Multimedia-PCs » roku

YouTube Channel Removed From Roku

Jeremy Jones — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 03:00:17 +0000

Sounds like Google didn’t want Roku streaming YouTube videos in an unofficial way. Dave Zatz posted this morning that the channel wasn’t available for people that didn’t already have it added. This isn’t anything new for Google and YouTube. There use to be a public API that YouTube stopped using to make companies work with them to get content. It’s mentioned in the comments on ZatzNotFunny that the Popcorn Hour had this issue a few years ago. I’m sure they are working together to get YouTube back.

Roku Released Firmware Update

Jeremy Jones — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 03:53:02 +0000

Roku released a firmware update for their popular little boxes. The biggest improvement is 1080p streaming for the XR units. They also improved the Hulu app. It’s been a few days since it was released so it should be in automatic updates. If not you can manual get the update. More at Roku.

- Enabled 1080P support for XR units.
- Hulu application optimizations for quicker trick play navigation and start of playback.
- Hulu application optimization for improved playback performance on networks with higher latencies.
- Fixed a bug that could result in a crash if an app tried to load an image that was too large (greater than 1280×720).
- Fixed playback of poorly interleaved video streams which resulted in rebuffers around the 25 minute mark in Roku Newscaster programs.
- Fixed a remaining case of playback at the incorrect aspect ratio.
- Changed option menu action name from “change order” to “change position” for re-arranging channels.
- Fixed a bug in channel re-ordering related to presence of screen savers.
- Modified channel store “go to channel” behavior to launch the selected channel instead of only focusing the icon on the Home screen.
- Added screensaver preview and set options to the channel store springboard.
- Fixed a subtle audio playback issue in UFC streaming.

Related Posts:
Review: Roku firmware 1.5
Roku Updates to Bring HD Netflix
Hulu Plus Available on Roku
DVPRemote 2.0 Available Now
Roku Blocks PlayOn Channel
PlayOn Comes to Roku

Hulu Plus Available on Roku

Jeremy Jones — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 09:19:54 +0000

Hulu Plus has made its way to the Roku box. I haven’t subscribed to Hulu Plus so I haven’t been able to play around with it. But Mari from ZatzNotFunny did get a chance to play around with it. The content isn’t what it should be for a paid service, which is the main reason why I haven’t paid for it yet. The interface on the Roku box seems cluttered. Not like too much information but different than the other channels. Since I haven’t navigated around it you should read about it over at ZatzNotFunny.

DVPRemote 2.0 Available Now

Jeremy Jones — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 03:15:14 +0000

DVPRemote 2.0 was released yesterday. I was excited when it showed up on my iPod Touch as an update. It was already a great program but the update brings a lot of new features.

1) Support for new “Instant Replay”, “Info”, and “Back” buttons.

2) Integration with Netflix to support automated Instant Queue navigation. DVPRemote provides the list of movies in your instant queue which can be presented in queue order or alphabetical order. It allows you to select a title from the list by tapping on it or entering a search term to find it and then automatically navigates to it on your Roku (great for large instant queues). No more left, left, left, …, or right, right, right, …, to find and select the movie that you want to see!!

3) Full keyboard support for any screen that requires text entry (including symbols and non-english characters). (Search automation from Version 1.5 is no longer needed since text can be directly entered.).

4) Improved Player discovery speed and accuracy.

5) Improved key repeat.

6) Direct Navigation to Channels through Channel List tab.

7) Toolbars for additional channel functionality where supported (currently only Netflix).

8 ) Support for iPhone 4 Retina Display.

9) New 12 button remote skin.

10) Tested with iOS 4 (including support for background operation).

It is the best iPod Touch/iPhone remote for Roku and is available for $2.99 in the app store. You don’t just have to take my word for it. Dave Zatz posted earlier today that you should buy the app. There is a demo video below of the app.

Roku Blocks PlayOn Channel

Jeremy Jones — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 03:28:23 +0000

The PlayOn channel didn’t last very long. It was just a few days ago that I posted that you could add the channel. If you already have it installed it is still working but you can’t add it anymore. It’s not surprising that Roku would want to block access. Hulu is coming to Roku soon and I’m sure they don’t want to tarnish their relationship with them.

(via Engadget)

PlayOn Comes to Roku

Jeremy Jones — Sat, 23 Oct 2010 15:49:19 +0000

You can now add PlayOn channel in Roku. That will give you access to Hulu, CBS, ESPN and many more from your Roku box. You do need a Windows computer running the PlayOn software but the license isn’t bad at $40. You can also take advantage of all the other device they support for streaming. You need to add the custom channel to Roku which you can do here. You can read more about it on the Roku website.

Roku Launched All New Boxes

Jeremy Jones — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 03:03:30 +0000

Roku revamped their entire line of streaming boxes. They have the Roku HD, Roku XD, and the Roku XD|S. You can find a comparison chart of the 3 models here. The starting price is $60 and offers HD. I didn’t think it was smart to launch a SD box last time they redid their lineup.

Engadget reviewed the XD|S model and gave it good marks. It’s an even better value since Hulu Plus will be coming. They still haven’t given me enough reason to upgrade my two first generation Roku boxes.

Hulu Plus Coming to Roku

Jeremy Jones — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 01:04:35 +0000

Looks like the Roku box will be the first set-top to get Hulu Plus streaming. NewTeeVee found information on the Roku website that stated that it was coming. That information has been pulled now but NewTeeVee has the excerpts. While I have doubted Roku and how they can compete with all the new players, I’m thinking they have their product on the right track. Hulu Plus and Netflix would make for a very good product. Plus their channel competition added a lot of new content including lots of streaming apps, which I will cover here later. This is still somewhat of a rumor but it looks like we might find out shortly.

UPDATE: It’s official. Coming later this fall. Press Release below.

oku Announces Content Partnership with Hulu
Hulu Plus Coming this Fall on All Roku Streaming Players

Saratoga, Calif. (September 28, 2010) Roku, Inc., maker of the best-selling and award-winning Roku streaming player, and Hulu™, the leading online TV service, today announced a partnership to offer the Hulu Plus™ service on all Roku players. The Hulu Plus channel will be available via subscription to all Roku customers later this fall.

Hulu Plus offers one of the deepest offerings of TV shows, both current and classic, on a streaming platform to subscribers in the U.S. Through Hulu Plus on Roku, TV lovers can watch every episode of more than 45 current hit programs from ABC, FOX and NBC like Modern Family, Grey’s Anatomy, Glee, Family Guy, The Office and 30 Rock. In addition, TV lovers will be able to enjoy full series runs and numerous back seasons of dozens of classic shows like The X-Files, Law and Order: SVU, Arrested Development, Saturday Night Live, Miami Vice, Ugly Betty, Quantum Leap, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Roswell and Ally McBeal. The Hulu Plus channel will be available via subscription to all Roku customers later this fall.

“We are excited to bring Hulu Plus to all Roku users,” said Pete Distad, VP of Content Distribution for Hulu. “With Hulu Plus on Roku, TV fans will have an easy way to stream to their TVs the shows they love, whenever they want.”

Roku pioneered the streaming player category in 2008, and recently launched its new line of HD streaming players starting at $59.99, featuring the largest collection of streaming entertainment available for the TV, and the lowest prices in the industry.

“We’re thrilled to be able to provide Hulu Plus subscribers with the most inexpensive device to stream Hulu content to their TVs,” said Anthony Wood, founder and CEO of Roku, Inc. “Hulu continues to be an amazing innovator in online entertainment, and Roku is an ideal platform to bring their content back to the living room and high definition televisions where it is best viewed.”

The Roku HD streaming player ($59.99) delivers video in high-definition and features built-in wireless and Ethernet for easy broadband connectivity anywhere in the home. The new Roku XD ($79.99) and XDS ($99.99) models add 1080p HD support (delivered over HDMI) and extended-range Wireless-N. In addition, the XDS model features dual-band Wireless-N technology and USB playback.

In partnering with Roku, Hulu joins major entertainment partners including Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX), Amazon Video On Demand (NASDAQ: AMZN), Pandora, MLB.TV, and Ultimate Fighting Championship®.

About Roku, Inc.

The market leader in streaming entertainment devices for the TV, Roku has always believed that anything you want to watch, listen to, and enjoy should simply be there on your TV, whenever you want it. Roku streaming players are renowned for their simplicity, variety of entertainment choices, and exceptional value. Roku is privately held and based in Saratoga, Calif. For more information on the company and its products, visit: http://www.roku.com.

About Hulu
Hulu is an online TV service whose mission is to help people find and enjoy the world’s premium content when, where and how they want it. As we pursue this mission, we aspire to create a service that users, advertisers and content owners unabashedly love. Hulu was founded in 2007 and is operated independently by a dedicated team with offices in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, and Beijing. NBC Universal, News Corporation, The Walt Disney Company, Providence Equity Partners, and the Hulu team share in the ownership of the company. (www.hulu.com)

Stream iTunes Music to the Roku Box

Jeremy Jones — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 12:39:01 +0000

You can now stream your iTunes music to your Roku box with MP3tunes. If you don’t have a Roku box you can get $30 off one and a free premium account with MP3tunes on their website. There is a video demo below.

Press Release:

MP3tunes and Roku Partner To Bring Personal iTunes Music Collection To TVs
An Industry First: No PC or home server required to play iTunes music libraries on Home Entertainment Systems
San Diego, CA – For the first time, music lovers can play their personal iTunes music collection on their TV without a home server. Roku, the market leader in streaming entertainment devices has added expanded support for personal music collections with the addition of MP3tunes. Available now on all Roku players, the MP3tunes channel connects securely to a customer’s personal music stored online in their MP3tunes Locker. After a few simple steps to connect and sync music to a web-based locker, any Roku becomes a rich music player.
“Now customers can get their music library to their TV without the complexity or cost of a home server,” said Michael Robertson, CEO of MP3tunes. “For less than $100, iTunes users or any music enthusiast can turn a TV into a home stereo and take advantage of the best speakers in their house.”
Roku customers can find the free MP3tunes channel in the Roku channel store. By adding this channel to their Roku, customers can access their song libraries and playlists which have historically been available only on their PC in iTunes or portable players which they sync. The MP3tunes channel defaults to a one-click shuffle mode, which immediately plays a random mix of music along with a visual display of accompanying cover art. Customers may choose to browse their music and select artists, albums or playlists to hear.
All Roku customers receive 10GB of free storage space for their music which, on average, will store music libraries up to 2,500 songs. Additional storage for larger music collections is available with MP3tunes premium locker accounts up to 200GBs. For a limited time, customers may also buy a Roku player with a $20 discount and get a free MP3tunes Premium Locker. See www.mp3tunes.com/rokubundle for more information.
“Roku customers are increasingly taking advantage of streaming music services, and now with MP3tunes we are giving them access to their full iTunes music library right on the TV,” said Jim Funk, vice president of business development for Roku, Inc. “In addition to being a terrific video player with support for Netflix, Amazon Video on Demand, and a whole host of other great sports and entertainment content, the Roku player is also a gateway to rich audio entertainment thanks to MP3tunes.”
By choosing Roku as its first launch partner in the home entertainment category, MP3tunes joins major streaming services like Netflix (Nasdaq: NFLX), Amazon Video On Demand (Nasdaq: AMZN), MLB.TV, and the Ultimate Fighting Championship®. The Roku digital video player joins a growing family of devices that play music from a secure MP3tunes locker including Apple iPhone, iTouch, Google Android and Logitech radios. MP3tunes’ unique open music API (www.mp3tunes.com/api) allows any net aware device for car, home, mobile to play a personal music collection.
A video tour of the service can be viewed at: http://www.youtube.com/user/mp3tunes#p/u/6/ctn4Dx0IGPE

Roku Rolling Out Netflix Update

Jeremy Jones — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 02:05:56 +0000

Roku has started rolling out the Netflix UI update. You can manually do the update by going to setting, player info and check for update. The new interface was much needed as blu-ray players, xbox 360 and even the Wii had a better looking UI. The new interface allows you to browse by category, search by title and add the movies or TV shows to your queue.

While the interface is a lot more visually appealing it still needs some changes to navigation. I would rather see Instant queue, search, recently watched and category browsing as tabs along the top. As it is right now you have to keep scrolling down. It seems like the list keeps going and going. Then when you find a section you want, like comedy, you start side scrolling through a long list. It seems awkward and I always click too many times going back to the top that it takes me out of the app. Overall it’s a good update and it’s free.

Video below showing the new UI.