Onn Streaming Device - Review from a Roku user

General Discussion
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So with all the concerns over Roku 14, and based on some of the feedback I have read here, I decided to give the onn Android TV 4K UHD Streaming Device a try.

First, I want to say that the Tablo app runs beautifully on this device. It loads quickly, moves smoothly through the menus, and I did not notice any of the glitches that Roku users have been grumbling about (like the ‘X’ed our numbers on the progress bars). Plus, it has some features that I really like. For instance, while watching live TV, if you click down, you get a series of tiles you can scroll through that show you what is playing on the other channels while the show you were watching continues to play. It is not exactly channel surfing, but it is really nice. If you exit the Tablo app while watching live TV and then come back a short time later, the Tablo app launches directly to the live channel you were previously on rather than going to the over-cluttered Home screen.

But, there are some things that I don’t like about it. First, you have to do the setup through Google, specifically through Google home. If you like having your life integrated into Google that is probably not a big deal, and it will likely give you a more personalized experience. But, to someone like me that just wants to watch TV, it seemed rather intrusive, and I didn’t see any easy way to avoid giving it so much access to my Google history. I’m sure I can tweak the privacy settings later, but it was not intuitive. Next, I could find no way to set the captions to “Captions on Replay.” My hearing is not the best, and if I miss an important line, I will click jump back so I can read the line. Yes, you can easily turn captions on and off, but I miss “Captions on Replay.” Lastly, and in my opinion this is really stupid, IT HAS NO PAUSE BUTTON. Why does it have no pause button? Yes, you can pause, but you have to click down and scroll right or left to highlight the pause icon to select pause. Depending on where you are, it could take 3 or 4 clicks to pause. That seems like the most basic one-click function. Mind you, this is not Tablo’s fault, this is the design of the onn device.

I will be the first to admit that I have become a bit of a Tablo optimist, in spite of the Roku issues, but I have said that it is not so much that I love my Tablo Gen 4, but rather that I love the promise of what it could be. I think I am going to stick with Tablo on the Roku, but am REALLY hoping that onn app is an indication of the direction that Tablo plans to go with features for the Roku app

Sorry for the long rant.

This is the onn device that I purchased… and will likely return.

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Thank you for this information. I was considering getting one myself but what you said about requiring Google to install it has changed my mind.

I’m pretty hopeful that Tablo can get the kinks out of the Roku app version of their software, both the ones they made themselves and ones thrust upon them by Roku OS updates.

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I have 5 Roku devices that are acting up… even though I love my Tablo 2 tuner Gen4.

Huge thank you to @269587 for sending me his used Onn Devices for testing. I went ahead and bought a new Onn 4k box. I love it. Wife loves it too. I do like the feel of the BT Roku remote, feels sturdy. Onn remote feels thin.

My only beef is… the low volume. Roku can force PCM stereo and “level” out the volume. This Onn Box, you have to turn up the Android Volume to 25 and leave it. There isn’t a PCM stereo option and “level” option. So you can watch a DD movie and the ADs will be in stereo. Which just blast your ear drums during the AD, but back to low volume during the movie.

But we are getting used to it.

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Nice review. Thanks

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I really don’t understand why that is. My onn device is too loud! Is this the same on your new one, too? I remember that the one I sent you is at least 2 years old…

I’m just glad it’s working.

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As for pause… You can’t just click the select button while video is playing to pause, then click the select button again to resume?

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I’ll check again, but I don’t think so.

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The thing about Roku issues and Tablos is that it is never ending, so even when/if they fix the problems with 14, wait until 15 and then rinse/repeat. Every time Roku does an update to fix things that aren’t broken, it breaks something. Some apps are more vulnerable to this than others, and Tablo’s seems to be the worst. Besides Tablo, my Roku soundbar will occasionally fire up with a static/snowy screen since 14. I disconnect/reconnect the power and it comes back. My Roku stick will sometimes lock up on my other TV. Again, power cycle and it comes back. And don’t get me started on Roku forcing auto app listings (yeah, I know I can go in and change it, but that’s not the point). Roku is getting payola I’m sure as it put Hulu at the front and we don’t have Hulu (had the app from a year ago and never removed it). I understand the hesitancy of wanting to partner up with google, but they all do it, including Roku. Privacy is a myth in today’s world.

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I have a Roku Ultra and the only apps on it I use with frequency are YT, Tablo, and my local TV station apps, in that order. When the Roku updated itself to ver 14, I had a problem with no sound from any apps, which I (luckily) figured out to cure by power cycling the soundbar and Roku. Aside from that, the only app I can ever remember not working correctly on the Roku, over a long time, has been Tablo, and on numerous occasions.

In the beginning I was resetting Tablo, even factory resets, power cycling, etc., when it did not work right. But that got old fast. I have learned to ignore the problem and wait until it (as far as I can tell) gets fixed on the Tablo end, which is where the problems seem to be. Especially the last couple months, after I upgraded and relocated my indoor antennas, and upgraded my wifi mesh to strong signal everywhere.

For me, Tablo is an amusement. Of the 200+ channels that show up in a scan, I have 16 selected and I use less than half of them frequently. If Tablo is not working, I go and do something else. It is just too tedious for me to ride herd on it. I have an ONN puck that I got for grins last holiday time really cheap, but have never felt like learning the new routine–though it does look more interesting now that they let you clean up the UI.

Those are my 2 cents, I know that other people have other expectations, and that is OK too. I see also that some other users are having more problems with their Tablo and Roku than I ever had. I would not want those hassles! But Tablo works most of the time for me, and most of my expectations are met. Count me lucky?!

Also I’m grizzled enough to be skeptical that a different system would either work better, or be better value for money. For my purposes Tablo works better than it did when I first started using it last winter. Part of that is due to the upgrades I have done to my own system, but a lot is due to improvements by Tablo on their end. So I will give credit where it is due.

Oh and I don’t want to forget this forum is very helpful, much more so than many “community” forums.

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I ended up not returning the onn device, mostly because so many of my Roku have fallen victim to the Roku OS14 bug. Also, my wife has decided she likes it.

However, I have found one bug with it. When turning on the TV, I frequently get the Tablo blue screen of QR Code (not exactly the blue screen of death, but still annoying) and it was not clearing itself. Opening the app on my phone clears it on my Roku devices when it pops up, but not on the onn.

I eventually came up with a solution. It seems that onn keeps apps open in the background. I am guessing that is why recently used apps open so quickly. Sometimes Tablo will open to the live channel I was last watching. But, when the device gets powered down for an extended period something gets ‘stuck.’ I found that if I use the left-arrow/exit button and fully exit the Tablo app, it will re-open correctly. We have gotten into the habit of doing this every time we close Tablo, rather than just clicking the Home button.

Has anyone else experienced this?

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Oh yeah. This has been an android/fire issue since day one. It’s like it goes to sleep in the background and forgets it’s connected, but can’t seem to reclaim that connection upon the app’s relaunch. It may be a bit of a hassle, but exiting it all the way with the back button has always worked perfectly. (I’m sure these original comments are buried beneath other more pressing issues…)

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I thank you for the onn suggestion. I purchased one($19.88 walmart) .They have one for $14.88 without the voice (Hey Google!). I have it going to one hdmi port and the Roku going to another to see if the problem( recording and playing) with Tablo goes away. It does.
I would get rid of the Roku, but i need it so i can have the Spectrum TV app available. Google onn does not let me install it on their system. I select the hdmi port for the use of the unit. So i only use my Tablo with the Google onn not letting Roku record or play anything with it.
I hope Roku/Tablo get their problem resolved. Roku should add their own ota connection or Tablo needs to get their own remote.

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Not to hijack this thread, but those of you who have an Onn device… does it go to sleep like the google tv does? I have a google tv and the darn thing goes to sleep and is a pain to wake up. Sometimes a couple keypresses will do it, sometimes I have to disconnect the power. Not good.

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Mine does have a screen saver on it… it doesnt power off. I press of a button and it works. There is a power saving mode option that I turned off.

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I replaced 2 Roku Ultras with 2 of the $50 Onn 4k Pros. Love them. Mine are set to turn off after 1 hour of inactivity and have given me no problems starting back up. Have never manually reset/restarted them.

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I know mine sort-of goes to sleep. It will wake up, although I tend to wait a minute or so before doing anything as it can sometimes be very sluggish as it seems to be waking other stuff up in the background.

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Thanks for the reply’s. The google tv winking out and not coming back w/o a power cycle is nuts. I think I will give an ONN box a shot, can always return it if it acts like google tv.

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I have no real proof but maybe one of the reasons I have so little problems with any of this stuff is because, as 269587 mentioned, we ALWAYS exit apps by hitting the back button until it exits or asks if you want to exit.

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With regards to the roku screen saver. For me it’s limited to really old roku ultra’s. Even if I properly exit any app, if I leave focus on the any app icon and not go to the home menu and then turn the TV off my old roku’s are dead when they wake up the next day and I have to repeatedly use the home button to get them onto the home menu. From there I can d-pad to where I want.

I get the idea it caused by “top picks for you” ribbon that roku added. I appears to be phone home updated pretty often.

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I’m considering buying an onn streamer today at my local Walmart, but your onn Android TV 4K UHD Streaming Device is out of stock. They have an “onn. Google TV 4K Streaming Box (New, 2023), 4K UHD Resolution” for the same price, $19.88. What’s the difference? Maybe the Android branded model has been replaced by the Google branded? It says for US and Puerto Rico only so maybe that’s it.