Saturday, December 26, 2015

Roku UK Channel Store - Weekly RoundUp #146





Hi, everyone !!



As you might expect, in a week punctuated by the festive period, there were very few new additions to the "Official" Roku UK Channel Store and little in terms of Roku-related news during the past 7 days. In fact the only major UK-specific announcement from Roku - VIA THIS POST - on the "Official" Roku Blog was actually about one of the latest arrivals on Roku streaming media players in the UK. Despite being added to the Roku Channel Store selection in Canada & Mexico plus (of course) France, as well as the UK, the "Deezer" channel is not yet(?) available to Roku users in the USA... which means there is no official description for it on the Roku website. So, with extra details needing to be provided for UK Roku users, I'm going to jump straight into the new channel additions and will flesh-out the Roku-related news aspects of the article and other "missing" details as & when I get the chance. That said, as with every time I publish these posts, you can always look back over the info shared via the companion Twitter Feed: @ukrokuchannels (since my previous 'Weekly RoundUp was posted) and you'll find most (if not all) of the Roku-related news from the last week there. Anyway, without further delay, here are the channels added to the "Official" Roku UK Channel Store in the past 7 days:-







DEEZER...........................................COST: FREE + £9.99 (MONTHLY) [Roku Guide Review]

***FILED UNDER: "MUSIC" in the Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***


PLEASE NOTE:- That, since the "Deezer" channel has yet yo be added to the "Official" Roku USA Channel Store, the link provided above will redirect you to the official 'Deezer' website where further information about the music streaming service can be obtained. Likewise, there is also (currently) no active link to an 'Roku Guide' review for this channel. Should the situation change, I will post those "missing" links here, just as soon as the details have been made known to me. Meanwhile, apologies for any inconvenience that may have been caused by their absence.


SO... WHAT'S IT ALL ABOUT?! Those choosing to add the "Deezer" channel to their UK Roku device(s) can ENJOY FREE AUDIO MIXES, whereby you can listen to a selection of tracks from each of the many unifying themes on offer, as well as 30-SECOND PREVIEWS OF ALL TRACKS from the various albums and genres available. However, you will only truly get the most out of this app when you SUBSCRIBE TO THE PREMIUM SERVICE at a cost of £9.99 PER MONTH which is needed to both unlock added functionality within the Roku channel as well FULL ACCESS TO the entire music streaming library of 35+ MILLION SONGS catering to pretty much all tastes.


If you already have an account with 'Deezer', you can simply log-in using those same credentials to start streaming music via your Roku device(s). If you are new to the service and wish to subscribe, then you should register on the 'Deezer' website, VIA THIS LINK, in order to unlock further functionality and access the full music library via the "Deezer" channel on your Roku streaming media player(s).

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Please be sure to USE THE LINK PROVIDED ABOVE when signing-up for a new 'Deezer' account AS LINK QUOTED IN THE 'DEEZER' ROKU APP IS INVALID and (as of the date of this post) will result in an error message - SEE SCREENSHOTS BELOW:-





N.B. DO NOT USE THE WEB ADDRESS SHOWN IN THE ABOVE IMAGE !!!!!!


If you do attempt to sign up using the web address (URL) which is provided within the "Log in" screen of the "Deezer" channel on UK Roku devices (i.e. Deezer.com/Roku) this is what you'll get:-



So, to avoid this (until Deezer addresses the issue) please use "deezer.com/premium/roku" (without the quote marks) as per the corrected link I provided earlier in this post, when you sign-up for 'Deezer'.


Meanwhile, during those times when you're away from your UK Roku device(s), there is the option to LISTEN TO "Deezer" ONLINE HERE which can be readily accessed from any web browser. There are also DESKTOP APPS FOR MAC & PC as well as details of how to listen to "Deezer" through a range of compatible audio visual (AV) devices (including: TV's plus HiFi equipment and car stereos) all of which can be FOUND HERE for those looking to get the best use of their 'Deezer' subscription. 


Should you find yourself "out & about" with neither PC, Mac, AV equipment nor Roku device nearby, "Deezer" also offers FREE APPS for Apple (iOS), Android, Windows Phone or BlackBerry mobile devices. For ease of reference, I'm posting links to each of the FREE DOWNLOADS for the various 'Deezer' mobile apps below:-


DOWNLOAD FREE iOS APP: via iTunes UK App Store (n.b. requires iOS 7.0 or later)

and/or

DOWNLOAD FREE Android APP: via Google Play Store (n.b. Android version varies by device)

and/or

DOWNLOAD FREE Windows Phone APP: via Microsoft Store (n.b. requires Windows 8 or 10)

and/or

DOWNLOAD FREE BlackBerry APP: via BlackBerry World (see link for compatible devices)



ALSO:- Those wishing to get social with the folks behind 'Deezer' for UK Roku devices can do so easily via either their Twitter Feed: @DeezerUK or their Facebook Page: Deezer (Facebook).







AGARIO................................................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]

***FILED UNDER: "GAMES" in the Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***


PLEASE NOTE:-  That the "Agario" game channel for Roku devices requires the use of a compatible Roku model. For UK Roku users, this will mean it is (currently) suitable FOR 'ROKU 3' ONLY as it requires an enhanced motion-control gaming remote with 'A' and 'B' buttons in order to play. Despite having as capable remote, those of you with 'ROKU 2 XS' will (however) not find the "public" version of the "Agario" game channel listed under "Games" in the channel store on those devices because after a period of beta-testing for the "private" channel version (during late November & early December) the overall experience was found to be too "choppy" to warrant it's inclusion on the 'Roku 2 XS' model. You can read more about the "private" channel - IN THIS THREAD - on the "Official" Roku Forums. This may also be worth reading if you plan to add this free game to your 'Roku 3' device(s) since it includes instructions for using the Roku remote with the game and a brief overview of "Agario" for those who may not already be familiar with this popular online game - FOUND AT AGAR.IO - which can be played via compatible computers, tablets, etc. if you don't own a 'Roku 3' but wish to try it! ;-)





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Anyhow like it or not   for this week and, not that it's saying very much, but... we have actually doubled the number of channels which made it into the "Official" Roku  Channel Store during the same time-frame !! Still, no matter which Roku "region" you happen to live in, it's better to have new channels added (however few they may be) than none at all... as I'm sure you'll agree! :-)

thatis your lotUSA








Either way, hopefully everyone in the UK with a Roku player managed to find  they like within the two "public" channels outlined above... or else from the "private" channels, whose access codes were "gifted" to you via the companion Twitter Feed to this blog, at various points throughout the last seven days. That said,  to add to your Roku channel selection from the assortment of channels on offer this week, you can always pay us a visit another time when, with any luck, there  be something more to your liking. Afterall, there's no point installing  because like I've said before... when it comes to adding more new channels to your Roku devices, IT'S YOUR CHOICE  as with all things Roku... THE CHOICE IS ALWAYS YOURS!

somethingif you  find anythingdidn'twillevery channeland,




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As mentioned previously, you can expect my usual summary of all the goings-on (or not) in the (severely restricted) Roku Channel Store that features on NowTV Boxes to follow in the near future. Meanwhile, whether you happen to own a Roku player, a NowTV Box, OR BOTH, as I do... be sure to check my earlier posts (as mentioned before) for all the new additions to the "Official" Roku UK Channel Store in each of the seventy-two preceding weeks and then come back again in seven days' time for my next 'Weekly RoundUp'. However, if you can't wait that long, remember you can always keep up with all the UK Roku action (as it happens) throughout the coming week, by following the companion Twitter Feed: @ukrokuchannels where up-to-the-minute info on all things Roku-related (here in the UK) is posted on a daily basis (well, almost).



Until the next time, then...



That's all folks !!