Hi, everyone !!
In the two months since it was published, there has been a lot of interest in the original post from this series, "Roku Tips, Tricks & Tweaks - #1 Adding A MicroSD Card", so I figured it was about time to offer you another little tidbit of information to help make the use of your Roku player(s) even more enjoyable... dare I even say, pleasurable?!!
Anyhow if, like me, you have more channels installed than the average user... then you've probably noticed that it can take quite some time to get from one end of the main channel list menu to the other, or even to somewhere in the middle, if you've been hesitant with your channel "pruning", as I have on several occasions. So, if I told you there was a way you could scroll through your channels FIVE TIMES FASTER, meaning you would get to your desired channel in a fraction of the time it took before, I bet you'd love to know about it, right? Of course you would !!
For starters, to properly TAKE FULL ADVANTAGE of this particular Roku Tip/Trick, then you will need to "Know Your Roku Remote" as per the 'Quick Start Guide' for your Roku player(s). For those of you that may not have immediate access to those guides, here are some links to view the online PDF's of those guides for both the Roku LT and the Roku XS which, as I've explained before, are (currently) the ONLY TWO OPTIONS AVAILABLE to Roku purchasers in the UK:-
Roku LT Quick Start Guide (UK)
AND
Roku XS Quick Start Guide (UK)
For ease of reference, viz the purpose(s) of this article, I am also going to include some image scans for the relevant pages from the 'Quick Start Guide' for each of the two models outlined above. This, I hope, will enable you to quickly identify which button(s) to press in order to scroll through your channel list FIVE CHANNELS AT A TIME, instead of repeatedly advancing by just one channel, in either direction. So, if you're not already acquainted, prepare to "Know Your Roku Remote"...
For those of you with a Roku LT player, here is a key to the layout of your remote control:-
HINT: Click on the above image to ENLARGE IT for easier viewing
If, on the other hand, you are the owner of a Roku XS... then your remote layout is like this:-
HINT: Click on the above image to ENLARGE IT for easier viewing
Now, if you've owned your Roku player for a short while then you'll already know that the Roku Remote feels right at home in your hand. You will, no doubt, also be aware that you can move left and/or right (one channel at a time) using the "[LEFT]" and "[RIGHT]" directional button(s) to navigate through your list of channels. If you are still unsure, take a look at the relevant remote control layout (above) for your particular model of Roku player (See Ref. 'D' for Roku LT players and Ref. 'C' for Roku XS players). What is not quite so obvious, perhaps, is exactly what is meant in the Quick Start Guides by, "scroll... one page at a time" or when, where, how and why this function may prove to be useful. Observe, if you will, the "[FWD SCAN]" button (See Ref. 'G' for Roku LT players and Ref. 'I' for Roku XS players, in the respective remote control layouts above). In addition to performing the "Fast Forward" function when playing back media on your Roku, it is this little button which holds part of the secret to the "Faster Menu Scrolling" referred to in the title of this post...
Just try it for a moment... go to your list of channels on your Roku player and, instead of pressing the "[LEFT]" or "[RIGHT]" directional button(s) to navigate through your list of channels one at a time, use the "[FWD SCAN]" button and look closely at your television screen (while you do) so that you notice what happens. At first, you may not believe it, but the simple action of using the "[FWD SCAN]" button in this way will allow you to advance to the right FIVE CHANNELS AT A TIME through your Roku channel list... INGENIOUS !!!
Anyway, you've probably already guessed it by now but, it's the "[REV SCAN]" button which holds the other part of the secret to the "Faster Menu Scrolling" referred to in the title of this post. Yes, indeed, using the "[REV SCAN]" button (normally reserved for the "Rewind" function during media playback) will permit "Faster Menu Scrolling" in the other direction (i.e. to the left). Again, if you are unsure, take a look at the relevant remote control layout (above) for your particular model of Roku player (See Ref. 'E' for Roku LT players and Ref. 'G' for Roku XS players). Similar to before, this will (again) advance you FIVE CHANNELS AT A TIME through your Roku channel list but moving the opposite way to the "[FWD SCAN]" button... EQUALLY INGENIOUS !!!
But, wait, that's not all... oh, no... far from it, because this 'secret' for "Faster Menu Scrolling" can be used within the sub-menus for (as far as I know) ALL OF THE CHANNELS that are installed on your Roku player at any time, too. This proved to be a revelation to me when I first discovered it (by accident, if I remember correctly) and I've been using it ever since. I mean, think about it... with only 20% of the button presses needed to reach any channel on your menu it's not only going to SAVE YOU A LOT OF TIME, but it's also going to make the BATTERIES in your Roku remote LAST A LOT LONGER, and reduce the chances of Repetitive Strain Injuries (R.S.I.'s) from all the button presses associated with moving through the menu, one channel at a time, using the "[LEFT]" and "[RIGHT]" directional button(s). I can virtually guarantee that, ONCE YOU HAVE TRIED THIS particular Roku Tip/Trick, YOU WILL ALWAYS USE IT - unless, of course, you need to move less than five channels in either direction, that is !!
Still, that's about it for this post. Hopefully this little pearl of wisdom was news to some of you, at least, and I'll be sure to offer up more of my Roku knowledge & advice by bringing you additional Roku tips, tricks and tweaks as I continue this series of posts over the coming months. Meanwhile, stay tuned to this blog for more UK-related Roku news and information, as well as the 'Weekly RoundUp' of all the new additions to the "Official" Roku UK Channel Store and details of more Roku Private Channels that can be added to your UK Roku streaming media player(s).
Until the next time, then...
That's all, folks !!
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