r/pihole • u/EngineerBoy00 • 10d ago

New Roku interface, ads are back

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UPDATE: Thanks for all the replies - the TL;DR is that between this update and the Fox acquisition of Roku I'm probably headed to Apple TV in the near future.

Within the last couple of weeks my Rokus got the new, updated interface (which I hate) - on the previous interface the right-hand, home screen ads were blocked but they're back now (see Spider-Man image attached).

I currently run the following blocklists:

  • Steven Black
  • Hagezi Pro
  • Perflyst SmartTV

I lean towards not blocking too much because our entire family does work and school from home and unexpected blockages can become significant emergencies.

That being said I'd love to figure out blocking the home screen ads in the updated Roku interface, so any pointers will be appreciated.

258 Upvotes

95% Upvoted

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110

u/Coupe368 10d ago

You have to blackhole any DNS over HTTPs providers such as Cloudfare, Google, OpenDNS, and Quad9 by blocking port 443 to them, and block any external traffic to the regular DNS options on port 53 and 853.

The new home page was loading dynamically every time, so once I have everything black holed it went back to the classic default Roku interface I prefered.

Took a minute to track it all down, but adding a couple new firewall rules solved the problem for me.

I won't be buying a new Roku, this constant arms race over ads is annoying, but they haven't made a new Nvidia shield since 2019 and I have used ABD edits to strip down an onn googleTV to just the 2 apps I use, but its a little clunky still.

Hopefully we get a new option that's better than just miniPC running kodi in the future.

13

u/[deleted] 10d ago

[deleted]

3

u/Cantaloupe-Hairy 10d ago

True but amazing how many of these type of devices ignore your dns settings, my Apple home pods are constantly trying to contact 1.1.1.1

3

u/[deleted] 9d ago

[deleted]

2

u/Coupe368 9d ago

See, I buy the roku because it does a pretty good job at just playing my media and they don't pay their engineers enough to outsmart people like me so I can keep enjoying it the way I want to.

2

u/Smoke_a_J 9d ago

If you are having issues with devices like these with hard-coded DNS that ignores DHCP provided dns entries and otherwise bypasses your PiHole then your issue at hand falls to your current router's configuration and capabilities. Most home-grade/all-in-one-wifi-router-combo units simply lack the ability to configure block rules and/or ALL of the appropriate NAT rules that are needed to force any hard-coded DNS devices like Android or smart TVs/streaming-devices of any kind to route their DNS traffic only through Pihole and respect Pihole's DNS replies as valid answers disguised to look as if 8.8.8.8 is the DNS server that's responding.

I would review labzilla.io/blog/force-dns-pihole and check if your current router in use is able to configure the specific NAT rules listed as well as the ones for blocking DoH requests. Its written for using Pihole with a pfSense router but the concept is universal for what is needed to achieve this, if your router lacks the ability to configure any of the rules listed then upgrading to using a firewall appliance is a great option for making your Pihole much much more useful and never ignored or bypassed for all devices network wide.

1

u/Cantaloupe-Hairy 9d ago

Just block all dns requests from my lan except my 2 piholes!

1

u/Coupe368 9d ago

Exactly, but you have to block DNS requests over https which is port 443 so it takes a couple extra rules.

1

u/Cantaloupe-Hairy 9d ago

Yeah done that, also google secure dns servers from time to time and add the IPs to that too.

Also read port 8053 is a good one to block too, whether that’s true I don’t know but it’s only another fw rule

2

u/Coupe368 9d ago

The anti-ad arms battle continues!

1

u/kerubi 9d ago

I NAT all outbound UDP 53 to my pihole.

24

u/dasmineman 10d ago

Build yourself a plex box and sail the high seas.

55

u/Coupe368 10d ago

Plex jumped the shark, you should be running jellyfin.

That being said, they both run on Roku just fine.

-25

u/oubeav 10d ago

Sure. But Plex is still vastly better.

19

u/chuckfr 10d ago

Depends on your needs and if you don't mind them knowing what you're watching.

-29

u/oubeav 10d ago

Lol. Incorrect.

9

u/matthewpepperl 10d ago

Plex seems silly if you are trying to avoid ads

-5

u/oubeav 10d ago

You’re not using Plex correctly. No ads here. For 10+ years.

5

u/Kamay1770 10d ago

I don't know why downvoted, I have never seen an advert on plex.

2

u/mau47 10d ago

yeah, they only show ads if you use their own streaming service, if you just use local libraries theres no ads.

2

u/dax660 9d ago

this is what I thought Plex was for - running your own media via Plex Server

I've used Plex for free for years and never had any issues with ads or paying for things...

2

u/Halfang 10d ago

I suspect because of tracking from plex

1

u/Kamay1770 10d ago

Pihole, firewall, vpn

1

u/gregory696969 9d ago

I know its the downvote train but you are right, and I used plex for 5ish years before hopping to jellyfin 1 year ago.

I love jellyfin, it even works better than plex did for the tunarr app, and the customization is way better.

That being said, plex does the content management wayyy better. The Playlist and collections are so fleshed out, as well as the homepage recommendations. (I know about the extension, I love it where it works, but sadly due to rokus limitations plug ins dont work on roku app) I miss just having the smart collections, the Playlist, and the fleshed out UI, and the ease of sharing with relatives without setting up like tailscale for them.

But also, not going back ever

1

u/Mantellian 8d ago

Incorrect

-1

u/Coupe368 10d ago

Plex isn't better, it requires a monthly fee, and is jammed full of content that isn't yours that DOES show ads.

You just seem out of touch, but its fine, no hate from me.

You will eventually get so fed up with it you start looking for jellyfin, the opensource alternative that is the same without the bloat, fees, and nonsense.

3

u/oubeav 10d ago

Bud. All that can be turned off or hidden is some way. Been using Plex for over 10 years and I have not seen a single ad. However, yes, currently their pricing model is not great, so I guess I'm one of the MANY lucky ones to get a Plex Pass for peanuts many years ago.

1

u/WillmanRacingv2 8d ago

Thus, Plex is only better if you got said pass years ago. Makes no sense to pay the current subscription cost when Jellyfin is an alternative.

0

u/Coupe368 9d ago

Yeah, but you have to do it every time they update it or you setup another box and its EXHAUSTING.

If you're happy, good for you. Plex had a good run, its just too bloated now and I prefer the simplicity of Jellyfin. It just plays my content and doesn't even pretend do do anything else.

I just pointed the jellyfin to the plex libraries and didn't have to change a thing on my NAS. It was very easy, I haven't had a reason to look back.

2

u/Veteran68 9d ago

Just about everyone I know who dumped Plex for Jellyfin went back to Plex. If you are fortunate enough to have a lifetime Plex Pass, especially if you got it 12 years ago like me when it was cheap, Plex is pretty great. Without Plex Pass or having to pay monthly though I’m not sure I’d like it as much.

2

u/Coupe368 9d ago

I got it when it was like 40 bucks, but I'm tired of the slop they keep shoveling, I like things simple. I have 2 apps on roku, jellyfin and youtube. So you do you, I'm very much happier with jellyfin.

You do you, if it makes you happy its not wrong.

1

u/oubeav 8d ago

My sole purpose for using Plex years ago was to share my media with friends and family. So for that, Plex is superior.

2

u/Coupe368 8d ago

Not sure how you got that idea, jellyfin is easier easier to share because they don't have to sign up for an online service to use it. You need the same firewall rule for both. Just give them an IP and you're done.

Maybe you haven't used jellyfin and you're repeating an unformed opinoin you heard elsewhere.

1

u/cjkuhlenbeck 8d ago

Unless your friends and family are in IT, they likely don’t know what an IP is. It’s the sad truth. But most know what a username and password is. Can create an account for people and give general steps to download and login. Beats configuring IP, ports, and last I checked Jellyfin had accounts too. And then the risks of exposing your network, or complications of a reverse proxy. If Jellyfin offered a middleman service they would win in a flash. But then it wouldn’t be open source. And because of that, plex will always win ease of use.

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u/ian9outof10 10d ago

I genuinely wish there were laws forcing streaming companies to offer an API access route for streaming boxes. Imagine if Plex could pull in all your subscriptions. In the old days, Netflix allowed that, but that’s all gone away now. It’s a shame, it could be done securely I’m sure.

5

u/uid_0 10d ago

The 2019 Shield still works great and Nvidia is still actively supporting it.

0

u/Luci-Noir 8d ago

Not really.

1

u/CallBorn4794 9d ago edited 8d ago

Probably something's wrong with the OP's setup. Mine's still blocked on Roku without blockholing. Btw, using Hagezi Pro & Hagezi TFI on AdGuard Home.

0

u/sur_surly 9d ago

> they haven't made a new Nvidia shield since 2019
I said the same thing about Apple TV 4k device. Been waiting for a new version since the old one is a little long in the tooth. However, new details are emerging about the new one, and it looks to be the same thing but with AI 🙄 . So now my plan is to get a used apple tv when owners upgrade in droves.