Roku UK Channel Store - Weekly RoundUp #27

Hi, everyone !!


When I compiled last week's "Roku UK Channel Store - Weekly RoundUp #26" I must confess to being more than a little surprised at seeing the horror-themed "Bloody Valley Films TV" featured among the NEW CHANNEL RELEASES in the "Official" Roku UK Channel Store. Perhaps more so, knowing that the following week (i.e. this one) included the dreaded "Friday The 13th", which I thought would be the perfect opportunity for a slew of new horror channels to be released on the Roku streaming media player. As it turns out, although it was just one horror channel, there is somebody out there among the Roku channel developers who agrees with me, as you'll soon see !!


This week the most popular category by far, in terms of NEW CHANNELS at least, was 'Screensavers' with half of those coming courtesy of the creative talents of @8ctaveHD who can also be reached via their alternate Twitter Feed: @octavetv and, with their prolific output during the past seven days, have made it clear exactly why we haven't heard from them in a while... basically, it's because (like me) they've been WAY TOO BUSY !!


In fact, given that so much attention has been focussed on the launch of the Roku 3 in Canada during this last week (coupled with much speculation on a UK Roku 3 release), it's surprising that the collective output from Roku channel developers has been equally high (comparatively speaking) across all Roku channel stores during that time. So, A BIG "THANK YOU" to ALL the Roku CHANNEL DEVELOPERS for YOUR recent EFFORTS... they ARE MUCH APPRECIATED !!

Moving on, in addition to 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 various countries that I've mentioned in previous posts but on this occasion, as with three weeks ago, 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 Mongolia, 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.

Still, 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 EIGHTEEN 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, International, Screensavers & Apps 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:-

PUPPY SAVER....................................COST: £1.49 (ONE-OFF PAYMENT) [Roku Guide Review]

KITTEN SAVER....................................COST: £1.49 (ONE-OFF PAYMENT) [Roku Guide Review]

SPACE SAVER....................................COST: £1.49 (ONE-OFF PAYMENT) [Roku Guide Review]

BOLLYWOOD MASALA..........................................................COST: FREE [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 iFood.TV; part of Future Today Inc., who previously developed ALL of the iFood.tv channels for Roku player as well as the 'FitYou' channel, which was featured in my "Roku UK Channel Store - Weekly RoundUp #18", back in July 2013. If you visit the iFood.TV website, you will find their full contact information PLUS their other associated websites. You can also connect with Future Today Inc. via the iFood.tv Twitter Feed: @ifoodtv if you'd like to know more about their current / future plans for Roku channel development. Or, if you'd prefer to get social with them directly, then you can do so easily via their Facebook Page: iFood.tv (Facebook) Additionally, and no doubt due (again) to the fact that the 'Bollywood Masala' channel has not yet been added to the "Official" Roku USA Channel Store, there is no 'Roku Guide' review available. If, at some time in the future, this situation changes, I will add a link to this post.

ANGLICAN CHURCHES..........................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]

MOVING ART........................................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]

CALVARY CHAPEL................................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]

RADIO ROCK.........................................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]

ARMCHAIR TOURIST............................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]

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

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

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

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

HRN ON-DEMAND TV.............................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]

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

THE DIRECTOR'S CHAIR.......................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]

CARTOON KEEPSAKES........................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]

OH, THE HORROR!................................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]

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So, whether it's Screensavers depicting images of cute animals, pictures from space, lava lamps, fish tanks, burning log fires & kaleidoscopes, or Classic Movies from Big Name Directors such as Hitchcock, Capra, Griffith, Arbuckle & Newfeld, or Music Videos, Classic Cartoons, Vintage Horror Movies, Armchair Tourism, Religious Programming, Rock Radio, and even Short Films on nature, culture, inspiration & moods from celebrated film-maker Louie Schwarzberg, we've pretty much got all those bases covered with these NEW ADDITIONS to the "Official" Roku UK Channel Store.

Anyway, like it or not, that is your lot for this week and, whilst it doesn't quite the match-up to the twenty-seven channels which made it into the "Official" Roku USA Channel Store during the same time-frame, I always think it's better to have SOME NEW CHOICES than none at all, don't you ?!!

Still, hopefully everyone in the UK with a Roku player managed to find something they like within the eighteen 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 !!

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Meanwhile, for my last five 'Weekly RoundUp' posts, I have been suggesting we spare a thought for all the poor folk who handed over their hard-earned cash for one of those NowTV Boxes [Powered by Sky] which, as you may recall, have (so far) failed to live up to their full potential. Likewise, the original promise from NowTV of "more great content" with "more apps being continually added",  is yet to be adhered to, since there still hasn't been a single extra new channel added since the launch of the product. As previously, while time continues to move on so (it seems) does the tumbleweed...

HINT: Click on the above image to ENLARGE IT for easier viewing !!

PHOTO SOURCE: archiearchive.files.wordpress.com

Sadly, despite this constant movement of time (and tumbleweed), there has (yet again) been literally NO ACTION in terms of NEW ADDITIONS to the channel selection on the NowTV Box. This means that, over the course of a week, NowTV [Powered by Sky] have once more managed to produce a (NOT SO) GRAND TOTAL of absolutely ZERO NEW CHANNELS to add to their (already SEVERELY REDUCED) version of the Roku Channel Store as included on the NowTV Box. Meanwhile, the "Official" Roku Channel Store that features on all UK Roku players has added EIGHTEEN EXTRA CHANNELS during that same period of time. To keep things in perspective, in the seven weeks since the launch of the NowTV Box, there has been a total of SIXTY-EIGHT EXTRA CHANNELS added to the "Official" Roku Channel Store on UK Roku players, compared with ZERO EXTRA CHANNELS being added to the Roku Channel Store on the streaming player from NowTV. As I keep pointing out, if the NowTV Box is going to succeed, they really need to show that it is "Powered by Sky" and ensure that the device lives up to it's moniker by adding those promised "must-see shows" from Sky 1, Sky Atlantic, Sky Arts and Sky Living "NOW" and not "later this year". As I've said in previous weeks... if this lack of support for the NowTV Box continues, it will eventually be branded as the "NO TV BOX" as people become more & more disillusioned at all the unfulfilled promises & associated lack of channel choice available.

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Still, whether you happen to own a Roku player, a NowTV Box, OR BOTH, as I do... 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 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 !!