Roku Developer Program

[rkazee2099]

Personally all I want a browser on my Roku box is so I can stop having to hook up my laptop to my HD TV with HDMI to surf to local channels like CBS,FOX, USA to catch weekly episodes of TV shows that I like. If this could be done then I would feel like Internet has arrived, and I know HULU plus is offered as a channel already but I can't stand HULU and why do I need a middleman to watch what I want for free with my laptop!!

That's my 2cs!

[manoflinux]

I agree web browser and generic upnp private channel are what roku needs.

[cableKutter]

"nlyt" wrote:
Is anyone working on a web browser for the Roku? GoogleTV will leap frog the Roku for this fact alone.

Here is a list of features that would make for an impressive web browser.
Bookmarking pages as a channel
Flash, JavaScript, HTML5 support

Anyone else have feature ideas?

No, not unless you want a web browser on your TV. Then you just might as well hook a computer up to your TV so you aren't limited by something like the slow processor speeds of the revue. I have both a Roku and a computer up to the TV in my living room. The Roku is easier and quicker to use, and I use the computer for stuff I can't yet get on the Roku and for playing Rift.

[manoflinux]

you dont get, you can use a web brower for doing thing besides browsing the web.
for instance viewing the web interface for vlc or the web interface for your router.

[gonzotek]

"manoflinux" wrote:
you dont get, you can use a web brower for doing thing besides browsing the web.
for instance viewing the web interface for vlc or the web interface for your router.

Well, yes. But both of those examples are a little bit silly to 'need' to do, when put in the context of using the Roku to do them. VLC is a streaming media player. Roku is a streaming media player. VLC has lots of other great functionality, including its transcoding capabilities, but operating all of that through a web browser ported to the Roku, with its basic remote control system just doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me. Better to build a native Roku app, that can make calls to VLC, but will present content and options to the user in a more natural Roku-style. See 10-ft user interfaces. And in general, that's why many popular websites would perform poorly, given the processing power and control options available in a Roku. They just weren't designed with such an interface in mind.

For a router, either it needs to be configured to work with the Roku, or it already is working, and some other change needs to be made for some other device. If it's the former, then the Roku would be useless for the task. If it's the latter, then the Roku (if it had a browser) might be of some limited use(it's not like it's ever going to be able to upload firmware or download logs). But users who purchase a Roku are expected to already have a home network in place, which means there's probably another device with a proper browser available that was used to set up the network in the first place and would be more appropriate for the job of managing the router.

The Roku isn't a general purpose device and just won't ever be one. We technical folk can shoehorn in all kinds of functionality that it wasn't really intended to do, but doing that in a way that makes the resulting feature broadly compelling to a majority of potential users is another thing altogether.

[manoflinux]

regardless if you think my use for a web browser is silly doesn't change my need for it.
a very simple web browser would be very handy. I am sorry you cant see that.

[jbrave]

What the roku needs is a native HTML parser. This would extend the ability of channel developers to grab information from a web page, and, if anyone wanted to create a simple browser, they could. Also needs a native JSON parser, but that is for another thread.

[wgshiver]

I think it would be nice because I have developed a digital signage application that runs on a web browser. I would love to be able to set up a channel to just choose my digital signage content and have it play. I can hook a computer up to the tv, which is what I have been doing, but with the $60 roku player it would be much cheaper. Just a thought.

[manoflinux]

"jbrave" wrote:
What the roku needs is a native HTML parser. This would extend the ability of channel developers to grab information from a web page, and, if anyone wanted to create a simple browser, they could. Also needs a native JSON parser, but that is for another thread.

it parses XML already so JSON should be really easy. I agree, this is the first step.

[cableKutter]

"manoflinux" wrote:
you dont get, you can use a web brower for doing thing besides browsing the web.
for instance viewing the web interface for vlc or the web interface for your router.

Or you can turn on a computer