"RokuChrisT" wrote:
Many of you are starting to try out the workflow for creating a Direct Publisher channel. The core requirement is that you have a well formed MRSS or JSON feed that lists all your content.
To start the channel creation flow, go to https://developer.roku.com/publish/channel-tutorial/channel-tutorial-index and follow the steps.
In addition, you can use this sample feed to preview a channel: https://api.myjson.com/bins/4tu28
Hope this helps!
Hi RokuChrisT:
I have to apologize in advance because I'm angry and frustrated at how much information is missing regarding using direct publisher. It says in several places that it takes only minutes to create a new channel without having to write ANY CODE. REALLY?? A direct publisher feed JSON file isn't code? If this was possible without having to write any code, there would be a web-based fill-out form where you simply enter in title, credits, link to media, etc., and the web-based function would return to you a complete JSON file. But NO WHERE is there any mention of having to set up folders on remote servers, such as Amazon S3, and having links to those folders, and permissions, et. al, before you can actually create a channel. The channel creation flow you reference here is virtually useless because it doesn't provide ANY INFORMATION on how to create a JSON file. It doesn't EVEN say that you have to cut and paste each of those sections together, or any information on the best way to do that or that you have to create that file and then host in on a server somewhere, and... the list of omissions goes on. I've been using the instanttvchannel.com service for a couple of years now, and wanted to move away from them and the monthly expense for just hosting my script, but they at least provide a fill-in-the form function that not only creates the proper file, but also packages it and all I have to do is upload it to ROKU.
Again, I'm sorry for being so angry, but to me, the emperor has no clothes, especially when it comes to the claim that no code-writing is involved. Am I just missing it, or is there really a major component missing here on how to create a JSON file.... AND, having to go into a text file and enter URL paths and file names, and uploading those files to a remote server isn't considered coding? The documentation, in my opinion, is severely lacking in all respects, and is misleading in the "you can create a channel in 15 minutes" verbiage. Sure, you can create a channel by copying and pasting the provided JSON file, and uploading the provided art placeholders, but that's not creating a channel. The channel creation came when the JSON file was written in the first place as that is really the "channel".
Again, apologies for the rant, but I have many channels to create, and it appears that I'm going to have to pay an outside service to create files, unless there's a hidden instruction file on the developer site somewhere that has a step by step of how to create a JSON file in the first place, with the instructions required for how to link to an Amazon S3 server, for example. The beginning and end are there for channel creation, but the missing link for me is the most crucial: creating feed files.
Any help you can provide is of course much appreciated. I'd like to hear from other developers who may be sharing my frustration.
Thanks,
Ken
