Roku Developer Program

[EnTerr]

Here is another observation (and my main beef with 5.2 firmware): when ECP starting channels (/launch/xxx), it takes absurdly long time for the http service to return status. It is now ~100 (hundred) times slower, as compared to previous firmwares (5.1, 3.1).

I did multiple tests and on different players, mostly starting Netflix/Pandora/Amazon channels - and here is how things look, time it takes a http call:

• 60-80 ms on 3.1.1182 @2050 (short notation "firmware" @ "model number")


• 20-50 ms on 5.1.1195 @2400


• 20-30 ms on 5.1.1241 @4200


• 2500-5000 ms on 5.2.3223 @3100

For the previous firmwares, response time is comparable to packet jitter in the network. In 5.2 though, the speed is glacial as if the web server were rewritten in brainfuck. Either there is some semantic change in ECP or something is wrong.

Why is this a concern: a remote control app has to be interactive, has to be responsive to human interaction - freezing the UI to wait 3-5 seconds doesn't cut it. The new behavior of 5.2.3223 causes NSURLConnection to time out in my app and pops error message on screen.

[RokuJoel]

I've filed a bug based on your postings.

- Joel

[EnTerr]

"RokuJoel" wrote:
I've filed a bug based on your postings.

Make that two separate bugs, please. They are separate - #2 is about slowness in /launch, #1 is about error on re-launch. One might be fixed, one might be "works as intended" and bug trackers are transactional in nature - either have to fix or reject per item.

[RokuJoel]

Ok, I'll file one on that issue as well.

- Joel

[RokuJoel]

By the way, EnTerr, sometimes I do shoot from the hip, sorry about that, will avoid doing so in the future.

Joel

[RokuJoel]

Hi EnTerr,

Engineering has reproduced the issue:

"The response seems to correspond to the end of the splash screen. It appears it is now waiting until launch finishes where before it was just returning immediately regardless of what happened."

"Our recommendation is for the developer not to do a synchronous wait for response in the UI thread in their iOS app (NSURLConnection does support async requests, which would also properly handle other network errors). The timeout for NSURLConnection is also a configurable parameter."

This issue will not be fixed in the upcoming 5.2 rollout.

- Joel

[EnTerr]

"RokuJoel" wrote:
Hi EnTerr,
Engineering has reproduced the issue:
[...]
This issue will not be fixed in the upcoming 5.2 rollout.
- Joel

Can we commit on fixing it? Maybe in 5.3?
fw5.2 rolled out last week and i already received first email complaint and first bad review.

[EnTerr]

Strangely, i am not getting response from private messages to RokuJoel. Isn't forum supposed to flag him of unread messages or did i send wrongly, i am not 100% of my operating abilities in the forum. Here are copies:

"EnTerr" wrote:

Re: Tracking issues - is there URL?
Sent: Tue Nov 26, 2013 2:02 pm
From: EnTerr
To: RokuJoel

"RokuJoel" wrote:
No, we don't have a public tracking system in place, there was a plan in progress to do so last year, but it didn't completely happen (1/2 of the project, moving our SDK docs to Confluence did happen) . I'll let you know when I know if there has been any progress, or you can ping me in a week or so, and I'll see if we can jump start the public bug project again.
- Joel

The SDK as published now seems a good thing, since can click a link to see latest changes. Regarding public bug tracker, dev forum can be ok as long as somebody can regularly carry water back and forth to the inner tracker.

Speaking of which, what's the status of this issue, have not heard on it (should've been separate item): viewtopic.php?f=34&t=63977#p411385
namely the "#1:ECP starting a started channel kicks "503 service unavailable"
?

"EnTerr" wrote:

Bump! Waiting for answer
Sent: Thu Dec 12, 2013 12:37 pm
From: EnTerr
To: RokuJoel

BUMP, Joel.
Waiting for answer, from ucp.php?i=pm&mode=view&f=-1&p=70514
"Speaking of which, what's the status of this issue, have not heard on it (should've been separate item): viewtopic.php?f=34&t=63977#p411385
namely the "#1:ECP starting a started channel kicks "503 service unavailable"
?"

In any event i am waiting 3 weeks now, someone who does dev.support please reply.

[TheEndless]

"EnTerr" wrote:
Strangely, i am not getting response from private messages to RokuJoel. Isn't forum supposed to flag there are unread messages or did i send wrongly, i am not 100% of my operating abilities in the forum.

Messages will stay in your "outbox" (ucp.php?i=pm&folder=outbox) until they are read, so if they're still in there, he hasn't seen them, yet.

[EnTerr]

"TheEndless" wrote:
Messages will stay in your "outbox" (ucp.php?i=pm&folder=outbox) until they are read, so if they're still in there, he hasn't seen them, yet.

No, they are not in Outbox - but i was wondering what the meaning of said folder is.
Thanks for the pro tip!