AI generated ads
It doesn't happen a lot that headlines make me vomit a little in my mouth but this one did
this post was submitted on 12 Sep 2025
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You're Not Buying a TV; You're Buying a Roku
My TV (dumb but attached to a Roku Express) died last month and since then I've been watching on computer + Zen Browser + uBlock Origin, with zero ads.
And noticing that I don't see a single TV for sale in nearby shops that is not a (usually Roku) smart TV, i.e. data surveillance capitalist tool.
Instead of looking for a tv, look for a commercial display. They’re basically a computer monitor the size of a TV. Samsung makes a line that we use at work, and the cost is similar to a mid-range TV. They can function completely without internet.
Something like these: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/buy/commercial-displays/ci/35567/N/3538895735
Awesome advice
Amazing! That 55" is about what I paid for the Roku tv before all of this blatant "shit on the user" bullshit, and it still suuuuuuuuuckss
Edit: the Roku tv sucks... Not the Samsung dumb tv
The funny thing is you can just use an external box and never connect your tv to the internet at all. Let it collect all the data it wants. It’s not like it can tell anybody.
Why not librewolf, Firefox has native vertical tabs since Firefox 136
Video playback smooth in Zen but jerky in Firefox. Haven't tried in Librewolf or Firedragon.
I'm fearing when my tv finally dies. It's a 15 year old 75", and I know i won't have the money for a new one when the time comes. Especially not enough to shop around for a dumb tv the same size.
Man it must be rough out there for regular people that put up with that kind of bullshit.
I want Roku to eat shit.
Any Android TV OS > Roku. Dumb TV > Roku. Outside > Roku.
Kinda. I recently got a shield pro to replace my roku. Customization, and no ads are nice, but for what it cost, what a fucking piece of shit. Hard freezee that require unplugging is the main issue, but it also doesn't respond to remote presses frequently on start up. Takes 30+ seconds sometimes before the remote works.
For more than double the cost it shoukd blow the roku ultra away in every sense. And I shouldn't have to adb hack it to install a custom launcher.
Thank you for this. I was setting up to buy an nvidia shield to replace my roku ultras.
FWIW, I have so far tried:
-
Onn Google TV 4K: Returned it, freezes constantly.
-
Jailbroken AMZ fire stick w/ LineageOS. Buffering issues and wireless issues in general. I still use it, but not my favorite.
So for now it seems my next purchase will be a TiVo Stream 4k android device or a jailbroken fire tv cube and if that fails, I may just have to DIY an android Pi system lol.
I did the same replaced a Roku device with a shield when Roku started doing startup ads. Seems to work fine then won't respond to remote and needs a reboot, some weird stuff with the VPN too. Should have probably just got a mini form PC instead.
That's been my experience too. I had heard so much good about it, but it feels so janky.
I really wish there was a normal minipc option with a good remote controlled UI. But they all have such terrible interfaces or if it's running Linux, weird limitations by streaming vendors who lock Linux to 1080p because they are afraid of piracy, as if that actually prevents anything at all.
I can't stand how normalized these invasive ads have become. I have a child at home and she is too young to know how intrusive ads are. I don't want my 7 year old being shown ads for content that they aren't mature enough for.
The ONN devices from Walmart work near-flawless, even the $14 stick. I would recommend starting there.
Toshiba 32A33 > roku
So long as their ads keep getting blocked my my pi-hole I won't notice.
The ad is coming from INSIDE the TV
😱
Roku is so far away from their golden era, why are we still talking about them?
“This company is too cheap to pay someone for a proper advertisement.”
Using AI like this seems like a counter productive way to build brand awareness.
I don't want to see Roku anymore.
I'm about to be seeing a lot less Roku...
They know they're entirely replaceable right? Like the Amazon fire tv, apple tv, Chromecast... Making their platform shittier really shouldn't be their top priority if they want to stay in business.
But the masses have shown that they won't do anything about it, despite caring and being annoyed.
my roku TV can't talk to the internet anymore because it was foolish enough to show me a banner ad while I was gaming
its a dumb TV now 🥰💕
good luck. recent update blocks all apps from loading unless you have their most recent ads. I let one sit for four hours before I gave up.
now looking at replacing all my rokus(6) with Linux.
what updates? this TV can't use internet.
at all.
it can't GET updates.
I'm surprised you could even use it. I did that and after a year or so the apps could no longer use the APIs for my self-hosted stuff, which was routinely updated/maintained.
all inputs are just run through hdmi. and I don't use any internet based services on the device at all.
its basically the same as a computer monitor. as all my media is on computers now.
that makes more sense.
I think I will start buying mini PCs with Linux starting next year!!! :-)
Roku can suck it.
Could be entertaining if somebody accidentally flips the "allow slop machine to make up fake products" switch from off to on.
I still use a Roku that was gifted to me, but only thanks to also having a pihole. The amount of logging & ads it blocks on the Roku is insane. If that ever stopped working I would ditch the Roku in a heartbeat.
Roku, was cool.
That sucks. People already have to pay to get rid of ads on streaming services last I remember. I wish companies would stop aggressively showing ads everywhere.
On the plus side, AI will make the obnoxious ad goblin career track less profitable now. So, good news.
I'll be honest... advertising is the one industry I wouldn't be sad to see get completely cannibalized by AI.
Truth. Before there was at least some sort of pressure on the ad industry to incentivize our attention. They had to make it interesting or funny.
Now, it’s a far less consensual arrangement. “I will hold your Skinner box hostage until you listen to me!”
UBo, pinchflat, SponsorBlock, jellyfin, WireGuard, Apple shortcuts for auto connect and activation when I get in my car, and now I get my stories while I’m driving and those obnoxious vultures can fuck right off.
If Adblock blocking goes away, so will I. This is already more work than I feel like putting into it and the quality of online content has really gone downhill. The enshittification is so extreme now that it’s just not worth paying for things anymore.
I want Roku to fuck all the way off with that plan.
I bought an external hard drive and downloaded all my sons media on it. No more commercials and no more pushed content
I've always said I want to see more commercials made by people who have no idea what they're doing and with near zero oversight for quality or taste.
This just made me realise… with AI-generated videos, ads could be tailor-made for you. Could even feature you on it.
Facebook was already doing this. But how terrifying would it be to see this on live-ish tv?