Almost all TVs sold in 2020 are HD or 4K smart TVs that can handle streaming apps on their own. These TVs don't require a Roku box. Therefore, it's logical that the people that are most likely to buy a Roku box are the people who don't own a new smart TV. Or people who own one smart TV and one older TV, and want to provide streaming to the older TV.
With this in mind, why has Roku eliminated the composite output from all their boxes? It appears that Roku has deliberately eliminated the one advantage that their boxes had over simply buying a smart TV. I don't think this is how planned obsolescence is meant to work, so what is this strategy?
I know that the 2017 Roku Express+ (3910) provided a composite output. Well, I didn't buy that one because it didn't provide an Ethernet LAN port. It's silly to use wi-fi to connect two components that literally never move. And it creates unnecessary interference with other devices that actually need to use wi-fi.
Separate HDMI to composite converter boxes cost extra money, seem to work poorly in general, heat up, and waste power. I don't want to go that route.
The Roku 2 XS (3100) provided all the features I want. It has composite output that looks great on older CRT TVs, Ethernet port, plus an HDMI port in case I decide to move the box to a newer TV. The only deficiency is in its older hardware and firmware specifications that make it impossible to run newer versions of streaming channels. If it could run Youtube properly, I wouldn't even consider upgrading it.
Just to clarify, this is not a matter of being cheap or trying to save money. The lower-end Roku players are very inexpensive. I would have no problem paying more money to get the features I actually want. Unfortunately, Roku no longer offers anything with the range of features that this 9-year-old box has. This forces me to look elsewhere for an alternative. The Xiaomi Mi Box S lacks an Ethernet port, so it's out. There are many no-name boxes sold with AV outputs, but many of them have problems playing Netflix and other top streaming services. It should not be this hard to find the right product.
