Hi, everyone !!
There's one thing you cannot deny about being a Roku owner and that's how the company (i.e. Roku) and the developers (collectively speaking) have long since become masters of the curve ball... meaning, just when you think you know what to expect from them, they always produce something different & completely out of the blue. A case in point is how, just two weeks back, I published a comment saying that I'd slowly begun to realise how new channel releases seemed to appear in the "Official" Roku UK Channel Store on either a Thursday or a Friday each week with little or nothing happening before then. Well, you guessed it... this week they were up & running on Monday... TELL ME WHY?!!! And, what is more, they hit us with not one but TWO CHANNELS being thrown into the Roku channel mix ON THE SAME DAY by those prolific developers at Float Left Interactive. This was followed by a further THREE CHANNELS from three different developers on Tuesday and ANOTHER THREE CHANNELS on Wednesday. I have to admit that, at this point, I was worried that this could turn into another MAMMOTH week & that I wouldn't get the 'Weekly RoundUp' posted on time. As it turns out, although there were MORE NEW ADDITIONS on Thursday & Friday, I was able to cope with the overall volume of new channels, all of which I will reveal to you later in this post.
Meanwhile, in addition to those new channels, we've also had some more new readers coming to the pages of this blog. Once again, there were many repeat visits from countries I've mentioned in previous posts but this time, as with last week, there was just one country that had not featured previously. So, before we go any further with the current 'Weekly RoundUp', I'd first like to extend a warm welcome to those new readers from Latvia, who each took the time to pay a maiden visit to these pages at some point during the past seven days, or so.
To those new readers, and to everyone else who continues to read my Roku-related ramblings here on this blog, I'd just like to say... "Thanks for stopping by" & long may you continue to do so.
Anyway, let's get on with the details for the current 'Weekly RoundUp' of NEW ADDITIONS to the "Official" Roku UK Channel Store. This time, there are TWELVE NEW CHANNELS which have been added during the past seven days. These latest additions to the Roku UK Channel Store provided FRESH CONTENT to the Film & TV, Music, Internet TV, International, Special Interest plus Religion & Spirituality genres (i.e. categories).
In keeping with previous installments from the 'Weekly RoundUp' series, details of these new channels have all 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) for each one:-
GOOHEAD...............................................COST: FREE + $4.99 (MONTHLY) [Roku Guide Review]
PLEASE NOTE: Although the GooHead channel is FREE TO ADD to your Roku player, there is only a LIMITED AMOUNT of content that is FREE TO WATCH including five FULL-LENGTH FEATURE FILMS and seven COMPLETE EPISODES from assorted Martial Arts & Sci-Fi TV series plus fourteen TRAILERS from the above genres as well as Horror and themes range from FightFlix to Monsters to "Very Scary"... YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED !!!!!!!!!!!
Whilst you can watch the FREE PREVIEWS directly on your Roku player, without the need to register, if you wish to delve any deeper into the complete episodes of TV series (you only get first episodes for free) or expand the range of films available to you, then you will need to sign-up for a GooHead Account via THIS LINK after which you must pay $4.99 PER MONTH, until you cancel. Fortunately, the terms & conditions allow you to cancel at any time, should the need arise.
If you'd like to find out more about the "GooHead" channel for Roku, then I'd recommend a visit to their OFFICIAL WEBSITE where you will find details of their unique movies & television series, as well as being able to manage your subscription & provide feedback. There is also a video introduction to the "GooHead" channel for Roku on the main page of their website, available to watch FREE for any visitors to the site. You may also be interested to learn that there is a "Coming Soon" section located under the drop-down menu for the GooHead Catalog. For those who may wish to connect with the "GooHead" channel for Roku, you can do so via their Twitter Feed: @GooHead1 or, if you prefer, you can get also social with them via their Facebook Page: GooHead (Facebook)
If you'd like to find out more about the "GooHead" channel for Roku, then I'd recommend a visit to their OFFICIAL WEBSITE where you will find details of their unique movies & television series, as well as being able to manage your subscription & provide feedback. There is also a video introduction to the "GooHead" channel for Roku on the main page of their website, available to watch FREE for any visitors to the site. You may also be interested to learn that there is a "Coming Soon" section located under the drop-down menu for the GooHead Catalog. For those who may wish to connect with the "GooHead" channel for Roku, you can do so via their Twitter Feed: @GooHead1 or, if you prefer, you can get also social with them via their Facebook Page: GooHead (Facebook)
ALSO: The prices quoted for this are in $USD (U.S. Dollars) because that is how they are shown on the website, when you follow the link (above) to sign-up for a GooHead Account. Currently, you will not find any prices quoted in £GBP (British Pounds)... even in the channel description that is included among the channel details for the "Official" Roku UK Channel Store. Needless to say, until that changes, the price you actually pay will depend entirely on the applicable exchange rate at the time you take out your subscription and may also vary based on your chosen method of payment.
INNOVATIVE ITALIAN...........................................COST: £0.69 (MONTHLY) [Roku Guide Review]
N.B. This is a MONTHLY SUBSCRIPTION channel. If you subscribe, YOU WILL BE CHARGED £0.69 per month until you cancel. You can cancel, at any time, from within the Roku Channel Store. Please bear in mind that subscriptions to the Innovative Italian channel are non-refundable. If you do cancel, you will still be able to use the channel during the period for which you have paid.
THE FIRST AID SHOW............................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
ACCESS ASIA NETWORK.........COST: FREE TRIAL + $14.99 (MONTHLY) [Roku Guide Review]
N.B. Since this channel does not currently feature in the Roku (USA) Channel Store, the link above is for the Official Website of the Access Asia Network. It may further interest you to know that the Access Asia Network (AAN) channel currently features a CHANNEL ARRAY of ELEVEN SUB-CHANNELS providing LIVE STREAMS for a wide selection of television channels PLUS an assortment of Video-On-Demand (VOD) and Pay-Per-View (PPV) content.
What may not be so obvious (either from the channel icon, or the weblink, above) is that the "Access Asia Network" Roku channel originates from Singapore and that the content is largely from Vietnamese television channels and, therefore, best suited to Roku owners who are among the Vietnamese diaspora living in Europe & the UK. I'm not going to list the ELEVEN CHANNELS of Vietnamese television that are included with the MONTHLY PACKAGE outlined above, since the details can easily be found via THIS LINK to the official website for the Access Asia Network (AAN).
At this point, however, I do think it's worth pointing out that, as well as the $14.99 PER MONTH subscription option, there is ALSO a 6-Month Package for $85.99 which will save you around four dollars overall PLUS a Yearly Package for $152.99 which will save you close to twenty-seven dollars over the twelve month period, if you can afford the upfront cost. As an ADDITIONAL BONUS, there is a 7-DAY FREE TRIAL available to NEW SUBSCRIBERS ONLY, details of which will be provided when you first launch the "Access Asia Network" Roku channel. Basically, once the channel has loaded, you will be asked whether you already subscribe to AAN and prompted to select a "Yes" or "No" answer, using your Roku remote. If eligible, you will be given details of where to sign-up for your 7-day Free Trial. Otherwise, you will be asked to sign-in to your existing AAN account, where you will have access to the channels you pay for. Either way, YOU NEED TO BE SIGNED-UP to access the "Access Asia Network" Roku player channel BEFORE YOU CAN START WATCHING.
At this point, however, I do think it's worth pointing out that, as well as the $14.99 PER MONTH subscription option, there is ALSO a 6-Month Package for $85.99 which will save you around four dollars overall PLUS a Yearly Package for $152.99 which will save you close to twenty-seven dollars over the twelve month period, if you can afford the upfront cost. As an ADDITIONAL BONUS, there is a 7-DAY FREE TRIAL available to NEW SUBSCRIBERS ONLY, details of which will be provided when you first launch the "Access Asia Network" Roku channel. Basically, once the channel has loaded, you will be asked whether you already subscribe to AAN and prompted to select a "Yes" or "No" answer, using your Roku remote. If eligible, you will be given details of where to sign-up for your 7-day Free Trial. Otherwise, you will be asked to sign-in to your existing AAN account, where you will have access to the channels you pay for. Either way, YOU NEED TO BE SIGNED-UP to access the "Access Asia Network" Roku player channel BEFORE YOU CAN START WATCHING.
If you would like to connect with the "Access Asia Network" Roku player channel, you can (of course) do so via their Facebook Page: Access Asia Network (Facebook). Perhaps a better approach, though, would be to use the CONTACT INFO from their official website. Fortunately, they can provide English language support, as well as Vietnamese, according to your individual needs. In so far as I am aware, there is (currently) NO OFFICIAL TWITTER FEED for Access Asia Network.
ALSO: The prices quoted for this are in $USD (U.S. Dollars) because that is how they are shown on the website, when you sign-up & create your the Access Asia Network (AAN) account. Currently, you will not find any prices quoted in £GBP (British Pounds)... even in the channel description that is included among the channel details for the "Official" Roku UK Channel Store. Needless to say, until that changes, the price you actually pay will depend entirely on the applicable exchange rate at the time you take out your subscription and may also vary based on your chosen method of payment.
Lastly, and no doubt due (again) to the fact that the Access Asia Network (AAN) 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.
911.........................................................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
BOOK MARC..........................................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
O' TOWN.................................................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
MTA INTERNATIONAL.............................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
N.B. Since this channel does not currently feature in the Roku (USA) Channel Store, the link above is for the Official Website of MTA International. It may further interest you to know that the MTA (Muslim Television Ahmadiyya) International Roku channel currently features a CHANNEL ARRAY of SIX SUB-CHANNELS providing LIVE STREAMS in a number of different languages. For your information, the SIX CHANNELS that (currently) populate the MTA Live Streams are:-
- MTA Urdu Stream
- MTA English Stream
- MTA Bengali Stream
- MTA French Stream
- MTA German Stream
- MTA 3
Interestingly, the channel description from the "Official" Roku UK Channel Store boasts that the MTA (Muslim Television Ahmadiyya) International Television Network provides family oriented programming in over 16 languages. As yet, however, there is no evidence to support this from the (current) array of sub-channels that feature in the MTA (Muslim Television Ahmadiyya) International Roku channel. Now it may be that MTA International will expand the content of their Roku channel at some point in the future but, for now, the above list includes everything currently available to stream.
I should, of course, point out that the MTA (Muslim Television Ahmadiyya) International Roku channel is both FREE-TO-ADD and FREE-TO-VIEW on your Roku player, with the content deemed as being suitable for "All Ages", which would seem to tie in nicely with the theme of "Family Oriented Programming" mentioned in the channel description. You can, if you wish, find more precise programme information on the OFFICIAL WEBSITE which also includes a FULL SCHEDULE as well as related news PLUS a link to MTA International's YouTube Channel.
Meanwhile, if you would like to connect with the MTA (Muslim Television Ahmadiyya) International Roku channel, you can do so via their Twitter Feed: @muslimtv although, from my own recent experience, they do not appear to be prolific "tweeters", making only sporadic tweets (ranging from daily, to fortnightly, or even monthly), during the last six months. Perhaps a better approach would be to use the CONTACT INFO from their official website or, if you just want to get social with them, it might prove more fruitful to do so via their Facebook Page: MTA International (Facebook).
Lastly, and no doubt due (again) to the fact that the MTA (Muslim Television Ahmadiyya) International Roku 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.
MULLET..................................................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
COLLEGE HUMOR...................................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
VALLEJO FM...........................................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
ANGEL TV...............................................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
COLLEGE HUMOR...................................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
VALLEJO FM...........................................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
ANGEL TV...............................................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
N.B. Since this channel does not currently feature in the Roku (USA) Channel Store, the link above is for the channel description of Angel TV as found on the Official Website for the developer. It may therefore interest you to know that the "Angel TV" Roku channel was developed by Lightcast.com whose website can be viewed HERE. There, you can find out about the company & it's innovative Web Marketing, Media Hosting & Video Delivery Solutions. There are readily available links to contact them via email or, if you prefer, their phone numbers (including an EU Hotline) are also listed at the bottom of the main webpage. For anyone interested, there is a HUGE LIST that includes most, if not all, of the featured Roku channels (as developed by Lightcast.com) for your perusal. If need be, you can always connect with the developer via their Twitter Feed: @lightcast_inc or, if you prefer, you can get social with them via their Facebook Page: Lightcast Inc (Facebook) too.
Meanwhile, you're probably going to want to know that the content of this channel is entirely made up of positive, well-balanced Christian lifestyle programming. In fact, Angel TV's current lineup features 95% ORIGINAL & EXCLUSIVE CONTENT, combining talk shows, dramas, movies, family issues, biblical teachings, music videos & children's programmes in a unique style. Better still is that this PRIMARILY INDIAN LANGUAGE channel also INCLUDES ENGLISH SUBTITLES for much of it's content, which means you don't have to be fluent in one of the many Indian languages in order to watch and/or enjoy this channel. Perhaps best of all, however, is that this popular Indian Christian Prophetic entertainment resource is both FREE-TO-ADD and FREE-TO-VIEW on your Roku player. So, if you're of a religious persuasion, you may want to add this to your Roku & start streaming now !!
Lastly, and no doubt due (again) to the fact that the "Angel TV" 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.
Still, whether it's Comedy, Music, Books, Travel, First Aid, Religion, Language Learning, Films, Radio or 911 Emergency Recordings, we've pretty much got all of those bases covered with the above selection of NEW ADDITIONS to the "Official" Roku UK Channel Store - and available in a VARIETY OF LANGUAGES, too !! I'm also very pleased to say that, FOR THE FOURTH WEEK IN A ROW, we've managed to exceed the number of channels which made it into the "Official" Roku USA Channel Store during the same time-frame (there were eleven, in case you were wondering). Again, it was a close-run contest and there wasn't much in it really. Still, no matter which side of the pond you are on, we can all count ourselves lucky to have been given SOME NEW CHOICES this week, rather than none at all, I'm sure you agree ?!!
Meanwhile, hopefully everyone in the UK with a Roku player managed to find something they like within the TWELVE channels outlined above. If not, then you'll 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, as I've said before, when it comes to adding new channels to your Roku player, IT'S YOUR CHOICE and, as with all things Roku... THE CHOICE IS ALWAYS YOURS !!
So, be sure to come back in seven days' time for my next 'Weekly RoundUp' and, if you can't wait that long, remember you can always keep up with the UK Roku action (as it happens) throughout the coming week, by following our 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 !!
I read your blog every week. As a result I am about to purchase a Roku.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if you can give me some advice.
How any channels can you store on the £49 version? I am trying to work out if I need the expansion slot of the more expensive version.
Hi, Stuart !!
DeleteThanks for your comment. It's much appreciated.
The Roku LT should cope with a fairly large number of channels. I can't give an exact figure, since the size (in terms of memory) will vary from one channel to the next. Generally speaking, it's "Games" channels that require more memory than "Music" or "Film & TV" so the content you intend to use will determine your answer.
The official Roku Blog states that, "All Roku 2 models have enough built-in storage to hold several games, depending on the size of the game. Add a 2GB microSD card, and the storage capacity for games goes up to as many as 50—possibly more", which may give you an idea. They go on to say, "If you are a casual game player (or plan to add hundreds of video and music channels to your home screen!), we hope you’ll find the ability to add additional storage a convenient feature", in which case opt for the Roku XS.
Without the addition of a MicroSD card (to the Roku XS) either UK Roku player will allow you to add pretty much as many channels as you like to your channel selection (shown as "My Channels" in the Roku main menu). Basically, the built-in memory allows those channels it contains to be pre-loaded on Roku player. This means they launch a lot quicker & get you to your viewing experience more easily. Once that built-in memory is full, any extra channels you include in your channel selection will take noticeably longer to start. That's because they have to "install" themselves from scratch, EVERY TIME, in order for you to watch them.
Essentially, THERE IS NO LIMIT TO the number of channels you can add to YOUR CHANNEL SELECTION, but THERE IS A LIMIT TO the number of channels that will fit into THE BUILT-IN MEMORY. Any channels in the built-in memory will (effectively) be pre-loaded & will launch faster. Those that are not in the built-in memory (because it's full to capacity) will NOT be pre-loaded and will take A LOT LONGER to launch.
The addition of a MicroSD card (even after your built-in memory is full) will mean any channels (from your "My Channels" selection) that did not (previously) fit into the built-in memory (allowing them to be pre-loaded) will, upon syncing your newly installed & formatted MicroSD card to the channel store, effectively "PUSH" any 50MB+ channels that (previously) could not be installed into the newly expanded memory. This means that ALL YOUR CHANNELS will launch as if they were pre-loaded into the built-in memory, meaning they will all launch without needing to "install" from scratch and you can begin watching much quicker, no matter which channel you watch.
My personal experience is that a WIRED CONNECTION is consistently more reliable than a wireless one, when it comes to Roku but, as you rightly pointed out, it does come at a higher cost. For me, the additional expense was easily justified by the added benefits of the Roku XS over the Roku LT as anyone who read my post, entitled "It's Time To... Choose Your Roku !!", from February 2013 will attest. Given the vast number of channels I install for this blog, there was no question of adding a MicroSD card - it just made sense. However, I appreciate not everyone will need to install as many channels as I do, so that won't be an issue for all UK Roku owners.
Ultimately, ONLY YOU KNOW what use you have planned for your Roku & what budget you have to buy it. What I will say is that, at the time of writing, the Roku LT is available on Amazon UK for only £39.99 which saves you a tenner on what you originally thought. So, if cost remains a deciding factor, you won't find a better bargain than the Roku LT at that price !! That said, if you need the added benefits of the Roku XS, the additional outlay is more than compensated for by the range of features & extra functionality that comes with it.
I hope that has helped with your decision.
Good luck with your purchase, and happy streaming !!
Many thanks for a very informative reply. I have little interest in games. I really love old films and TV which is my main interest. I went for the bargain one to give it a try and will buy another if it proves to be what I hope.
ReplyDeleteNext step will be into channel production!!
Kafkasworld.com
Hm, bought it from Amazon. Set it up. Only get US material. No BBCiplayer or Now TV etc
ReplyDeleteNot through a VPN.
Reset, restarted. Nothing. Any ideas?
Hi, Stuart. Apologies for the delayed response. Sorry to hear you're having trouble getting setup with your Roku player. I have heard a couple of similar stories from people recently. Apparently, it boils down to your new Roku account getting setup via the Roku server in the USA, instead of the UK. Most likely this is not down to anything you did wrong (yourself) but just a coincidence. My advice would be to send an email to: therevolution[at]roku[dot]com explaining what has happened and they should be able to resolve the matter for you. It might require Roku having to delete your account and set up another one for you, but it shouldn't be too difficult, so they should have you up & running in no time. If you are still having trouble, or get no reply from Roku over the weekend, then message me again via the 'UK Roku Channels' Twitter Feed (@ukrokuchannels) and I'll try to help further.
DeleteI used a different browser on my MAC instead of Firefox and got sorted out finally
ReplyDelete