Roku Gets Tough On Pirate Channels, Warns Users (torrentfreak.com) 79
An anonymous reader quotes a report from TorrentFreak: Earlier this year Roku was harshly confronted with this new piracy crackdown when a Mexican court ordered local retailers to take its media player off the shelves. While this legal battle isn't over yet, it was clear to Roku that misuse of its platform wasn't without consequences. While Roku never permitted any infringing content, it appears that the company has recently made some adjustments to better deal with the problem, or at least clarify its stance. Pirate content generally doesn't show up in the official Roku Channel Store but is directly loaded onto the device through third-party "private" channels. A few weeks ago, Roku renamed these "private" channels to "non-certified" channels, while making it very clear that copyright infringement is not allowed. A "WARNING!" message that pops up during the installation of these third-party channels stresses that Roku has no control over the content. In addition, the company notes that these channels may be removed if it links to copyright infringing content.
"By continuing, you acknowledge you are accessing a non-certified channel that may include content that is offensive or inappropriate for some audiences," Roku's warning reads. "Moreover, if Roku determines that this channel violates copyright, contains illegal content, or otherwise violates Roku's terms and conditions, then ROKU MAY REMOVE THIS CHANNEL WITHOUT PRIOR NOTICE."
"By continuing, you acknowledge you are accessing a non-certified channel that may include content that is offensive or inappropriate for some audiences," Roku's warning reads. "Moreover, if Roku determines that this channel violates copyright, contains illegal content, or otherwise violates Roku's terms and conditions, then ROKU MAY REMOVE THIS CHANNEL WITHOUT PRIOR NOTICE."
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How long does Roku have? (Score:2)
Never buy or use a Roku, lots of better choices that you can actually control and own.
Fire is just an Android computer, pave it over and it's truly yours.
Or install your favorite OS on a miniPC.
Re: How long does Roku have? (Score:1)
I bought one and returned it the next day. The free channels are complete shit.
Better off surfing YouTube.
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The fireTV, paved over, works, more or less, like a Roku. Except it doesn't constantly crash. Help your granny out and pave it over for her, done.
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LOL
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I am not sure what the extra fluff that Plex or Emby brings. Once you want to watch your media in more than one place Kodi sucks in my experience.
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Same hardware (exactly), opposite experience...Roku sucks big wet donkey balls.
Even when Roku doesn't crash, it stutters.
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Never used the Roku YouTube app have you? It's as bad as any software I've ever tried to use. As bad as MacOS 7...basically useless.
Re:How long does Roku have? (Score:4, Interesting)
I don't have a problem with this at all. It's not removing anything I bought my Roku(s) for.
I can still connect my TV up to any of my computers. I don't need the Roku to do what other devices do. I have a Roku to do what a Roku does,
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What a Roku does....an Emby player? That's, no doubt, one of the channels they're talking about.
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What a Roku does....an Emby player?.
No, I didn't buy a Roku to watch 'my' media.
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Re:You bought it, but we own it (Score:4)
Yup. Why do they have any say on what exists on the device? I'm not aware of any subscription service. They barely provide ongoing support.
Fuck 'em.
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At this point, it's just a fucking warning, Calm down.
They don't have ongoing support because we're not paying for it. They can, however, be sued for what other people do with it. So get off Roku's back.
If you want to be outraged, try directing it at Mexico's court system or legislature,
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Who gives them the right to warn us?
The guy who invented written language. Whoever that is.
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Well, the problem is not really Roku, it's the mexican judge that blocked the selling of their devices due to easily being able to watch illegal content. By doing this, they can sell their device again. In reality, the order of the judge has also implications for any android or whatever OS based mediastreamer which let's you easily be able to watch illegal content..
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As long as you can sideload to the Roku [howtogeek.com], this is a non-problem. Roku is going to take the apps off the store, and maybe even take store apps off of devices, but if you are competent you can sideload apps.
Piracy? (Score:1)
Don't you mean copyright infringement?
Nobody is getting kidnapped, robbed and murdered on the high seas. Using the word "Piracy" just frames the argument to the favor of copyright holders.
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Don't you mean copyright infringement?
Nobody is getting kidnapped, robbed and murdered on the high seas. Using the word "Piracy" just frames the argument to the favor of copyright holders.
I believe you mean 'freedom infringement', 'property infringement', or 'life infringement'. The words you used frame the arguments to favor freedom holders, property holders, or life holders.
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I'll forward your comments on to Control. Thank you for your participation.
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You're a few hundred years too late for discussion about the semantics in use here - go pet a puppy instead, it will be more productive.
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Re:That's exactly why... (Score:5, Insightful)
Cheaper, smaller, and easier. Available at Walmart and Target. Comes with everything you need to connect,
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I would add that if you live in the UK, a full range of catchup apps for all the major broadcast channels. Unlike some countries with shit for broadcast TV, this is a major plus point.
Along with any combination of Netfix, Amazon Prime and NowTV (last one is UK only but a big deal for on demand in the UK) all in a single box, with the option for Plex/Emby too if that takes your fancy and you have a winner.
The only service missing is the UKTV Play which is a trio of lesser watched channels.
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Yeah, that's why I got one. One device that can do Now TV, Google Play and Amazon - since Amazon doesn't play nice with Chromecast and the other two don't play nice with Fire TV
It does have a problem where it outputs in 60Hz rather than the UK's 50, which can lead to juddering. Chromecast lets you change the output to 50.
My TV mitigates it to some extent, but I can still see it on - for example - the panning opening credits of Game of Thrones.
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You don't really understand this Roku thing, do you?
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How does Roku get to tell me whatI can use or not use. If they take away "third" party or "private" channels, they are invading my privacy.
They're not taking away anything. Go scream at your sink for a while.
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Depends where you live. In the UK there is no better option that a Roku for streaming TV period. It is the only device that comes close to doing all the catchup and paid for streaming services.
Well actually there is, an LG SmartTV has everything built into the TV (well apart from STV but that only effects those living in Scotland), but most people are not going to buy a new TV just for that so in the meantime Roku it is.
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Roku is in smart TVs now as well
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yah no way they've improved upon their single focus in years.
Is Roku finally growing up? (Score:5, Informative)
I love my Rokus. I have two of them, a first generation model and a new Premiere+. The Premiere+ is pretty nice. Most video files I throw at it play natively without transcoding, unlike my iPad and Android phone (Nexus 6P).
But Roku the company has always been confused about their role in the channel space. They want to be your cable company but they don't want any part in making sure their channels are high quality (similar to Google's historical role in the Android apps space) or even if they work properly, preferring to shift the blame onto the channel's authors. In fact, I once suggested in their online forum that they could automate the checking of each channel's videostreams as a way to determine which channels should be removed from the channel store, but they temporarily banned me and then locked the thread because my suggestion was "not welcomed."
So it's nice to hear that they're taking a more active approach to ensuring customer satisfaction, but it would be nice if they had been doing it all along without government intervention.
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They want to be your cable company but they don't want any part in making sure their channels are high quality
No, I think you're confused about what Roku wants to be, Roku does not charge monthly fees like a cable company. It's not at all like a cable company,
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Actually, they do [roku.com]:
The real difference between Roku and a cable company is that Roku doesn't own the cable or fiber line to your home.
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Actually, they do [roku.com]:
The real difference between Roku and a cable company is that Roku doesn't own the cable or fiber line to your home.
You should learn to read your own quotes. Your payment method allows you to purchase extra stuff. Or not.
And the fact that it doesn't own the line to your house is just another reason why Roku is nothing like a cable company.
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Yes, please continue.
Both have channels which you pay to the company (Roku or the cable company) who then pays the content provider. So there are some similarities.
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Yes, please continue.
You said they charge monthly fees, you were wrong. Move on.
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It's interesting how you claim I'm wrong and yet you're the one trying to shift the audience's attention elsewhere. To be honest, that's actually a pretty good strategy.
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Most video files I throw at it play natively without transcoding, unlike my iPad and Android phone (Nexus 6P).
If you're having to transcode files to play them on a cell phone, it sounds like you're using the wrong apps. You are aware there is version of mpv for Android, right?
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The Pirate-Ninja-Zombie Party (Score:2)
"Channels" (Score:2)
"Channel" means application, right? The same way Amazon Echo uses the word "skill" rather than "application".
"App" seems fine to me. A reasonable abbreviation of a technical term, and used roughly correctly. Do we have to entertain each and every company's push to invent a new word to pretend that they're doing something new?
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no channel means channel, like on a cable box. there are a few "channels" that do app like things (which are done by geeks for geeks) but the mainstay is exactly what the name describes, a channel to watch content.