Roku Developer Program

[scan]

i ask because the list of channels are so suckey compared to playon.

[renojim]

Comparing Roku to PlayOn is like comparing prices on Amazon to uTorrent. PlayOn's legality is questionable at best.

-JT

[scan]

point taken, but i hear everyone talking about ditching cable etc, but roku seems like there going to eventually nickel and dime people with these "premium channels" think i might return mine.

[renojim]

Sounds like the box may not be all you expected, but you really can't blame Roku. The people that own the content are going to charge for it. There really is no such thing as a free lunch, legally that is.

-JT

[jbrave]

Roku makes a box. Developers make channels and content providers provide content. Plenty of free content on the box & it isnt Roku charging for premium stuff, it costs thousands of dollars per month to stream HD video to more than a few people. Content has to be licensed so filmmakers, actors, the composer(s) and all the folks you see when the credits roll get payed. Content providers have to get paid somehow to pay for all that. Those of us who spend weeks or months writing roku channels like to get paid for our work if at all possible.

Hopefully this gives you a better idea of how things work!

-Joel

[RyanMarquiste]

"scan" wrote:
point taken, but i hear everyone talking about ditching cable etc, but roku seems like there going to eventually nickel and dime people with these "premium channels" think i might return mine.

Let me provide my perspective here.

If I purchase cable I have to pay for all the channels in a tier. I don't really get a choice of which channels I pay for, the money gets passed out by the cable company.

On Roku, I have the option to pick the channels I'm interested in and only pay for those channels. That could be through subscription fees (like Netflix) or through premium channel costs. I feel satisfied with this because I'm getting exactly what I pay for and know I will make use of it. If I ever grow disinterested, I can cancel subscriptions a la carte and keep what I do use. Think about how much you pay for Tier 1 cable and how many channels you could purchase for the same cost.

Many of the premium channels are also likely to have free previews, allowing you to test out the content and the channel functionality before you decide to make that purchase. This, in my opinion, is a HUGE advantage over many other solutions.

[BoloMKXXVIII]

"RyanMarquiste" wrote:

"scan" wrote:
point taken, but i hear everyone talking about ditching cable etc, but roku seems like there going to eventually nickel and dime people with these "premium channels" think i might return mine.

Let me provide my perspective here.

If I purchase cable I have to pay for all the channels in a tier. I don't really get a choice of which channels I pay for, the money gets passed out by the cable company.

On Roku, I have the option to pick the channels I'm interested in and only pay for those channels. That could be through subscription fees (like Netflix) or through premium channel costs. I feel satisfied with this because I'm getting exactly what I pay for and know I will make use of it. If I ever grow disinterested, I can cancel subscriptions a la carte and keep what I do use. Think about how much you pay for Tier 1 cable and how many channels you could purchase for the same cost.

Many of the premium channels are also likely to have free previews, allowing you to test out the content and the channel functionality before you decide to make that purchase. This, in my opinion, is a HUGE advantage over many other solutions.

Well said. Cable spreads out the most watched channels across several packages so you end up paying for a lot of content you do not want and will not watch in order to get the channels you want. Roku is exactly the opposite. YOU decide each and every channel to add. Many are truly free or ad supported. When over at my girlfriend's house it is frustrating to have to hunt through 2,000 channels to find something I want to watch. With my Roku, every channel installed has content I want to see.

[stratcat96]

"scan" wrote:
point taken, but i hear everyone talking about ditching cable etc, but roku seems like there going to eventually nickel and dime people with these "premium channels" think i might return mine.

Even if you love what Playon steals, you still need something connected to your TV to watch it..