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Comment by peteforde | Hacker News Reader

I very briefly considered developing "channels" (apps) for Roku, but backed off quickly:

- the entire vibe of the Roku content ecosystem is a Venn diagram of "right-wing fever dream" meets shovelware

- the developer experience (language, API, tooling) is like an alt-history where ASP, XML and DRM-for-everything won

- there is a distinct two-tier class system where big players can write native executables in something C-like, but everyone else needs to use a slow, interpreted template script thing

- it's basically impossible to create something that can be discovered without pouring a lot of money into platform ads

I encourage anyone still reading to fight back by not buying Roku-enabled products.

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What’s your recommended alternative?

Not OP but Apple TV is pretty good these days. Solid little set top box.

The direct answer to your question is that I decided to not develop TV apps.

The answer to the question I suspect that you're asking is that I've been enjoying my ChromeCast dongle.

Why has there to be an alternative?

Just don't. Roku is not exactly solving world hunger, it is not essential.

So do you watch cable and broadcast tv exclusively?

Or to rephrase my question - what should I use for streaming, for example, Netflix to my nice big tv?

I have my old laptop running PopOS connected to the TV with a wireless keyboard and mouse and I watch content streamed from a Jellyfin/Plex server or YouTube. It works fantastically and I never have to worry about DRM getting in the way of anything.

Thanks for the concrete suggestion!

Just cast to it from your phone like most people?

Oh so casting from phones magically works over broadcast airwaves?

It doesn’t. You need a set-top box. Those can run Roku, fire tv, chrome cast, Apple TV or something else. So for the third time - which of those does the OP which is so vehemently opposed ro Roku, recommend?

It’s not a hard question if you stop being snarky about it.

I'm not sure what you're trying to say. Yes, casting from phones works over radio frequencies. I do it every day. I haven't owned a "set top box" since I got rid of cable. Tons of TVs and projectors support casting.

My Roku is the device I use to do this? I'm aware that I could buy something from Google, Apple, or Amazon to do the same thing, but that's just trading one shitty provider for another.

I do not agree with your conclusion.

Google ChromeCast dongles cost a third or half as much a equivalent Roku gadgets. More importantly, Google doesn't make any attempt to prevent you from running vlc or mpv apps that you download.

Roku explicitly blocks 3rd-party media playing apps. The Roku media player has a terrible UI/UX and can't play many file codecs.

Also, Roku has nothing resembling a web browser app, whereas there are a few crappy web browsers available for Google devices. This isn't my use case, but it could be important for some.

Having spent time with both Roku and ChromeCast, I am hard pressed to present a single compelling reason to stay on Roku, much less choose it over Google.

Personally the reason I chose a remote-based option over a cast was A: that price difference didn't manifest when I was shopping, and B: I don't want to have to deal with making sure everyone in the household has the login credentials to every streaming service we use.

i watch neither. youtube mostly, but that's only instructional videos or something.

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