Netflix pulled the plug on the Roku XDS 2100x in Dec. 2019. Then Roku themselves worked to make this device useless:
- simple apps like the fish bowl app and the flames simulating a fireplace are gone (they're not particularly useful, but it indicates deliberate intent)
- the Roku Store is inaccessible
- media plugged into the USB port is not mounted -- that's right, you can't even use it to play stored media.
This is not natural obsolescence -- this is sabotage. When this happened to the Wii, some people hacked it so we could continue to run apps on it. Roku doesn't have the same. If you buy a new Roku, then you become part of the designed obsolescence problem.
If you call Roku at 408-364-1260, you get a recorded greeting saying they aren't even accepting voicemail for those asking for support. When someone asks about recycling, the answers are various ways to trash the device.
Old Rokus connect to old TVs. When they disable the old Roku, the new media players can't drive the old analog TVs so they kill the TV too.
Don't let them get away with it. Boycott Roku. Stop buying their new products if they're going to push consumers to fill landfills with perfectly functional hardware.
