41 votes

Fox is buying Roku in $22 billion deal

25 comments

  1. [8]
    ap0r
    Link
    Remember people: Companies cannot put ads in media you own. Companies cannot retroactively alter content you own. Companies cannot delete a game you own. Support artists and creators directly when...

    Remember people:

    Companies cannot put ads in media you own.
    Companies cannot retroactively alter content you own.
    Companies cannot delete a game you own.

    Support artists and creators directly when you can. If the deal is not fair and square, make it fair and square. If buying is not owning, pirating is not stealing.

    Learn to self-host your media.

    When people stop paying, let the media companies eat cake.

    59 votes
    1. [7]
      Pavouk106
      Link Parent
      I just want to add one important thing - second hand market exists. You could probably buy a few movies on DVDs for a buck, literally.

      I just want to add one important thing - second hand market exists. You could probably buy a few movies on DVDs for a buck, literally.

      15 votes
      1. [2]
        Rudism
        Link Parent
        Just don't rely on eBay for this... I am convinced that 99% of listed DVDs and Blurays on there are bootlegs with terrible compression in order to fit everything on cheaper single-layer discs....

        Just don't rely on eBay for this... I am convinced that 99% of listed DVDs and Blurays on there are bootlegs with terrible compression in order to fit everything on cheaper single-layer discs. I've even gotten bootlegs from both Amazon and Walmart now (though not anywhere near the rate at which I've received bootlegs from eBay).

        8 votes
        1. Pavouk106
          Link Parent
          I buy on local second-hand website. Many of those DVDs are from inserts in the newspapers or magazines. Some of those are cheap - just the movie with one audio track. But there were some that were...

          I buy on local second-hand website. Many of those DVDs are from inserts in the newspapers or magazines. Some of those are cheap - just the movie with one audio track. But there were some that were full release including original audio as well as extras. Or I buy in one specialized second-hand brick-and-mortar store, got Tin Cup and Assassins from there. Nice finds for the money (I think it was 2-4€ each).

          I managed to buy original Taxi 2 (French movie) DVD for 5CZK (0.2€). I bought another movie for the same price with it as the delivery cost was much higher at around 3€, so I wanted to make the most out of it.

          3 votes
      2. [4]
        Narry
        Link Parent
        I’ve been slowly working on bringing my media collection off-line again. I have a Blu-ray player, and a DVD player (it was actually cheaper by them as individual machines than buying an all in...

        I’ve been slowly working on bringing my media collection off-line again. I have a Blu-ray player, and a DVD player (it was actually cheaper by them as individual machines than buying an all in one) and I’ve been slowly acquiring physical media again. The expensive stuff is TV shows, but movies can usually be had for a reasonable price.

        6 votes
        1. [3]
          Pavouk106
          Link Parent
          I have PC Blu ray drive, I rip the movies and have them on media server. I keep.original discs though. 480 movies sp far with around 90 audio albums. The TV shows or series are hard, but I record...

          I have PC Blu ray drive, I rip the movies and have them on media server. I keep.original discs though. 480 movies sp far with around 90 audio albums. The TV shows or series are hard, but I record them off of TV (I have Raspberry Pi TV HAT and record terrestrial broadcast) if I can't source original disc release, which is hard as I'm Czech and while the shows are on TV dubbed in Czech, you can't get them on physical release in our language - I consider this gray area.

          3 votes
          1. [2]
            Narry
            Link Parent
            It is a bit of a grey area, yes. I could probably figure out how to record digital over the air TV in my area if I put my mind to it, however many of the shows I want to watch are finished and...

            It is a bit of a grey area, yes. I could probably figure out how to record digital over the air TV in my area if I put my mind to it, however many of the shows I want to watch are finished and won't be broadcast again any time soon. I used to get fan subtitled foreign language shows off of IRC, but those are sketchy and I wouldn't trust them these days.

            1 vote
            1. Pavouk106
              Link Parent
              This is why I have regular expression watchdog on it. It keeps track of the shows and record them wgenever they are on. Managed to get all Top Gear episodes that aired here over the span of two...

              This is why I have regular expression watchdog on it. It keeps track of the shows and record them wgenever they are on. Managed to get all Top Gear episodes that aired here over the span of two years (some errors in reception or bad timing of the recording).

              2 votes
  2. [2]
    redwall_hp
    Link
    That's just great, more consolidation of media companies into filthy conservative hands. Roku is basically a forced ad platform too, since they won't stop shoving ads onto the product you bought....

    That's just great, more consolidation of media companies into filthy conservative hands. Roku is basically a forced ad platform too, since they won't stop shoving ads onto the product you bought.

    I won't be considering a Roku equipped TV for the next one, that's for sure.

    30 votes
    1. stu2b50
      Link Parent
      Probably wouldn’t be very hard. TCL and Hisense use to be doing the work for Roku, but they’ve both shifted to bespoke versions of Android TV. These days, for a TV with Roku built in, you’d have...

      I won't be considering a Roku equipped TV for the next one, that's for sure.

      Probably wouldn’t be very hard. TCL and Hisense use to be doing the work for Roku, but they’ve both shifted to bespoke versions of Android TV.

      These days, for a TV with Roku built in, you’d have to actually get a Roku branded TV.

      6 votes
  3. [12]
    FrankGrimes
    Link
    Well, who has some good alternatives to a Roku player? We have one that's used for Netflix, HBO, PBS, Jellyfin (for the self hosted movies and TV), and a few other niche video services. I wasn't...

    Well, who has some good alternatives to a Roku player? We have one that's used for Netflix, HBO, PBS, Jellyfin (for the self hosted movies and TV), and a few other niche video services. I wasn't crazy about Roku having all that access to me, but I'm downright hostile to Fox having it.

    3 votes
    1. [6]
      steezyaspie
      Link Parent
      I’ve heard that some people don’t like them, but we’ve found the Apple TV (device, not streaming service) to be great. Far better than the Roku devices I’ve tried at family member’s homes.

      I’ve heard that some people don’t like them, but we’ve found the Apple TV (device, not streaming service) to be great. Far better than the Roku devices I’ve tried at family member’s homes.

      12 votes
      1. Weldawadyathink
        Link Parent
        As far as I can tell, Apple and Nvidia are the only companies that have realized that putting a fast, performant processor in a TV streaming box might be a good idea. And Nvidia hasn't released a...

        As far as I can tell, Apple and Nvidia are the only companies that have realized that putting a fast, performant processor in a TV streaming box might be a good idea. And Nvidia hasn't released a streaming box since 2019. I have the Apple TV 4K gen 1. It's starting to feel a touch sluggish now that I actually have a 4k TV, but it has been worth every penny. And if anyone is worried about software support, the old Apple TV from 2015 still runs the latest software.

        11 votes
      2. arch_mage
        Link Parent
        +1 for Apple TV box. The interface has no ads and is easy to navigate. I also found it much more reliable than the Amazon Firesticks at my parent’s house.

        +1 for Apple TV box.
        The interface has no ads and is easy to navigate. I also found it much more reliable than the Amazon Firesticks at my parent’s house.

        10 votes
      3. [3]
        Omnicrola
        Link Parent
        Another +1 for the AppleTV box. I don't even watch a lot of their shows (but there's some really good ones) I'm watching Netflix, HBO, and Plex. But the UI is so snappy and fluid compared to any...

        Another +1 for the AppleTV box. I don't even watch a lot of their shows (but there's some really good ones) I'm watching Netflix, HBO, and Plex. But the UI is so snappy and fluid compared to any built in TV app system. It's physically painful to try and use the one in three Samsung TV now.

        10 votes
        1. [2]
          cdb
          Link Parent
          I just bought an AppleTV device a few months ago. I've actually seen a few app crashes lately. Even so, it recovers pretty quickly. Even with the crashes it's miles better than my Samsung TV's...

          I just bought an AppleTV device a few months ago. I've actually seen a few app crashes lately. Even so, it recovers pretty quickly. Even with the crashes it's miles better than my Samsung TV's Tizen OS, which recently started showing popups while I'm viewing content. So, I was forced to disconnect my TV from the internet.

          5 votes
          1. Omnicrola
            Link Parent
            I find this infuriating, and is also a key reason why I'm happy to pay for a dedicated device. I don't even own any other Apple devices, but the frictionless setup that I experienced setting up a...

            which recently started showing popups while I'm viewing content

            I find this infuriating, and is also a key reason why I'm happy to pay for a dedicated device. I don't even own any other Apple devices, but the frictionless setup that I experienced setting up a few years ago made it click why so many people go all-in on that ecosystem.

            7 votes
    2. Oxalis
      Link Parent
      I've had good luck with the Onn. devices from walmart. They're cheap android TV boxes that (hopefully still) have dev tools unlocked so you can sideload whatever you want. I think the current best...

      I've had good luck with the Onn. devices from walmart. They're cheap android TV boxes that (hopefully still) have dev tools unlocked so you can sideload whatever you want. I think the current best model is the ONN 4k pro.

      I used this guide to make changes to make the remote do what I want and get rid of the default launcher - https://www.reddit.com/r/AndroidTV/comments/12rya0t/change_launcher_debloat_the_new_onn_4k_streaming/

      If you don't want a weekend project though, it's usable out of the box.

      4 votes
    3. [4]
      Carrow
      Link Parent
      I recall last year folks were happy with these ONN boxes from Walmart https://www.walmart.com/ip/ONN-4K-STREAMING/18355665352

      I recall last year folks were happy with these ONN boxes from Walmart

      https://www.walmart.com/ip/ONN-4K-STREAMING/18355665352

      1. [3]
        tanglisha
        Link Parent
        The biggest benefit for me with Roku is that simple remote. I’m glad other companies are getting into simpler remotes.

        The biggest benefit for me with Roku is that simple remote. I’m glad other companies are getting into simpler remotes.

        3 votes
        1. [2]
          moonwalker
          Link Parent
          Chromecast remotes have always been simpler than Rokus, no?

          Chromecast remotes have always been simpler than Rokus, no?

          1 vote
          1. tanglisha
            Link Parent
            I don’t know, I’ve never had one. All I know is that a glance at my stereo remote makes me angry.

            I don’t know, I’ve never had one.

            All I know is that a glance at my stereo remote makes me angry.

  4. [2]
    slade
    Link
    Of course, months after I buy a new Roku TV. Honestly I'd just stop watching tv entirely if it weren't for my kids. Roku already inserts a lot of suspiciously conservative and religious ads into...

    Of course, months after I buy a new Roku TV. Honestly I'd just stop watching tv entirely if it weren't for my kids. Roku already inserts a lot of suspiciously conservative and religious ads into the home page so I can't wait to see how much more overt it gets, and the countless countless conversations I'll have with my kids to explain how evil this shit is.

    3 votes
    1. Carrow
      Link Parent
      I don't have kids but I've already banned ads in my house. I'd consider DNS filtering through like PiHole, NextDNS, or AdGuard. Probably need to clear cache afterwards too, this link has...

      I don't have kids but I've already banned ads in my house. I'd consider DNS filtering through like PiHole, NextDNS, or AdGuard. Probably need to clear cache afterwards too, this link has directions (ignore the pitch).

      https://www.standsapp.org/blog/how-to-block-ads-on-roku-tv/

      5 votes