I feel like the value proposition for my Roku TV is shifting in the direction of my getting a different TV. Is there any viable and reasonably accessible way to jailbreak the thing?
Roku OS home screen is getting video ads for the first time | Ars Technica https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2024/04/roku-ad-push-continues-with-plans-to-put-video-ads-in-os-home-screen/?utm_brand=arstechnica&utm_social-type=owned&utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social
@AnnemarieBridy I looked into this for my parents recently, who wanted a streaming set top box but didn't want all the surveillance and advertising crap that comes with smart TVs and Roku. The answer is two part: instead of buying a "TV," buy a "commercial display." It's the same thing as a TV but marketed towards businesses, with no consumer "smart TV" crap built in. Then get an Apple TV for streaming. You don't have to have any other Apple device for this to work, but they'll integrate nicely.
You should be able to treat your smart TV as a dumb TV, and just plug in your favorite streaming dongles into the HDMI ports. Reset your smart TV to factory defaults, and don't plug in an ethernet cable or give it WiFi credentials.
Most modern TVs made in the last decade or so support CEC, which means you can control streamers using the TV's own remote.
@ryanprior @pieist We’ve tweaked a bunch of privacy settings and found a secret menu that allows some control over ad displays, but I’d like the equivalent of a full opt out or an ad blocker for the home page.
@AnnemarieBridy @pieist a Roku device is just not designed to serve the user. They give the things away for free and include the technology embedded in "smart TVs." They make all their money invading your privacy with surveillance and intruding on your experience with advertising. They're not going to provide any combination of settings that turns off their entire business model!
@ryanprior @pieist Yep. That’s why I was thinking about a jailbreak or a new TV. I’m not allergic to ad-based subsidies for devices and services, but I have some limits.
@AnnemarieBridy @pieist wishing you luck, there's few decent options. If I were doing this for myself instead of my parents I'd be hacking something together with software I choose or design myself. I count myself lucky that TV is not one of my hobbies.
@pieist @AnnemarieBridy I don't trust a "smart TV" in its factory default state. These kinda things have too many exploitable vulnerabilities, and an unconnected device is by definition unpatched.