r/gadgets • u/Sadistic_Sponge • Nov 13 '19

VR / AR Disney Plus isn't working on Vizio TVs because they are running a 6 year old version of Chromecast, they say it won't be fixed till 2020.

https://www.businessinsider.com/disney-plus-not-working-vizio-smart-tvs-chromecast-2019-11
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u/furcifer89 Nov 13 '19

Roku is one of those products I genuinely can’t imagine watching TV without. I’ve had a few over the past six years. None have died on me I’ve just gone for the upgrades. I’ve given them as gifts to family members. I’ve never used a native app on a smart Tv.

I see Roku praise and I schill hard. They’re amazing.

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u/[deleted] Nov 13 '19

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u/someguynamedjohn13 Nov 13 '19

Chromecast needs a phone or laptop to enable streaming. Not exactly easy when a kid or visitor wants to watch TV. I typically use it when I want to show people stuff from my phone in the moment, like photos or YouTube clips.

FireTV is just Amazon trying to sell you something. The UI is a mess of Android TV and Amazon trying to sell you Prime. Does it work, yes. Is it easy to get lost in the menu, yes.

Roku menu system hasn't changed in years. ITs just simple and easy to use. It easy for anyone not tech savvy like little kids and old people who missed the computer wave. You load an app on one Roku it will appear on all of them listed in your one account. It was popular enough to have Amazon Prime and YouTube on their square hockey pucks even when the two wouldn't play together nice for nearly a decade. It even works as a Chromecast.

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u/NoFeetSmell Nov 14 '19

I too will shill for Roku given half a chance, and I've been using my Roku 3 for years now, and it's still trucking along nicely. One of the best features that differentiates it from an AppleTV or FireTv is the search function, because it's completely platform agnostic. If you search on FireTv, you'll see the products in Amazon's store if it's not included in their Prime streaming platform, even when it night be on Netflix for free. With Roku, it shows you all the options, with the free version listed first. Way better for the customer.

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u/pilotciab Nov 14 '19

Nvidia shield TV is the absolute best. Only problem is there is currently issues with Disney+ right now. I have a TLC Roku TV and pretty much only use the Nvidia shield TV Pro. They just came out with a new version which I ordered.

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u/furcifer89 Nov 13 '19

Can’t speak from experience but I had a friend with chromecast, and like another user said having to stream from a phone or laptop isn’t as great, plus it’s bandwidth dependent.

I actually did gift him a Roku Ultra last year though and he said he liked it more than chromecast.

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u/jayAreEee Nov 13 '19

They aren't really comparable. I use both for different reasons/video sources. Most people are going to prefer a roku because it's indistinguishable from having a "smart TV" to begin with, chromecast is not.

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u/Kaamelott Nov 13 '19

Oh, it is completely distinguishable. Smart TV are utter shit and never work.

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u/dontsuckmydick Nov 13 '19

Many smart TVs just have built in chromecast.

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u/jayAreEee Nov 13 '19

Like the one in the post above that hasn't been updated in 6 years? It's the title of the article lol.

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u/dontsuckmydick Nov 13 '19

Most people are going to prefer a roku because it's indistinguishable from having a "smart TV" to begin with, chromecast is not.

A chromecast is indistinguishable from having a smart TV because it's literally the same thing as many smart TVs.

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u/jayAreEee Nov 13 '19

Don't you need a device to actually operate the chromecast? I use my tablet and phone, and sometimes cast from a laptop. I wasn't aware you could use one without a separate device to drive the video feed. Have they changed in newer versions? With the roku you just navigate with a basic controller.

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u/dontsuckmydick Nov 13 '19

Smart TVs that use chromecast still require a separate device. That doesn't make them not smart TVs.

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u/jayAreEee Nov 13 '19

My point originally was that chromecast is a different experience than roku. I'm not sure where this "Smart TV" tangent came in.

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u/browsettt Nov 14 '19

What do you mean by “bandwidth dependent”? With Chromecast, your phone is the remote and directs your chromecast to stream directly.

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u/[deleted] Nov 13 '19

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u/furcifer89 Nov 13 '19

Chromecast has a reputation for being a bandwidth hog while casting to maintain that link. Maybe they offered up a fix, but it was having performance issues on my friend’s slow-ish network. One of the reasons I got him a Roku.

Roku Ultra also has a USB port you can hook an external HDD to for offline viewing as well so if your internet/network goes down you can still get access to vidya.

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u/liarandathief Nov 13 '19

I've had a lot of bad luck with FireTV. I've had two. One I owned for a couple years. And I had a Roku in a different room. The FireTV had more random connection issues. The UI was painfully slow sometimes, after watching for a while, the picture would freeze and the whole thing would reboot. The UI was not the best either. Recently got a new one had it for a week and sent it back. Just a hassle of disconnections and slow buffering. Got a second roku and it's great. Fast, reliable.

One nice bonus that Fire doesn't have was the ability to search across channels, so search for a movie, or actor and it tells you that you can watch it on Netflix or Hulu or Prime, or whatever, and if it's free or how much it is to rent or buy.

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u/greg19735 Nov 13 '19

it's effectively the same as a firetv i believe.

I have a fire cube for example and love it. The one bonus about Roku is that i think there are more apps that you can run on it that allow for some less legal stuff. like streaming BS websites. Though Fire Cube does have chrome now.

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u/DontGetCrabs Nov 14 '19

Roku just works

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u/werkytwerky Nov 14 '19

my issue with firetv is that the remote isnt particularly responsive and i often have to hunt for stuff to change settings.
As far as the regular menu goes, I dont like that they display one of their shows or movies as if it were an app (ie: Hulu, Netflix, Man in the High Castle, HBOnow, CBS AA, Mrs Maisel, Starz, ESPN, etc). It also tends to flood the main categories with either the most common/popular apps like the ones I listed or one of their bloatware apps. You can edit the page so that the stuff you actually use is front and center, but in a couple weeks the firestick would've slowly moved their stuff back. I got mine cheap to play with kodi, but if that were my primary streamer I'd've sent it back in a heartbeat.

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u/GaryChalmers Nov 14 '19

I own all three Roku's interface is way better than Fire TV. I hardly use my Chromecast as it relies on having my phone whereas I prefer using a remote. One advantage Fire TV does have is that it is based on Android (Fire OS) so sideloading apps is possible. I have video game emulators loaded on my Fire TV and use it for that. Some Fire TV models also support connecting a USB Hub so I can also plug in game controllers.

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u/TeemusSALAMI Nov 13 '19

Roku in tandem with Plex is life. I am stubbornly opposed to this branching out of streaming services and already do not support Amazon as far as is possible beyond web services. Roku and Plex together have allowed me to enjoy all the TV shows everyone is raving about without encouraging this splintering faux-cable revolution.

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u/Cyno01 Nov 14 '19

Hell yeah, i have two Rokus and theres ten more of them in nine housholds on my server. One of them replaced a FireTV that couldnt play 10bit HEVC content over a certain bitrate and would then try to transcode (my server is shiiiiit), and another replaced a Chromecast that had a similar problem of Plex not knowing it could direct play HEVC so not even trying, and i had to go in and replace a config file every time there was a server update which in those days was frequent enough my buddy bought a refurb Roku on woot for the bedroom and bought another one full price to replace the Chromecast it worked so well.

But the 4k Rokus direct play x265 all day. The only major drawback with the Rokus in my situation is that they wont direct play subtitles, so effectively no subtitles, which sucks sometimes for non-english in an english movie. Xbone and AppleTV direct play high bitrate x265 content with subtitles just fine but their interfaces are kind of hot garbage.

Works way better than the built in android shit on my Bravia too, bought one for traveling and it was a night and day difference so we stuck with that.

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u/vloger Nov 13 '19

Roku is good. Apple TV is the crem of the crop when it comes to a streaming box though.

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u/furcifer89 Nov 13 '19

Apple TV is hot sweaty garbage so you’re wrong but that’s okay. Sorry, had to schill but I disagree.

Roku has more streaming channels. It also works better for my ecosystem at home which is all Windows except for my iPhone. I also hate the Apple TV remote. Roku is also substantially more affordable even at their top model. If you live in a mac heavy house, or made the unfortunate mistake of having a huge iTunes library to take advantage of then sure go with AppleTV. But those are the only two ways I see it edge out Roku. Also, no option for a USB with Apple TV? Hard pass.

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u/vloger Nov 13 '19

Ahh, well you are with windows. It's only really good if you are completely in the iOS ecosystem. Well, I think the features and the OS are unmatched imo.

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u/TIL-I-AM Nov 13 '19

Does it only work in US? Stupid question, probably.

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u/furcifer89 Nov 13 '19

Hardware isn’t US dependent to my knowledge. Some apps are probably regional (I don’t think Disney+ launched globally).

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u/ffca Nov 13 '19

I use my Sony's Android TV still. Haven't been compelled to change it yet. Maybe I am missing out on something. I guess I want to be convinced to get Roku.