Hi, everyone !!
Those of you who happened to read my earlier post (from a couple of weeks back) on this very blog, "Roku UK Channel Store - Weekly RoundUp #94", may (perhaps) recall my mentioning that there was not much longer to wait until the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) opened it's doors during which many of the new "must-have" gadgets to be released in the coming year would be announced to the tech-hungry hordes. I also suggested that "WE MAY WELL WITNESS THE LAUNCH OF 'Roku 4' AT CES in 2015" and that the new 'Roku 4', or "Roku 4K" (as some sources referred to it) could well include support for '4K Video' which (itself) reportedly looks set to be the future of both Netflix and Amazon streamed content. Anyway, the past seven days has seen CES 2015 come and go without any word from Roku on the launch of a 'Roku 4' model. That said, my suggestion of forthcoming support for '4K Video' as part of the future Netflix experience (plus hopefully one day Amazon Instant in UK) for Roku devices did (indeed) turn out to be true. Confirmation of this came from various sources that I follow through the companion Twitter Feed to this blog: @ukrokuchannels and those of you who, in turn, follow that regularly will (amongst other things) have witnessed several retweets to that effect. Of course... nothing is really set in stone and, until you've "heard it from the horses mouth", you can't take anything for granted. Luckily, it wasn't long till we got the 'official' word on the matter, IN THIS POST, from the "Official" Roku Blog.
Much of what was said in the aforementioned post, via the "Official" Roku Blog, was concerned with 'Roku TV' which (as yet) still has no confirmed release date for UK Roku purchasers. Nevertheless, in the hope that some 'Roku TV' models will (eventually) see the light of day on this side of the pond, I'm reporting on the key points for the benefit of those with an interest in such matters. Firstly, one of the first companies to partner with Roku on their 'Roku TV' project, namely TCL, revealed that there will be a dozen new 'Roku TV' models added to their product range in 2015. Secondly, two new partners were added to the 'Roku TV' program: Haier and Insignia - with both releasing new 'Roku TV' models in the USA this year. The Insignia-branded televisions will be sold via Best Buy in the spring and Haier will release theirs in the summer months. Perhaps MOST SIGNIFICANTLY it was revealed that Roku have made a "Roku TV 4K Reference Design" available to their TV manufacturing partners, of whom TCL is (once again) going to be part of the initial development - working to deliver a TCL Roku TV 4K model - with Netflix being the initial 4K content partner. REMEMBER:- These 'Roku TV' units are U.S. ONLY as of now but, if & when they get a UK release, I'll let you know !!
Of course, with all eyes focussed on the events and happenings at CES 2015, it is (perhaps) of no small coincidence that the collective output from Roku channel developers during the last week has (again) been rather limited (more of that later). As has happened on occasion in the past, whilst the UK was somewhat lacking in new additions to the Roku Channel Store, the same cannot be said of the USA. For some bizarre reason, on which I have my own theory (see below), a number of channel developers neglected to edit "Channel Stores" in the Roku PKG files & add their channel(s) to the "Official" Roku UK Channel Store, instead leaving them to "default" to Roku devices in USA as is the case when this step in the channel development process is skipped or overlooked. For the record, the "missing" Roku channels are as follows:-
- Earn Your Spurs
- 90 Days To Abundance
- Juicing Radio
- Entrepreneur On Fire
- Coach XO TV
- Be Wealthy and Smart
- The Fizzle Show
- Truth For Life
- East Valdese Baptist Church
I pondered long and hard over what might have made such (normally) diligent workers neglect the task at hand and commit such a heinous crime against UK Roku owners. Then, one day, I came across the following photo posted on Twitter by 'InstaLasVegas' (@InstaLasVegas) which may explain a lot:-
So, until said Roku developers recover from their cocktail & sushi-induced hangover courtesy of their shenanigans at CES 2015 and concentrate on editing / adding their channels to Roku UK devices (instead of having "fun" at the expense of those in "other" regions supported by Roku), I've decided to make up for their collective lack of output by sharing with you details of a few more "private channels" (i.e. "secret channels", or "hidden channels", otherwise called "beta channels" by some) to make it up to you. If you are not familiar with the concept... unless you happen to know the access code (otherwise quoted as an "invitation code", by Roku), then you will not be able to add them to your Roku device(s) since these private channels (and their details) are not published via the "Official" Roku Channel Store, as found on your streaming media player(s). That said... anyone who has read my recent 'Weekly RoundUp' posts, such as "Roku UK Channel Store - Weekly RoundUp #93" from a few weeks back, or else the followup post "Roku UK Channel Store - Weekly RoundUp #94" a week later and/or the most recent one, "Roku UK Channel Store - Weekly RoundUp #95", from last week - or who uses social media to "follow" the companion Twitter Feed: @ukrokuchannels will (more than likely) already be aware of what to expect, since similar offerings (or, "gifts", as I referred to them) were made in each of those. Anyway... I have assembled a selection of TEN PRIVATE CHANNELS the details for which I've decided to re-publish, complete with access codes and direct links to add them to your Roku account(s), so you can each have some extra choices in your Roku channel selection to make up for the lack of "public channels" which came your way, during this past week, while CES 2015 was on:-
Or, LOGIN to your Roku Account, AS NORMAL, and SCROLL DOWN the page, until you come TO the 'MANAGE ACCOUNT' section, CLICK the link TO 'ADD A PRIVATE CHANNEL' and then USE ACCESS CODE: acetv
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Or, LOGIN to your Roku Account, AS NORMAL, and SCROLL DOWN the page, until you come TO the 'MANAGE ACCOUNT' section, CLICK the link TO 'ADD A PRIVATE CHANNEL' and then USE ACCESS CODE: soctv
Or, LOGIN to your Roku Account, AS NORMAL, and SCROLL DOWN the page, until you come TO the 'MANAGE ACCOUNT' section, CLICK the link TO 'ADD A PRIVATE CHANNEL' and then USE ACCESS CODE: mpjgza
%2B-%2BChannel%2BAdd%2B%5BScreenshot%5D.jpg)
Or, LOGIN to your Roku Account, AS NORMAL, and SCROLL DOWN the page, until you come TO the 'MANAGE ACCOUNT' section, CLICK the link TO 'ADD A PRIVATE CHANNEL' and then USE ACCESS CODE: boowa
%2B-%2BChannel%2BAdd%2B%5BScreenshot%5D.jpg)
Or, LOGIN to your Roku Account, AS NORMAL, and SCROLL DOWN the page, until you come TO the 'MANAGE ACCOUNT' section, CLICK the link TO 'ADD A PRIVATE CHANNEL' and then USE ACCESS CODE: boowa2
Or, LOGIN to your Roku Account, AS NORMAL, and SCROLL DOWN the page, until you come TO the 'MANAGE ACCOUNT' section, CLICK the link TO 'ADD A PRIVATE CHANNEL' and then USE ACCESS CODE: psychics
Or, LOGIN to your Roku Account, AS NORMAL, and SCROLL DOWN the page, until you come TO the 'MANAGE ACCOUNT' section, CLICK the link TO 'ADD A PRIVATE CHANNEL' and then USE ACCESS CODE: pzypd
Or, LOGIN to your Roku Account, AS NORMAL, and SCROLL DOWN the page, until you come TO the 'MANAGE ACCOUNT' section, CLICK the link TO 'ADD A PRIVATE CHANNEL' and then USE ACCESS CODE: ezfhn
Or, LOGIN to your Roku Account, AS NORMAL, and SCROLL DOWN the page, until you come TO the 'MANAGE ACCOUNT' section, CLICK the link TO 'ADD A PRIVATE CHANNEL' and then USE ACCESS CODE: KGVT3
Or, LOGIN to your Roku Account, AS NORMAL, and SCROLL DOWN the page, until you come TO the 'MANAGE ACCOUNT' section, CLICK the link TO 'ADD A PRIVATE CHANNEL' and then USE ACCESS CODE: syuhn
So... what you have there is no less than TEN PRIVATE ROKU CHANNELS from various channel developers encompassing Martial Arts, Horror, Action & Sci-Fi Movies as well as a few TV series (Ace TV, The Space Opera Channel, Diamond Club TV and the Indiana Jones Channel), in addition to LIVE psychic & tarot readings (PsychicsLiveTV), spiritual audio (3ABN Radio), local / world news & current affairs (ABC News, WTVD 11 Eyewitness News) and a channel for kids (under ten years) who love singalongs (Boowa & Kwala Songs) as well as the more recent 'Boowa (Version 2.0)' with lots of extra material, both of which aim to teach young children basic manners, colours, animals, etc. through the use of song. Better yet, all of these "private channels" come with an ADDED BONUS that they're UNAVAILABLE ON NOWTVBox FROM 'NowTV' and not in the Roku Channel Store !!
Anyway, before I proceed any further with this 'Weekly RoundUp'... a brief reminder that, whilst I had hoped I'd be able to catch-up on the missing Roku-related news from this blog in recent weeks, with all the extra work I've been burdened with of late it remains unlikely that I'll be fully caught-up anytime soon. Until I do find the time... my one saving grace is that (as mentioned previously) I have somehow managed to remain up-to-date with all the latest additions to the "New" category of the "Official" Roku UK Channel Store and will endeavour to flesh-out what's missing ASAP! Admittedly, there are quite a few articles that I need to catch up on but, rather than post links for individual weeks, I'll simply refer you back to my "Roku UK Channel Store - Weekly RoundUp #78", which contains all of the pertinent information you might need when researching back over the items in question. Again, I'm sorry this has dragged-on (far) longer than anticipated, and apologise for any inconvenience this may have caused you, but (all being well) things will be back up to speed soon!
For now... all I can offer you (once more) is a brief summary of the latest channel additions to the "Official" Roku UK Channel Store from the past seven days. As with my other recent posts, you can expect any additional Roku-related news from the past week, along with details of any changes to the channel selection found on NowTV Boxes, to be added at some point in the near future. As for "mending" all of the "broken" links from previous 'Weekly RoundUp' posts, I still can't put a time-scale on how long that is going to take but (like I said before) if you "copy" the existing link(s) and change the "http" prefix to "https", as well as removing the "forward slash" between 'channels' and '#!details', so that "channels#/!details" becomes "channels#!details" in each weblink, you should find that they will all work for you and redirect to the new-look version of each individual channel description. As with the last nine 'Weekly RoundUp' posts, every link from this week (plus all future posts) will use the new format, so it's only those from 'Weekly RoundUp #1' up as far as 'Weekly RoundUp #86' which you'll have to amend... at least, until I can edit/repair the links for you !!
Still, with all the "missing" Roku-related news (and links) yet to follow, let's now press on with the current 'Weekly RoundUp' of NEW ADDITIONS to the "Official" Roku UK Channel Store. This time there are THREE NEW CHANNELS which have been added during the preceding seven day period. These latest additions to the channel line-up provided FRESH CONTENT in each of the Music, Special Interest, plus Religion & Spirituality genres (i.e. categories). Specifically... this means there has been ONE EXTRA CHANNEL added to each of the "Music" plus "Special Interest" and "Religion & Spirituality" categories, among the selection of new choices made available in the channel store on Roku UK streaming devices during the last week.
In keeping with previous installments from the 'Weekly RoundUp' series, details of these new channels have been listed below, together with links to obtain further information {by clicking on the channel name(s) beneath the respective channel icon(s) as pictured} and to read a 'Roku Guide' review with an independent (slightly more expansive) assessment of each one:-
VINCON...........................................................COST: £3.99 (MONTHLY) [Roku Guide Review]
PLEASE NOTE:- That the 'VINCON' channel on Roku devices, for Vincy Content, developed by 'OffTheGrid' is a MONTHLY SUBSCRIPTION purchase with recurring payments. As such, if you choose to subscribe to this channel, YOU WILL BE CHARGED £3.99 PER MONTH and will continue to be charged in this manner UNTIL YOU CANCEL YOUR SUBSCRIPTION. It is also worth noting, before you subscribe, that ALL PAYMENTS ARE NON-REFUNDABLE !!
PLEASE NOTE:- That the 'VINCON' channel on Roku devices, for Vincy Content, developed by 'OffTheGrid' is a MONTHLY SUBSCRIPTION purchase with recurring payments. As such, if you choose to subscribe to this channel, YOU WILL BE CHARGED £3.99 PER MONTH and will continue to be charged in this manner UNTIL YOU CANCEL YOUR SUBSCRIPTION. It is also worth noting, before you subscribe, that ALL PAYMENTS ARE NON-REFUNDABLE !!
THE ROOTS CHANNEL..................COST: FREE + $8.99 (MONTHLY) [Roku Guide Review]
PLEASE NOTE:- That, whilst "The Roots Channel" is FREE-TO-ADD to your Roku device(s) and does contain a (very) small amount of FREE-TO-VIEW content, the VAST PERCENTAGE of what is on offer REQUIRES A MONTHLY SUBSCRIPTION to be paid TO VIEW THE CONTENT via this channel. In fairness, there is a TRIAL OFFER of $1.99 which can be used FOR ONE MONTH to establish whether or not you are likely to benefit from a longer subscription at the full rate. This offer is ONLY VALID FOR YOUR FIRST MONTH once you have registered for an account & activated your Roku device, VIA THIS LINK, on "The Roots Channel" website. You'll find a lot more info on this channel simply by reading the 'Roku Guide' review (see link above) which I recommend you do, prior to committing to a paid monthly subscription, as THE ONLY FREE CONTENT which can be found under "Music Videos" IS NO MORE THAN A MERE SAMPLE OF WHAT'S ON OFFER !!
Those wishing to learn more about "The Roots Channel" for Roku devices can connect with the people behind the channel via their Twitter Feed: @TheRootsChannel or, if you prefer, there's the option to get social with them via their Facebook Page: The Roots Channel (Facebook) with any additional questions you may have that are not covered in the 'Roku Guide' review (mentioned previously).
PLEASE NOTE:- That, whilst "The Roots Channel" is FREE-TO-ADD to your Roku device(s) and does contain a (very) small amount of FREE-TO-VIEW content, the VAST PERCENTAGE of what is on offer REQUIRES A MONTHLY SUBSCRIPTION to be paid TO VIEW THE CONTENT via this channel. In fairness, there is a TRIAL OFFER of $1.99 which can be used FOR ONE MONTH to establish whether or not you are likely to benefit from a longer subscription at the full rate. This offer is ONLY VALID FOR YOUR FIRST MONTH once you have registered for an account & activated your Roku device, VIA THIS LINK, on "The Roots Channel" website. You'll find a lot more info on this channel simply by reading the 'Roku Guide' review (see link above) which I recommend you do, prior to committing to a paid monthly subscription, as THE ONLY FREE CONTENT which can be found under "Music Videos" IS NO MORE THAN A MERE SAMPLE OF WHAT'S ON OFFER !!
Those wishing to learn more about "The Roots Channel" for Roku devices can connect with the people behind the channel via their Twitter Feed: @TheRootsChannel or, if you prefer, there's the option to get social with them via their Facebook Page: The Roots Channel (Facebook) with any additional questions you may have that are not covered in the 'Roku Guide' review (mentioned previously).
EMPOWERMENT TELEVISION NETWORK....................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]