Given its low price point, wide array of content “channels”, and easy operation, I suspect quite a large number of folks are unwrapping Roku Christmas gifts this weekend. And we’re here to help.
Based on incoming search traffic, some are having difficulty finding and linking Netflix. First off, the Roku consists of two main areas – your channel list or dashboard and the “Store” of all blessed content. Netflix should appear on your dashboard by default. In terms of navigation, the left directional button doesn’t send you to the prior screen as seen on many other boxes. Instead, use the up button to return to a previous area or menu or, alternately, try can the new back button symbolized by an arrow. Additionally, the OK button in the middle of the remote is equivalent to ‘select’ or ‘enter’. So you’d scroll towards the right using the directional button to highlight Netflix and then click OK. Once the Netflix apps comes up for the first time, it’ll walk you through linking your account – you’ll want to have computer handy to enter an authorization code into Netflix.com.
In addition to the Channel Store, “private” channels also exist. These are often content offerings that have yet to be approved or are inappropriate for a wider audience to stumble upon (think adult or corporate training). Two in particular may interest you…
YouTube Channel
Google has yet to vette an official YouTube app. However, a former community developer (since hired by Roku) put together a fully functional YouTube channel. To add it, you’ll need to create a Roku.com account and then follow these steps:
USB Channel
For those of you with the Roku XD|S, that same developer has created a channel that reads certain types of multimedia off a USB drive. In fact, his work will ultimately become Roku’s official USB support. But why wait?
Here’s some tips to utilize that USB support and my good luck in directly connecting a Flip video camera.
iPhone Remote
Lastly, if you’d like a second remote control, with advanced capabilities, and happen to also own an iPhone or iPod Touch, we highly recommend the WiFi-powered DVPRemote for $2.99. Trust us, you’re going to want that virtual keyboard. Check out the video below for details.