Discussions

[etrigan63]

Since Roku has ignored requests for three years regarding preloading guest accounts with custom app lists, I have taken it upon myself to attach a dedicated media player for my local media server in my rental cabin. Said media player is a Raspberry Pi 4 running LibreELEC and the latest build of Kodi with the ncessary modules to access content on my media server. The RokuTV does see the Raspberry Pi as a CEC device and I have 1-touch play enabled. However, when I switch sources to the media player, the signals from the remote are not passed through to the media player. I have tried the original remote and a Philips Universal Remote (which works with Roku perfectly, BTW). Pressing the directional keys just gets boop noises from the TV and no cursor motion. Any ideas will be appreciated.

[DBDukes]

@etrigan63 

I've not used Kodi. I have a Raspberry Pi running a Plex server and access via the Plex app on Roku. Works great for my local media, as well as the other content Plex offers. But I gather you're doing something other than that. That is, you're not using the Roku app for Kodi to access, but have the device running its own software as a standalone device?

There are some here that use Kodi, but I'm not one. Perhaps they can offer some suggestions.

[atc98092]

The Roku remote will only do a handful of things via CEC. It will power a TV and AVR on, change both to the correct input, and control the volume of the TV or AVR. But it won't control any other function of any other remote device via CEC. I use Kodi as a player on my Shields, but my media server is Serviio. It doesn't act as a player in any way, merely provides the media to the player via DLNA. On the Roku I use Roku Media Player, which of course the Roku remote will control. I believe you need to re-think your media server layout. I believe Kodi can be configured as a DLNA server, so perhaps you might try that and use RMP as the player for your guests. 

You mentioned a media server, so it sounds like your Pi is not running that server. What are you using as a media server? Is it a simple NAS the Kodi is using as the source?

[etrigan63]

Let me clarify: I use RokuTV's in my rental cabin. I have a 75 inch RokuTV in the Home Theater. I have all of my RokuTV's in guest mode. I have a Jellyfin media server in the cabin. There IS a Jellyfin client, but I cannot preload it into the Guest mode selection of apps. This means that my guests would have to install and connect to my Jellyfin server. Very far from ideal. A request has been made to Roku three years ago from a LOT of rental property owners for the ability to customize the preloading of apps in guest mode. So far the requests have fallen on deaf ears.

In the meantime, I was hoping to connect the Raspberry Pi as a dedicated client using CEC to control it. The RokuTV recognizes it as a CEC device, but the remote fails to send directional signals or the pressing of the OK button to the Pi.

The only other alternative I can see is replacing the TV with a regular TV and hang a Roku Ultra and the Raspberry Pi off the back and use a Philips Universal Remote which works with Rokus and Smart TVs.

[DBDukes]

Have you successfully used your Raspberry Pi on another TV (a non-Roku TV) and had it perform as you expected?

[atc98092]

Well, there have been many requests for features I've seen over the years, and I only personally know of one that ever happened. So, par for the course. 😛

From a quick search, it appears Jellyfin supports operating as a DLNA server. It might simplify things slightly for you if the guest only needed to install RMP. It would be pretty simple instructions to follow for that, and there's no connection to be made, as RMP sees any/all DLNA sources available on the network. Still not a no-effort setting for the guest, but it would only take a few moments to install RMP and then it's ready to use. 

[etrigan63]

Yes, it works as expected on my Samsung TV + Roku Ultra. I even programmed the Philips UR and it worked as expected.

[etrigan63]

For that, I can have them install the Jellyfin client and it will detect the server on the network (once I open up those ports on the container).

[atc98092]

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@etrigan63 wrote:

For that, I can have them install the Jellyfin client and it will detect the server on the network (once I open up those ports on the container).

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I'm unfamiliar with Jellyfin, so I didn't know if it needed a login like Plex does. That might be the simplest solution for the time being.

My TV remotes (Samsung and LG) can control my Shield via CEC, but there's limits, the button presses are not intuitive, and of course there's no guest mode with the Shield, so any user has access to my Google Play Store account for apps or media purchase. That wouldn't be a good idea, either. 

I did a quick search to see if any other player has a guest mode, and it appears the basic Chromecast has one. But that requires casting, as it doesn't appear to be in the version that comes with a remote and has a user interface. This and Roku seem to be the only two that have such a feature. 

[etrigan63]

Jellyfin is an open-source fork of Emby. which is a fork of Plex (pre Plex Pass). I have configured the Jellyfin server with a guest account which has no admin rights and a simple password. The server is only available on the local network (great for when the Internet goes down but the power is up). I have a system for remotely adding films from ripped blu-ray discs. That way I keep all of the discs at home..