Dear Roku, you ruined my TV

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Roku TV motion smoothing change

  • Roku OS 13 on TCL/Hisense TVs reportedly enabled motion smoothing (“soap opera effect”) in a way some owners cannot fully disable.
  • Many describe the effect as making films look like cheap video or soap operas, with unnatural camera pans and artifacts, especially in animation and fast motion.
  • A smaller group says they like the smoother look, especially for sports and “true-to-life” content, and find default 24fps judder more distracting.
  • Several note that other TVs offer interpolation as an optional, off‑by‑default setting; frustration centers on Roku’s forced behavior and lack of timely response or fix.

Smart TVs, updates, and control

  • Many say they will never connect TVs to the internet, or block them at the router/VLAN level, to avoid forced updates, ads, and tracking.
  • Some regret updating devices that were “good enough,” reporting bricks or lost functionality on TVs, printers, 3D printers, and headsets.
  • Others counter that never updating is unrealistic for security‑critical software, but accept avoiding updates on “appliance” devices like TVs.

Privacy, data, and business models

  • Strong distrust of ad‑subsidized platforms (Roku, Fire TV, Android TV). Users describe home screens being increasingly filled with ads and tracking toggles that default to on.
  • Debate over whether Apple TV is materially better for privacy: some cite Apple’s hardware‑centric business model; others point to reports of Apple analytics and growing ad business.

Alternatives and setups

  • Common pattern: buy any decent panel, never network it, and use a separate box (Apple TV, Nvidia Shield, Raspberry Pi + Kodi/Jellyfin, Chromecast).
  • Some suggest computer monitors as “dumb TVs,” but note cost, size limits, HDR/eARC gaps, and lack of speakers.

Consumer protection and ownership

  • Posters from some jurisdictions (e.g., Norway, Australia) argue that post‑purchase updates that materially worsen a product could be a legal defect (“not fit for purpose”).
  • Others push back, saying the TV still “plays video” and laws shouldn’t guarantee freedom from dissatisfaction.
  • Broader theme: users feel they don’t truly “own” smart TVs; vendors can unilaterally change behavior to serve advertisers or metrics (invoking “enshittification”).

Analogies to media “remastering”

  • Several compare forced motion smoothing to loudness‑war remasters and streaming “remixed” or animated album art: technically “upgraded,” but artistically worse, often with originals removed.