During a recent search for a good price on a portable grill l I found my way to Facebook Marketplace. There were lots of good ones out there. But I also found many other things for sale and for free. Me being me I started noticing the streaming products available from multiple individuals. But what stood out was the kinds of devices I saw.
The Roku XR, was an amazing product for its time. It was one of the early generations of Roku products (It came out in 2009) that began to expand Roku from simply a Netflix streaming box to a device that allowed users to access multiple services. Did you know that Roku started as a way to deliver Netflix via streaming as a fledgling service, along with its more popular mail-based DVD service? But these days it is not capable of supporting modern streaming apps. Yet I saw one for sale on Facebook Marketplace as though you could plug it in and check out the new season of Euphoria. That device came out at a time when Roku did not even have an official ESPN or YouTube app. Such a device could be valuable to someone who wants to collect old tech as part of a personal museum or something, but it will be useless if you want to watch TV.
Something else I saw was an 11-year-old LG TV. I am sure the TV provides a good picture. And if it has HDMI ports, it can be equipped with any modern streaming device. Heck due to its age it probably has ports that you can’t find anymore, which could be helpful for those who like retro gaming. But what might struggle is its app store. LG is notorious for updating its features via new hardware but often leaves old products behind. And in turn, services like Netflix, Disney+, and others also drop support for older operating systems. This doesn’t typically affect systems that are a few years old, but a decade or more can make a difference. It’s a real downer when you are ready to tune into something and your TV says the app needs to be updated, or worse, no update available.
This is the sort of thing buyers need to keep in mind when looking for technology in second-hand markets. Things change really fast in this field. Just think of how many different kinds of cell phone chargers you have been through if you have used one for 25 years or more. Before purchasing TV technology, give it at least a quick Google search before you drop cash on something from an individual. They often do not have return policies.
