Roku Developer Program

[gfculley]

Hi,

I'm a content producer looking to get on Roku and I'm finding the SDK and the process a little confusing, but I am trying my best to read all I can. I want to know how these channels are designed, not just pay someone to do it.

The post about 3rd party developers was great but it was not clear who makes channels in that list and the companies that offer everything.

I have looked for channel templates and figured out that there is one in the SDK but I don't think it looks very nice.

Is there someone out there willing to sell a channel template that that I can just add the following:
1. The background graphics a nice dark/graphite texture background like on the hbo channel)
2. The hosted video links from vimeo for business or Dropbox?
3. The thumbnails of the videos and the descriptions (I'll figure that out)

I will pay like $200-$300 for this kind of help- I hope that is enough but I'm on a tight production budget to get a minimum viable product. (and poor LOL)!!

Thanks!

[adrianc1982]

i think theres already one where you just fill in the xml or json.

did you google how to make a roku private channel?

http://www.instanttvchannel.com/roku/quick

there are a couple of these web pages and most stick to one method to get there. There are several ways to get a channel going so just stick to the one thats easier for you to follow

[gfculley]

Thanks for your response,

I have looked for at least 2 hours yesterday and many more hours over the past few months.

I have seen the website you have mentioned but there is a lot to learn and the aforementioned solution is a basic channel BUT its not that nice looking...., In the entertainment business APPEARANCE ISN'T EVERYTHING...., ITS THE ONLY THING so I am willing to pay for a better looking GUI but not the big $$$ that developers are asking. I hope there is a nice in between price in the range that I can pay.

I think what I'm trying to get developers to understand here is that content developers would love to have a HBO-like channel look to place their content in and put it on Roku but the learning curve keeps them away and at the 'mercy' of devs who will make them pay for something that doesn't have to be that expensive, kind of like wordpress templates.

Thanks for your time.

[adrianc1982]

"gfculley" wrote:
Thanks for your response,

I have looked for at least 2 hours yesterday and many more hours over the past few months.

I have seen the website you have mentioned but there is a lot to learn and the aforementioned solution is a basic channel BUT its not that nice looking...., In the entertainment business APPEARANCE ISN'T EVERYTHING...., ITS THE ONLY THING so I am willing to pay for a better looking GUI but not the big $$$ that developers are asking. I hope there is a nice in between price in the range that I can pay.

I think what I'm trying to get developers to understand here is that content developers would love to have a HBO-like channel look to place their content in and put it on Roku but the learning curve keeps them away and at the 'mercy' of devs who will make them pay for something that doesn't have to be that expensive, kind of like wordpress templates.

Thanks for your time.

Im not a contract developer so, im not justifing anything with what im about to tell you, but just think about this...

you are asking for a system that can read xml or json(bug free) that has ability to translate all your assets even if they are bad assets and not suited for the app and plaster them on screen. Also you would like a lot of costumization(thats more coding to do and manage) plus a navigation system you know if i click here i want to return back later to my main menu and for the app to remember things like username, password, which menus youve selected, plus a window with descriptions and a video player that works with my needs.

Ive done private channels and the amount of work you are asking is at least 15 days coding at an 8 hour rate(but hey maybe im a super slow and bad developer). And this channel is only to satisfy your needs every other client will want another set of needs with other kind of features. Sure code can be reutilized but it has to make sense and you have to debug it and adapt it, but for 200-300 dlls well maybe thats why you havent found someone yet.

Now the free templates that are already out there is a coder that decided to make life easier for you guys, sure its hard but at least you dont have to code... Youd like more features? well pay for a proper developer, youve invested a lot of time researching and that time costs, youve lost already money trying to make it yourself.

Now if presentation IS ALL there is well whatever a developer asks is money well spent since its what will bring food to your table, just remember that, you dont have anything is you dont have a platform to sell, and you really need the best platform if you want to make a return.

I didnt want to be rude and maybe my post sounds a little hard but i know what im talking about and you either dont know and im trying to enlighten you, or you do know this is expensive and are trying to see if theres a freelancer. But hey, maybe theres someone out there a younger developer without a family to feed and its willing to do the channel for the price of an xbox 360 🙂

[gfculley]

Now we are getting somewhere!!! I'm not offended in the least!

1.Thanks for your reply!

2. I don't think its hurts to ask, even if the question is stupid to others, this is how I learn.

3.I understand that people have to get paid a fair wage as I am an indie producer myself, but I do see lots of fantastic designs for wordpress templates online and was wondering if there was someone willing to offer up something they have already done, not code something from zero.

4. I have had more than one experience with coders who will say they can do whatever you are asking but it turns out the languages and experience they have is not suited for the project, and they don't tell you this.

5. To clarify, what I'm looking for is the same basic template as in the SDK but with nicer graphics in the bg. I mention the HBO channel because it looks pretty and that is all, not to make an exact clone of that channel for $200

6. Please correct me if I'm wrong but I don't think this is a coding project. I think the Photoshop file in the SDK is impossible to figure out.It gives me no indication of what to do with it and the layers are not separated in a way I can understand. I'm sure f someone (like you maybe) could set up that photoshop file so I knew the EXACT dimensions and resolution of the files needed to put in the pkg file then all would be well. Is that job worth $200? I would think someone who knows this info could do something in one day or less......,

Now its time to take a nap.

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[adrianc1982]

This is a forum, and im here to learn and help too! i dont charge for it, because i do it in my free time and i answer if i feel like it.

So you want answers, how about you point me to the exact file you are looking at, and then start asking 1 question at a time and I and everyone else can jump in and clarify things.

I warn you, if i find the answer online and you have to read 10 pages, i will point you there and you will do your homework even if i know the answer in two sentences, why? because i want you to see how much that answer costs to get there, you still dont know how much my coding time costs(i really do charge in gold the minute heheheh).

So i will answer everything but you will pay attention. So shoot, file, and 1 question only one i will debug you.

[gfculley]

Good!!!!..., GOOD!!!!

I will prepare my questions. i just have to finish up some other work tonight and tomorrow.

looking forward to this.

Wow, that basic channel looks worse the more I look at it. Even changing the background to black or a carbon fiber pattern would look better than what is there now.

Indecently, I do understand some basic aspects of code. I took a python course last year from Udacity but found it confusing. I am perplexed when I read how so called 'higher languages' are easier to learn...., easier than what? When you know 5 different languages learning n new high level language is relatively easy (like all these people talking about SWIFT the new one from apple) but NOT when you are starting from almost zero. Then I started listening to videos tutorials on assembly language (!) and it actually helped me to understand basics like the concept of LIFO, opcodes, and the whole 1to1 instruction-thing.

It's POPing off the stack now my friend !!

Many thanks for far!

[destruk]

I'd think if you learned a low level language like assembly then you could do just about anything you wanted no matter what you're presented with. 🙂

[gfculley]

"destruk" wrote:
I'd think if you learned a low level language like assembly then you could do just about anything you wanted no matter what you're presented with. 🙂

This is the theory but i will probably end up going with Learning the C language since many other languages are based on it. It's like a ' Rosetta stone' ....,

I appreciate and am amazed on how computers and coding works on the micro electronic level. I found a very simple CPU simulator that when you put in basic assembly commands you can actually see the circuit pathways and how the clock sends the pulse of power though the system like a heart and bloodstream.

The art of taking any task and turning it into an algorithm or thinking of how to use object languages to distill and describe it is amazing and when you start to think in those terms it can make other aspects of life a bit easier to understand too..., except taxes!!! Lol

So, I have a little more than a basic understanding of coding...,

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[adrianc1982]

good lets put it to use.

i think you only need a heads up on how things work here and youll be building your own channel pretty fast.

At first it seems hard, but once you know whats what its like reading a map.