Hi, everyone !!
I'm pleased to say there's actually been some Roku-specific news during the seven days since my last 'Weekly RoundUp' post was published, as opposed to just Roku-related stories which seem to have become the norm of late, although (as you'll soon discover) it won't be of significance to Roku users in all regions as it pertains to a 'Roku TV' accessory and we (still) don't have those in UK! :-(
Anyway, for the sake of enlightenment, I've decided to provide some basic details as part of this post so that those who are interested can follow the links I'll be providing to get more information about it. The announcement first came on Monday 16th July, courtesy of this press release from the newsroom at Roku's HQ, but was swiftly followed by a related post on the "Official" Roku Stream Blog which (as is often the case) does little more than paraphrase the original press release... although there is a short 'YouTube' video (01m 17s) - which I'll also include here - to add a little "gloss" to the news! :-)
Essentially, all of this publicity was to introduce the new "Roku TV Wireless Speakers" which are the first speakers to be made exclusively for Roku TV. The Roku TV Wireless Speaker bundle has been given a Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) of USD $199.99 (U.S. Dollars) and will begin shipping to customers (in the United States) by late October of this year. Pre-order pricing for the bundle was initially set at USD $149.99 for just one week (immediately following the announcement) through until 23rd July 2018, and was then intended to rise to USD $179.99 from 24th July through to 15th October, before going on general sale at the MSRP beginning 16th October 2018. However, the product page for these Roku TV Wireless Speakers, from the official Roku website, would appear to have since been updated to extend the "early bird" price (saving USD $50.00 vs. the MSRP) right up until 15th October 2018, as evidenced by the screenshot image provided below:-
HINT:- Please CLICK on the above image TO ENLARGE IT for easier viewing !!
Perhaps most significantly, the small-print at the foot of the above screenshot image includes advice for would-be purchasers that this speaker bundle "Only works with Roku TV's" and goes on to add that these Roku TV Wireless Speakers will not work with "other TV's or Roku players" so, if you were hoping to include them as part of another (non Roku TV) set-up, you may as well forget these particular speakers. In fact... the more I read about them the less appealing they sounded and, having initially considered importing a pair (for the purposes of this blog) I have since gone right off the idea! :-/ For starters, they are only a stereo pair... and cannot be connected with other speakers to form a larger (e.g. 2.1, 5.1, 7.1, etc.) surround sound system. Then there's the added inconvenience that you must have a Roku TV, in order to set them up in the first place, so while Roku and their TV partners continue to ignore the UK market (when it comes to Roku TV™ products) there is no point investing in this latest Roku product from my perspective. Moreover, I would advise any readers of this blog from the United States to look very closely at the additional information contained within the related help article entitled "What are Roku TV Wireless Speakers?", from the pages of the main 'Roku Support' website, and think very carefully before you part with any money for this product as there may (potentially) be multiple caveats involved depending on your individual use-case scenario. Other factors to consider are in the help article on "How To Set Up Roku TV Wireless Speakers" also from the official 'Roku Support' website and, between those two articles, you are likely to find more relevant information about these speakers than you will from the press release and/or product page.
For the benefit of those (like me) who may appreciate seeing how things are put together, I am also going to include some screenshots of the full specifications (from the product page) - although, you won't find any audio performance specs, unfortunately - as well as a component breakdown image:-
AS BEFORE:- Please CLICK on the above images TO ENLARGE THEM for easier viewing !!
Obviously, I do get that this wireless speaker product is exclusive to Roku TV™, and intended for use with the same, but I can't help feeling that there are too many limitations involved. Hopefully, this will just be the first of many Roku-branded speaker products... and future incarnations will be able to overcome the obvious flaws in this particular speaker bundle. For the time being, however, I don't see too many people ditching their existing home cinema surround sound systems and reverting to stereo!
Anyway, moving swiftly along, the other item of Roku-specific news I came across for you this week was more of a "heads up" for those with an interest in the financial / investment side of the business. As such I think it will (once again) be of limited appeal to readers of this blog, but I will include the basic details plus a link for anyone to obtain further reading material on the subject if need be. The gist of this second press release to emanate from the newsroom staff at Roku HQ this week is that the company intends to release the financial results from their second quarter of this year's trading after the stock market closes on Wednesday 8th August 2018. Roku will also be hosting a live webcast of it's conference call to discuss these results at 10pm BST (i.e. 2:00 p.m. Pacific / 5:00 p.m. Eastern). Participants may access the live webcast in listen-only mode on the Roku investor relations website where an archived webcast of the conference call will also be available following the call. I don't propose to dwell on the subject any further but, if it appeals to you, feel free to use those links! ;-)
For those of you who (like me) prefer sport to finance, I have also just posted a dedicated article on "How To Watch the Whyte vs. Parker PPV Boxing Event Live On Roku Players & NowTV Devices" which includes details of a private channel specific to the United Kingdom that enables you to access "Sky Sports Box Office" on UK Roku devices to enjoy the heavyweight boxing next weekend. So, if you missed it, simply click on the above link to discover the access code you'll need to add it! ;-) :-)
Meanwhile, with no other Roku-related news to share with you at this time, I'm now going to focus on the equally important matter of bringing you details for all the latest new Roku channels (apps) which were released during the seven days since my last 'Weekly RoundUp' post was published and, even with a modest crop of just seventeen new Roku channels to browse through, it should hopefully be enough to keep you occupied while I see what other snippets of Roku news I can find for you! :-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... so, if you'd like to see an independent appraisal of those, be sure to check-out my post from last week (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 'Roku Guide' reviews for almost ninety per cent of the new Roku apps which were published during the last seven days... which means, much like many other posts from recent months, I am going to have to leave it for each of you to access those details on your own. As of five months ago, you can choose to do that either via the built-in channel store on your Roku device(s)... or else, by following the links provided in each post to the relevant channel description(s) from the Roku Web Channel Store. Meanwhile, once the "missing" reviews have been published by 'Roku Guide', I will (as I have done previously) ensure that I add the relevant links to each post. Apologies (as always) for any inconvenience that may be caused by the absence of active links to an independent review for so many of these new apps but, like I say, it's entirely out of my hands. Hopefully they will get a chance to catch-up on them sometime in the coming week!?! ;-) :-)
Still, back to the list... which, as always, will help you to 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 years, there's a *lot* of reading to catch-up on. So, without further ado, here's my 'Weekly RoundUp' of all new Roku channels released between 15th July 2018 and 21st July 2018:-
BROADWAY WORLD..........................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "FILM & TV" in Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***
PLEASE NOTE:- That, because this 'BroadwayWorld' channel was previously made available via the "Official" Roku USA Channel Store as far back as 13th July 2016, you will not see it listed among the recent additions to the "New" category (i.e. genre) of the "Official" Roku UK Channel Store. Instead, you will need to scroll through the "Film & TV" category until you see the above channel icon (aka 'HD Poster' image) for the app. That's if you wish to install it via the built-in channel store on your Roku device(s) as opposed to the online method (via the web channel store) using the link above (below, and to the left of, the channel icon). Of course, you could also choose to find and then add this app by way of the built-in 'Search' feature on your Roku device(s) by typing-in the channel name as your search term. Chances are, you won't have to finish entering the whole thing before you see the name of the channel listed among the results on the right-hand side of your screen... but, the main thing is, it's now available to install for FREE on your Roku device(s) if you so wish! ;-) :-)
FILMATIQUE....................................COST: FREE + $4.99 (MONTHLY) [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "FILM & TV" in Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***
PLEASE NOTE:- That, because this 'Filmatique' channel was previously made available via the "Official" Roku USA Channel Store several months ago, on 3rd April 2018 to be more precise, you will not see it listed among the recent additions to the "New" category (i.e. genre) of the "Official" Roku UK Channel Store. Instead, you will need to scroll through the "Film & TV" category until you see the above channel icon (aka 'HD Poster' image) for the app. That's if you wish to install it via the built-in channel store on your Roku device(s) as opposed to the online method (via the web channel store) using the link above (below, and to the left of, the channel icon). Of course, you could also choose to find and then add this app using the built-in 'Search' feature on your Roku device(s) by typing-in the channel name as your search term. As with the 'BroadwayWorld' channel listed above, the chances are that you won't have to finish entering the whole thing before you see the name of the channel listed among the results on the right-hand side of your screen... but, whichever way you find it, the channel is now available to install for FREE on your Roku device(s) - if you so wish! ;-) :-)
ALSO:- Despite the 'Filmatique' channel being FREE-TO-ADD to the selection of apps installed on your Roku device(s), and allowing you to browse the entire content library (having first created an online account and registered with the service) without actually needing to pay a single penny, the official description from the channel store does include a warning to Roku customers that use of this particular app "May require additional fees" to stream any available media. What this refers to, is the fact that none of the videos are FREE-TO-STREAM without first subscribing via the 'Filmatique' website. So, if you wish to actually watch any films from their streaming catalogue, you should be aware that YOU WILL BE REQUIRED TO PAY A MONTHLY SUBSCRIPTION which, for the record, is something in the order of USD $4.99 PER MONTH (or the UK equivalent thereof) before you can stream any of the content provided. Whether you are a paid subscriber, or have simply chosen to register for a free account online, once you have logged-in to the Roku app using those same credentials you will be able to browse the entire library for free... and, if you are a subscriber, you will also be able to watch any of the films on your Roku player. Should you not happen to have your Roku device with you, but would (perhaps) like to choose a film for later viewing there is also the option to browse the entire 'Filmatique' content library online via their website. While the library certainly has a good range of contemporary global cinema in their collection of independent film, it's also worth mentioning that these movies are original compositions (with multiple works coming from new directors) and most (if not all) of them have proven successful at various film festivals around the world. So, if your love of indie film extends to such unique categories as: Norwegian Women, or; Teenage Wasteland; Tallinn Black Nights; North African Auteurs; New South American Cinema; My French Film Festival, and/or; Contemporary Black Cinema, then you might want to give it a look! :-)
EXTREME ADVENTURE....................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "SPORTS" in the Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***
THE BURNS AND ALLEN SHOW......................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "FILM & TV" in Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***
WOODY WOODPECKER....................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "FILM & TV" in Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***
THE LIFE OF RILEY............................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "FILM & TV" in Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***
POWDER MAGAZINE.........................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "SPORTS" in the Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***
SAILING WORLD....................................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "SPECIAL INTEREST" in Roku UK Channel Store WHEN RELEASED***
MINISTRY ON DEMAND.....................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "RELIGIOUS" in Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***
NEWSCHOOLERS................................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "SPORTS" in the Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***
TPG INTO THE WEST INT......................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "SPECIAL INTEREST" in Roku UK Channel Store WHEN RELEASED***
TPG FICTION FLIX INT...........................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "SPECIAL INTEREST" in Roku UK Channel Store WHEN RELEASED***
NASA...................................................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "EDUCATIONAL" in the Roku UK Channel Store WHEN RELEASED***
106.6 THE BLAST................................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "MUSIC" in the Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***
THE THREE STOOGES CHANNEL....................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "FILM & TV" in Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***
BALLS AND BOXES FREE.................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "GAMES" in the Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***
DYNAMO EXTREME ACTION..........................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "FILM & TV" in Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***