Roku Set-Top Box Gets A/V Aggregation Service

DeviceGuru writes "Mediafly's A/V podcast aggregation service will be added to Roku's $100 digital video player set-top box this fall, the companies report. This puts the companies on a path to compete directly with Hulu.com. According to Mediafly, its service will provide free access to 'tens of thousands of audio and video podcasts' from NBC, CNN, ESPN, Comedy Central, and other sources. Roku VP Jim Funk notes that Mediafly is using a new Roku Developer Kit to ease the task of developing its add-on for the Roku box. Surely the cable companies are reading the writing on the wall!"

Comments

I would hardly call that Hulu competition.

[FlyingSquidStudios]

Hulu has shows like The Simpsons, The Office and The Daily Show. Mediafly has things like 'highlights' from Hardball with Chris Matthews and third-rate stand-up comedians. The fact that Dennis Miller is second from the top in their comedy selection shows how far they're stretching for content.

Don't get me wrong, I love my Roku box- $100 for the device and $9 a month for a Netflix account is cheaper than cable- but I doubt I'll be using this part of the service.

Re:I would hardly call that Hulu competition.

[Rude Turnip]

If their podcast directory includes online-only networks like Revision3, this will be huge. Going to their site, I see they have Diggnation and other Revision3 shows. Diggnation has a huge following. There's a lot of good, original programing on Next New Networks as well as ON Networks. I ignore all the breadcrumbs that the larger commercial networks pass off as podcasts.

Re:I would hardly call that Hulu competition.

[ironwill96]

I'm surprised that nobody has mentioned the PlayOn software that i've been using for the past year. It only cost me $30 and as long as you already own some sort of game console (360 and PS3 are supported now, Wii support coming soon) it is a better solution than the Roku box.

You run the PlayOn software on your machine and it transcodes internet streams into a format your console can recognize as a media server over your home network. I can watch things from Hulu, CBS, ESPN, Netflix, Youtube, and Amazon VOD. I can also watch movies or listen to music stored on my computer's hard drive itself. This lets me easily watch Hulu on my 50" HDTV instead of at my computer monitor.

The last few updates have vastly improved the reliability of the streams and you have the ability to pause, fast forward and rewind streams. The ads on Hulu are still included and PlayOn pretends to be a browser so I think that is why Hulu hasn't gone after them yet to stop the streaming. Hulu only does 1 ad per commercial break though (so far) so it isn't very annoying at all.

Re:I would hardly call that Hulu competition.

[Rude Turnip]

I've got 2 PlayOn licenses for 2 houses; it is a lifesaver because it pretty much kills cable for me (along with Netflix and video podcasts). Make sure you check out playonplugins.com to download more stream plugins. I've got Adult Swim, HGTV and a few other networks added. Not my thing, but you can also download plugins for pr0n from RedTube. The newest version of PlayOn lets you stream local files saved on your computer.

Just a feature not a killer

[jalvear]

Yes I'm sure cable companies are worried about a provider like Roku that needs a broadband connection which just added support for podcasts that no one listens to. Nice feature but hardly a cable killer.

Doesn't this already exist?

[Minwee]

If it's an "Audio / Video Aggravation Service", isn't it directly competing with offerings like Fox News?

I don't see how they can possibly compete with that level of aggravation. Now that I have figured out it's not all a joke, just watching that makes my eyes bleed.

Cable companies arn't afraid of this.

[nloop]

Grandpa doesn't use the internet for the internet, he's not going to use it for his TV! This is going to fall into the realm of torrents and text messages, generational.

That and their content is pretty lame.

It is about time!

[wdhowellsr]

I was Roku buyer number 247 and can tell you that without question this is the most in demand device in our family. Netflix offers over ten-thousand videos for free and Amazon offers another five or ten-thousand for rental or purchase.

I've been a slashdotter for a very long time so I'm not some slacky for Dish, Roku or anyone else but I can tell you that if I can have a Roku on each TV in my house and have the ability to watch what I want when I want in HD for free I'm sold.

The resolution of the picture when connected to a decent broadband source is very good. The downside is that all of the providers will give you free access in exchange for forced commercials. I've got no problem with that and hope than one day soon we can watch any content, including new movies, for free with the understanding that we will be required to watch commercials.

There is nothing more beautiful than telling my seven and ten year old to go on Roku so Mom and I can have some "Private Time". It works every time.

Snowballing Hopefully.

[TonyDanzaBot2000]

I dunno if the roku player will actually play towards eliminating the cable television industry but hopefully this device and others services of its ilk will force some changes to the draconian 4 tier system. I refrain from subscribing to cable tv simply because I don't want to support 90% of the programming I'd be purchasing. If I could choose an a la carte type plan that allowed me to buy the channels I actually watch instead of paying for lifetime, MTV, and Fox News; I'd happily pay for it. Until then Hulu can keep me pretty entertained, network news is free, and watching sports gives me an excuse to go to the pub.