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Roku tells customers it is unable to strike a deal with YouTube

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Re: Roku tells customers it is unable to strike a deal with YouTube

#381

Post by Wistar »

skipPiGuy wrote: post #333
Wistar wrote: post #327

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Oh, man! Falling asleep to youtube is (was) my PRIMARY reason for watching youtube. The recent creep of ads considerably reduces the soporific quality of dozing off to a Malcolm Gladwell conversation or a Royal Institute lecture.

Nothing worse than just drifting off to sleep watching a soothing woodworking video only for a 45 minute ad about some book club or a music video to ruin it.

Hah! Yes. I have woken up to some super long-form ads that I wasn't awake to skip.

I am going to have to try your app. My slumber TV is a TCL w/Roku built-in.

Re: Roku tells customers it is unable to strike a deal with YouTube

#382

Post by astral303 »

astral303 wrote: post #181

Fuck YouTube and their AppleTV app. It's exhibit #1 in anticompetitive behavior -- ship a shitty, subpar app, for a premium service. I wish that Apple were to prohibit any custom video playing controls on AppleTV, but this crowd will roast Apple alive for yet another "walled garden" move. Please Apple, put up walls against a shitty video streaming experience. After the steaaming garbage pile that is the YouTube app o…

The downvotes prove the rampant Google fanboyism on HN. The YouTube app for AppleTV is exhibit #1 in Google's anticompetitive behavior.

Re: Roku tells customers it is unable to strike a deal with YouTube

#383

Post by kgwxd »

datavirtue wrote: post #102
kgwxd wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I find it more annoying that standard websites don't just work on a Roku. I'd rather Google didn't have to maintain yet another app for yet another proprietary device, it should all just be build on open standards.

Browsers are god-awful slow on the hardware that ships with smart TVs. I tried it on a LG TV that ships with a browser. Horrid. I'm still wondering why the keyboard doesn't work for all the different channels/apps on my smartphone remote for the Roku. Streaming via smart TV is a major regression as far as UX.

Yeah, I guess you have a point there. My R-Pi can't do video in the browser in even a remotely usable quality and that cost more than the Roku box I have.

Re: Roku tells customers it is unable to strike a deal with YouTube

#384

Post by johntash »

dtjb wrote: post #18

I get this situation is different since YouTube is looking for concessions on functionality, but I find it hard to defend Roku with their triple-dipping scheme. They charge for the device (I paid over $100 for my 4k HDR box), then they display massive ads covering 50% of the screen, then they want a cut of revenue from content providers as well. Roku burned through a lot of goodwill with their customers during the HB…

The article says they don't make money from YouTube's Ads. Is that not true?

Re: Roku tells customers it is unable to strike a deal with YouTube

#385

Post by geoduck14 »

dtjb wrote: post #18

I get this situation is different since YouTube is looking for concessions on functionality, but I find it hard to defend Roku with their triple-dipping scheme. They charge for the device (I paid over $100 for my 4k HDR box), then they display massive ads covering 50% of the screen, then they want a cut of revenue from content providers as well. Roku burned through a lot of goodwill with their customers during the HB…

I'm reminded of the axiom: if you don't pay for the product, then you are the product.

Well, if you DO pay for the product, you are STILL the product.

Re: Roku tells customers it is unable to strike a deal with YouTube

#386

Post by qorrect »

plushpuffin wrote: post #370
dtjb wrote: post #214

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Roku ads take up the entire right half of the main launch screen, visible every time you turn on the TV or change apps. They've recently started displaying branded ads that are even more intrusive, taking over the entire theme + wallpaper (I recall they did this for Mandalorian, Soul, some other big movie launches). YouTube ads help fund content creators. Roku ads are being displayed on a stand alone device that I al…

Also, it's possible to disable that home screen ad, if you mess around in the secret settings screen. Hit Home 5 times. Hit Up, Right, Down, Left, Up. You're now on a secret settings screen. I don't know what its purpose is, internal development? Channel development? Set Image Service to "Dev" Set Home Screen Ad Banner URL to "Demo2" Do a Reset/Refresh of cached settings. Go to main Settings/System and reboot for goo…

WOW, it actually works. Amazing.

Re: Roku tells customers it is unable to strike a deal with YouTube

#387

Post by supernovae »

lotsofpulp wrote: post #354
supernovae wrote: post #197

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If someone buys and apple tv and then buys Youtube tv - then the market fees are 30% If someone already has youtube tv and signs in on apple tv, the sure... BUT.. when you use an apple tv, Apple makes it remarkably hard NOT to use an apple account to not subscribe to services so in most cases, it's gonna be your wife seeing HBO in the apps and installing and subbing through there. That's the entire premise of their w…

> Apple makes it remarkably hard NOT to use an apple account to not subscribe to services so in most cases, it's gonna be your wife seeing HBO in the apps and installing and subbing through there. It is remarkably hard to tell your spouse to not pay for things on the Apple TV and rather do it via the website using the browser on the phone that is most likely in her hand?

Oh puhhlease. i don't police my wife, she can order whatever tv she wants. I don't have apple tv anymore anyway - BUT, if you do order on the phone there is a good chance its going to try and force Apple Pay or the Store if you installed the app and you're still walled garden paying apple tax

Re: Roku tells customers it is unable to strike a deal with YouTube

#388

Post by supernovae »

salamandersauce wrote: post #353
whoknowswhat11 wrote: post #184

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is really totally false. Youtube TV - Apple is not taking 30% - that's a lie basically as an example. Most of these major players (Youtube TV etc) you can sign up just on a regular website. Apple only takes a cut of these subscriptions IF you use their platform to enable them. If you do use them, the % is only 15% after 1 year. Either way - the outcome is I as a user have good access to lots of good content, no…

Apple also refused to support the encoding YT was using for 4K. It took several years before the ATV4K could actually show YT in 4K and they had that whole stupid spat with Amazon that kept Prime Video off the platform for years. Everyone in the streaming market has been greedy and childish.

Yeah, it's been pretty pathetic.

I thought apps would make things better or just wide adoption of web players but apparently not.. reminds me of the cablecard fiasco and having to buy new STBs or pay a monthly fee to rent one.. back to plex it is

Re: Roku tells customers it is unable to strike a deal with YouTube

#389

Post by southerntofu »

sofixa wrote: post #357
southerntofu wrote: post #343

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> (but ads will play when watching YouTube unless you have premium obviously) Why obviously? Can't you use an adblocker with Chromecast? Isn't it just a dumb IP video streaming device? I've never used or seen a Chromecast, but if you can recommend a free-software/cheap alternative i'd be curious to try it.

Nope, it's a tiny embedded device you have little control over. It's slightly more intelligent than just IP video streaming ( e.g. there are app integrations) - if you cast a random video, it will play that video; if you cast YouTube or Netflix it does stuff directly with them and there are ads on free YouTube. DNS adblockers don't work by default either, since Chromecasts have Google's DNS servers hardcoded.

Holy crap it's worse than i thought! Does it do DoH or can you just configure reroute all DNS trafic on your router to your local resolver/pi-hole?

Re: Roku tells customers it is unable to strike a deal with YouTube

#390

Post by southerntofu »

esrauch wrote: post #365
southerntofu wrote: post #343

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> (but ads will play when watching YouTube unless you have premium obviously) Why obviously? Can't you use an adblocker with Chromecast? Isn't it just a dumb IP video streaming device? I've never used or seen a Chromecast, but if you can recommend a free-software/cheap alternative i'd be curious to try it.

I think the reality is there is no free-software alternative, because the entire user experience is based on ecosystem buy-in where every media source (Netflix/Amazon/YouTube/Hulu/HBO, even NPR/PBS and Chrome itself) all actively have support for the Cast flows within their products (some only in their native apps, but many in their web experiences as well).

I did a quick search on Github and i see there's a variety of clients implementing the Chromecast protocols, but no server?! Is there really millions of such devices using a proprietary protocol noone has written a free server for?
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