what's on Roku (and what's not)

[11/29/12] Well, got my Roku.  It has its good points, but far from a replacement for cable by itself.

Probably my favorite channel is a newish private channel called VideoBuzz.  It allows you to view youtube videos and playlists.  For best effect, create a custom playlist on your computer and you can now easily view it on your TV.  Youtube isn't officially supported by Roku so who knows how long this channel will last.

Among my other favorite channels:  NBC News (formerly MSNBC) has a lot of video clips, including the Today Show. CNBC  (which has a live stock ticker and newish videos).  Smithsonian has some intresting programs.  Crackle has some movies and TV shows.  KDrama has a lot of Korean Dramas.

[12/3/12 - I wanted to see if Jim Cramer's Mad Money was available on Roku.  A google search brought up Viaway. But the video didn't play when I tried it.  And the reviewer on Rokuguide was not able to link up the Roku with viaway.  So I didn't try to link it.  However the review said viaway appears to access the same podcasts as iTunes PodCasts and Nowhere TV.  And sure enough, both channels allow you to view the last few full episodes of Mad Money.  They also feature the full episode of NBC Nightly news.  And lots more.  Both now go into my list of favorite channels.  Later, I created a Viaway account and activated it, but it still didn't link up with Roku as there was a message saying "Viaway Basic service is not available on your device. We are working hard to offer it you in the near future."  (Viaway Basic is the free version of Viaway.)  OK, so forget Viaway.

Nowhere TV is pretty cool.  It's a channel created by Nowhereman.  He had created a youtube channel for Roku which was later nixed by Google.  He was so good that Roku decided to hire him.  Oddly youtube is apparently officially supported by other devices such as Apple TV.]

There are a few live streaming channels too. Two in my list ares CNN International and Huff Post.

But there's a lot more available on the computer that's not on Roku.  Here's some that I have noticed.

Bloomberg [12/3/12 - now I see a private Bloomberg Channel for Roku]
Hawaii News Now (weekdays: 430am-8am, 5pm-630pm, 10pm, weekends 5pm, 10pm)
KHON (no live video, but lots of video clips with closed caption)
ABC Chicago (at certain times)
CBS News (at certain times)
CBS New York (apparently at certain times)
Fox 5 (at certain times I assume)

ESPN

NCAA

Justin.TV (the Roku channel apparently isn't working any more)

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Not to mention the many major video sites available on the PC, but not on Roku.  Just looking at the list below, tells you how lacking the channel selection on the Roku is in comparison to what's actually on the internet.  So I'd say you're be much better off hooking up a laptop to your TV.  (Or just don't watch TV so much, which might be the best option.)

Hulu (though Hulu Plus is)

ABC
CBS
NBC
Fox
PBS

(The five just above are available over the air live, if your antenna can catch it in your area.  But not live is actually better in many ways.)

Also:

The CW
Comedy Central
CNN
USA Today
National Geographic
Animal Planet

Throw in Netflix and maybe you got something..

What's missing from internet video?  Well the NBA game playing on TNT right now.  (I see now that the first game was on TNT Overtime.)  Other live sports (though a number available over the air and on watchespn.com).  UH sports on OC Sports, apparently only available on Oceanic and HawaiianTelcom.  [Wait, here it is.]  Plus you get HD on cable vs. very mixed quality on the internet.  Plus no closed caption.

So if you're not a sports nut, you could be tempted to cut the cable (especially when you look at the bill every month).

more:

Kim Komando
Kevin Sintumuang
Matthew Moskovciak
Barbara Thau
lifehacker (for the techie)
Yahoo! Finance: spreety

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[3/5/13] The Roku 3

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[4/17/13] VideoBuzz taken down :(

So I guess I'll either get a laptop or another device that supports youtube.  It doesn't appear that roku will be getting a youtube channel any time soon.

[4/18/13] workaround for watching youtube videos.  post it to your facebook page.

EDIT (February 28, 2012): While new users can no longer sign up to the Nowhere Man’s channel some commenters on this post have found a slightly complicated workaround. If you have the Facebook  channel you can post any Youtube link you want to watch to your Facebook wall and then watch it from within the channel under Newsfeed Videos. If you don’t want to spam your friends with random cat videos just set the post to be visable ‘Only to Me.’ Thanks to Paul and Meghan in the comments!

[4/22/13] or try plex or myplex

plus plex supports (free) hulu and cbs too.  ok gotta try this.

[6/3/13] nope hulu didn't work.  But what you can do is download with freemake video downloader then watch the video via plex.  Or just pony up for hulu+ (though you can't watch all hulu content on hulu+ -- however there's more stuff on hulu+ that you can't watch on hulu).

[6/3/13] VideoBuzz reincarnated.  I wonder if they're able to take down private channels?  which this sort of is.

[11/16/13] WatchESPN comes to Roku.  WatchDisney soon.

[12/24/13] Finally, Youtube has come back to the Roku.  Right now it's only on the Roku 3, but is supposedly coming to the older models (Roku 1, Roku 2, Roku LT) sometime next year.  I have a Roku HD bought last year, so not sure if it'll roll out on that model.

What's neat is that allows you to pair the Roku to your tablet and phone, so you can "beam" the youtube video to the Roku.

Here's a smackdown between the Chromecast, Roku 3, Apple TV.  Notable is that Netflix takes longer to load on the Apple TV.

Buried in the article is a way to watch videos from other countries using a proxy.  In particular, Hide My Ass.  Tried it on slice.ca but didn't seem to work.  Notice they have servers in the US, UK, and NL, but no Canada.  So doesn't appear the .ca domains will work on this.

[4/24/14]  Hey, noticed youtube as one of the featured channels on my Roku HD.  It has finally arrived!  It's apparently a pretty big application as it took a while to load.  And it's pretty sluggish.  After I activated it on my computer and logged in, it takes a while to scroll to my subscription list and playlists.  However once it got going, I noticed there is a cc icon toward the bottom right.  With the option to customize the captions somewhat.  So they're not using the Roku system captions.  But it works!  So another plus for the Roku.  The Apple TV app doesn't support captions for their youtube app.  So I assume that the youtube app on the Roku 3 would be the same.

[5/5/14] check out my Roku 3 post for more comments.  Summary:  Hulu Plus plays much better on the Roku 3, but uses their own captions.  Youtube much more responsive on the Roku 3, but captions for some videos are cut off.

the iPad 4 (and other tablets)

To no one's surprise, Apple introduced the iPad mini (lower case m, btw) at its special event last month. It also introduced a beautifully thin, new iMac, an updated Mac mini, and a 13-in version of the MacBook Pro with Retina display. All of these announcements were expected, but the major product surprise has largely been passed over, and that was the launch of what's being called iPad 4, or more accurately, the iPad with Retina Display.

I watched the event via live streaming on CNet and both CNet Executive Editor Molly Wood and CNet Senior Editor, Brian Tong, who covers Apple were more than surprised by the iPad 4, they were almost apoplectic. Coming just six months after the introduction of the new iPad (nee iPad 3), both Wood and Tong thought that Apple had completely screwed its customers. I beg to differ.

The most significant difference between the iPad 3 and iPad 4 is the addition of Apple's new A6X chip, the same one that was introduced on the iPhone 5. Suddenly, the iPad 4 has "twice the speed and graphics performance" than the iPad 3. This is important for a number of reasons: Gaming, video, FaceTime, Siri and other application function like GPS or, yes, even Apple Maps.

My son received an iPad 3 as a graduation present from his aunt and uncle back in June, and I doubt that he is upset that Apple has refreshed the iPad just four months later. He (and I since I borrowed it a lot before he left for school) loves how well the iPad functions as everything from a reader to a game platform. One of the reasons why is that the iPad 3's greatest improvement was the introduction of the Retina display as well as a faster chip than the iPad 2.

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Here's CNet's summary:

The good: The newest iPad's faster A6X processor adds extra system speed and graphics power. Improved worldwide cellular compatibility makes the LTE model a more appealing proposition. And the iOS App Store remains best in class, with the widest selection.

The bad: The fourth-gen iPad is otherwise identical to its recent predecessor -- same size, weight, and Retina screen. It's heavy to hold in one hand, and most older accessories won't work without investing in a pricey Lightning adapter.

The bottom line: The latest iPad adds several tweaks and improvements to secure its position at the top of the tablet heap. It's better all around, but third-gen owners need not apply.

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I kind of want to get one for mom (or a Kindle Fire) so she can read the newspaper on it for one thing.  (Or I can.)

[11/21/12] Or the new Google Nexus (hardware by Samsung).   Reviews: cnn, ZDNet, TheVerge, theguardian, techradar, ubergizmo, androidcommunity, engadget, businessinsider, cnet.

This looks pretty good.  The disadvantage to the iPad are the lack of apps.  The hardware is comparable (or better).  And it's $100 cheaper.  It's a question of whether you like Apple or Google (I like both).

Advantages: HDMI and youtube.  Disadvantage: not Apple (which is the standard), but then I work with PCs

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Surface vs. iPad vs. Nexus 10 (Puffin browser allows you to run flash on iPad and watch hulu, but choppy)

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I think if I were to get one device, I would get a Google Nexus 10.  But if money is no object (or not a huge object), I'd want to get a iPad 4 and a laptop running Windows 7.  I'd better go fast, don't know if they still sell Windows 7.

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A tablet comparison: iPad mini, iPad with retina display, Kindle Fire HD, Kindle Fire HD 8.9", Nook HD, Nook HD+, Nexus 7, Nexus 10, Surface RT

*** [12/25/12] wound up buying a cheapie android tablet from Radio Shack on Black Saturday and returned it a few days ago

*** HP coming out with a $169 Android tablet (half the price of the iPad mini)

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NBC News' compares the iPad Mini to the competition (it's good, but the iPad Mini 2 will be much better)

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The Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 is now on sale at Costco for only $169.99.  TechRadar reviews it and others such as the Google Nexus 7 and  the iPad mini.

your slow PC

Computers are supposed to make our lives easier, yet sometimes it feels like they exist only to cause us endless amounts of frustration. Popular advice for slow computers includes antivirus, RAM upgrades, or even reinstalling Windows from scratch, but these make a lot of assumptions about what's wrong with your computer (that may not be true).

Upgrading your RAM will help if you have 1GB or less in your system. If you multitask a lot, you'll probably even notice a difference upgrading from 2GB to 4GB. You're best off checking the resource monitor(or Activity Monitor on OS X)" to see how much you use on a regular basis. If your RAM usage isn't running up against its limit, then you're probably fine.

Now let's talk about antivirus. It's not only important to have antivirus software installed, but it's important to have the right kind. Check and see if you have a trusted, updated antivirus program running on your machine. If you do, and it says your computer is uninfected, then you're probably safe. Next, find out what antivirus software you're using. Some programs, like Norton or McAfee, are remarkably slow and bloated. In fact, they're probably one of the reasons your computer is so slow. We recommend ditching other antivirus apps and using Microsoft Security Essentials. It's free, lightweight, and will let you know if you download anything suspicious. (Note that Windows 8 users already have Windows Defender built-in, so they don't even need to install anything). You should never have two antivirus apps running at once.

So we've spent a lot of time telling you what not to do, but your computer's still slow and you want a solution. You can start by running a few diagnostics, but chances are, you just have too many apps running at once (especially poorly made ones). Here's what we recommend you do:

Stop Running So Many Apps at Once: Take a look at your system tray (or menu bar). If you have more than a few icons there, you have too many. If something is running that you didn't start, take it out of your startup queue. If you don't know what something is, find out if it's something you really need. If it's something you know you don't want, then uninstall it completely.

Of course, this all assumes you have a relatively new computer that can handle the work you need to do. If you're trying to run the newest version of Photoshop on a 10 year old machine, no amount of responsibility will make it run fast—you'll need a new computer (and you can repurpose that old one). But, barring really old hardware or other special circumstances, you should be able to take any computer and get it running fast again with a bit of care and common sense.

cloaking device built

Scientists have made the impossible possible, disappearing a cylinder by guiding light around it before putting those photons back on their original path -- essentially bending light around the object. This new approach achieves invisibility where others have failed. With a catch, however: It only works from one direction.

The math is incredibly complex and the materials necessary difficult to produce. And while the underpinning concepts allow invisibility in microwaves and hold promise for radar, it won't be easy to make it work at optical wavelengths, cautioned Duke University’s Nathan Landry and John Pendry of London’s Imperial College, who published their results in the journal Nature Materials.

Still, it's a breakthrough six years in the making. The team made their initial discovery in 2006, a new approach to “transportation optics”: artificially structured stuff called meta-materials designed with specific properties. In this case, they move light around in particular ways to shape an electromagnetic signature, hiding an object from radar and some types of cameras.

“We built the cloak, and it worked,” said Landy, a graduate student working in the laboratory at Duke’s Pratt School of Engineering. “It split light into two waves which traveled around an object in the center and re-emerged as the single wave minimal loss due to reflections.”

There are drawbacks to even this research effort, of course. It can only hide objects so small they are not visible to the naked eye, and that success has predominantly been in wavelengths longer than what the eye can, see such as infrared, microwaves and radio.