Roku Developer Program

[Fran_3]

After a long wait we are finally about to get started putting up a new Roku Channel and have downloaded the SDK and a bunch of PDF doc's.
- Streaming Player Design Guidelines v4.1
- Streaming Player Developer Guide v4.1
- Roku BrightScript Reference for sw ver 1.1.28 and 1.1.20
- BrightScript 2 Reference - Jan 9, 2009
- Streaming Player Component Reference v2.8

Sorry for all the questions but hopefully some kind soul will give us a quick start... we unpack the Roku box tomorrow and hookup and hopefully can get underway quickly...

Here are The Questions:
1 - Anything other doc's to download?
2 - As we want to get hooked up and see a sample app and then get coding quick... what to read first?
3 - What is the physical hookup? I didn't see a "block diagram" that showed what to hook to what to get started coding and debugging
3.1 - Do we just connect the PC to the Roku Box and the Roku Box to a TV... or can we use the development computer screen... or another LCD monitor for the Roku Video during the development cycle?
4 - When I look in the folder RokuSDK_v41\examples\source my eyes roll back in my head... which one of these samples is the code to make this work?
5 - How does it all work? We will be streaming 24/7 from our location to a CDN...
5a - is the code we will write sorta like a web page that will be put on the Roku server, downloaded to the client's Roku Box when they enter our Channel number... and "Interpreted" by the Roku "browser" in the clients Roku box?
5b - Or is brightscript sorta like a special server side language... that is put on on the Roku server... and when a client with a Roku box enters the special channel number... the Roku server executes the server side script and then sends the Roku box the client side version of the "web" page code?
5c - Then the user uses their remote control like a keyboard/mouse to select whatever from the menu's that are displayed...
5d - Resulting in our video stream then appearing on their TV?
6 - Can we deliver Real-Time "Live" video AND/OR On Demand video?

Thanks again for any help.

[Trevor]

Hello, just got started myself with programming a channel a few weeks ago so I'll do my best to answer the questions.

1 - Anything other doc's to download?

I don't think there are any others, in the SDK that you downloaded there's more under the documents folders.

2 - As we want to get hooked up and see a sample app and then get coding quick... what to read first?

Sounds like you're pretty new to the whole Roku experience so I'd suggest messing around with it for a few hours or a day to see what others have done and how the interface works. I'd start my reading with DeveloperGuide.pdf.

3 - What is the physical hookup? I didn't see a "block diagram" that showed what to hook to what to get started coding and debugging
3.1 - Do we just connect the PC to the Roku Box and the Roku Box to a TV... or can we use the development computer screen... or another LCD monitor for the Roku Video during the development cycle?

See page 15 of DeveloperGuide.pdf

4 - When I look in the folder RokuSDK_v41\examples\source my eyes roll back in my head... which one of these samples is the code to make this work?

Those are all different examples of what the Roku can do - music/graphics/video/games. You got to pick them apart and see what comes closest to what you want, or learn from them and start from scratch.

5 - How does it all work? We will be streaming 24/7 from our location to a CDN...
5a - is the code we will write sorta like a web page that will be put on the Roku server, downloaded to the client's Roku Box when they enter our Channel number... and "Interpreted" by the Roku "browser" in the clients Roku box?
5b - Or is brightscript sorta like a special server side language... that is put on on the Roku server... and when a client with a Roku box enters the special channel number... the Roku server executes the server side script and then sends the Roku box the client side version of the "web" page code?
5c - Then the user uses their remote control like a keyboard/mouse to select whatever from the menu's that are displayed...
5d - Resulting in our video stream then appearing on their TV?

The channel is written in BrightScript and then compiled to byte code which is then installed on the Roku (compiled by the Roku box as well), there are public and private channels which are explained in DeveloperGuide.pdf BrightScript is sort of a Basic like language, it's not too difficult but with anything new you may have to refer to the documentation for stuff.

6 - Can we deliver Real-Time "Live" video AND/OR On Demand video?

Sure. Really any kind of streaming video would be on demand since the user can watch it whenever they like. There are real-time feeds on other channels so it's possible.