Irritated With Roku Ultra

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Sep 18, 2002
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Once my DIsh went to $140/month, I decided to make the move to some streaming service. After doing my research, I decided to go
with YouTube TV. I then decided to purchase two new Roku Ultras ($69m each on special). After going through and eliminating all the DIsh DVR and
all the cables associated with it, I got the new Roku set up on the first TV. I was really happy with those preprogrammed buttons on the
Roku Remote. Being of the age of Social Security, my wife and I like things simpler when possible.

Well, I do a lot of YouTube watching so I finally figured out how get button #2 on remote to take us to YouTube directly. Since YouTube TV is our new
"DIsh" I wanted to set #1 to YouTube TV. Of course, many of us know you can't get the Roku remote programmed by voice to set any button
on the Roku Remote to YouTube TV.

I got PO'd as I was aware of the bickering between Roku and YouTube (Google). I figured it was just a spill over of their dispute over whatever they
were disputing.

My first question is this and I think I already know the answer. Is there any type of work around to get button #1 preprogrammed to YouTube TV?

My second question, would I be happier (subjective term) with the Apple TV hardware. Sometimes, when things don't go my way, I can make immature decisions.
I was so irritated last night I almost boxed the Roku's up to send them back to Amazon. Will the new Apple TV remote allow us to say "YouTube TV" and
those vocal commands take us directly to YouTube TV? As an addendum, we all have iPhones, iMacs, iPads, etc. And we are gonna subscribe to Apple TV+

I also got very frustrated trying to search the Roku website for info.

Let me clarify, this decision is whether to switch to and Roku Competitor, Apple TV, or suck it up and put my big boy pants on and stay with Roku? Apple TV+, the subscription service is another animal.

I do have a teachable spirit....
 
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We have 6 Roku players and have been using Roku devices over 10 years now.
Not sure if you know but we watch Apple TV through our Roku player. your post threw me off at first.
You are actually thinking of purchasing an Apple TV Device so you can maybe use YouTubeTV more easy. Interesting question as YouTube/google is Apple arch enemy #1.
I dont know anything about YoutubeTV and never will since I hate google but if this helps, we subscribe to Netflex, Hulu, and Apple TV plus an over the air antenna for all the local channels which is over 25 channels.
 
alarmguy, I edited my post to try and make it clearer. Thanks!
 
We have 6 Roku players and have been using Roku devices over 10 years now.
Not sure if you know but we watch Apple TV through our Roku player. your post threw me off at first.
You are actually thinking of purchasing an Apple TV Device so you can maybe use YouTubeTV more easy. Interesting question as YouTube/google is Apple arch enemy #1.
I dont know anything about YoutubeTV and never will since I hate google but if this helps, we subscribe to Netflex, Hulu, and Apple TV plus an over the air antenna for all the local channels which is over 25 channels.
I hate google as well. A few of my neighbors have tried the roof antenna but couldn't do it. Must be the Blue Ridge mountains.

We do Netflix, Amazon Prime, YouTube TV and will do Apple TV + after I decide whether to go with Apple TV or stay with Roku.
 
There is no way to configure the remote button to launch YTTV directly, but you can switch back and forth within the YouTube app.

Personally I think hitting the home button and then selecting the appropriate app is very quick. I think you would just trade one problem for another by changing platforms.

 
Rob_Roy, thanks a bunch. That Michael Saves has a lot of good info.

I read somewhere about the "update to 9.4" and how it fixed something or other on the Roku Remote
but it didn't fix the problem under discussion. There was the suggestion at the next Roku Update,
the problem may be fixed. You have knowledge of any of this?
 
I switched from some aging roku(s) to amazon fire stick ultras .. Dont have 4k tv's but the ultras have better hardware and less lag.

None are perfect at everything. research carefully.. or get 1 test device before changing everything over.
 
I hate google as well. A few of my neighbors have tried the roof antenna but couldn't do it. Must be the Blue Ridge mountains.

We do Netflix, Amazon Prime, YouTube TV and will do Apple TV + after I decide whether to go with Apple TV or stay with Roku.
Oh, well that is why I never would subscribe to YouTube since its a google company.
Yeah, tough one if you cant get OTA local channels but the Blue Ridge Mountains are awesome!
 
I switched from some aging roku(s) to amazon fire stick ultras .. Dont have 4k tv's but the ultras have better hardware and less lag.

None are perfect at everything. research carefully.. or get 1 test device before changing everything over.
Like computers if you had aging Roku players they would be vastly slower then the new Roku players.
Yeah, the OP has a ton of choices and honestly he can buy everything from Best Buy for example, try it out, then return the others.
 
Like computers if you had aging Roku players they would be vastly slower then the new Roku players.
Yeah, the OP has a ton of choices and honestly he can buy everything from Best Buy for example, try it out, then return the others.
Correct, I could have specified I dont have anything against roku,
IIRC I had roku 2's and I am sure new ones are much better.
but 25$ for fire stick ultra is pretty hard to beat if it does everything you want it to.
Super snappy response and good voice control I would highlight as its best features.
 
Correct, I could have specified I dont have anything against roku,
IIRC I had roku 2's and I am sure new ones are much better.
but 25$ for fire stick ultra is pretty hard to beat if it does everything you want it to.
Super snappy response and good voice control I would highlight as its best features.
I used both seen no difference it's a matter of preference.
 
I have a Roku Ultra from a couple years ago. It has updated to Roku OS 10, so maybe check if yours has updated. I am going to purchase another since we are dropping cable and going with Direct Stream from Direct TV. I have had good luck with the Roku products, but I don't watch much You Tube on it, so that still doesn't help your problem. I have 2 Ultras and a Streaming Stick 4K.
 
WOOHOO!!!!

Hot diggity dog!!

I down loaded the dedicated Roku Remote app to my iPhone. And guess what I saw. I saw the YouTube TV icon. My TV was off and
I pressed the YouTube TV icon and shazam.....the TV opened right to the YouTube TV channel. I figured out how to go directly to YouTube TV
from go-start. Actually, the phone app is pretty sweet.

All is well. Even a blind hog can find a nut every now and then. I'm gonna finish setting up the other Ultra downstairs.
 
Note, my issue was only with YouTube TV. Not YouTube. But I have found the solution.

Plus my iPhone Roku remote app will light up in a dark movie watching room. The Roku remote won’t.
 
We have 7 AppleTVs and primarily use Youtube TV + all the other major streaming services. AppleTV is fine and my biggest gripe is how every streaming app handles remote control inputs differently. Some are very good, some are garbage, all are pretty inconsistent in spite of the fact they all need to do the same basic things. I wish Apple would standardize all of them so there was consistency.
 
NO intention to hijack the thread but I was just reminded that I want to accomplish a big change in my viewing tech.

I was thinking of getting rid of Comcast/Xfinity as I'm paying over $250/Mo. for one T.V. box with no hard drive.
Triple play including 100mbs internet. I can now ditch the VOIP "land line" since it's dead with power outage.

There is a new cable company coming into town routing through glass not wire. Consolidated Cable.

I had tried Roku for YouTube TV ( to get local news) and didnt like the picture quality. Stills were O.K. but terrible motion artifacts otherwise. IDk if thats a YT TV issue or the streamer video engine issue.

Question that might help the OP, GEBO, If I upgrade to a smart TV,
I would assume I would NOT need a dongle like firestick or Roku ?

It appears smart TV's are cheap enough (maybe the cost of 2 months of cable billing)
So can I get by with 25MBS - likely throttled - internet and a smart TV?
And any opinions on which T.V. s have a good user interface? - thx, Ken
 
I have 25mps with a DSL carrier. I have had no problems streaming.

Upgrading TVs is not an option for me at present. Lol
 
We have 7 AppleTVs and primarily use Youtube TV + all the other major streaming services. AppleTV is fine and my biggest gripe is how every streaming app handles remote control inputs differently. Some are very good, some are garbage, all are pretty inconsistent in spite of the fact they all need to do the same basic things. I wish Apple would standardize all of them so there was consistency.
Have you any experience with the newest Apple remote?
 
Question that might help the OP, GEBO, If I upgrade to a smart TV,
I would assume I would NOT need a dongle like firestick or Roku ?

It appears smart TV's are cheap enough (maybe the cost of 2 months of cable billing)
So can I get by with 25MBS - likely throttled - internet and a smart TV?
And any opinions on which T.V. s have a good user interface? - thx, Ken
do your research ...
smart tv's are okay...(the built in LG interface is the only way I'm getting Paramount + on my living room TV, since TiVo doesn't want to add any of the newer streamers to it's library - Disney, apple, paramount, discovery, etc)
if buying a new TV, all the "dongle" makers (not all the devices are dongles, but..) have partnered with certain TV makers, and have "Roku Edition" or "Fire edition" sets. that have the the device baked into the tv itself.

in My Bedroom, and the Guest bedroom, I have a Roku Express( I use the Roku in my bedroom more than the Xbox one or the TiVo mini i have in there.
even nicer now that Roku and Spectrum have settled their tiff, and the spectrum channel(app- roku calls them channels) is available again.
 
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