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."

Comments

Roku 3

[fyngyrz]

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.

Re:Roku 3

[garcia]

So buy an old one. I have both an old and a new Roku (the new one was $50 on sale around Christmas and we plan to use it at our vacation home).

I mean, do you really expect them to support devices which few people use anymore? I didn't have a HDTV until a few months ago but most people haven't had a need for component input for a VERY long time.

Are companies really supposed to support dying technologies just to make a handful of geeks happy? The device is tiny and cheap as it is, continuing to hold out on these old technologies drops the ability to have support for other things people want.

Move along, nothing to see here.

One-dimensional Interface?

[degeneratemonkey]

Did it look like this? ---

Re:One-dimensional Interface?

[Jarik C-Bol]

It took me a while, but I finally figured out what the hell he meant by '2 Dimensional' It seems that the original Roku interface was a lot like the 'Photo Stream' or 'Album Stream' in apple products. Scroll left or right, and it pages through 200 channels. Now, its more like the Xbox home screen, with several channels displayed per page, in a block, and you can navigate up down left and right in that page.

Its still a retarded way to describe the problem.

Re:One-dimensional Interface?

[Tarlus]

It would have been better described as an interface with one-dimensional navigation. If you think about it, a lot of UI's could be described this way. Throwing in that extra dimension so that items could be laid out into a grid instead of a line makes it quicker to navigate through a long list of items.

Maybe you need an HDMI switch with TOSLink?

[glennrrr]

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.

One-dimensional user interface

[Sesostris III]

I use one all the time. It's called the command line. I have no problems with it!

Re:One-dimensional user interface

[Anonymous Coward]

How are you able to see the letters if they have width but no height or depth?

If you can only move in one dimension, like LCD

[raymorris]

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.

It's no wonder geeks get shit all the time

[Overzeetop]

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.

Re:One Dimensional ????

[poetmatt]

beyond humor, the current roku setup is exactly like above posts had mentioned:

--------------

that is your menu. you scroll left to right, and that's it. It functions and you can rearrange things, but roku is really set up like that.

Thankfully Plex on roku has a better interface than roku, I suppose you can call it a 2 dimension interface as you have horizontal and vertical aspects, better arranged.I would never even use a roku if it wasn't for plex.

Now if they could just publish a STANDARD

[argStyopa]

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.

Re:Now if they could just publish a STANDARD

[uncanny]

I think some ROKU's remotes operate over RF , not IR. Most universal remotes dont do RF

Re:Menu 'dimensioniality' aside

[omnichad]

Is that where you set two IDE hard drives both to Master and see which one wins?

harmony remote works fine with roku

[Chirs]

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?

Re:I believe we already crashed linuxgizmos.com

[Tarlus]

It's running off of a Roku.

TOSLink is only 2 channels

[bigtrike]

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.

Re:Biggest question...

[bill_mcgonigle]

Mine has one banner ad at the bottom of the Roku main menu which advertises some show or service from one of the channels. Is that what you mean by slathering and smearing, or do you get something different?