Why can't Roku be supported?

Channels DVR Server
#1

I'm trying Channels DVR right now after being very happy with the Apple TV app and it's generally a better experience and more reliable than Plex. Great work!

I read in a past thread that you had a beta app for Roku that you discontinued, due to performance and being locked into their video player. However, Plex can stream to its Roku client from an HDHomeRun with "direct stream" (no transcoding) and it works fine. So I'm wondering why Channels can't achieve the same. For low cost players, the Roku is really superior to Fire TV. Amazon's interface and app quality is worse across the board. Roku "just works" like Apple and is way more user-friendly. So I'm just curious why Plex can direct stream HDHomeRun feeds to Roku but the Channels team says Roku is too weak to do it.

Thanks.

1 Like
#2

If you search the forum for roku, you'll see.
"The technical limitations of a platform is just one of the many reasons why we don’t currently have a supported Roku app."

#3

Thanks, yes, I read the other couple threads, and understood that it's a small team and they're always prioritizing among tons of work. I was specifically wondering about the comment that Roku is too weak or doesn't support MPEG2. It didn't seem like that was the case anymore. If the app is possible, I think it should rank highly among priorities. The Roku provides a better experience for the user, even if it's harder to develop for. Not that different from Apple in the early days, really. I'll provide this feedback in the other threads on the topic.

#4

This is entirely subjective. Personally, I find the Roku UX to be quite horrible.

7 Likes
#5

Everything is subjective and I do like Android TV's interface over Roku, however, it seems to me that the customer base would be much larger for Roku than Android TV or Apple TV combined. I would think this could make them more money in the long run. I actually have a Roku TV (for apps that I can't get for Android TV) and a Shield TV(Android TV) for everything else, including Channels. If Channels had a Roku app, I could go exclusively to the Roku TV.

#6

I second the ask for a working Roku app. It just doesn't make a bunch of sense to omit the largest share of the streaming market from your platform.

Edit: More proof that this should be a trivial ask: Using Channels as the source for m3u in Emby works perfectly on Roku. So the transcode must be natively supported by Roku.

2 Likes
#7

Roku devices have all sorts of problems with hdhomerun streams. They tune very very slowly, many cable streams from PRIMEs simply don't even work on Roku, codec support is spotty, interlacing support even more-so, and error correction is non-existent so everything breaks down the moment there's a signal blip.

Here's a good summary: https://forum.silicondust.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=366819#p366819. If you search the SD forums you will see lots of other similar problems reported.

On top of all that, Roku apps must be written in a language they made up called Brightscript, which is cumbersome to deal with and lacks many of the modern programming features available on platforms like iOS and Android.

Overall the combination of these issues, along with the limited resources of our small team, mean that Roku is not a priority for us at this time.

3 Likes
#8

I am a bit surprised Roku doesn't feel any heat for those issues. But then again, I guess they cannot monopolize on those fixes/enhancements either.

Thanks for the insight, @tmm1.

#9

no offense to you, but you are the perfect example why roku doesnt "feel the heat" from sucking. People like you (not sure how technical you are or your age, and again, no offense) see a $12 roku at walmart with netflix and others on the box and people automatically think this thing is a professional viewing device and therefore purchase 73 of them for their house and get upset or disillusioned because it doesnt act like the cable box they've had since 1993.

Also, people who cut the cord are allergic to spend more than $13 on a real streaming box because that "defeats" the purpose of "cutting the cord" so this fisher price piece of garbage tops all sales and people who start doing research after the fact, start getting angry, upset and/or confused.

Roku is a great add spewing, slow piece of crap that looks pretty terrible (compared to an apple tv) that should only be used for streaming services.

that's why i bought the new 2020 ultra mainly for the BeIn sports app since channles doesnt support the bein channels, netflix pick your own adventure shows and a dolby vision backup player, and let me tell you, it still sucks, even putting it behind pihole to stop the thousand of calls to their ad server.

get an apple tv, you'll be happier.

#10

Take plenty offense at that.

Based on your unsolicited and windy response I would assume you are a basement dwelling pizza-faced fanboi. Take your personal blog elsewhere.

Edit: I own streamers from all three platforms, thank you. They each have their merits and disadvantages. For those family members that want almost everything in one box and that just works Roku is great. Now, it's going to be a difference perspective than those eternally single jerks with plenty of free time are going to have, right Aero?

#11

This thread has accomplished what it was trying to do and will now be closed.

#12