Saturday, June 27, 2015

Roku UK Channel Store - Weekly RoundUp #120





Hi, everyone !!



Despite a valiant collective effort from the Roku development community, which has seen the "public" channel count from the "Official" Roku UK Channel Store rise to 1,764 channels in the past seven days, it still wasn't enough to regain the accolade of having the "Most Available Apps" of any UK streaming media player - as lost to the UK Amazon Fire TV Box just over one week ago. It was only going to be a matter of time before Roku lost that particular "claim to fame" and, personally, I'd rather see Roku now concentrate their efforts on securing some more "big hitters" which (for one reason or another) are still missing from the platform - did I hear someone say "Amazon instant Video", cough, cough (ahem!) - and Roku channels for MUBI, Blinkbox, Curzon At Home, etc, etc. would be a good start in that direction. If anyone has any other suggestion for what they'd like to see added to UK Roku devices, please feel free to leave a comment below! ;-)


Speaking of which... further suggestions on how to expand the new "Roku Search" feature on UK devices would be equally welcome. I can't understand why "Popcornflix" content is still absent from the results when it was promised as an "initial" Roku UK Search Partner from the get-go! Other notable absentees are "NowTV" and "CinemaNow", the latter of which is already an Roku Search Partner on devices in the USA so you'd think that one would be a no-brainer?! Add to that the likes of "Sky Store" plus "Google Play Movies & TV", as well as "Sainsburys Entertainment" and we'd soon have the beginnings of an useful "Roku Search" feature in the UK - for now, as it stands, with only "Netflix UK" and "SnagFilms" content making up the results from a platform that offers close to 1,800 channels is not really offering much more than can be achieved by searching within those individual apps. Again, please feel free to leave a comment below if you have any further suggestions! :-)


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 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 thirty-three '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-TWO 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 Movies & TV, Games, Comedy, plus Fitness genres as well as the Music, Religious, Special Interest, plus Sports and Themes categories. Specifically... this means there's no less than SEVEN EXTRA CHANNELS in the "Special Interest" genre in addition to SIX EXTRA CHANNELS in the "Movies & TV" category, as well as FOUR EXTRA CHANNELS in each of the "Games" plus "Music" and "Religious" categories. Add to that THREE EXTRA CHANNELS in the "Sports" categoryplus TWO EXTRA CHANNELS in the "Comedygenre, and ONE EXTRA CHANNEL in the "Fitness" category... not forgetting there was ALSO ONE NEW THEME for UK Roku devices among the new choices added to the Roku UK channel selection during this past 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 (where available) with an independent (slightly more expansive) assessment of each one:-








MAH JONGG LITE................................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]




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





SHORTZ FILM FESTIVAL...................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]






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






VIDEO POKER.......................................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]






DOG KINGDOM....................................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]






VIKI...........................................COST: FREE + PPV FEES (OPTIONAL) [Roku Guide Review]

PLEASE NOTE:- That, whilst the 'Viki' channel is FREE-TO-ADD and does offer content from it's video library that is FREE-TO-VIEW for those who add it, the information provided in the description from the "Official" Roku UK Channel Store states that it "May require additional fees" in order to gain access to some of the content. That said, from my own brief look at the channel, most of the content that is (currently) available can be viewed without incurring any additional expense to do so. It may be that this cautionary notice has been added as a precursor to any future paid content that may be added... however, there is enough FREE CONTENT here to warrant your attention. There is the option to link your Roku device(s) by registering for an 'Viki' account, although this is entirely optional and does not prevent you from watching if you don't. There is some useful information in the 'Roku Guide' review for anyone considering an 'Viki' account to link their device(s) with regard to staying "logged-in", so be sure to have a read of that before you register and pair your Roku player(s) to your account. ;-)







CUNG LE TV........COST: FREE [7-DAY TRIAL] + $7.99 (MONTHLY) [Roku Guide Review]

PLEASE NOTE:- That, whilst the 'Cung Le TV' channel is FREE-TO-ADD and does offer content (in the form of trailers) that is FREE-TO-VIEW as well as the option of an 7-DAY FREE TRIAL which includes FULL ACCESS to all the content, the information provided in the description from the "Official" Roku UK Channel Store states that it "May require additional fees"... in essence, this means taking-out an subscription to the tune of $7.99 PER MONTH in order to fully access the content library on an ongoing basis.  You will also be required to link your Roku device(s) if you wish to view the content of this channel. Before taking advantage of the free trial offer, I recommend that you first visit the 'Roku Guide' website (via the above link) as it includes an 'YouTube' video sample of the content.

ALSO:- Do bear in mind that subscriptions to the 'Cung Le TV' channel for Roku devices, which was developed by 'Pivotshare, Inc.', takes the form of an MONTHLY SUBSCRIPTION purchase with recurring payments. As such, YOU WILL BE CHARGED $7.99 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 !!







KNOXVILLE GOSPEL MUSIC............................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]






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






GUITAR SCHOOL.................................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]






DR ALEX TV.........................................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]






CHESS SCHOOL...................................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]






WARRIORS OF WRESTLING..............................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]






MY MATTRESS TV...............................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]






SKY WATCH TV...................................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]






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






FLASHBACK 80's..................................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]





THE EX-MORMON FILES...................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]




N.B. CHANNEL ICON STILL TO FOLLOW - 
NOT AVAILABLE AT TIME OF PUBLISHING



CINEFUN TV HD.............................COST: FREE + £3.99 (MONTHLY) [Roku Guide Review]

PLEASE NOTE:- That since this channel does not currently feature in the Roku (USA) Channel Store, the link above is for the Official Website of CineFunTV. It may further interest you to know that, unlike the original 'CineFunTV' channel (developed by '1 Mainstream' for the Roku platform) details of which were published in my "Roku UK Channel Store - Weekly RoundUp #44",  FOUND HERE, this HD version was developed by 'CineFunTV Limited' themselves. 

More to the point, you're probably going to want to know that the 'CineFunTVHD' channel (itself) is... "an official & leading entertainment service, providing a great mix of South Asian Live TV Channels, Movies & Video On Demand in various languages including Hindi, Urdu, Telugu, Bengali, Gujarati and many more". Although there is a lot of info to be found on their Official Website, perhaps the most concise description of what the 'CineFunTVHD' channel is about can be found IN THIS THREAD from the 'CrowdFundingForum' when they sought investment for 'Marketing & Promotion' plus 'Content Acquisition' when the original 'CineFunTV' channel began, back in September 2013.

The 'CineFunTVHD' channel offers SOME FREE CONTENT, for those Roku users who SIGN-UP for 'CineFunTV' but YOU ARE REQUIRED TO REGISTER FOR AN AN ACCOUNT BEFORE YOU CAN ACCESS ANYTHING. Fortunately, for those who choose to do so, this is easily achieved VIA A SIMPLE PROCESS requiring no more than first & last name, plus an email address, as well as typing an password for your account. You can, if you wish, also set content language preferences.

In addition to the FREE-TO-VIEW CONTENT, there is ALSO PREMIUM CONTENT available but, as you might expect, an SUBSCRIPTION MUST BE PURCHASED BEFOREHAND in order for you TO WATCH PREMIUM CONTENT and, again, this can be done via the main website once your account is setup. There are various packs available, with most priced at £3.99 PER MONTH or £39.99 PER YEAR plus another option to pay £49.99 PER YEAR (that includes an FREE 'Roku 1' STREAMING PLAYER) which is pretty good value for money, all things considered. That said... there's also a package of Star channels available which, for a limited time, can be purchased for ONLY £2.99 PER MONTH so check the options via the drop-down "Pricing" menu on their main website. ;-)


AS AN ADDED BONUS:- There are FREE APPS that can be used to watch 'CineFunTVHD' content on both iOS (version 6.0 or later) and Android (version 4.0.3 & up) mobile devices:-


You can currently DOWNLOAD the FREE APP for Apple iOS mobile devicea VIA THIS LINK:- 




Or, you can DOWNLOAD the FREE APP for the Android operating system VIA THIS LINK:- 



Alternatively, use your mobile web browser to access the 'CineFunTV' website, when you're on-the-go and unable to access your Roku device. As you can see, there are plenty of options for you to watch !!

For general enquiries and/or further advice, there's 24/7 telephone support via their London (UK) offices on: (020) 7148 1548 for those in need. Meanwhile, if you would like to connect with the 'CineFunTVHD' channel socially, you can do so via their Twitter Feed: @CineFunTV or, if that's not your thing, there's also their Facebook Page at: CineFunTV (Facebook).

Lastly, and no doubt due (again) to the fact that the 'CineFunTVHD' channel has not (yet?) been added to the "Official" Roku USA Channel Store, there is no 'Roku Guide' review available. If & when this situation changes, I will add a link to this post.







YOGA ANYTIME..........COST: FREE [15-DAY TRIAL] + $18.00 (MONTHLY) [Roku Guide Review]

PLEASE NOTE:- That, whilst the 'Yoga Anytime' channel is FREE-TO-ADD and does offer users the option of an 15-DAY FREE TRIAL which includes FULL ACCESS to all the content, the information provided in the description from the "Official" Roku UK Channel Store states that use of this channel "May require additional fees"... which, in essence, means taking-out an subscription to the tune of $18.00 PER MONTH in order to fully access the content library on an ongoing basis. Before taking advantage of the free trial offer, I recommend that you first visit the 'Roku Guide' website using the review link (above) since, much like the 'Cung Le TV' channel review (listed earlier in this post), it includes an 'YouTube' video sample of some typical content found on the 'Yoga Anytime' channel.

ALSO:- Do bear in mind that subscriptions to the 'Yoga Anytime' channel for Roku devices, which was developed by 'Pilates Anytime', takes the form of an MONTHLY SUBSCRIPTION purchase with recurring payments. As such, YOU WILL BE CHARGED $18.00 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 !!







STORYBOX......................COST: FREE [14-DAY TRIAL] + $4.99 (MONTHLY) [Roku Guide Review]

PLEASE NOTE:- That, whilst the 'StoryBox' channel is FREE-TO-ADD and does offer users the option of an 14-DAY FREE TRIAL which includes FULL ACCESS to all the content, the information provided in the description from the "Official" Roku UK Channel Store states that use of this channel "May require additional fees"... which, in essence, means taking-out an subscription to the tune of $4.99 PER MONTH in order to fully access the content library on an ongoing basis. In order to take advantage of the free trial offer you will first need to register, VIA THIS LINK, and provide payment information as part of the account creation process. I also recommend reading the 'Roku Guide' review (link above) since it includes advice on how to cancel your subscription when needed. If you simply wish to use the free trial, you may cancel your account anytime before the end of the 14-day period to avoid any charges. As with registration, cancellation is done via the StoryBoxFamily website.

ALSO:- Do bear in mind that after the free trial, subscriptions to 'StoryBox' for Roku, which was developed by 'StoryBox' themselves, takes the form of an MONTHLY SUBSCRIPTION purchase with recurring payments. As such, YOU WILL BE CHARGED $4.99 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 !!







JOSEPH PRINCE MINISTRIES............................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]






AMERICAN COMEDY CLASSICS.....................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]






STAND UP! CHANNEL........................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]






LYRICAL THE REALITY....................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]






OUR DOWN SYNDROME CHANNEL...............................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]






PIPE DREAM THEME..................COST: £0.69 (ONE-OFF PAYMENT) [Roku Guide Review]






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






SUPERMAN 3D.....................................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]






EI8HT...................................................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]






SWORD-N-SCANDAL..........................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]




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Anyhow, like it or not, that is your lot for this week and, thanks to the half-dozen channels (from the list of 32 NEW CHANNELS above) which were previously made available on USA Roku devices (at various points over the last four years), we have just about managed to exceed the thirty-one channels which made it into the "Official" Roku USA Channel Store during the same time-frame. Still, no matter which Roku "region" you're in, it's better to be given more choice than none at all... don't you agree?!


Meanwhile... hopefully everyone in the UK with an Roku player managed to find something they like within the thirty-two "public" channels / themes outlined above... or else from the "private" channels, whose access codes were "gifted" to you via the companion Twitter Feed to this blog, 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 forty-seven 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 !!