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+--- Thread: Help choosing some Hardware. (/t-help-choosing-some-hardware)
Help choosing some Hardware. - Vinsss - 2025-04-05
Hi !
I'm relatively new to Jellyfin.
So far, it's running on my own computer, and the TV is just connected to the pc with an HDMI câble.
I'm about to change TV and would liké to get a Roku as well, to stop using the TV as a glorified computer screen.
I've read a lot of différent things about chromecast, firestick or Roku. I'm having a hard time judjing the current state of things.
I'd like a solution without ads.
What are the pros and cons of the différent options ?
I ONLY need to use Jellyfin with the device. And I'd love to plug it to a Hue HDMI Sync box but I guess they would all work in that regard.
Thanks a lot 😚
RE: Help choosing some Hardware. - jimdogx - 2025-04-05
The Jellyfin Roku app was just updated with a lot of new features. However, the Roku platform itself is all built around ads. Same goes for almost all of the other ones (Amazon FireStick, Google, etc). The only options I've seen suggested for getting something without ads are:
* Nvidia Shield
* Block your Roku, FireStick, etc from the internet
* Run an adblocker on your home network
I can't vouch for any of these, but those are the options I see people suggest most often.
RE: Help choosing some Hardware. - Vinsss - 2025-04-05
Wow, I didn't réalized. I thought I was already giving them money by buying their product.
Did not imagined I'd be targeted by ads to run my own Jellyfin server.
How are the ads implemented ? Like, a video would start when I pause something ?
Would it interrupt a movie randomly ??
RE: Help choosing some Hardware. - Host-in-the-Shell - 2025-04-05
If you're already proficient enough to run and administrate your own Jellyfin instance, I'd consider running a DNS sinkhole to bypass any ads served to you through Roku or any other similar devices. In my case I use Pi-Hole, but there are other options. Just keep in mind that it won't block ads that are served through the same content (for instance, YouTube ads: they are served in the same video stream so you can't block them without also blocking the video).
Just make sure that, like jimdogx said in point three, the sinkhole is the only DNS your home network uses (via your router or combo network configuration); some clients are clever enough to bypass your sinkhole by requesting their domain name resolution by secondary or tertiary resolvers. If you want to dive even deeper, you could also consider setting up a recursive DNS to make sure all your request are handled by your sinkhole alone; a popular choice is unbound. That said, this can prove to be annoying and/or difficult to set up, so keep in mind this step is optional.
RE: Help choosing some Hardware. - Vinsss - 2025-04-05
Thank you for the option.
I could consider such a thing, it really comes down to the nature of the ads :
- if it's "only" some images within the Roku menu, it's fine
- if it's vidéo ads or pop up within Jellyfin itself, it's not fine
RE: Help choosing some Hardware. - AltoClefScience - 2025-04-05
(2025-04-05, 05:17 PM)Vinsss Wrote: Thank you for the option.
I could consider such a thing, it really comes down to the nature of the ads :
- if it's "only" some images within the Roku menu, it's fine
- if it's vidéo ads or pop up within Jellyfin itself, it's not fine
I have a Roku Ultra as my primary Jellyfin playback device. It does have some issues with codec and HDR profile support, but those are usually fixed by disabling the unreliable codecs on the Jellyfin client to force more transcoding. Fine if your server has enough transcoding performance, not fine if it can only handle direct play. In that case you either need to very carefully curate your content to only include things that will play on your Roku, or get another device.
Ads are increasingly annoying but they only come up on the Roku home screen, never inside Jellyfin menus or during playback. But those ads are getting increasingly obtrusive, now including auto playing video popups over the Roku home screen. Supposedly those ads can be stopped by blocking outgoing DNS requests from the Roku to Roku-owned DNS servers, and forcing it to use something like a local Pihole that blocks Roku ad domains.
Personally, I came to this thread to find a good Roku alternative with better codec support and no ads and tracking!
RE: Help choosing some Hardware. - Vinsss - 2025-04-06
It is concerning.
I'm looking it the Webos Jellyfin client, that if I'm correct is available without any device on recent LG TVs.
Surely, they would not force ads on a native OS.
Or would they 😂
RE: Help choosing some Hardware. - Vinsss - 2025-04-06
Still in my research, for those interested, it seems Flauncher would be easy to setup and use with an android TV box. And Ad free.