to listen to music lets say I know how many presses I need to do for spotify. I don't have to use my vision aids to do it."

Have you considered Voice Search? I'm not fond of it, but it's a possible solution for the time being. You can also create a shortcut button with the Voice Remote Pro.

@rilyn: "My reason for choosing roku over other options is the clean interface. If that goes away, so does my preference for roku over fire TV."

I'm not defending Roku, but Fire TV is much worse, unless you install a simple Home layout like Wolf Launcher or Projectivy Launcher. And even if you do, there's a chance that Amazon will remove them, I've heard.

[yann-gael]

I fully agree with @october45, I also have kids and I don't want to have to check the TV every morning in case Roku decides to add weird things to the home screen...

[JoLiKMC]

@willir64
Yep.  That sounds about right…  And I mean, the counter-argument is just "pay attention and re-train yourself", but why should you have to?  Especially when Roku may very well further alter the menu at any given time in the future.

@october45
Wait, hang on.  Seriously?  That doesn't seem right.

[one experiment later…]

So… that's fun.  The Parental Controls on my HiSense Roku TV don't appear to do anything in regard to the new "recommendations" menus.  I have everything blocked up to TV-Y7 (or the regional equivalents) and, yep, there's some rather sketchy things on the "New & Popular" menu.  Queenpins, Beyond Skinwalker Ranch, lots of spooky horror stuff…  Anda actually, there's an advertisement for Peacock's new series, "The Exorcist: Believer" right there on the main menu, too. What a treat.

This is extremely irresponsible of Roku TV.  I'm not a parent, but if I were, I wouldn't want my kids being tempted into watch stuff that might either scare them or negative impact their world view.  The fact that the Parental Controls have no influence over the advertising or the new recommendations menus is simply unacceptable.
–

I'm glad there are so many people sounding off in this topic.  There are a lot of viewpoints I hadn't considered before.  And again, I still strongly feel like these new menus should have an on/off toggle, at the very least.  Now, though, I'm starting to understand why so many of you are seriously considering cutting all ties to Roku.  I hadn't considered this possibility that this stuff wasn't just annoying, but could potentially show harmful content to young children.  That's even worse than advertisements up your nose.

This really is unacceptable and irresponsible.  Something needs to be done about this.

[willir64]

@JoLiKMC

Why should I have to be the one rethink and retrain every few months? How would you like it if every few months you need to be retrained to drive a car? Or to be retrain to use a fork?

The problem is when they did the "continue to watch" what happen? They offered a ton of excuses and then changed it to be allowed to be turned off. So, after that why would you do the same thing? Only the mentally ill person would repeat the same behavior and expect a different result. I for one refuse to believe that they are insane they are make bad choices and bad choice will result in losing.

[willir64]

@JCGoodwin 

Yes, I have but no thank you. Your phone already listening to you so, why would I want another device doing it? Plus, why should I go out and spend my limited funds to combat their bad business choice.