[Private Channel] My Channels: home screen channel organizer

[TheEndless]

I'm pleased to announce the availability of a preview version of a channel I'm currently working on... this is a preview/beta release, so please expect some of the behavior to improve as it's refined.

Tired of endlessly scrolling left and right on the Roku home screen, trying to find the channel you want to watch? My Channels is the solution!
My Channels is a home screen channel organizer and launcher. It allows you to group all of the channels currently installed on your Roku into logical groups for faster and easier access to your favorites.

Simply install the channel and locate it at the front of your channel list, then launch it anytime you want quick access to your favorite channels!

My Channels is easy to configure. When you first launch the channel, you will be presented with a single row of all of the channels currently installed on your Roku. Press either the [*] or [Play/Pause] button on your remote, and select the option to create a new group. Once you've created your group, highlight a channel you want in that group and hit the [*] or [Play/Pause] button and choose to add it to your new group. You can as many groups as you want, and any channel can be in as many groups as you want (see the screenshot below for an example). When you're ready to launch a channel, simply highlight it, and press the [OK/Select] button on your remote. When you exit that channel, you should be returned to the home screen with the My Channels channel already highlighted and ready to be relaunched!

You can add the channel to your Roku via this URL: https://owner.roku.com/add/MyChannels

Please do remember that this is still a beta version, so you may experience some strange behavior. I'm anxious to hear your feedback! I hope you find it useful!

[Gilgamesh]

I am having a problem with this.

When I try to add a ch to a group I get the screen with "Change Group", "OK", and "Cancel but the cursor will not stop on OK. That is on the down arrow it progresses from "Change Group" to "Cancel" without stopping on OK.

What am I doing wrong?

Also the "Play" or "Pause" button seems to do nothing except make the bloop sound.

Edit: Also when I just tried to exit the ch the screen showed "retrieving" until I pressed "Home"

[CalvinMcGowan]

My Channels is something the Roku seriously needed! Thanks.

My feedback: Looks great. Simple to used.

The first time I entered My Channels, some of the channel images were not displayed; second time, all were displayed.

I have the 12-button remote that has the [*] button, but just to experiment, I tried using the [Play/Pause] button to select a channel. It did not work. Only the [*] button worked.

When in the "Add Channel to Group" dialog, cursing through "Change Group, OK, Cancel" happens too fast making it difficult to zero in on the middle "OK" selection.

After selecting and entering a channel, when exiting the channel I'm returned to the Roku's normal home screen instead of being returned to My Channels. Is that the way you planned it to work? Or did you plan on the user being returned to My Channels?

[tensen]

After selecting and entering a channel, when exiting the channel I'm returned to the Roku's normal home screen instead of being returned to My Channels. Is that the way you planned it to work? Or did you plan on the user being returned to My Channels?

It has to return to the normal home screen. For good reasons, the Roku box doesn't let a single channel take control of a box.

[sftv]

Another excellent addition to TheEndless's portfolio of channels! Soon we will be calling TheEndless -> RokuSteve.

Thanks!

[tensen]

If RokuShawn or others are reading this. This channel needs to go in your report. And you NEED to incorporate these features into the box proper.

(Roku.. I'd throw a $1 or $2 extra so that you could pay The Endless for his contribution to your features.)

[TheEndless]

When I try to add a ch to a group I get the screen with "Change Group", "OK", and "Cancel but the cursor will not stop on OK. That is on the down arrow it progresses from "Change Group" to "Cancel" without stopping on OK.

When in the "Add Channel to Group" dialog, cursing through "Change Group, OK, Cancel" happens too fast making it difficult to zero in on the middle "OK" selection.

I'm not able to reproduce this, but it sounds like a bug I reported to Roku awhile back, and thought they had fixed. I had a workaround implemented, but it must not work the same on every box. I've pushed an update that will hopefully fix it. Please enter/exit the channel store to get the new version.

Also the "Play" or "Pause" button seems to do nothing except make the bloop sound.

I tried using the [Play/Pause] button to select a channel. It did not work. Only the [*] button worked.

Oops. I suppose it'd help if I actually implemented the feature, before I said it was one.. It's in the new version.

Edit: Also when I just tried to exit the ch the screen showed "retrieving" until I pressed "Home"

I can't reproduce this one either, so I'm not sure what you're seeing. Maybe it was inadvertently fixed in the update...?

After selecting and entering a channel, when exiting the channel I'm returned to the Roku's normal home screen instead of being returned to My Channels. Is that the way you planned it to work? Or did you plan on the user being returned to My Channels?

As tensen pointed out, this is by design, and is a security feature of the Roku to prevent a channel from taking over the box.

[Village Idiot]

I just now discovered this channel
This is way cool. One of the best channels ever.
Super thank you for creating this channel.
Its a huge help for guys like me who need things organized in life.
One thing i noticed. SETTINGS wasn't listed as a channel.
Any chance of adding that so i could put that in one of my groups ?
if not its ok its still a super channel.

[TheEndless]

One thing i noticed. SETTINGS wasn't listed as a channel.
Any chance of adding that so i could put that in one of my groups ?

Unfortunately, "Settings" doesn't actually show up as an actual channel, so there's no way for me to launch it from within this channel. Sorry.

[Gilgamesh]

When I try to add a ch to a group I get the screen with "Change Group", "OK", and "Cancel but the cursor will not stop on OK. That is on the down arrow it progresses from "Change Group" to "Cancel" without stopping on OK.

When in the "Add Channel to Group" dialog, cursing through "Change Group, OK, Cancel" happens too fast making it difficult to zero in on the middle "OK" selection.

I'm not able to reproduce this, but it sounds like a bug I reported to Roku awhile back, and thought they had fixed. I had a workaround implemented, but it must not work the same on every box. I've pushed an update that will hopefully fix it. Please enter/exit the channel store to get the new version...

The play issue is fixed. However the above is still happening.

That is the only screen where I cannot select all the choices.

This looks like it could be quite a valuable addition.

[pjoshua5000]

I like the this new Channel. But isn't Roku Going to eventual roll out the same feature. Anyway it is Good to have it now. Thanks. I just got done organize my 30 some channels.

Ideas:

Maybe you can add some predefined Categories to choose from. I'm not the best Spelling. But I got it to Work. Church, Games, Movie and TV, Misc, and Podcast.

Thanks for the awesome channels. You do have a lot of great channel. Wonder what else is up your sleeve...

keep up the great work

--Josh

PS. How do people get screen shots of there TV. It it hook to a computer or something.

PSS. Maybe a "Recent" used categories , or most used "Favorite"

[TheEndless]

The play issue is fixed. However the above is still happening.
That is the only screen where I cannot select all the choices.

Grr.. does it keep scrolling when you press down to select another button, or does it just jump twice like you hit the button twice?

[TheEndless]

I like the this new Channel. But isn't Roku Going to eventual roll out the same feature.

Possibly. This is more intended to provide some of those features now. Might be a stop gap solution.. might be a long term solution.

PS. How do people get screen shots of there TV. It it hook to a computer or something.

I use a SlingBox to grab my screenshots currently.

PSS. Maybe a "Recent" used categories , or most used "Favorite"

Those and a "Recently Updated" category will be coming in a future update.

[vnzjunk]

Great channel. Nice Job. I would guess that eventually the present main screen on the Roku box will be replaced with either this page or something very similar.

One thing I was wondering about and was hesitant to experiment with. Once you have your various categories set up is it possible to remove the default ALL CHANNELS category or is that a permanent one? And if you can eliminate it how would you go about getting it back. And as an after thought if you brought it back would it affect the other categories that you had set up like erasing them?

Again great job. A channel most of us have been looking forward too since day 1

[Gilgamesh]

The play issue is fixed. However the above is still happening.
That is the only screen where I cannot select all the choices.

Grr.. does it keep scrolling when you press down to select another button, or does it just jump twice like you hit the button twice?

It is more like two presses. But it is even more like one press says go down (or up) two spots. I have not been quick enough to catch the OK as it whizzes past.