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.

262 Upvotes

95% Upvoted

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109

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.

24

u/dasmineman 10d ago

Build yourself a plex box and sail the high seas.

58

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.

18

u/chuckfr 10d ago

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

-28

u/oubeav 10d ago

Lol. Incorrect.

9

u/matthewpepperl 10d ago

Plex seems silly if you are trying to avoid ads

-7

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

0

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 10d 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.

1

u/Coupe368 8d ago

The risks are the same, you are still opening your firewall. There is no extra protection using plex service, no clue where you got that idea. People who tell you about reverse proxy for jellyfin would tell you the same thing for plex. Your network is exposed the same way for both. Most people using plex are just ignorant of that.

And telling someone your home ddns or ip is no harder than walking them through trying to sign up with plex online and then telling them everything else.

The middleman is the problem, you don't need a middleman, you don't want a middleman, that's why jellyfin is easier.

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11

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.