Best streaming devices for 2024: Apple TV, Roku, and more | Digital Trends

September 25, 2024September 25, 2024 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

There basically are two kinds of folks when it comes to smart TVs and how we use them to access all of our streaming services. There are those who just use whatever operating system is already built in, and those who prefer to plug in their own device.

That’s not to say there’s anything wrong with the former, especially since Roku, Amazon Fire TV, and Google TV power so many smart TVs, with LG and Samsung picking up the slack with their own operating systems.

But then there are those who prefer to have a little more control and who want to use some other stick or dongle or box to stream their videos — and maybe do a good bit more. And there’s something to be said about treating your TV like it’s a dumb display, especially if it’s an older model and doesn’t have all those smart things built into it. That’s where all these options come in.

Unsurprisingly, TV streaming devices are collecting data, too | Mashable

October 15, 2019October 13, 2019 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

A new report seems to confirm what you could probably already guess: that, like every other device you own, some TV streaming devices are collecting lots of data about what you do.

The report comes from Princeton University and the University of Chicago, and focuses on two platforms: Roku and Amazon Fire TV. To see what apps on these two services tracked, the people behind the study created what they call “smart crawlers.”

They essentially did the same thing humans would do — install apps (the top 1,000 on each device) and watch videos — while taking a look at the data that was collected any time an ad was shown. You can guess where this is going.

Roku has lost 40% of its value as competition heats up | CNN

September 26, 2019September 23, 2019 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Roku could be in trouble. Competition from much bigger companies is coming to the streaming market, and investors are bailing out of Roku’s stock.

Shares of Roku (ROKU), after a huge run up this year, plunged nearly 20% Friday after an analyst issued an extremely gloomy report. Roku stock was up 1% on Monday. The stock has now lost a third of its value since Apple (AAPL) unveiled its streaming service, Apple TV+, would cost only $4.99 a month. Roku’s stock is about 40% below its all-time high on September 9.