TV streaming box - best ones?

[Jimbo]

Turned the Roku 4K streaming stick on that is on my patio tv to be greeted with an auto playing ad. Of course cursor wasn't on the close ad button either. So had to fumble to see where it was and move it to close the ad.

Guess I'll be ordering a couple more Apple TV 4k's. I refuse to put up with ads of any type.

Interesting, I have yet to see any ads on my Roku Ultra ... that said, I haven't used it lately.

 

[Altitudinous]

I know it's Walmart, but you really can't beat this device for the price. I bought 2 of them for my mother in law when she moved from Spectrum to YouTubeTV and they've been great.

onn. Google TV 4K Pro Streaming Device (New, 2024), 4K UHD resolution, Dolby Vision & Dolby ATMOS, Hands-Free Voice Control, Smart Hub - Walmart.com

Buy onn. Google TV 4K Pro Streaming Device (New, 2024), 4K UHD resolution, Dolby Vision & Dolby ATMOS, Hands-Free Voice Control, Smart Hub at Walmart.com

www.walmart.com

This is my go-to device. $19.88. I like it better than Roku devices and the Roku TVs that I have. Supports YouTube TV's "1080p Enhanced" bitrate. I'm running Projectivy Launcher on it to avoid Google TV ads on the home screen, etc.

onn. Google TV 4K Streaming Box (New, 2023), 4K UHD Resolution - Walmart.com

Buy onn. Google TV 4K Streaming Box (New, 2023), 4K UHD Resolution at Walmart.com

www.walmart.com

 

[osu1991]

Interesting, I have yet to see any ads on my Roku Ultra ... that said, I haven't used it lately.

Roku Tests Full Screen Home Screen Video Ads Before You Can Use Your Roku

Roku Tests Full Screen Home Screen Video Ads Before You Can Use Your Roku | Cord Cutters News

Update: Roku reached out to Cord Cutters News to say these ads are skippable. Earlier reports from readers and on Reddit said they couldn’t not be skipped. Roku says there is a close option on these ads that will let you imideitialy exit the ad when it starts. Here is the original story: Over...

cordcuttersnews.com

 

[dishdude]

Roku Tests Full Screen Home Screen Video Ads Before You Can Use Your Roku

Roku Tests Full Screen Home Screen Video Ads Before You Can Use Your Roku | Cord Cutters News

Update: Roku reached out to Cord Cutters News to say these ads are skippable. Earlier reports from readers and on Reddit said they couldn’t not be skipped. Roku says there is a close option on these ads that will let you imideitialy exit the ad when it starts. Here is the original story: Over...

cordcuttersnews.com

I'm glad I got rid of all my Rokus years ago, Max and another app weren't available at launch because they hadn't reached a deal and that was the end for me. Don't have that problem with Android, plus Android is much more customizable. I can install a VPN for when I travel out of the country and still use all my US apps.

 

[Jimbo]

I'm glad I got rid of all my Rokus years ago, Max and another app weren't available at launch because they hadn't reached a deal and that was the end for me. Don't have that problem with Android, plus Android is much more customizable. I can install a VPN for when I travel out of the country and still use all my US apps.

Well, I just turned my Roku Ultra on and started watching something and had NO Commercials.

Is it All Roku's or maybe the lower end ones ?

They told you how to get around this is the first paragraph, so they are not very worried about it.

 

[KAB]

Well, I just turned my Roku Ultra on and started watching something and had NO Commercials.

Is it All Roku's or maybe the lower end ones ?

You just need to make sure your Rokus Home Screen settings are all on HIDE.

 

[ncted]

Well, I just turned my Roku Ultra on and started watching something and had NO Commercials.

Is it All Roku's or maybe the lower end ones ?

They told you how to get around this is the first paragraph, so they are not very worried about it.

They are just testing it, so you may not see it right away. Same thing with the TV pause screen ads on other inputs they've been testing. We've only seen it once on the Roku TV in the kitchen which has an AppleTV connected. It works a lot like the pause screen ads you see on FireTV, except on paused content from external sources.

 

[ncted]

I'm glad I got rid of all my Rokus years ago, Max and another app weren't available at launch because they hadn't reached a deal and that was the end for me. Don't have that problem with Android, plus Android is much more customizable. I can install a VPN for when I travel out of the country and still use all my US apps.

Android is definitely the most customizable. As for the VPN functionality, all the major devices have VPN apps for the functionality you describe.