Free Private Channel : WHATSONCHANNEL

https://owner.roku.com/Add/WHATSONCHANNEL (This link no longer works.)

https://my.roku.com/account/add?channel=WHATSONCHANNEL

WHATSONCHANNEL displays TV and movie theater listings, showtimes and trailers, for a specified US zip code or Canadian post code:









Version 2.5:
- TV listings were temporarily unavailable for a few days, as the API they used was discontinued.
- TV listings have now been reinstated using a different method to acquire the program data.
- TV station logos are no longer displayed.
- Anyone using this channel before the upgrade to version 2.5 will have to re-select their TV provider, and set up their favorite channels again.

Version 2.4:
- Switch from the old single program format to a 3-hour grid by pressing the "*" key, or going to the Settings screen
- Using the new grid format:

     * key - toggles between grid display and single-program display
     > key - jumps forward 1 hour in the grid display (30 minutes in the single-program display)
     < key - goes back 1 hour in the grid display (30 minutes in the single-program display)
     >> (FF) key - jumps forward 3 hours in the grid display (1 hour in the single program display)
     << (REW) key - goes back 3 hours in the grid display (1 hour in the single program display)
     >|| (Play/Pause) key - jumps to next Prime Time listing (currently 8 pm)

- There's a diagram of the key codes on the Help page under the Settings screen
- Initially the Splash screen shows the key code diagram; Press the OK key to never see that Splash screen again
- You can configure the number of channels displayed from the Settings screen (4 to 8 rows)
- The grid format shows program titles only. Switch to the single program format for more detailed program description

Version 2.3:
- The TV listings were not working for a few days due to changes in the TV listings source data. This has been fixed.
- The movie trailers would not always play due to the way Roku handles video from an "https" source. This has been fixed.

New features in Version 1.3:
- TV listings now allow you to define "Favorite" channels

New features in Version 1.2:
- TV listings 'Prime Time' button (>||) jumps forward a day at a time to next prime time listings (8 pm)

New features in Version 1.1:
- TV listings by zip code
- Movie (and TV) listings now accept Canadian post codes in addition to U.S. zip codes
- Now available in all Roku regions worldwide, so even though it only displays US and Canadian movies and TV show listings, you can access the listings from anywhere in the world

TV Listings
TV listings are displayed on a grid, which contains a user-configurable number of rows.
The font size varies with the number of rows, so you can choose between having a more readable display or more TV channels shown.

- Left and Right Keys (<) and (>) move through programs in 30 minute intervals
- Fast-Forward and Rewind Keys (<<) and (>>) move through programs in 60 minute intervals
- Up and Down Keys (^) and (v) move up and down through channels
- Play/Pause Key (>||) skips forward to the next "prime time" listing (8 pm local time)
- Select Key (OK) exits the TV listings screen
- See the Help option under Settings and select "TV Listings Key Codes" for info on how to use the remote keys

TV Favorites
- To set up a favorite list, go to the Settings screen and select Change Favorite Channels
- Then select View/Edit Favorites to display a list of channels
- Press the Select Key (OK) to change a channel's favorite status
- Press the left (back) button "<" to exit the favorite setup screen

Movie Listings
Movie Listings are displayed for a number of movie theaters located near your zip code.
Select a theater to see a list of movies and showtimes.
Select a movie to get movie details, showtimes and trailers.
Use the forward and back buttons (">" and "<") to navigate through the movie list.

Send a PM to belltown with any questions, problems, comments or suggestions.

very nice, thanks!

A new version of WHATSONCHANNEL has been released (1.1) (see my updated first post).

Most Rokus currently running this channel have already been updated to the new version. If you're still running version 1.0 then to get the new version, enter the Channel Store then exit back to the home screen.

Version 1.1 now has TV listings for any zip code, supports Canadian post codes, and is accessible from all Roku regions worldwide.

For full instructions see my initial (updated) post.

This was a needed channel, thanks.

Nice! Thanks.

As others have said, very nice and very needed.

Problem. about One in 3 clicks gets a 403 server not found error.
This happens on both the tv and movie listings.

A request for the TV listing would be a button to display a Prime Time listing.

Thank you
Don

xackley wrote:

As others have said, very nice and very needed.

Problem. about One in 3 clicks gets a 403 server not found error.
This happens on both the tv and movie listings.

A request for the TV listing would be a button to display a Prime Time listing.

Thank you
Don

There's a new version of WHATSONCHANNEL available: Version 1.2/02. Enter then exit the Channel Store on your Roku and your version will be updated.

The Play/Pause key, >|| , now skips forward to the next 'prime time' TV listing (8 pm local time). That was the only unused key on the Roku 1 remote when displaying TV listings.

If you PM me your Roku serial number I'll look into the errors you encountered and the approximate time when they occurred. Are you sure it was 403? 403 is an access-denied error, whereas 404 is the file not found error.

EDIT: Problem found and fixed with the 403 errors.

You asked and here it is:

stratcat96 wrote:

... One thing I might suggest for the future is the ability to edit the channel listings. I don't know if it's even possible w the current Roku sdk, but I'd like to be able to take off the listing for say channel 17.1-17.4 since I've also taken them off my tuner. ...

There's now a TV Listings-Favorite Channels option in the latest version of WHATSONCHANNEL (see original post for instructions). You can go to the Settings screen and define which channels you'd like to appear on the Favorites screen.

A way to edit channels was all that was missing now What's On is perfect.

^ I agree. Very nice and very handy to have .

This is a welcome channel addition! When I cut the satellite/cable the biggest thing I missed was a guide for local OTA broadcasts... THANK YOU

Is anyone else having problesm with TV listings? I get an error "No TV Listings found." This was working fine until a couple of days ago. I have it set for OTA listings. Movie listing still work.

I've just released an update to WHATSONCHANNEL that addresses the problems mentioned above. The TV listings should be working again, as should the movie trailers.

I still need to do more extensive testing, but I wanted to release something as soon as possible as the TV listings had become totally unusable as of a few days ago.

Try updating and make sure you're running Version 2.3 or higher. Also, you'll have to re-select your TV provider in the Settings screen and re-enter any favorites as the channel identification information has changed.

Let me know (preferably by PM) if you encounter any more problems.

belltown wrote:

Let me know (preferably by PM) if you encounter any more problems.

Thanks! It's working great now.