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Roku OS home screen is getting video ads for the first time (arstechnica.com)

submitted 6 months ago by flop_leash_973 to c/technology

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[–] [email protected] 15 points 6 months ago (3 children)

Currently, yes and no.

Yes, in that pihole can filter ad servers, but no because backup DNS servers are hard coded in the software; you have to block those too from your router.

Not sure about the new changes planned.

[–] SandySocks 15 points 6 months ago (1 children)

I haven't seen a seen a single home screen Roku ad since I installed Pi-Hole.

This will be my last Roku, it has become such a horrible ad-ridden experience since I first got it years ago.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 6 months ago (1 children)

At first, Pi-hole was enough, but some devices had a software update a year or two ago that used Google (if memory serves) DNS as a backup. It was sneaky, but adding a block rule closed that loophole.

Not all devices had that change though. I'm hoping mine is old enough to be ignored for the new video ads.

[–] SuperIce 4 points 6 months ago (1 children)

I imagine they'll eventually work around block rules with DNS over https.

[–] AtariDump 1 points 6 months ago (1 children)

Then you block that too at the router level (port 853 if my memory is correct)

[–] SuperIce 4 points 6 months ago (1 children)

DNS over TLS (aka DoT) uses port 853. DNS over HTTPS (aka DoH) uses port 443 so that it looks the same as any other web traffic for privacy reasons.

[–] AtariDump 1 points 6 months ago

Yeah, that’s going to be an issue.

[–] Confused_Emus 2 points 6 months ago* (last edited 6 months ago)

I’m wondering if they managed to break that, too. I tried forcing my Roku to use my pi-hole by blocking Google DNS (what it seems to be hardcoded with) at my router and the Roku just stops recognizing that it even has an Internet connection.

[–] v01 1 points 6 months ago

How can I block their hard coded DNS servers? Is it based on their IP numbers and if so how do we determine what they are?