Hi, everyone !!
Much like the past few weeks which preceded it... this has been another fairly quiet one in terms of Roku-related news, as those of you follow the companion Twitter Feed: @ukrokuchannels to this blog will attest. As a result (yet again) there isn't much to report other than the fact there has been a further minor update to the recently released Roku OS 7.7 software. Having originally rolled-out with a build number of '4094', followed by a minor update to 'Build 4108', and then another to 'Build 4116' as reported two weeks ago, this latest update to Roku software 'Version 7.7.0 - Build 4117' should fix a few more of the bugs which have been reported by Roku users since the roll-out began. Here is a screenshot confirming the most recent change to the Roku software build in the UK:-
If you wish to check which Roku software version is currently running on your device(s) simply go to the 'Home Screen' on your Roku menu and then click through each of the following options from the on-screen menus which are displayed on your television, projector screen, or other display monitor:-
- Settings
- System
- System update
From the 'System update' screen, take a look at the 'Software Version' and 'Build' numbers in the lower right portion of the screen (below the highlighted 'Check now' option). Then, if your Roku device is running anything other than the current software: 'Version 7.7.0 - Build 4117', you should press the "OK" button on your Roku remote to 'Check now' for an update to whatever version you are on. Should an update to your current software version and/or build be available, you will then see a message window (similar to the one in the image above) and you must then select 'Continue' before pressing the "OK" button again to initiate the update.
PLEASE NOTE:- That if your Roku devices are on an older software version and/or build number than the one shown here, and you don't get a message saying "Update available", this just means it is not yet your "turn" to receive the update. That being the case, there is nothing you can do to "force" the update through... you must simply wait until it is either applied automatically, or you choose to attempt a manual update at a later date which just happens to coincide with your "turn" to receive it.
With little else aside from details of a minor build update on the latest Roku OS to bring you, in terms of newsworthy Roku items from the last seven days, I'd best now turn my attention to more important matters, such as getting you up to speed with all of the latest new Roku channels (apps) which have been made available on UK Roku devices since my last 'Weekly RoundUp' post was published! ;-) :-)
While it's far from being another epic list of fifty-plus channels as it was six weeks ago, you will find a handful of extra options for "Film & TV" fans, and a couple more free food-related channels, as well as a brace of "News & Weather" channels, plus the return of a well-known UK "Music" video channel which has been "missing" from Roku for a while, to keep you entertained over the coming weeks and months. In fact, while it's only a comparatively short list, there should be something to please most streamers here. If not, then I did share details for some more private channels (via social media) this week that may be of interest. Take a look at my Twitter Feed: @ukrokuchannels if you'd like to know more about those and, while you're there, maybe "Like" and/or "Retweet" some of my messages to help spread the word about what's happening Roku-wise in the UK and beyond! ;-) :-)
Anyway, back to the list... which, as always, will help you to identify the very latest apps which have been added to Roku devices in the UK. Other websites offering Roku channel listings will base their contents on the Roku USA Channel Store, which means they also include apps that are unavailable to UK Roku users. Like I've said before... if you really want to know what's available channel-wise, for owners of Roku devices in the UK, then be sure to read this blog each and every week! ;-) :-)
Before I run through the new channels, however, a reminder that UK Roku users are still subject to restrictions (imposed by Roku) and (bizarrely) remain unable to access the channel descriptions from the web store on the Roku (USA) website. That said, the majority of text in those web listings can also be found within the individual descriptions from the built-in "Channel Store" (accessed via "Streaming Channels" from the main menu) on all Roku devices and, together with the associated screenshots (where available), should give a pretty good indication of what those channels are about.
My advice to any UK-based readers of this blog is to ignore the links below (and to the left of) each channel icon shown here and (instead) rely on the link to the right (below each channel icon) which (where available) will redirect you to an 'Roku Guide' review for additional details on that channel. As it stands, the links below (and to the left of) each icon are (currently) only of use to readers of this blog from the USA. This means that Roku users from the other "supported" regions of the world (i.e. Ireland, Canada, France and Mexico) are, like those of us in the UK, unable to browse the Roku Web Channel Store - which for now (at least) remains an exclusive privilege of Roku users in the USA. :-(
Hopefully Roku will (one day) wake-up to the fact that improving the experience for users in "other" Roku "regions" is just as important as it is for those who buy & use their products in the U.S. and that denying access to the Roku website does not help the end-user experience for those of us (outside the USA) who wish to browse the web channel store. Meanwhile, that which Roku (apparently) doesn't want UK Roku users to see on their website (i.e. the list of new channels) is regularly summarised on this blog in my 'Weekly RoundUp' posts. So, without further ado, here's my 'Weekly RoundUp' of all the new Roku channels released between 6th August 2017 and 12th August 2017:-
BOX PLUS...........................................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "MUSIC" in the Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***
PLEASE NOTE:- That 'Box Plus' was originally added to the "Film & TV" category (i.e. genre) of the "Official" Roku UK Channel Store in the closing months of 2016, as long-time UK Roku users and readers of this blog may well remember, and (even if you don't) you need only take a look back at my "Roku UK Channel Store - Weekly RoundUp #192" for evidence to substantiate it. However, at some point during the interim months, it was removed from UK Roku devices... despite still being available on NowTV Boxes. If you read the 'Roku Guide' review (see link above) you will see that, although the channel was also added to the "Official" Roku USA Channel Store when originally released in November 2016, there was a problem with content playback in the United States which suggests to me that 'Box Plus' was (perhaps) withdrawn from Roku channel stores in all regions while the developer edited the channel for the subsequent UK-only release which happened this week. Any readers from the U.S. will find that the link above (and to the left) for the description of this channel from the Roku Web Store is no longer working (further to this re-release of the 'Box Plus' app) and will (like the rest of us) need to rely on the 'Roku Guide' review for further information. Should the 'Roku Guide' review be withdrawn at any time in the future, I would suggest that Roku users pay a visit to the official website of the 'Box Plus Network' instead. Other options for obtaining more info about the 'Box Plus' channel include the usual social media channels via Twitter: @BoxPlusNetwork as well as an official FB Page: The Box Plus Network (Facebook) where I'm sure they'll be only too pleased to hear from you and answer any further questions about their Roku channel and/or service. If you'd like to access 'Box Plus' content when you are away from your Roku media player(s) you can use the FREE MOBILE APPS for either iOS (iPhone, iPad, iPod, etc.) or Android devices! ;-) :-)
COOKING PANDA..............................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "FOOD" in the Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***
MORE DOGS PLEASE SCREENSAVER................COST: £1.49 (ONE-OFF PAYMENT) [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "SCREENSAVERS" in Roku UK Channel Store WHEN RELEASED***
CARTOON LANE 1.0..............................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "KIDS & FAMILY" in the Roku UK Channel Store WHEN RELEASED***
U - USA.............................................COST: £1.99 (ONE-OFF PAYMENT) [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "SCREENSAVERS" in the Roku UK Channel Store WHEN RELEASED***
TCS GO!...................................................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "FILM & TV" in Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***
OPPOSING VIEWS.................................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "NEWS & WEATHER" in Roku UK Channel Store WHEN RELEASED***
AD RIVERSIDE......................................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "RELIGIOUS" in Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***
GLOBAL MEDIA MINISTRIES TV......................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "RELIGIOUS" in Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***
TASTE IT - COOKING & FOOD........................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "FOOD" in the Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***
OVERLAND PARK FIRST AG..............................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "RELIGIOUS" in Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***
TEAM1SPORTS...................................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "SPORTS" in the Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***
EVER WONDER TV...............................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "FILM & TV" in Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***
PROBEL TV.............................................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "APPS" in the Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***
PLEASE NOTE:- That, according to the information provided in the (virtually non-existent) channel description from the "Official" Roku (USA) Web Channel Store, this 'Probel TV' channel was created as part of the Roku Direct Publisher program. There's not much more to be gleaned from the (lack of) detail used in the (ahem) "description" (if you can even call it that!?!) found in the channel store on UK Roku devices, at this time, either! Aside from the developer being credited as 'Solovey', the date of release having been 8th August 2017, and the fact that this was 'Version 2' of a Roku channel for which it states "Content Not Rated", there is none of the usual information you might expect to find and absolutely no 'Screenshots' to (at least) give users a visual clue as to what 'Probel TV' is about. From my own research, it would appear that this 'Probel TV' channel may well have slipped through the "approval" process without all of the usual checks being made... because, in my opinion, it should never have been made "public" in it's current form. There is also the possibility that, despite having an active link to the "Official" Roku (USA) Web Channel Store (see above), 'Probel TV' has not yet been added to the "Official" Roku USA Channel Store found on Roku devices in the United States... which may also account for the absence of any 'Roku Guide' review for the channel at this time. By the look of things, the channel may well originate from Russia as many of the search results returned for the term "Probel TV" appeared to be phrased in that language. It was also apparent, when paying a visit to the official website for 'Probel TV' that English is (probably) not their first language, despite their best efforts to promote themselves using it via a dedicated webpage for their Roku TV app. In so far as I could tell, they have no official Twitter Feed... meaning I was unable to connect with them via social media to try and find out more about 'Probel TV' on (UK) Roku devices. Should anyone else know of any further information about it then, by all means, leave a comment at the end of this post and I will add anything of merit to the channel details in this 'Weekly RoundUp' article.
PLANET TV STUDIOS...........................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "EDUCATIONAL" in the Roku UK Channel Store WHEN RELEASED***
CRISTIACCIÓN PLAY...........................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "RELIGIOUS" in Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***
THE WINE COUNTRY CHANNEL.......................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "TRAVEL" in the Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***
VIDA TV NETWORK.............................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "RELIGIOUS" in Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***
FIRST MET CHURCH............................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "RELIGIOUS" in Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***
TRT WORLD...........................................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "NEWS & WEATHER" in Roku UK Channel Store WHEN RELEASED***
WESTMINSTER STV CHANNEL - CA................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "FILM & TV" in Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***