Roku Device Features, Settings & Updates

[auto_preview_ha]

I personally like the roku interface, and also like the older netflix app.  So I'm going to stick with that for now.  More power to you if you have the skill and time to roll your own device.. I don't.

You guys who hate the old units because they are too slow, I can appreciate your opinion, but I disagree.  I checked last night and my old unit is actually an LT model @ 720p.  May explain why I don't notice lag, because I'm not at 1080p maybe? But then I don't really notice any difference between 720p and 1080p and 4k when I'm sitting 10 feet away from a 55" television.  I don't have eagle eyes.

https://i.rtings.com/images/optimal-vie ... h-size.png

Just ordered a myself a used XS and probably will set it to 720p. Time will tell but likely I will be satisfied with it.  Dub's summary is right...  deal with a screwy feature set, or cancel netflix, or order an old roku.  I think I may have some relatives who work for netflix, but I'm not even going to say anything because like dub says, why should they care.  Even if they were somehow able to run it up the chain of command, nothing would come of it.

[makaiguy]

"Chicken" wrote:
Well let's see, if I had downloaded a netflix movie onto my cellphone and then moved to a remote location, and wanted to beam it wirelessly to a large screen, I guess Roku is out of the question as a design featurefunction?  Seems like the hardware would be perfectly capable.

There are also licensing issues.  I don't know about Netflix, but many things that are licensed for display on mobile devices are NOT licensed for casting from the mobile device to non-mobile devices like television sets, and are coded to prevent it.

[auto_preview_ha]

"taco56" wrote:
Believe it or not, I have a much newer Roku, but I prefer to use my 2 XS.

Exactamundo.  I like the LT more than my 2017 roku or my fancy 2018 roku 4k televsion.  At least with netflix. 
For some reason everybody seems to want to post up here their personal reasoning why using an older roku model is bad idea.

[atc98092]

Well, just don't try YouTube with your 2 XS. Unless they've really changed something, it will be excruciating... 

[auto_preview_ha]

Gotcha, yeah youtube is something I only like to use on my phone anyway.   Good point though for those who want to use youtube.  All I do on roku is netflix, prime, and hulu.   Nothing else.

Another thing while I'm soapboxing..  the size of the newer roku's is just annoying to me.  I'd rather have a chunky thing sitting on my stand rather than a tiny thing somebody is going to lose.   Maybe its just a kid thing, but yeah I have those.  And cats.   The size of the LT or SX whatever model older units seems just about perfect to me.  Maybe I'm just getting old.  "BACK IN MY DAY WE DIDN'T NEED THAT SONNY BOY!"  Curious what how the demographics breaks down, but I'm sure we who like the older units are an extreme minority.   One of my kids has a newer tiny model roku with the autopreview and autoplay and ads and such, and he cannot understand why I'd want an older one. 

[ghb51]

You guys who hate the old units because they are too slow, I can appreciate your opinion, but I disagree.  I checked last night and my old unit is actually an LT model @ 720p.  May explain why I don't notice lag, because I'm not at 1080p maybe?

Curious what model and software version your LT is/is on, wondering because I had an HD N1000 that came out in 2009 and had support ended in 2015 I think, but while the channel store was slow the channels themselves worked fine with no lag and still do to this day (my parents use it at their house for Netflix). Now compare that to my Roku 1 that came out in 2013 and is currently on the latest software version and everything is so slow that I've relegated it to the closet for emergency use only. Maybe the newer software is slowing things up on older models.

[auto_preview_ha]

I have never actively tried to update it.  Ever.   I figured it does it automatically.  I will check it out.

Thinking about the newer ones... you have to tape them down.  I mean seriously, they are so light that you have to TAPE THEM DOWN to your table otherwise the tension from the hdmi cable will pull them off the table.  I don't know about you guys, but I'd rather just have something substantial enough that it sits on a table on its own.

[auto_preview_ha]

Mail man brangeded in one of two used XS's.. Works fine, seems just as responsive @ 1080p as my LT is at 720p.  Super happy fun time browsing netflix and prime last night.  Now waiting for my second one and heckify don't maybe get a third and forth for family members.   Still love the roku interface and like the netflix enough to do this tiny bit of leg work.  To the other haters out there besides me, all I can is.. its really not that hard guys.  $30 per and a few days waiting for the mail and I'm set. 

Thanks again twiceover trekker and ghb for setting me up with what I was looking for! 

[auto_preview_ha]

Love the ethernet port on the xs.   No more wifi for me.

BTW here is a link which lists the processor types for each model. 

I'm not really hip to this type of thing, but it may be telling on the responsiveness if one compare this processor data with the OS version each model runs.

https://wikidevi.com/wiki/Roku#Devices

It also has a features comparison chart with color coding which is nice.  No idea how accurate it is, but if somebody went through this much trouble one would think its accuate right..

[auto_preview_ha]

"taco56" wrote:
Believe it or not, I have a much newer Roku, but I prefer to use my 2 XS. I mainly use it because of the fact that it has the old, much better Netflix, and it has Angry Birds. It also has the gaming remote which my other Roku doesn't have, so it's less limited with the games I can play. It's also the main Roku i've used for years and has all of my streaming apps already installed. This is one of the reasons I love the Roku systems so much. A box from 2011 still works with modern apps and streaming services.

So I got in my two XS's, working side by side with two current model roku (7 people in my fam, some who like auto preview, some don't).  No auto preview and I'm satisfied with the response speed.  I got the phat gyro remote, which fits into my hands much better than the slim remotes.  Feels much better! Not like I have giant hands, just medium sized hands, but the current model remotes are awkward to hold.  Roku Steve are you listening?
Anyway, how do I download angry birds?  I read here in some older posts that its disco?? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!