Is Bright House considering offering Roku channel as TWC presently does?

[byron]

I'm curious to know if BHN is thinking about adding or "launching" a Roku channel similar to what TWC has done over the past year with TWC TV, letting you watch the channels online via your Roku box instead of a set-top box. Similar to what the TWCTV and BHTV tablet apps already allow, this program lets someone watch the available channels on an authorized Roku box as long as it's connected to the authorized cable modem + network in your own home. BHN and TWC tend to mimic one another in some respects, almost like "partners", when it comes to many of these decisions and program offerings in general, but I haven't seen anything like this discussed yet.

So BHN insiders, any news on this?

Thanks,
Byron

 

[jcarrera]

Wow, that would be pretty neat. I don't understand how MANY cable channels map into ONE ROKU Channel though.

 

[BHNtechXpert]

I'm curious to know if BHN is thinking about adding or "launching" a Roku channel similar to what TWC has done over the past year with TWC TV, letting you watch the channels online via your Roku box instead of a set-top box. Similar to what the TWCTV and BHTV tablet apps already allow, this program lets someone watch the available channels on an authorized Roku box as long as it's connected to the authorized cable modem + network in your own home. BHN and TWC tend to mimic one another in some respects, almost like "partners", when it comes to many of these decisions and program offerings in general, but I haven't seen anything like this discussed yet.

So BHN insiders, any news on this?

Thanks,
Byron

We are always looking for ways to enhance our current product offerings. As such things become available I will update everyone with additional information.

 

[byron]

Wow, that would be pretty neat. I don't understand how MANY cable channels map into ONE ROKU Channel though.

Roku channels (in general) are just a means to watch certain content which is already available online in some format. In the case of the TWC TV channel on Roku, on initial setup they just match your Roku box up to your current cable account using your TWC username. (On BHN, it's your "My Services" account.)

If your username checks out as having paid access to the content, your Roku will be permitted to access the same protected streaming channels the Watch TV app lets you view on your tablets/mobile devices, as long as you're in-house, using your Wifi network connected to your authorized cable modem. Aside from all the authenticating necessary to provide the channel, the rest of the process is simple -- as all the Roku does is grab an individual data "stream" and lets you view it. Capacity is not really an issue in this sense.

Hope this helps!
Byron

 

[BHNtechXpert]

Roku channels (in general) are just a means to watch certain content which is already available online in some format. In the case of the TWC TV channel on Roku, on initial setup they just match your Roku box up to your current cable account using your TWC username. (On BHN, it's your "My Services" account.)

If your username checks out as having paid access to the content, your Roku will be permitted to access the same protected streaming channels the Watch TV app lets you view on your tablets/mobile devices, as long as you're in-house, using your Wifi network connected to your authorized cable modem. Aside from all the authenticating necessary to provide the channel, the rest of the process is simple -- as all the Roku does is grab an individual data "stream" and lets you view it. Capacity is not really an issue in this sense.

Hope this helps!
Byron

He is referring to TWC....not BHN as this feature is not available at this time.

 

[jcarrera]

I still do not understand. If you can receive, say, 250 channels on your home TV (some standard, some tier, some extra fee packages), then how does Roku know which one of the 250 to stream to you?

 

[BHNtechXpert]

It's based on your myservices account or the TWC equiv. The app serves as a tuner.

 

[jcarrera]

So me being dumb again...tell me where and how you select the channel.
I am picturing the Roku that is attached to my main living room TV. I have Roku interface on the TV screen, I select the BHN/TWC 'service'...now how do I select channel 154 to view through the Roku?

 

[byron]

So me being dumb again...tell me where and how you select the channel.
I am picturing the Roku that is attached to my main living room TV. I have Roku interface on the TV screen, I select the BHN/TWC 'service'...now how do I select channel 154 to view through the Roku?

Just as the BHN app works on a tablet today, you don't choose the channel by number. You're selecting streams of data, not RF channels of video signal. You locate the channel's stream by name in a guide of all channels available, in a grid similar to a TV guide. You can also look for the logo of the network you're looking to watch. Whatever works for you. In the Roku channel's case, you thumb the arrow up down left or right along a grid of available icons, until you land on the channel you want, press OK, and you're watching the stream of the channel you desire. I believe it also has some support for Pause, Rew and FF similar to the DVR, but only for the streaming content already viewed within a single viewing session.

And yes, this isn't available on BHN. The Roku channel is only in TWC markets. But you can see how it works online. I think there's even a Youtube movie that demos the channel, but I could be mistaken.

Hope this helps..

Byron

 

[jcarrera]

OK, that was clear--I can picture that.