"Available via free software update expected in Jan 2011."

[jeffedsell]

So…official USB port support by…Monday?

Not to honk on about it, but this is probably the single biggest thing I'd like to see improved on the Roku.

So…any hints? Anything?

Hello?

[jeffedsell]

*bump*

So, like, today?

[jhingalala]

Still about 12 hours left (per Eastern Time Zone)

Seriously though, this is the feature I have been waiting for the most!!!

[Arwen]

The current USB solutions work for me. However,
I can see that others would want the promised
official USB channel.

The topic of USB file system device support has
generated quite a few posts. Some resolvable,
(even if the answer is negative), others have
not been resolved. Based on this, I would suggest
a separate Forum for the Official USB channel.

[stratcat96]

Whatever you do, don't hold your breath waiting for it... The soft deadline thing has been going on since November

[Brotha]

i was waiting for this too, i can't get the private channel to even recognize my usb drive at all.

[CalvinMcGowan]

Whatever you do, don't hold your breath waiting for it... The soft deadline thing has been going on since November

Since November 2010!? Heh. Try "since the October 2009 release of the HD-XR!"

[RokuJon]

The official Roku USB Media Player channel was released this afternoon. It is now available in the Channel Store and can be easily found under the "New" category. This channel requires firmware version 2.9 build 1529 which began rolling out last week. If you have not yet recieved the required firmware, you can go to settings and check for update and you should receive the latest version.

More detailed information on the latest firmware release and USB channel will be available soon.

Enjoy!

[gonzotek]

The official Roku USB Media Player channel was released this afternoon. It is now available in the Channel Store and can be easily found under the "New" category. This channel requires firmware version 2.9 build 1529 which began rolling out last week. If you have not yet recieved the required firmware, you can go to settings and check for update and you should receive the latest version.

More detailed information on the latest firmware release and USB channel will be available soon.

Enjoy!

Excellent! Cheers to all you Roku people!

[scyber]

Whoa MKV support??? Thats pretty awesome.

[paulcano]

The new official app performs much better and it's great to see MKV support (hoping for DivX/XviD next). However, the new interface is terrible. The folder/file listings are ugly and now file names are not fully displayed, cutting off after 15 characters or so. I wasn't thrilled with the private app previously, but this is much much worse.

[DeftOne]

Another file container is nice (mkv), but what about additional codec support? Are we still limited to h.264 (with very strict settings requirements)?

Also, are chapters supported in Roku's implementation of the mkv container?

[pbridges]

Awesome!

I have a couple of questions though...

1. The MKV container supports multiple audio tracks and subtitles. The Roku remote is obviously very limited, so does anybody know how you would switch audio tracks or subtitles? Is it something that could be custom mapped to a Logitech remote or something?

2. If I rip a Blu-ray with a lossless audio track (DTS-MA etc.), will the Roku pass the audio track to my Onkyo Receiver, which can play the format (even if the Roku can't decode it itself)?

Cheers

[bunklung]

Profile high@4.2 AVC (h.264) 24mbps 1080/60p loads and plays for about 5 seconds. Then it goes into some sort of re buffering mode and never comes out of it unless you hit home or use the back button. At 4 seconds (before it locks), you can pause and skip, and resume play at another time of the clip. You can keep doing this, until you hit about 5 seconds (and then it locks again). The sound seems a bit off and unsynced.

Is this intended?

This is home video FYI.

Great job so far guys. Keep up the good work. Please provide more specs about what formats, resolutions, and bit rates are supported.

[RokuJon]

Please provide more specs about what formats, resolutions, and bit rates are supported.

Here is our FAQ page covering supported formats:
http://support.roku.com/entries/423946- ... el-support

The 24 mbps files you are trying are definitely above what we can play. I would suggest using Handbrake to convert these using the guidelines in the FAQ.

Cheers.