Saturday, December 22, 2018

Roku UK Channel Store - Weekly RoundUp #302





Hi, everyone !!



As you might expect, in the week leading-up to the festive period, there's been a channel publishing blackout in force (more or less) since my previous 'Weekly RoundUp' post appeared on this blog. As it happens, this does not mean my current post is devoid of new additions to the "Official" Roku UK Channel Store... because there are one dozen "new" apps which (somehow) escaped my notice last week (read on for details about those) and, better yet, they're all FREE-TO-ADD to Roku devices! :-)


Despite there being little of interest in terms of Roku-specific (or even Roku-related) news during the past 7 days, if you've used your Roku device(s) any time between my last 'Weekly RoundUp' post and this one, chances are you'll already be aware of a significant piece of Roku news I have for you...


Never ones to shy away from celebrating a big occasion, Roku have (once again) offered a change of scenery for the background imagery on our favourite streaming media player(s) in recent days. For those with (relatively) short memories... similar changes have been made in previous years around this time and, given how "Christmas Day" 2018 is fast approaching, on this occasion we have been treated to another "Happy Holidays" winter theme... once again, complete with falling snowflakes, to ensure Roku owners in all regions have a 'White Christmas' on their streaming media players, even if there's no snow on the ground outside! Like I said... pretty much everyone with a Roku device will (most likely) have witnessed this latest change to the background (i.e. "theme" or "wallpaper" image) on the "Home" screen of their streaming media player(s) but, for those who didn't... this screenshot (taken from one of my Roku devices) gives you an idea of what the current featured theme is about:- 






HINT:- Please CLICK on the above image TO ENLARGE IT for easier viewing !!



If, by virtue of the 'Settings' on your Roku device(s), you did not notice a switch to the above "theme" for Roku's "Winter Theme" and would like to experience this (brief) change of scenery... there is no need to worry as there is still a (small) window of opportunity for you to take advantage of it, if you would like to add it to your own Roku player(s). Of course, there may equally well be some of you who were less appreciative of the enforced change of scenery thrust upon your TV screen(s) as a result of yet another back-door "update" from Roku !! Anyway... if it happens again and you don't like the new theme, or if you missed it (at first) but would like to add it while it's still a "current" option, it's very easy to switch back to a previous theme (or select another, from the choice available) via the 'Settings' menu on your Roku. All you need do is navigate to "Settings > Theme > Change theme" from the "Home" screen & highlight your choice of "theme". This gives you a thumbnail screenshot of what you can expect as your backdrop (if selected), as per the (above) screenshot, and it's then just a matter of pressing the "OK" button to confirm your choice and save the change.


In future, should you rather not take advantage of (or, be subjected to) these "featured themes", then you can SIMPLY SWITCH THEM OFF, which is (again) easily achieved VIA THE CUSTOM SETTINGS in your Roku 'Settings' menu. Simply navigate to "Settings > Theme > Custom settings", from the "Home" screen of your Roku, and you will see the option to "Enable featured themes", which will toggle between "On" or "Off" based on whether there is a check mark (i.e. tick) beside that option. It's then just a matter of deciding what's best for you by pressing the "OK" button to toggle it and then save the change by exiting the menu. Those choosing to leave "Enable featured themes" with a check mark, i.e. "On", will find that their Roku player(s) will automatically switch to a "featured theme" whenever one is available, and then automatically switch back to their previous choice of "theme" when it expires. Anyone opting to leave "Enable featured themes" without a check mark, i.e. "Off", will find that their Roku player(s) DOES NOT automatically switch to a "featured theme", BUT... for the period of time that a "featured theme" IS AVAILABLE, you can still switch to it (manually) as and when you like. In other words, IF YOU DO NOT WANT to have your Roku switch to a "featured theme", without your actively choosing to do so, then all you need do is deactivate FEATURED THEMES by leaving "Enable featured themes" without a check mark, i.e. "Off", which will leave your Roku player "Theme" set just as you like it, with no danger of any unexpected changes in the future, unless you choose otherwise !!


Personally I rather like the (slight) "surprise" element of these "featured themes" which, as will (likely) be the case this time, appear only for a matter of days and I was (once more) excited to discover the "Happy Holidays" winter theme on my Roku in the days leading-up to 25th December. Needless to say, I (for one) will be leaving my "featured themes" set to "On" for the foreseeable future to discover what surprises lie in store as the days, weeks, months and years unfold from now.


While we're on the subject of themes, the other significant piece of Roku-specific news that I have to share with you concerns a recent blog post from the "Official" Roku Stream Blog. For some reason, it did not appear in the list of posts from the Roku (UK) version of the blog but, if readers from the UK (and other Roku regions: Ireland, Canada, etc.) would like to check it out, you can easily navigate to the original (U.S.) version from the "Official" Roku Stream Blog by following the link provided here.






Essentially, Roku have recently taken the (long overdue) decision to make all of their themes from the Roku Channel Store available for FREE to all Roku customers from this point onwards. Those who recall the original announcement (again via the "Official" Roku Stream Blog) from way back in 2015, when the "Themes" category (i.e. genre) was first added to the "Official" Roku (USA) Channel Store, could well remember the backlash which followed when it was discovered that Roku had opted to charge for these "themes" as an extra revenue stream, instead of including them for free - as is the case with similar "wallpaper" images for desktop computers that are built-in to the operating system.


It may have taken a few years for Roku to act on the "feedback" they received from customers on this particular subject but, thankfully, we no longer have to wait for the odd occasion when Roku would throw us a bone by making one or two themes available for free over a limited period (like they did with the "Letterpress" and "White Winter" themes in years gone by) and can now choose to switch the background(s) on our Roku player(s) whenever we like - without incurring any costs to do so! :-D




ONCE AGAIN:- Please CLICK on the above image TO ENLARGE IT for easier viewing !!



Unfortunately, despite the suggestion that ALL themes "...will be free for all Roku customers", there's a couple from the list of one dozen "THEMES JUST ADDED TO THE ROKU CHANNEL STORE" in the above blog post by Bill Wilson - namely 'Fireworks' plus 'Stars & Stripes' - that have not been made available in the 'Themes' category of the "Official" Roku UK Channel Store via either the built-in version on UK Roku devices, or the "Roku UK Web Store" accessed online through their website.


Hopefully, if/when Roku notices this omission, they will make the necessary changes to ensure that the two "missing" themes are (also) extended to their UK customers. In the meantime, here's a look at their respective channel icons (aka 'HD Poster' images) plus screenshots taken from the relevant descriptions of each theme - as published via the Roku (USA) Web Channel Store - so that readers of this blog from the UK (and elsewhere) have an idea of what to expect should they become available:-





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

***FILED UNDER: "THEMES" in the Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***

PLEASE NOTE:- That, despite this 'Fireworks' theme being available for install by Roku customers in the United States via the 'Themes' category of the "Official" Roku (USA) Channel Store, there is (currently) no active link to an associated 'Roku Guide' review. Needless to say, once any such review has been published, I will add the "missing" link to this article. In the meantime, here are a couple of screenshots taken from the channel description published via the "Roku USA Web Channel Store":-







AS BEFORE:- Please CLICK on the above images TO ENLARGE THEM for easier viewing !!



Although the setting for the above 'Fireworks' theme is Washington D.C., in the United States, to my mind there is no reason why a background image of fireworks in the night sky being reflected in the water below should not prove popular with Roku users in other countries and/or "regions" around the globe... so I hope that Roku will (re-)consider it's (current) lack of availability to UK customers and take the necessary steps to rectify this situation. Likewise there are plenty of "ex-pat" Americans, and others, living in the UK who would welcome the opportunity to adorn their Roku players with images of the "Stars & Stripes" - if only for occasions such as the '4th of July' celebrations on which, in years gone by, the UK has been excluded from the various "Featured" or "Custom" themes offered to Roku customers in the USA, albeit on a temporary basis. So, with any luck, Roku will also see fit to extend their 'Stars & Stripes' theme to UK Roku owners... but, in the meantime, here's some screenshots that were taken from the channel description published via the "Roku USA Web Channel Store" online:-






STARS & STRIPES.................................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]

***FILED UNDER: "THEMES" in the Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***

PLEASE NOTE:- That, despite this 'Stars & Stripes' theme being available for install by Roku users in the United States via the 'Themes' category of the "Official" Roku (USA) Channel Store, there is (currently) no active link to an associated 'Roku Guide' review. Needless to say, once any such review has been published, I will add the "missing" link to this article. Meanwhile, to give you a better idea of what to expect, here's some examples of how this theme looks when installed on Roku devices:-







ONCE AGAIN:- Please CLICK on the above images TO ENLARGE THEM for easier viewing !!



Something else that emerged from Bill Wilson's "Free home screen themes for all Roku customers!" blog post is how, "by popular demand", Roku are planning to bring back a few customer favourites from the past. There's no indication (at the time of writing) as to whether this will include the 'Lego' theme which put-in a brief appearance in 2014, around the time that "The Lego Movie" was released, or the 'Star Wars' theme - featured in my "Roku UK Channel Store - Weekly RoundUp #110" post from April 2015 - but it would be great to see those (among others) given a new lease of life! :-D





LEGO (FEATURED) THEME: U.S.-ONLY (TEMPORARY) CUSTOM THEME [2014]





STAR WARS (FEATURED) THEME: U.S.-ONLY (TEMPORARY) CUSTOM THEME [2015]



Personally, I'd very much like to see the 'AC/DC' theme given a permanent home under the 'Themes' category (i.e. genre) of the Roku Channel Store. Long-time readers of this blog might recall that this particular theme was featured in my "Roku UK Channel Store - Weekly RoundUp #129" post which was published back in August 2015, and (among others) included the two screenshots shown below:-







HINT:- Please CLICK on the above images TO ENLARGE THEM for easier viewing !!



Others may prefer to see the 'House of Cards Theme', or the 'Adventure Time Theme' being given a new lease of life on the platform... and I'm sure there'll be others on the wish lists of Roku users! :-D Given the enormous worldwide popularity of the "Game of Thrones" series I'm pretty certain that the free 'GoT' theme, which was only available to Roku customers in the United States, would also prove to be a welcome addition to the 'Themes' category (i.e. genre) of the "Official" Roku Channel Store in other countries and/or "regions" where Roku products are supported. Check-out the screenshot below and, if you'd like to see it made available on your Roku devices, be sure to let them know you like it!






While you're at it... if you'd like to see the return of their 'Pipe Dream' (Surfing) theme or others, that have come and gone from the 'Themes' category of the "Official" Roku Channel Store over the past few years, such as: 'The Big Lebowski Theme', or; 'Scarface Theme', and; 'Fast and Furious Theme', plus; non movie-related options like the 'Urban Camo Theme'; 'Poker Theme', or; 'The Grateful Dead' theme, be sure to let the 'Roku Support' team know which ones (if any) you'd prefer to have! ;-) :-)


Anyway, that's enough talk about new Roku themes which are (currently) not available in the UK... instead, let's concentrate on the 12 *NEW* FREE-TO-ADD ROKU THEMES that are available to install on UK Roku devices - as well as other countries in which Roku products are supported! :-D


Firstly, though, I'd just like to mention (on a not entirely un-related note) that I have now added links to some (though, still not all) of the 'Roku Guide' reviews that were previously "missing" for many of the new Roku channels released in the last few weeks... to wit, thirty-eight of these "new" reviews were for Roku channels that were featured in my 'Weekly RoundUp' post from last week, while seven more were for Roku channels that featured in my 'Weekly RoundUp' post two weeks ago so, if you'd like an independent appraisal of those apps, be sure to check-out the relevant post (see link above), which (itself) contains a link to the previous week's post (and so-on, and so-forth), for details of where to find them. Unfortunately, there are more "missing" links to the 'Roku Guide' reviews for all but one of the new apps published during the last seven days... which means that, much like other posts in recent times, you'll have to do the research on those yourselves. As of ten months ago, you can choose to do that either via the built-in channel store on your Roku device(s)... or else, following the links in each post to the relevant channel description(s) from the Roku Web Channel Store. Once the "missing" reviews have been published by 'Roku Guide', I will (as I have previously) ensure that I add the relevant link(s) to each post. Apologies (as always) for any inconvenience caused by the absence of active links to an independent review for all of the new apps this week but, like I say, it's entirely out of my hands. Hopefully they'll get a chance to catch-up on them sometime in the coming week, otherwise I may have to start doing my own reviews!?! :-O ;-) :-)


Still, back to this week... and, as always, my list will help you identify the very latest apps that 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. So, like I've said before... if you really want to know what's available channel-wise, for owners of Roku devices in the UK, you need to be reading this blog each and every week! ;-) :-)


With twice the number of active links to check out, not just for this week... but each and every post that has been previously published as part of my 'Weekly RoundUp' series over the last five and a half years, there's a *lot* of reading to catch-up on. So, without further ado, here's my 'Weekly RoundUp' of all the "new" Roku channels I found between 16th December 2018 and 22nd December 2018:-







SONS OF ANARCHY THEME..............................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]

***FILED UNDER: "THEMES" in the Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***






EARTH SPACE THEME.........................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]

***FILED UNDER: "THEMES" in the Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***






FALL LANDSCAPE................................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]

***FILED UNDER: "THEMES" in the Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***






HAUNTED HOUSE................................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]

***FILED UNDER: "THEMES" in the Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***






SPOOKY FOREST..................................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]

***FILED UNDER: "THEMES" in the Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***






SUPER MOM...........................................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]

***FILED UNDER: "THEMES" in the Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***






LET'S FLY A KITE..................................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]

***FILED UNDER: "THEMES" in the Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***






LOVE BALLOONS.................................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]

***FILED UNDER: "THEMES" in the Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***






MIDNIGHT MAGIC...............................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]

***FILED UNDER: "THEMES" in the Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***






PAPER FLOWERS..................................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]

***FILED UNDER: "THEMES" in the Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***






PAPER HEARTS......................................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]

***FILED UNDER: "THEMES" in the Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***






AMERICA'S PASTIME...........................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]

***FILED UNDER: "THEMES" in the Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***



By way of an ADDED BONUS you will find ALL FORMER PAID THEMES ARE NOW FREE... so, in addition to the twelve new Roku themes outlined above, you can also choose from a further selection of 29 existing Roku themes, as outlined below:-


  1. Marilyn Monroe Theme - WAS: £1.99 - NOW: FREE
  2. Golf Theme - WAS: £1.49 - NOW: FREE
  3. UFC Theme - WAS: £1.49 - NOW: FREE
  4. Letterpress Theme - WAS: £0.69 - NOW: FREE
  5. Garfield Theme - WAS: £1.49 - NOW: FREE
  6. Beach Palms Theme - WAS: £0.69 - NOW: FREE
  7. Nature Theme - WAS: £1.49 - NOW: FREE
  8. Kittens Theme - WAS: £1.49 - NOW: FREE
  9. Puppies Theme - WAS: £1.49 - NOW: FREE
  10. Zen Theme - WAS: £0.69 - NOW: FREE
  11. Fish Fun Theme - WAS: £0.69 - NOW: FREE
  12. Star Trek: The Original Series Theme - WAS: £1.99 - NOW: FREE
  13. Star Trek: The Next Generation Theme - WAS: £1.99 - NOW: FREE
  14. Sharknado Theme - WAS: £1.49 - NOW: FREE
  15. White Winter Theme - WAS: £0.69 - NOW: FREE
  16. Math Theme - WAS: £0.69 - NOW: FREE
  17. WheelsOnFire Theme - WAS: £0.69 - NOW: FREE
  18. DirtRider Theme - WAS: £0.69 - NOW: FREE
  19. Backcountry Theme - WAS: £0.69 - NOW: FREE
  20. Classic Vinyl Theme - WAS: £0.69 - NOW: FREE
  21. Fadeaway Theme - WAS: £0.69 - NOW: FREE
  22. WorldCup2018 Theme - WAS: £1.49 - NOW: FREE
  23. Spacetime Theme - WAS: £2.99 - NOW: FREE
  24. CraftBrewed Theme - WAS: £0.69 - NOW: FREE
  25. Panda Wonderland Theme - WAS: £1.49 - NOW: FREE
  26. Pet House Theme - WAS: £1.49 - NOW: FREE
  27. Jungle in the Dark Theme - WAS: £0.69 - NOW: FREE
  28. Backcountry Dusk Theme - WAS: £1.49 - NOW: FREE
  29. Brush Work Theme - WAS: £1.49 - NOW: FREE


Since these themes are now all COMPLETELY FREE TO INSTALL on your Roku device(s), I have decided not to include links to the associated 'Roku Guide' reviews within the above list. Instead you can simply click on the name of any theme to be redirected to a Roku Web Channel Store description for that channel (i.e. individual theme). Should you wish to read the review, you can just use 'Search' (top right of each page) on this blog to enter the name of your chosen theme and the post(s) featuring that particular theme will be shortlisted among the results. If you scroll down and view the relevant 'Weekly RoundUp' post that includes your chosen theme, you will find an active link to the review has been included beneath the channel icon (aka 'HD Poster' image) for that theme in the list of apps.


There was one other new Roku channel, published on 17th December 2018, which has found it's way into the "Just Added" category of the "Official" Roku Channel Store but, for some (as yet) unknown reason, it does not have a more permanent place assigned to it within the channel store categories. It may be that this has (somehow) slipped through the net - given there is no developer credited in the channel store description - and, considering the aforementioned channel publishing blackout would have been in place at the time of it's release, it's appearance among the apps is a bit of a mystery. If you are (in any way) curious to check it out, however, here are the details for this new channel:-






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

***N.B. THIS WAS UNCATEGORISED in the Roku UK Channel Store WHEN RELEASED***


PLEASE NOTE:- That, while this 'ROFL' channel for Roku devices can be found within the 'New' category (i.e. genre) of the "Official" Roku UK Channel Store, no permanent category / genre had (at the time of writing) been assigned to this channel in the UK. If I somehow succeed in bringing this matter to the attention of the developer / content provider, I'd expect to see this app given a permanent "home" under 'Comedy' in the "Official" Roku UK Channel Store within a few weeks of so-doing. In the meantime, if you don't wish to trawl through the 'New' category of the channel store to find it, I suggest you take advantage of the built-in Roku 'Search' feature to locate and install it. Using this method, you probably won't even need to finish typing the word "ROFL" before seeing the channel listed among the 'Search Results' displayed on the right-hand side of your television screen. Failure to assign a permanent channel store category for the UK within the next four weeks (however) would mean that, once it ceases to be part of the 'New' category, it would no longer be listed in the channel store. So, if you think you're likely to want this channel, my advice would be to install it by mid-January (at the latest) because, if the necessary edits are not made to the Roku channel package (.PKG file) by that time, you will not see it in there afterwards. Needless to say, if/when the channel is edited to include a permanent channel store category for the UK, I'll update this listing with details of whatever genre has been assigned to it. As mentioned above I'd expect this to be the 'Comedy' genre, but it could (possibly) wind-up in another category.




*********************************************



Anyhow, like it or not, that is your lot this week and, while I don't yet have an exact figure for the new apps which were added to the "Official" Roku USA Channel Store in the same time-frame, at least you have a selection of 13 NEW CHANNELS to keep you occupied while I check the numbers! ;-) Meanwhile, for those still clinging-on to their NowTV device(s) for whatever reason, I'm afraid to say that, much like most weeks, there were zero new Roku channels (apps) added to the 'App Store' on NOW TV products... meaning the total number of available apps remains at just forty-five! :-(


Moreover, with no 'TVPlayer' or 'Prime Video' app(s) among the selection of channels found in the NOW TV 'App Store' (to name but two) - despite there being dedicated channels for both of them on UK Roku devices - the range of NowTV-branded products continues to fall short of the mark in terms of current streaming needs for many in the UK. So, the best way to increase your choice of streaming services, is to swap any NowTV-branded products you own for genuine Roku-branded media players which can provide access to 5,700+ apps of content from a vast assortment of providers! ;-) :-D


In any event, hopefully everyone in the UK with a Roku player managed to find something they like within the thirteen "public" channels outlined above... or else the "private" channels, whose access codes were "gifted" to you via the companion Twitter Feed: @ukrokuchannels to this blog, at various points over the past five and a half years. However, if you didn't find anything to add to your Roku channel selection from the assortment of apps on offer this week, you can always pay us a visit another time when, with any luck, there will be something more to your liking. After all, there's no point installing every app because, like I say... when it comes to adding new channels to your Roku devices, IT'S YOUR CHOICE and, as with all things Roku... THE CHOICE IS ALWAYS YOURS!



*********************************************


As touched upon previously, you can expect my usual summary of all the goings-on (or not) in the (severely restricted) Roku Channel Store (aka "App Store") that features on NowTV devices to carry on in future posts. Meanwhile, whether you happen to own a Roku player, NowTV Box, OR BOTH, as I do... be sure to check my earlier posts (as mentioned before) for all the new additions to the "Official" Roku UK Channel Store in each of the two hundred and twenty-eight preceding weeks and then come back again in seven days' time for my next 'Weekly RoundUp'.


With nothing else of a Roku-related nature to report, all that remains is for me to wish each and every one of you "Happy Holidays" - INSERT YOUR CHOSEN HOLIDAY CELEBRATION HERE - and to give you a heads-up that the coming week, up to and including the New Year celebrations, could well prove to be even less fruitful than the one we've just had. If so, it may afford me the opportunity to look back over the year and provide a summary of what were the high (and low) points as far as Roku users are concerned, but I can't say for certain if that will be the case. If not I'll do my best to find some special offers for you, to tide everybody over until whatever comes our way at CES 2019. Meanwhile, keep an eye on this blog for any "Boxing Day" UK Roku bargains that I come across and stay tuned for more offers on Roku-related products and services in the January Sales! ;-) :-)



Until the next time, then...



That's all folks !!





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