Channels & viewing

[HDMIGuy]

@Qwikhnds I am not a Costco member so I don't know their return policy but an eight or nine year window for a streaming device seems a little too generous to me.

[Strega]

Costco once had a seemingly limitless return policy, but they have tightened it up – I would assume because there were just too many people bringing something back simply because it was no longer the latest gadget.  On electronics, the return period is 90 days, which is still longer than many retailers.

[makaiguy]

@Qwikhnds-

Your 3500 is a 2nd generation Roku device that was released in 2014, and was replaced in the product line by the 4th generation Streaming Stick 3600 with a 50% faster processor in 2016.

Roku doesn't develop and maintain the Roku-compatible channel apps for anything other than their own The Roku Channel, Roku Media Player, and several Roku-related informational channels.

For the most part, the rest of the channel services themselves, such as Philo, develop and maintain versions of their own apps that will run on Roku's proprietary operating system, and provide them to Roku. 

As new Roku models emerge with additional features and capabilities, app developers decide whether to incorporate these features into their app, and whether to continue including code to support older Roku models without these new features.

A number of major streaming services are new enough to never have supported the 3500 in the first place.  Others have dropped support for the 3500, and per your complaint apparently Philo has joined them.  This trend can only continue as developers see less value in complicating their app coding to continue their supporting dwindling number of these older devices that remain in use.  Unfortunately, many channel developers don't list the Roku models they support on their websites, making it hard to do a determination. 

Some Roku channel apps I know of that do not support the 3500 (there may well be others):

Amazon Prime Video
Apple TV
Fubo (supported with limited functionality)
Peacock
YouTubeTV
Xfinity Stream

[Qwikhnds]

@Strega to some extent that is true but it's generally larger appliances, computers, phones.  I just returned a TV that I had for about 15 months because it stopped working. There is a two year concierge service that comes automatically with TV purchases.  But Roku and Amazon sticks are also available via Walmart, Target and Sam's with minimal warranty cover, couple bucks

[Qwikhnds]

@HDMIGuy, you'd be surprised 😉 I remember my coworkers being shocked when the office Keurig broke, about ten years old, and I said I would return it.  Came back in the next day with a new one. Obviously larger purchases, appliances, phones, tablets, etc., don't fall under this category. 

[Qwikhnds]

@AvsGunnar Yep, no other apps have given me any issues besides Philo.  Rest work great! 

[atc98092]

@Qwikhnds I understand your feelings here, but the finger you need to point is at Philo, not Roku. It's their channel/app that they have determined cannot be used on older devices. Roku has no control over that for 3rd party channels.