Same here! I have a Roku 2 (2015), which is basically a Roku 3, and my Search function still operated as it always had (i.e., displaying names/titles only in the search results) until just a few minutes ago when I attempted to search Roku for a particular movie. The strange thing is, my Roku firmware/software has not been updated since May, and my Search feature still looked like it should even in August. Needless to say, I was horrified to discover this awful new image-based search today (September 1, 2022) and immediately took to the Web to try to find a workaround, which led me here.
Before, if I searched for the name of an actor or the title of a show or movie, a textual list of all possible matches appeared, and you could see everything at a glance and quickly determine whether the item was available or not in a matter of seconds. It was SO fast, convenient, and easy to use! Now the exact opposite is the case. Having to hunt through rows and rows of images/large thumbnails (as if in "Grid View") to find what one is looking for would take FOREVER, and not just because the navigation process is very tedious and cumbersome—and it certainly IS—but also because a person has to be able to identify whatever they're looking for JUST by looking at a photo! It's absolutely AWFUL!
The worst is when you search for an actor (e.g., Sean Astin). Prior to the horrible "update," the person's entire filmography would be displayed in a chronological vertical list with the release date/year listed next to each title, so it was a BREEZE to quickly locate the desired film/show if it was available. Now, however, this process is a NIGHTMARE, because Roku makes the user swim through a sea of random rows of images of films that the actor may be in some way connected with, but you can't really tell without having to click on each image to find out more information. This is freaking RIDICULOUS!!!
I also just discovered that my "recent searches" also can only be browsed as images! So, whereas in the past, I could see a convenient list of all my past searches and then quickly choose one and search for that info again, now I've no choice but to wade my way through a series of pictures—and even then, it's not exactly what I searched for before. Unbelievable.
I cannot imagine how anyone at Roku possibly could've thought that this change would be an improvement.
Roku, PLEASE, for the love of sanity and for the love of your customer base (which will quickly diminish if this terrible change isn't soon remedied), BRING BACK THE ORIGINAL SEARCH FEATURE, or at least have the decency to give your customers the OPTION of using the original text-based search.
Thanks in advance (but only if you FIX this!).
@RokuDanny-R
