Private Roku Channel??

Yes - it would be legal as long as the copies were created through legal means (under fair-use exception to copyright law and presuming you don't distribute etc etc).

There are couple of ways you can do that - either as "side-loaded" channel (that's part of the development process anyway), of which you are limited to 1 per box - or by continuing further and uploading the result as "private" channel, so it can be installed by typing secret code. Even if you do the latter, you'd get additional security by the fact that your server is at home and contained to the local network.

PS. Oops, one more thing - how about just install one of the existing media servers like Plex and per-use that way on Roku? Ask in the General forum.

I wanted to be able to share with family members across 2 different states and have an easy interface for the novice users including myself.

Sorry but i'm really new to this, whats side loader, are we talking usb?

"side-load" is just a term that means a roku channel that you developed and load onto one roku box via a local network connection. Each Roku box can only have one "side-loaded" channel at a time, if you load another one the first is replaced. For family far away you would probably want a full "private" channel, will be easier for them to download and start up.

If you are concerned about legality, it probably isn't legal to transmit your movie across state lines. You'd need to ask your ISP or web host. With sharing over your local LAN, in your own home, it can't be enforced, so who will know?

Actually it is legal. As long as they don't download the movie it is considered a "live performance". Downloading a movie is a felony. Watching a live performance is legal. Well it is for now.

"waynejallen" wrote:
Is it possible to set up a private Roku channel that only me and my family can use to share music, videos, and pictures via my web server?

I've been ripping DVD's to my server and it's set up so anyone in my family can access them, but I was thinking it'd be cool to have a roku channel interface instead of the clumsy way I have it set up now. Would this even be legal??

The relevant law is not Section 107, Fair Use, but The Audio Home Recording Act of 1992. See http://copyright.gov/title17/92chap10.html. I offer no advice beyond that.

"Scifi_guy" wrote:
Actually it is legal. As long as they don't download the movie it is considered a "live performance". Downloading a movie is a felony. Watching a live performance is legal. Well it is for now.

Oh, ok, so that's why those live movie and tv show sites are always having their domains seized by the FBI - and prosecuted in court. I understand now. It's because it's legal, right.
Go ahead, take the risk, and you'll get away with it for awhile.
I was going to post a lot of links hre, but rather than doing something you can google yourself, here's one. They aren't hard to find.

http://www.ice.gov/news/releases/michig ... r-internet

Not that I'm necessarily advocating this, but I think he was referring to the end users, not the host or provider.

Downloading (ie. storing a copy of) pirated material has often been a felony for end users, but streaming had not been (due to the way existing laws in many countries were written, and to the more difficult nature of prosecuting end users in ephemeral streaming activities).