Roku reaffirms desire to work with other content providers

We hear you loud and clear Roku -- now go prove to someone other than Netflix that your box is worth toying with. At the recent Streaming Media West conference, Roku CEO Anthony Wood reiterated details that we already knew: it really, really wants to work with companies other than Netflix. Said Wood, "We're opening up the platform to anyone who wants to put their video service on this box," and he continued by stating that "we're going to release the software developer kit, so anyone can publish any channel, and users can access web content on their TVs." Of course, both Netflix and Roku knew from the get-go that the relationship would involve other partners, though it remains to be seen who's willing to call for seconds at Roku's shindig.

[Via CNET]

[patsy @ Sep 25th 2008 9:29AM]

If that is the case, why don't Roku at least add a youtube channel themselves? That wouldn't require any other "partners", they could do that entirely in-house. While I love the Roku box, the dearth of useful content on Netflix is really starting to bug me.

[Kizorblade @ Sep 25th 2008 12:45PM]

You're using coconuts!
What?
You've got two empty halfs of coconuts and you're banging them together!
So?
Where'd you get the coconuts?
We found them.

I had to. I'm sorry :(

[james @ Sep 25th 2008 12:48PM]

as it stands, there is no way to enter a search string in the roku interface, the remote is very simple. They would have to create a web based tool that would allow users to create a play list of youtube videos. the only way to quickly implement it is to only be able to click on a group of clips they select for you, then click similar clips as the videos come up, not very fun. you would think it would be easy to release a roku keyboard so you could type into the roku interface. it would have been smart of them to include some usb ports on the roku for expandability.

[patsy @ Sep 25th 2008 1:49PM]

@james:

They could have an onscreen keyboard like TiVo or XBMC, a lot of youtube search terms don't have to be very long.

[Flit @ Sep 25th 2008 10:33AM]

PlayOn (the software that lets you stream off your computer Hulu and Youtube and CBS videos to your PS3/360) Needs to get all over this. I would totally buy one of these if it streamed Hulu videos along with netflix.

[Andy @ Sep 25th 2008 9:40AM]

It would be awesome if someone could create a channel that looks to local SMB shares. If it supported formats this would make a nice replacement for aging xbox 1 xbox media centers.

[getgreg @ Sep 25th 2008 10:15AM]

Hulu please

[Sean @ Sep 25th 2008 10:10AM]

I would love Roku to be able to handle netflix, hulu and others at the same time (amazon?). That would truly be a juggernaut of home entertainment.

[Robert @ Sep 25th 2008 10:49AM]

I'd love to see a Pandora channel.

I second Andy's suggestion, as well, but I'm not entirely sure how adding custom channels would work unless they were stored online. With only RAM and ROM, I wouldn't want to update the firmware every time I added a new channel. So, the list of services may have to be stored off-site and tied to the device by a unique identifier. That will make doing anything on your local network tricky.

Of course, I don't know where they store your settings or if those are dependent upon the device staying on. I haven't checked to see if it remembered my screen time out, for example, after leaving the device unplugged. If they can write to the ROM without re-writing the entire thing, it'd be cool. I don't know enough about ROM to do more than speculate.

Anyway, I hope they figure out some way to do it that doesn't fall into the "Web Apps not Native Apps" stupidity that Apple initially did with the iPhone.

[james @ Sep 25th 2008 12:51PM]

ohh, a pandora chanel, now we're talking!

[7on @ Sep 25th 2008 10:53AM]

Hulu and Netflix should partner with Popcorn Hour.

Just sayin...

[Sikbug @ Sep 25th 2008 12:39PM]

I really hope they do add more to it, but I have to say as of right now I use my roku box more than my cable box. I also swap the HDMI cables back in forth so I only have one plugged in at a time (as well as my ps3) but I find the roku box is plugged in much more often. I think it depends greatly on what you watch on netflix. Most of the movies my girl and I watch are older tv shows, old movies, lots of foreign and indi films and anime, that's basically what's available on there for the box.

[Cargojack @ Sep 25th 2008 11:02PM]

I have the Roku box connected to my flat screen through an HDMI cable. The best most recent movies are not on Netflix's streaming list, so I have discovered many strange and independant films, but it WOULD be great if Hulu and Youtube could be viewed through Roku. I would be willing to pay a small fee to have those additional content features.

[gamedude420 @ Sep 25th 2008 1:39PM]

the rocku box has a total of 256 MB ram. 64 Mb is used for cache for streams. I just wish they could make an updated box with 1Gb for streaming and 1 Gb for firmware updates

[patsy @ Sep 25th 2008 1:51PM]

@Kizorblade:

I fart in your general direction! Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries.

[Kenny @ Sep 25th 2008 5:43PM]

@james

Actually Youtube already has stuff like subscriptions, favorites, top videos, playlists, etc. All of these could interface with the Roku just like Netflix instant watch Queue does.

Hulu also already has a Queue.

[Mickel @ Sep 26th 2008 10:21AM]

I wish it could stream foreign TV channels, WWiTV has a great collection.

[Sam @ Oct 1st 2008 10:40AM]

I'd love to see a lot of VOD providers offer channels for Roku - definitely Hulu (my new online video love), but also anyone else who offers VOD subscriptions (WWE, etc.). The possibilities this creates for channels that aren't just video, but that deliver other web-updated content, seems pretty cool, too. If enough new channels pop up, I might get a Roku player.

[James @ Oct 22nd 2008 9:31PM]

I spent two months trying to get the Roku box audio to work. I talked to five incredibly incompetent techs (one of whom insisted that HDMI cables didn't carry audio so I bought a set of separate HDMI cables. Nothing worked, so finally the next to last tech agreed the box was defective and should be returned. I followed his instructions exactly and Roku claims they never received the box and that it was the post office's fault. I am now out $180 and have no access to Instant Viewing.

The people at Roku are real scum bags. Don't do this to yourself!!

[James @ Oct 22nd 2008 9:32PM]

I spent two months trying to get the Roku box audio to work. I talked to five incredibly incompetent techs (one of whom insisted that HDMI cables didn't carry audio so I bought a set of separate HDMI cables. Nothing worked, so finally the next to last tech agreed the box was defective and should be returned. I followed his instructions exactly and Roku claims they never received the box and that it was the post office's fault. I am now out $180 and have no access to Instant Viewing.

The people at Roku are real scum bags. Don't do this to yourself!!