If you watch Netflix using an older Roku device or the built-in Netflix app on an aging Samsung smart TV, some bad news: starting next month, your device may no longer be able to play Netflix because the popular streaming service is leaving it behind. It’s an easy enough problem to solve with a Chromecast Ultra ($69), Fire TV Stick 4K ($40), or a newer Roku device like the Streaming Stick+ ($49), but it is a problem you won’t want to sneak up on you.
According to Samsung, the TVs that will no longer be able to use Netflix with their built-in guts are “2010 and 2011 models, with C or D after the screen size in the model code.” You can find that model code either on the TV itself, or buried in the settings. The affected Roku players are also chiefly models released before May 2011, which Roku itself stopped supporting back in 2015. Lifehacker has compiled a non-exhaustive list of models. If your device is affected, you’ll be greeted with an error message come December.
If you’ve typically relied on the smart capability built into your TV, now is a great time to upgrade to a streaming stick which will not only give you the ability to watch Netflix again, but also the freedom to move the streaming experience you are already familiar with to your next TV when you upgrade.
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