Roku Moves On To The Next Level

   As a Roku enthusiast, I am always excited about any new updates and/or news from them. As such, it was great to see this January 5th entry on the Roku blog. 

   There has been some negative chatter regarding this announcement - primarily aimed at Smart TVs in general. Most people gripe about how many Smart TVs can only operate using the OS installed on them with no other or very limited inputs allowed. So these people argue that they feel it's better to simply purchase a "dumb" TV and hook up any external devices they want while still maintaining normal TV functionality. However, I personally like to take the "wait and see" approach to any new tech such as this. Maybe Roku has listened to some of this negative chatter and will take these concerns to the designers and manufacturers of the new sets. 

   Be sure to check out the full announcement, and feel free to share what you think about this move by Roku.

Roku Channel Review - PlayOn

 
 In The Truth About Cutting The Cord – Part 3: Suggested Software, I explained - "One final server I will mention that you may want to download onto your dedicated PC to access via your Roku is called PlayOn. But, I only want to MENTION it and not necessarily SUGGEST it.http://www.playon.tv/playon

 The reason being is that as of date, I have not found PlayOn to be living up to the claims found on their website. Many of the “live” channels they claim to have simply don’t work, or are in fact NOT “live” at all. In fact, the only “live” channel I can get to work on it is HBO Comedy This in itself may be worth it to you (I paid the $24.99 per year fee – may drop it at the end of the term). But hey – that’s YOUR call!"

   Sad to say, my view of PlayOn has not changed months later. In all fairness, I've tried to give PlayOn a fighting chance - I truly have. But the fact that most of the "channels" that PlayOn offers tend to return errors, or only contain clips of shows under folders marked "Full Episodes", really makes it pretty much impossible to recommend.

   The idea behind PlayOn (and what sells it) is that it aggregates live channel streams into one. Unfortunately this is inconsistent at best, more often simply non-existent. On the occasion that I have gotten a live stream to work (as mentioned above, I seem to have the best luck with HBO Comedy), I was left with the feeling that the stream was coming from some 12-year-old kid who figured out how to live stream his parent's cable - this after waiting for about 5 minutes for the stream to actually load. This lack of true content alone is horrible to say the least because the channel line up that PlayOn presents on the main screen is quite impressive - from your typical CBS stations all the way up to the NFL Network.

   Want to add more channels? PlayOn's website offers a list of official channels, as well as it's own underbelly of channels created by freelance developers. Again, this approach is somewhat awesome. But the fact of the matter is that many of these developers create a PlayOn channel, stream to it or maintain the link for the respective channel's stream for a while, and the channel eventually becomes useless (which usually means they simply get sick of maintaining the channel).

   On the bright side, the PlayOn Server itself is actually very well developed. PlayOn is upfront about system requirements - I'm impressed by the fact that they basically flat out tell you that if you don't have at least a dual-core processor, don't even bother. Adding channels is a breeze - even those developer community created channels. The server interface is clutter free and intuitive, with tabbed categories that make sense. But sadly a great server is for not without being the great tool it claims to be.

   I will also give PlayOn credit for continuing to try to develop and evolve - with added features like Play Mark, Play Later, and the recent addition of HD. However, PlayOn team, what good are all the bells and whistles if the train itself isn't even moving?

Roku Channel Review - AOL On

   There was a time when AOL seemed to rule the internet. In fact, from time to time, I still hear the old familiar notification "You've got mail" from someone. And who hasn't seen at least a joke or two about those good old FREE TRIAL CDs that AOL used to send to us in the mail almost weekly back in the '90s? (Tech Crunch posted an article about how much the company spent on sending those out. It's here for your reading pleasure!).

   I personally don't have anything good or bad to say about AOL as a company or service because I quite frankly never used anything of theirs that I can recall. But I always knew about them - they just seemed to always "be there". And then, not so much. From time to time, I would read an article in which AOL would be mentioned, and I would actually be surprised to hear the name.


   Then their Roku channel was announced - On.

   In order to correctly review this Roku channel, I think it's only fair to AOL to explain what On actually is - it's a network of content, from Tech Crunch, to Huffpost Live and Moviefone. AOL has been busy expanding this network of content, and I for one applaud their effort. I think this is definitely a great direction they have chosen to take, and they even have On apps for both Android and IOS devices.

   On's Roku channel home screen is a familiar grid layout broken into the usual categories - news, entertainment, tech, etc. Navigation is simple and familiar as well - simply choose your story of interest and play starts. And that, for me, is where the trouble starts. Upon launch of a news story or two it becomes immediately clear what the AOL On channel for Roku is - an online news video aggregator. For some, this may not be an issue because On truly is grabbing stories from multiple sources - primarily Newsy, Huffpost and Tech Crunch. However, the issue I have found is that with some clips I actually only got a partial report that ended with "for more, visit [insert news website].com". This, to say the least, is extremely annoying especially when you're engrossed in a story, only to be told to go to your computer to visit a website to see the rest. If I wanted to do that I would have already been at my computer, after all.

   And then there are the commercials. I understand that ad revenue is the best way for companies to develop and provide their streaming channels for free, but considering the afore mentioned partial clip situation, throwing in commercials only feels like salt in the wound.

   Lastly, there is the issue of the actual content that On is delivering. On grabs a huge percentage of its content from Huffpost (which actually makes sense, seeing as they own it), which puts an obviously huge slant on much of the reporting. While researching for this entry, I found several other reviewers voice this same concern, as well as a couple On mobile app users say the same. Having a slant isn't something I'm necessarily criticizing AOL for. After all, the "big guys" like Fox and NBC do so as well with their streaming channels. But with On seemingly attempting to position itself as a true, all around news aggregator, having such a slant quickly makes that position null and void. 

Tonight on HuffPost Live, Ahmed Shihab-Eldin phonetically pronounced the River Thames as "thames".

  In the end, I can recommend AOL On if you enjoy primarily Huffpost and Tech Crunch content, though the more special interest type categories such as Food, Travel and Autos offer a bit more variety.The commercials aren't a huge negative factor, especially in today's world where they are pretty much everywhere anyway. But the partial clips can get really aggravating. 

   Have you checked out AOL On? Please share your thoughts in the comments!

Don't Panic. It's Just GMail

   First came the controversial changes to YouTube, and now this. If you use GMail, you received a notification in which Big G informed you of a new feature called Email via Google+. This new feature allows anyone with a Google+ account to send messages to your GMail inbox, regardless if they have your email address or not. And like the Great YouTube Comments Controversy of 2013, this too has caused quite an uproar. I've seen countless posts from angry people - some even threatening to delete their GMail accounts and abandoning anything Google related.

   But, like most anything else, there is a simple solution. That's right folks - you can disable this feature.

Simply do this -

1. Go to Gmail in your web browser and log in to your account.

2. Click on the gear icon on the right and select "Settings".

3. The screen will open under the "General" tab. Scroll down a bit and you will find "Emial via Google+"

4. Select the drop-down. There you will see multiple choices (from your circles only to no one).

5. To disable this feature, simply select "No One" from the drop down.

6. Scroll all the way to the bottom of the screen and click "Save Changes".

   And, that's it! No need to panic - simply disable this feature if this isn't something you want, and you're back to business as usual.

Roku Channel Review - Newsy

   When making the decision to Cut The Cord, one concern that you may have (as did I) is staying informed. Local news outlets are generally easy to stay connected with by way of a variety of HD Antennas, but what about national or international news?

   For the most part, many of the major players - Fox, NBC, CBS, etc. - have Roku News channels. But these channels are specific to their reporting only. This is fine and all if you're the type who tends to stick with one news outlet only as your trusted source of information. But if you're like me, you may want something that's a little broader in scope that offers different angles from multiple sources. For that approach to the news, I personally like Newsy.

   Newsy is a multi-source video news service that analyzes world news and produces 2-to 3-minute, streaming video clips. Newsy compares how multiple news outlets from around the world (e.g. The New York Times, France 24, NDTV, Xinhua, Fox News Channel, The Guardian, and CNET.com) cover the day's events for people who want to stay up to date, but don't have the time to seek out multiple sources on their own. Newsy's approach embodies a basic principle of comparative journalism: asking the same question to multiple sources and comparing their answers. Thus many of the news clips Newsy presents will have articles, videos, and/or interviews from multiple news sources.

   These news clips are delivered on Newsy by its staff of anchors in a fashion we are all accustomed to seeing. The news reports are delivered clean and polished on a daily basis.

   One thing that I enjoy about Newsy's news delivery platform and its anchoring staff is that there is no personal bias or commentary involved, or any debating. Newsy simply delivers the news, and the fact that they draw from multiple sources helps keep any bias, rather perceived or actual, to a minimum or non-existent at all. This is how I personally enjoy my news overall, which is why I've never been one to be solely loyal to one news outlet.

   The Newsy main screen is set up in simple fashion by category - World, U.S., Politics, Business, Tech, Entertainment, Sci/Health, and Sports. Each category allows you to pick individual stories that may interest you, or simply select "View All" and Newsy will play all stories within the category.

   Newsy does not offer every single possible news story of the day. Rather, it covers the major headlines of the day per category. This works well for people like me who like to stay informed about the major topics of the day but without having to sit through hours and hours of newscasts. 

   The one thing that is missing from Newsy that I would like to see is weather. Of course this could simply be a general, national forecast -  I wouldn't expect them to deliver every single forecast for every single local market. But overall, Newsy has been my go-to source for news headlines on Roku.

   Got a favorite news source on your Roku or other streaming device? Please feel free to share in comments!

   

Why So Cheap?

   OK. I'll admit it - I'm guilty. I knew I was doing it all along, but really didn't think anything of it. I'm certainly not the first to point this out, but a friend called me out on it and it hit me like a ton of bricks. Why is it that we can sometimes be such cheapskates when it comes to buying apps, but won't hesitate with other purchases? Is it that we feel we deserve free apps because we've spent so much on our mobile device(s)? Do we think the developers of apps don't deserve to be compensated for their work? Is it that we feel we've been "burned" in the past by purchasing apps so we feel that we will never fall for that again? Actually, I personally think it's something a bit more simple - quite frankly, we're spoiled.

   What brought it to light for me was that one day I had downloaded/installed a pretty awesome video editor app (the name escapes me at the moment). You could take videos and pictures from your device and add them to the app. These clips were uploaded to a web service and after a few minutes, you would have an awesomely edited video with transitions! You could add filters, music, and text. The catch? In the free version, you were limited in the length of the video, and you could only view the finished video in the app or on the website. Want to be able to download/save the video, or share you your favorite social media sites? No problem! Just pay $4.99 for the premium app!

   When I found this out about the app, I turned to my friend and said, "$4.99!!?? Are they crazy!?"
To which, my friend calmly said, "Oh. So, you don't think they deserve $4.99 for their work on making the app, then taking your videos and making them awesome automatically for you, then allowing you to edit them  and download them from their site that they're paying for?"

   Wow. My friend was right. This got me thinking about how I approach all apps. You see, I tend to be a $.99 or free kind of guy. I may splurge from time to time and plop down $1.99, but that's my limit! Anything above that takes some serious though, consideration and research.

   And isn't that simply pathetic? 2 BUCKS!? You would think I was considering purchasing a new car! On top of that (and I'm sure many of you are the same), I won't hesitate to buy some other thing that can cost much more than that, and then rationalize the purchase by saying something like "...oh well...if it doesn't work out it was only 20 bucks..." Case in point - years ago, I saw a commercial for a little red gun-like gadget that claimed to fix ANY strand of Christmas lights if one light went out. It was just like any other infomercial in that it claimed to not be sold in stores anywhere. However, as Christmas rolled around that year, I noticed it at our local Walgreen's in the "As Seen On TV" section for $10. I used that old rational I mentioned above. I didn't even hesitate like I would have had this been some app! By the way, turns out this little light gun works and I still have it although I've since moved on to LED Christmas lights. Fortunately the manufacturer has released one for LED bulbs

   But the point is, it seems that if it is a tangible item, we are more likely willing to risk getting ripped off than we are for even a mere $.99 app. I do agree with many who say that all app developers should make a free, limited version so that we can try before we buy. But in some cases this isn't feasible - especially in the case of a lone developer.

   "Buyer beware" applies to all purchases. But risk losing $.99? I think I can spare it.

   Have you noticed yourself acting the same way about app purchases? What is your typical per-app purchase price limit? Please feel free to share!

"Why so serious cheap?"

Plex Parental Controls....sort of.

   As many of you know, I am a huge fan of Plex. In fact, I consider it an essential element of Cord Cutting. As far as I'm concerned, there is no equal for managing you movie / TV library.

   For my home, I have my Plex library divided into 3 categories -

1. Movies

2. Kid's Movies

3. TV Shows

   Plex does an excellent job with all the Metedata for all my content. Cover art, theme songs, movie/show descriptions - it's all there.

  As we currently have 2 little ones in the house who have no problem using Roku to select their favorite movies, it dawned on me that there is one important element missing from Plex - Parental Controls.

   For the most part, our boys stick to shows / movies that they know have content that we as their parents feel is acceptable for them to watch. And we have no issues with trusting them, as far as trusting a 4 and 7 year old can go. But in my movie category, there are selections that I simply don't want them to stumble upon. To me the solution seems somewhat simple, and there are actually a couple of things Plex could do to address this.

   Multiple User Profiles: This seems like a rather obvious answer. Since Plex is a server, there should be an Admin profile which controls what content is available to any other profiles the Admin creates. This would include what categories, channels and settings would be available to these other user profiles.

   Folder PIN and/or Passcode: This initially seemed like the obvious answer to me. For every category that the Admin saw fit, there could be a PIN or Passcode required in order for others to view the content. 

   Simple request, right? Well, I thought so. So being a lifetime Plex Pass owner, it was off to the forum I went and posted my suggestion / request. The only response I got was notification that there was already a "Very Popular" thread about the same topic and I should go there. I guess I should not have been as surprised as I was to find that there are countless others who have the same concern. Not only that, but it seems this issue has been brought up to the Plex Devs over the past year and a half at least. 

   I reached out to the Plex folks via Twitter, and was informed that they have plans to address this.

   This is good to hear, but in the meantime I stumbled upon an alternative while visiting the forums - Plex RARflix. 

As you may note from my Tweet above, I initially thought RARflix fell short of what I was attempting to accomplish. But then the Dev contacted me and told me the simple (and almost genius) steps to make it all work -

"On Computer

1. Confirm your PMS is logged in with your primary myplex account (preferably with PlexPass)

2. Create secondary myplex accounts @ https://my.plexapp.com.  After creating secondary myplex accounts logout of my.plexapp.com

3.  Login into https://my.plexapp.com as your primary myplex account Share whatever sections you would like from your primary myplex account with secondary myplex accounts. You will then have to log into my.plexapp.com as the shared user and accept the invite.

4.  Login into Plexweb (via my.plexapp.com), with each secondary account and verify shared library sections are working correctly & are accessible.

5.  Log into Plex/Web with your Primary myplex login. Click on settings (wrench & screwdriver logo on top right). Click on "Show Advanced settings”. Click on myPlex. Check "Require authentication on local networks" checkbox.

On Roku

1.  Launch Rarflix and sign into myplex with your primary myplex account on your default user.. 

2.  On Rarflix go to Preferences > User Profiles & create another profile. (User 1)

3.  Exit out of Rarflix app

4. Launch Rarflix again, this time you should see an option for default user & User 1, select User 1

5. While logged into User 1, goto Preferences >myPlex & log in with your secondary account.

6. Go back to Rarflix home screen and confirm you can view your shared library sections..  If you can, then everything should be done..

You should now be able to exit out of Rarflix & select either user profile & everything should work as expected..

After you have confirmed every works correctly with your 2 user setup, you can add more users bye repeating steps 2-4 on your computer & 2-5 on the Roku."

 One other step I had to take that he didn't mention was that, before connecting the additional profile(s) account(s), be sure to go into Preferences and remove the local server address that is there (it's your local machine that you have Plex installed on), and disable Discover at Startup. Otherwise, a loop is created and the app will simply crash. It may be that I probably skipped step 5 on the computer setup side, so if you follow those steps correctly you may not have this issue.

  As of now, Plex RARflix has replaced the regular Plex app on all my Rokus. Each has 2 profiles - the "main" family profile, which is PIN protected, that contains all content, and the "kids" profile, which only has the kid's movies and TV shows. Below is an example of a multiple user setup (not mine) -

   and the PIN screen -

   So as of now, my Plex server has the parental controls I need!

   I don't in any way mean this post to be a jab at the Plex guys, but I wonder why it's taken so long to implement such a thing as Plex has gone practically mainstream. Maybe just an after-thought? Who knows. And I'm confident they'll get it worked out.

   But in the meantime, if you're like me and are looking for this type of control, I suggest giving Plex RARflix a try! It has tons of other customizations that I haven't even mentioned here!

   If you want to give it a try and have questions, as always feel free to contact me.