Saturday, May 2, 2015

Roku UK Channel Store - Weekly RoundUp #112





Hi, everyone !!



Those of you who read my "Roku UK Channel Store - Weekly RoundUp #103" may recall my saying that there had been some "landmark" moments in Roku UK history made during the seven days which preceded it... not least of which was that for only the third time, since Roku devices were first launched in the UK towards the end of January 2012, we surpassed the thirty channel mark (in terms of new additions to the "Official" Roku UK Channel Store) for a given period of seven days - as featured in every one of my 'Weekly RoundUp' posts. So, why mention it again? Well, if you hadn't already guessed, the past seven days have seen the thirty channel mark reached for a fourth time! Of course, this is GREAT NEWS for all UK Roku owners (including myself), but... the downside to having all those NEW CHANNEL ADDITIONS added to the "Official" Roku UK Channel Store in such a short space of time is that my workload (with regard to this blog) is multiplied several times over.


If you've been following the goings-on around these parts over the past few months, you'll be all too aware of the unusual publishing method I've had to adopt for several of my blog posts during that time. For everyone else, it means I (basically) didn't have enough time to publish those posts in their entirety on a Saturday (as per my self-imposed deadline each week) and had to resort to doing both an "early edition" and a "late edition" for each of the articles. Unfortunately, I'm going to have to repeat that "slow-drip" method of publishing for the current 'Weekly RoundUp' post as well. Apologies for any inconvenience this may cause you, but (again) it was entirely due to factors beyond my control. You can expect several items of Roku-related news to be added to this post over the coming days so, all being well, if you visit this blog again sometime during the next week... you should find that the "late edition" of this article has been published to bring you all up to speed with recent Roku happenings. :-)


Luckily, we have been blessed (as mentioned earlier) with a bumper crop of new channel additions this week - which will become apparent when you continue reading below - but, as a direct consequence of that, I was unable to find the time to leave you with details for any "private" channels on this occasion. Should you find yourself "jones-ing" for more Roku content, however, I suggest you look back over my tweets from the last week on the companion Twitter Feed to this blog: @ukrokuchannels where you will find details for some "private" channels I intend to add to this blog at a later date, which you may (or may not) have come across before. Those of you who don't mind waiting, and/or have no desire to go "trawling" through my ramblings on Twitter, can expect to find the info for several more of these "private" channels in a future 'Weekly RoundUp' post to "reward" you for your patience! ;-)


Anyway, before I proceed with listing the current crop of new channels (plus providing links to their associated reviews) for this particular '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, all the extra work I've been burdened with of late means 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 is a brief summary of the latest 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 twenty-five '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 THIRTY NEW CHANNELS which have been added during the preceding seven day period. These latest additions to the channel line-up provided FRESH CONTENT in the Film & TV, News, Weather, Sport, Music, Internet TV, Photos & Video, Special Interest, Screensavers & Apps plus Religion & Spirituality genres (i.e. categories). Specifically... this means that there are no less than TEN EXTRA CHANNELS in the "Screensavers & Apps" category, as well as FOUR EXTRA CHANNELS in both the "Film & TV" and "Special Interest" genres, plus THREE EXTRA CHANNELS in each of the "Music" plus "Internet TV" and "Religion & Spirituality" categories, in addition to ONE EXTRA CHANNEL in both the "News, Weather, Sport" plus "Photos & Video" genres - making up the new channel choices added to UK Roku devices this 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:-







MEDIAFIRE...............COST: FREE + PAID UPGRADES (OPTIONAL) [Roku Guide Review]

PLEASE NOTE:- That, whilst the 'MediaFire' channel is FREE-TO-ADD to your Roku device(s) and does offer a FREE "BASIC" PACKAGE which INCLUDES 10GB OF FREE STORAGE when you register for a FREE "MEDIAFIRE" ACCOUNT online, there are also two PAID UPGRADES (both of which are optional) including a "PRO" PACKAGE at $2.49 PER MONTH, with 1TB storage, and a "BUSINESS" PACKAGE for $24.99 PER MONTH, with up to 100TB of storage. It's also worth mentioning that both the "Pro" and "Business" packages (which are paid) feature ad-free downloads, while the "Basic" package (which is free) relies on ad-supported downloads.

ALSO:- As noted in the 'Roku Guide' review of 'MediaFire', the channel ONLY SUPPORTS VIDEO, so don't waste your time uploading music or photo files because you won't be able to access those types of media through the 'MediaFire' channel on your Roku device(s). In fact, it's probably a good idea to have a quick read through the 'Roku Guide' review, before you add 'MediaFire' to your Roku channel selection, as it contains lots of useful pointers and additional information for would-be users.







XIVE-TV.......................COST: FREE + PAID CONTENT (OPTIONAL) [Roku Guide Review]

PLEASE NOTE:- That, whilst the 'Xive-TV' channel is FREE-TO-ADD and does allow you to create a FREE ACCOUNT to add features (e.g. rating shows, leaving comments, and creating a watch list) the description from the "Official" Roku UK Channel Store states that it "May require additional fees" in order to access certain content. That said, in my (admittedly) brief look at the channel, there does appear to be mainly FREE-TO-VIEW content among the (largely) educational programming and documentaries (currently) on offer via the 'Xive-TV' channel. So, if you're interested in Science, Nature, History, War, Travel, Adrenaline Sports or even the Paranormal, it may be worth a look!







BEACHES SCREENSAVER........COST: £0.69 (ONE-OFF PAYMENT) [Roku Guide Review]






DENT................................................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]






STUDENT OF THE GUN - SOTG........................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]






THE DR. JOE SHOW.............................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]






XHIT..................................................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]






SMALL SCREEN...................................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]







TELEKARIBE DOMINICA TV CHANNEL.......................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]






ECUADORIAN TELEVISION..............................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]






VICTORY CHURCH.............................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]






HEARTLAND PUBLIC RADIO...........................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]






FBN LIVE TV....................................COST: FREE + $5.99 (MONTHLY) [Roku Guide Review]

PLEASE NOTE:- That, whilst the 'FBN Live TV' channel is FREE-TO-ADD and does allow you to watch FREE-TO-VIEW "samples" of certain content, in the "Sneak Peak" section of the channel, the description from the "Official" Roku UK Channel Store states that it "May require additional fees". In so far as I can tell, to get the most out of this channel, you're better off if you register for an account and then SUBSCRIBE FOR $5.99 PER MONTH in order TO FULLY ACCESS ALL CONTENT on offer. The 'Roku Guide' review advises clicking on the V.I.P. tab to see exactly what content a paid subscription will bring you but, generally speaking, you can expect a broad mix of documentaries, movies, celebrity interviews, comedy, music reviews and game shows with your monthly subscription.







SERMON.NET........................................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]






DANCETRIPPIN.TV..............................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]






SCREENZAVER.MODELS..........COST: £1.49 (ONE-OFF PAYMENT) [Roku Guide Review]







SCREENZAVER.REEF.................COST: £1.49 (ONE-OFF PAYMENT) [Roku Guide Review]






SCREENZAVER.LONDON.........COST: £1.49 (ONE-OFF PAYMENT) [Roku Guide Review]






SCREENZAVER.PUPPIES...........COST: £1.49 (ONE-OFF PAYMENT) [Roku Guide Review]






SCREENZAVER.BIKES...............COST: £1.49 (ONE-OFF PAYMENT) [Roku Guide Review]






SCREENZAVER.BIRDS...............COST: £1.49 (ONE-OFF PAYMENT) [Roku Guide Review]






SCREENZAVER.MILITARY.......COST: £1.49 (ONE-OFF PAYMENT) [Roku Guide Review]






SCREENZAVER.NATURE..........COST: £1.49 (ONE-OFF PAYMENT) [Roku Guide Review]








CLASSIC LIVE TV.........................................COST: £0.69 (MONTHLY) [Roku Guide Review]

PLEASE NOTE:- That the 'Classic Live TV' channel for Roku devices, which was developed by 'Evonne Mandella', is a MONTHLY SUBSCRIPTION purchase with recurring payments. As such, if you choose to subscribe to this channel, YOU WILL BE CHARGED £0.69 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 !!








ARMCHAIR TOURIST SUBSCRIPTION....COST: £1.99 (MONTHLY) [Roku Guide Review]

PLEASE NOTE:- That the 'ArmchairTourist Subscription' channel for Roku devices, developed by 'ArmchairTourist' is a MONTHLY SUBSCRIPTION purchase with recurring payments. As such, if you choose to subscribe to this channel, YOU WILL BE CHARGED £1.99 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 !!







STREAM NOW TV................................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]






JUST DOWN THE ROAD.....................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]






GENESIS SCIENCE NETWORK.........................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]






BADANAMU.........................................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]






KIDZ BOP...............................................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]




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Anyhow, like it or not, that is your lot for this week and, whilst it's not much over half the fifty-one channels which made it into the "Official" Roku USA Channel Store during the same time-frame, it's better to have 3O NEW CHANNEL CHOICES as shown above, than none at all, don't you think?!


Meanwhile... hopefully everyone in the UK with a Roku player managed to find something they like within the thirty "public" channels or else the "private" channels, whose access codes were "gifted" to you via the companion Twitter Feed to this blog, at various points throughout the last seven days. Even so, if you didn't find anything to add to your Roku channel selection from the assortment of channels on offer this week, you'll just have to pay us a visit another time when, with any luck, there will be something more to your liking. Afterall, there's no point installing every channel because like I say... when it comes to adding new channels to your Roku, IT'S YOUR CHOICE and, as with all things Roku... THE CHOICE IS ALWAYS YOURS !!




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As mentioned earlier in this post, you can expect my usual summary of all the goings-on (or not) in the (severely restricted) Roku Channel Store that features on NowTV Boxes to follow in the near future. Meanwhile, whether you happen to own a Roku player, a NowTV Box, OR BOTH, as I do... be sure to check my previous posts (as mentioned above) for all the new additions to the "Official" Roku UK Channel Store in each of the thirty-nine preceding weeks and then come back again in seven days' time for my next 'Weekly RoundUp'. However, if you can't wait that long, remember you can always keep up with all the UK Roku action (as it happens) throughout the coming week, by following the companion Twitter Feed: @ukrokuchannels where up-to-the-minute info on all things Roku-related (here in the UK) is posted on a daily basis (well, almost).



Until the next time, then...



That's all folks !!




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