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Roku Finally Gets a 2D Menu System
DeviceGuru writes "Many of us have griped for years about Roku's retro one-dimensional user interface. Finally, in conjunction with the release of the new Roku 3 model, the Linux-based media streaming player is getting a two-dimensional facelift, making it quicker and easier to access favorite channels and find new ones. Current Roku users, who will now begin suffering from UI-envy, will be glad to learn that Roku plans to push out a firmware update next month to many earlier models, including the Roku LT, Roku HD (model 2500R), Roku 2 HD, Roku 2 XD, Roku 2 XS, and Roku Streaming Stick. A short demo of the new 2D Roku menu system is available in this YouTube video."
I believe we already crashed linuxgizmos.com because it's incredibly slow.
It's only been four minutes!
Sadly, although the new Roku has the new interface and a fast CPU, it's lost a lot of the connectivity that made the original Roku such a great device; the optical audio is gone, and so is the component video. The 3 is composite video + analog audio, or HDMI+audio, or nothing. I made great use of that connectivity with a high end, but older, Denon receiver for one unit, and a toshiba flatscreen 720p CRT display. Both still work perfectly, but will have to stay with the original roku, which is very slow. So no new interface for me, sigh.
I'm thinking there's still a lot of similar hardware out there, too.
I've fallen off your lawn, and I can't get up.
Did it look like this? ---
As the link has been Slashdotted, I am left with my imagination boggling as to what the one-dimensional interface looked like.
I am thinking in terms of a thermometer-type slider, like those 1960's radio tuners; am I right? But with no room even for markings by the side, just a thin line that changes colour as you slide?
there is no such thing as a 1D interface.
I'm sure both Roku users are happy, but for the rest of us - how about a link to e.g. the project's website next time?
Like this. Roku.com
You could spend some money on an HDMI switch with TOSLink optical output to keep your receiver viable for a bit longer. I've bought one several years ago, and it's currently feeding my Logitech desktop surround system.
Welcome to my world. I have a second generation (before the HDs, but latter than the very first). Optical and 5 Ghz. One thing other than the new interface is that some apps will not even show up for my generation, like the TWC app. So if I want that I'm relegated to buying a new unit anyway.
I use one all the time. It's called the command line. I have no problems with it!
You never know what is enough unless you know what is more than enough. - Blake
I started comparing the Boxee Box and the Roku *after* I bought the Boxee Box and almost every review had the Roku either barely beating or slaughtering the Boxee Box. Now I come to find out that Roku is about to get the menu system that the Boxee Box has had as long as I've had it -- going on 3 or 4 years, and the Boxee Box has almost everything I need. I can't stream PBS Frontline shows currently, but that's about it in terms of how I use it. If I had tossed the Boxee Box years ago for the singular horizontal menu, I'd have been pretty pissed.
If you can only scroll up and down, through a long list, that's one dimension. Think single line LCD display. Compare to a standard desktop, where you can move the mouse up and down, or left and right (2D). Tbe display is 2D obviously, but if the navihation is just up-arrow and down-arrow, that's one dimensional navigation.
Yes, actually it did look like this - - - - -
And now, it looks like this:
- - - - -
- - - - -
Where each - represents an icon. Notice how the icons may be addressed by a single value, or a single dimension. Now, they are addressed by two values - sometimes known as 2 dimensions.
I'm guessing that you're the guy who, when he walks into a lab with lots of critical equipment and the lab manager says "don't touch anything," you are the one who asks "Can I touch the air? Can I touch the floor?" Grow the fuck up.
Is it just my observation, or are there way too many stupid people in the world?
So, will we still get adds for the PPV fight as the first 5 items in the list on the TV in the toddler's playroom? That's why I ditched the Roku to begin with - the first screen of items was stuff I didn't want, and couldn't rearrange. Maybe now I only have to scroll through one 2D page of ads instead of three screens of useless icons?
Is it just my observation, or are there way too many stupid people in the world?
Just started getting into Roku programming in the last month, and I kind of like the ifPosterScreen's "arc-landscape" 1-D metaphor — for small numbers of objects, it's easier to see the selection when it's placed front and center (as a result of your right-left arrowing) than to just put a little highlight box around it like AppleTV does. CoverFlow does nothing for me on iOS or (especially) Mac, but on Roku it seemed to work pretty nicely.
And it's not like this is the only menuing system available on the Roku SDK. Many apps with a large amount of content -- your Netflixes and Crunchyrolls and what have you -- use a 2D grid of horizontally scrolling lists. I think this is the ifGridScreen, but I haven't used it myself yet, so I'm not sure.
Anyways, this didn't seem like something that desperately needed to change, but I assume they know what they're doing. Roku's picking up steam and they're going to be fine. Would be nice if there were a real YouTube app for it, but I suppose we can't have that until Google gives up on the GoogleTV fiasco.
My question is this. Netflix will not support Linux. They simply stonewall from what I can gather. Of course you can get it running in Wine, hell you could probably even get it running in an Android emulator.
The Roku however runs Linux and handles Netflix, TV's that run Linux internally handle Netflix. How does they accomplish this? Closed source code certainly, but Netflix is just a streaming service.
If you were trying to build a 'renegade' Netflix app for Linux, where does the problem lie? In convincing their end that you are a valid and authenticated client? Is this information sent encrypted? Surely the user info is, but that can all be done via the browser with a faked User Agent and all should be good. Or, does the problem lie on the other end in decoding the streaming video? Does Netflix use some proprietary compression or streaming protocol?
Any Netflix engineers/managers should be paying attention here. While it is beyond my skill, eventually someone will crack this problem.
You have a great business model, and people have proven willing to pay the subscription fee for streaming and not pirate. I already pay it and watch on my tablet and via windows.
Many here probably do as well. Just make a Linux client, browser based or otherwise. We won't be stealing your service any more than the asshats on Tor trading stolen/hacked accounts so they can watch on a valid client.
For me, I do not want a Roku. I have a custom HTPC/ media server in the closet in my living room. It does quite a few nice things. However, I want to ditch my windows license on it, rebuild it in Linux and Netflix is the main reason that I cannot.
Silence is a state of mime.
Now if Roku would just accept/publish a standard so my universal remote - that controls EVERYTHING else in my a/v cabinet - can also take over from the forlorn little retarded Roku remote that I daren't possibly lose.*
*ok that's an exaggeration, I found an app for my android that lets me control it in a pinch, or when I want to piss off whoever's watching TV. I do wish it had a "here's what's being watched" scroll though.
-Styopa
Not sure what remote you're using, but my Harmony works fine. If it's not in the database can you have your universal remote learn from the Roku remote?
We have a a semi-old Roku box. It generally works great, but I've noticed half the time their "updates" break things horribly and we have to wait for another "update" to fix whatever they broke.
Still, if it works, I'll be happy enough. It is a pretty mediocre UI at the moment.
Is it still smeared all over with Advertisements? It's the one reason I left the Roku for the apple TV. Roku was great until they got greedy and started slathering the thing in adverts.
Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
I'm just dreaming, but I hope they get Google Play support with this.
1D is a line. 2D is a plane.
and you can only move in a line, not all around a plane.
You'd be better off with high quality analog outputs. TOSLink is limited 2 channels, so any conversion with more channels (assuming the Roku even supports that) requires some sort of encoding scheme and a loss of quality.
Settle down, Francis, he was joking.
Too bad the mods couldn't get past your first few lines.
is for Roku to go back to allowing you to access Netflix without having an account with Roku. When I bought my Roku years and years ago I just wanted a simple Netflix streaming device. Recently I was forced to do a hard reset and firmware update and now they require you to have an account with Roku and the account is tied to an email address and if you don't jump through hoops a credit card as well. Just what I need another company to track my viewing habits :(
Is that where you set two IDE hard drives both to Master and see which one wins?
Two Drives Enter! One Drive Leaves!
I'm guessing that most of the usage would be streaming encoded Dolby Digital which is typically 5.1. For instance, if I'm watching a recent movie on Netflix, it will likely have a Dolby Digital track. It's true that the original TOSLink (S/PIDF) spec only allowed for stereo PCM, but a hack was added a long time ago to allow DTS and Dolby Digital. Now, you can't get Dolby Master Audio or DTS HD over TOSLink, but that isn't a big deal when it comes to streaming video services, and will go a long way towards keeping an older receiver that doesn't have HDMI viable.