Roku is one of the best OTT streaming platforms, offering all kinds of entertainment to viewers. It has millions of users across the world.
Roku is very popular in the United States and has quickly become a common household name. So let’s learn How to create Roku Application for your smart TV in this article
Reports suggest that Roku will have around 54 million active users in 2021, and the revenues have grown by 80%. Businesses are using Roku app developers’ help to get the best app for smart TVs.
Are you looking to develop an app for Roku streaming channels?
Roku SDK (Software Development Kit) and IDK (Independent Development Kit) are two ways to do app development.
Roku application development is the best way for enterprises to get the best functional apps. The applications that are streaming your media on the Roku platform are channels.
Roku SDK has been in the market since the beginning to develop apps, but it gets modified at regular intervals.
With the launch of IDK, it has become possible to use personal-use applications that can run easily through IDK-supported streaming players.
Roku IDK developer kit also enables developers to explore the platform’s capabilities. It also helps to personalize the Roku experience.
Use the Roku development kit to create games that work specifically with the Roku remote. Take the help of a Roku app developer so as to build both commercial and personal-use apps.
Let us further discuss Roku SDK and IDK to start the app development process.
Table of Contents
Why do Businesses Prefer Roku App Development?
Roku is one of the trusted platforms for developing applications for Roku TV! The development kits allow developers to extend the utility of the Roku OS. It facilitates innovation across the platform and also allows personalization.
Roku is hoping that the IDK will introduce interesting aspects around internet-of-things applications. Take the help of Roku app development to build functional apps that serve business motives.
Businesses always look for ways to promote their business concerns, and thus, Roku apps have become popular. It is one of the relevant ways to market your content on the OTT.
Also, it works by connecting to the internet with a wireless connection. Let us look at the top benefits of Roku app development for businesses.
It provides the opportunity for targeted advertisements
Roku is assisting in understanding its audience better than the ad-supported streamers. The channels on the OTT platform lead to further targeted advertisements and ad-supported services.
It also has an ad-buying platform for third-party streaming apps to use for advertisements. Thus, ads on the Roku channel have higher average prices, and providers can generate large amounts of money.
Allows better recommendations for OTT content
Knowing about the audience’s viewing habits is among the top benefits of using OTT platforms. It is different from streaming devices that support different kinds of ads and ensures the easy creation of channels.
It becomes simple to track the user’s viewing habits within the channel and thus generate better recommendations.
Consumers remain engaged with Roku channels, and businesses get proper details related to the hours of use of streaming.
Ensures efficiency to attract more traffic
The topmost advantage of using the Roku channel will be to drive relevant traffic toward it. Develop a Roku channel to bring in a larger audience.
Thus, it results in a better content recommendation to users for content use.
Get different methods to create the Roku app
Roku is one of the top-rated business platforms for content promotions, and it aggregates content from other media channels.
Content owners can develop an app from the OTT platform in multiple ways to promote apps directly.
Roku also offers a direct publishing method for app development and also supports custom development. You have Roku SDK and IDK for different kinds of app development needs.
Roku SDK (Software Development Kit) – Details to Get Started with Your Roku App Development
Roku TV apps are dynamic and listed among the top OTT market players. It assists easy streaming of audio and video content via the internet.
Take the help of Android channel developers to build something relevant for business. Roku is an open streaming platform that allows developers to grow their market share with relevant channels.
Use Roku SDK to create the apps and allow simple customizations when needed. Developers must be comfortable with the BrightScript programming language when building Roku channels.
Take the help of Roku SDK to do tons of customizations and incorporate the workflows into the app. There is also the Eclipse IDE, provided by Roku, so some of the text editors are inadequate.
The plugin can deploy the app from Eclipse to the Roku TV app.
Development of a Custom Roku Channel
The creation of simple channels is possible with a publisher! However, you need the help of a Roku app developer to create a customized channel. Use BrightScript with SceneGraph and UI framework to implement a custom channel.
Customization of the audience and the media becomes simpler using a powerful language like BrightScript. A list of things needed to develop a channel on a Roku platform is.
- The supported web browsers like Firefox or similar
- Roku devise device with Software Release 2.7 or later
- Relevant development workstation with a terminal application and a text editor
- Developer Account with access to Roku’s Developed Dashboard
The Roku app development is completed over a simple grid screen that allows simple customizations like multiple categories and a custom login screen.
Developers can use the Registry to store user information and ensure a personalized experience.
Relevant Resources for the Development of a Channel
Businesses get multiple documents and samples with Roku to use the scripting language effectively.
The tutorial has some of the best tutorials on creating an effective channel. Developers get multiple sample channels like SceneGraph Developer Extensions to work with it.
The development also gets easier with the Roku plug-in for Eclipse and other development tools.
Encouragement is given to the development teams to test the basic channel-building process.
Some experts are professionals in developing Roku channels using the Roku SDK. So, businesses can get functional apps instantly for regular use.
User Interface Elements/Object Model
The Roku app developers must use BrightScript programming language to get their desired channel.
They get access to a set of interfaces for platform services through BrightScript Components. Such services include multiple capabilities, a user interface, data management, and video playback.
There are two primary visions in Roku SDK components: core objects and platform objects. The former object exists on the Roku platforms, and the latter is on a specific platform, such as the Roku Streaming Player.
- Video Player Screen – Video playback support with trick mode support and a progress bar.
- Top-Level Menu – This includes the application launch screen and logo art.
- Poster Screen – It has a horizontally scrolling list of shows along with poster art.
- Springboard – It includes a detailed screen with options for displaying the individual show.
- PIN Entry Screen – It includes user entry of a PIN for purchase & rental verification.
- Filter Widget – It includes a selection of widgets for filtering content that displays by type.
- Rendezvous/Code Registration Screen – The display and validation of the registration codes.
- Search Screen – It is a keyword-based search with progressive disclosure of the results.
- Text Screen – It displays formatted text to allow users to select options.
The development of the application for the Roku Streaming Player consists of writing apps in BrightScript.
It also includes the app packaging and associated resource files for simple deployment on the platform. The player emulates the installed app at runtime and displays it on the menu.
Developer Environment Setup
The Roku channels under development can be easily loaded with the help of a standard web browser.
Enable it for development modes to host the devices on a web page for installing the channel & also examine it.
Look into the tutorials for creating user and developer accounts on the Roku platform. It is important to test the Roku device for development.
It provides the details related to the sideload of Roku’s Hello World channel, updates the displayed text on the screen, and then views its output.
Here are the steps to set up the development environment.
- It must begin with enabling Developer Settings to set up the Roku device.
- Now, you can access the ‘Development Application Installer’ to upload and install the sample.
- Run the sample channel on Roku to see how it works and functions.
- Finally, it is time to examine the channel on the device with the help of Developer Settings.
Understanding of SceneGraph Core Concepts
It is the framework for developing the Roku channels, and it incorporates two key concepts. The first is the SceneGraph rendering of the channel screen, and the second is the screen’s SML configuration.
The framework fastens the development of channels by reducing procedural codes needed to render the screen display. It is possible to configure the screen’s appearance with sets of attributes in XML files.
The SceneGraph XML programming framework includes new capabilities for designing the user interface.
It is used for specific screen display resolutions, and it also has the flexibility to allow user interface rendering. Developers can do it on Roku players that do not support the desired display resolution.
Roku Channel Designing for Devices
All the public channels on the Roku platform get certification through presently supported Roku models before publishing. The list of supported devices can include a range of product classes, right from the entry-level set-box to 4K HDR TVs.
Roku app developers must consider all the multiple product capabilities while developing the channels. The best practice is to get dynamic channels that are conditional to product details or the model.
It is critical to think strategically about data fetching on each app screen. Take relevant developers to come up with the best solutions for Roku channels.
If you’re an old Roku app developer, consider rendering the content items on each browser. Use some optimization techniques, such as limiting the animations and the number of overdraws, to achieve true results.
Roku IDK (Independent Development Kit) – Starting Guide for the Kit
The New Roku IDK refers to the non-commercial development platform for building an app for personal use. Features of the IDK include – real-time 3D graphics with OpenGL ES, low-level hooks into the Roku OS, small subsets of media APIs, OSS shared libraries, and a simplified build system.
The application can run only on the IDK-supported stream player, and thus, you need Roku OS 10.5 or later. Use Roku app developers’ help to build functional apps for the Roku OTT platform.
The new features of the Roku app development kit are in line with industry standards. It allows consumers to install application packages on their devices and use the IDK to code in their favorite programming language. Implement IDK apps for Roku streaming sticks that run Roku OS version 10.5 or higher.
Roku also informed us that the proprietary SDK will still be the main focus for commercial apps available via the app store. The blog post details the development of new aspects of the Roku IDK (Independent Development Kit).
The main focus of Roku is to build the best TV streaming platform for advertisers and consumers.
The new announcement of the IDK is facilitating innovation across different platforms. Let us now look at some of the new functionalities meant along the IDK –
Innovation & Personalization
The new Roku IDK is helping the developers to evaluate the capability of the platform & personalize the experience. IDK is expanding the developer platform to develop new possibilities.
It is the feature aligning with the industry practices for platform streamlining. Commercial businesses are installing the application package on their devices for quick use. Developers are using the IDK platform to innovate and customize the devices as per innovations.
Creation of Apps, Games, and Utilities
Develop applications and games using reliable platforms like Roku IDK. Developers use the code in a suitable programming language to create apps outside the streaming channel.
Built applications can use JavaScript, which pulls data from different sources. Turn the TV monitor to snapshot views of daily news, calendars, and traffic conditions so that people can communicate regularly.
IDK supports C/C++ and other languages like Python or JavaScript to embed the interpreter within the apps.
Roku provides a robust ecosystem for creating streaming and music video channels. The IDK runs on community-driven assistance to get support from a dedicated developer forum.
Testing Channels with New Tools
As far as the news travels, Roku has also announced the launching of a new beta channel feature. It is an industry-standard feature on the streaming platform that allows developers to test applications.
You get new tools for testing the channels along with the IDK; thus, a Roku developer’s task is simple. Developers are getting increased visibility with the help of Beta channels during testing to get the best results.
Take the Roku developers’ help to monitor the test channels’ status and also analyze the re-buffers. Use IDK to analyze the cash reports better before the official publishing of channels on the Roku store.
The developer accounts can have up to 10 beta channels at a time, each with a 120-day testing period.
Getting Rid of Non-Certified Channels
Roku has started removing the non-certified channels after releasing the IDK platform and beta channels. Use both of them to facilitate broader innovation and enhance the beta testing procedure.
It offers the development experience and standardizes the development process over various streaming platforms.
Directory Structure to Build IDK Applications
Creating an IDK app involves organizing the app code and resources to get into the directory structure.
Use the simplified build system to generate a binary file for the applications. Each of the IDK applications has files & directories organized in the structure as follows –
Sources: It is the folder containing the source code used to get executable apps that comply with the binary squashfs image file.
makefile: Build the executable apps with the help of a file that defines the instructions. It also supports libraries from the source directory.
Developers can also create the binary squashfs image file to get the desired results. It mixes with the IDK-supported Roku streaming player.
assets: It is the folder containing the IDK application assets, and it gets copied into the necessary zip file to mix in the directory.
maln.brs: It is the BrightScript file containing the main entry point for the SDK applications to develop apps.
manifest: It is a file that declares attributes by describing the channel, like its name & icon. Developers can use the perslst_quota attribute to specify the amount of non-volatile storage.
The Roku app developers use the IDK and the code in the language that helps app creation go beyond streaming channels.
IDK applications are not supported on legacy streaming players, and the devices must run on Roku OS 10.5 or higher. Along with the launch of the IDK channel, the company has announced the launch of new beta channel tools.
Final Thoughts!
There are multiple ways to build a Roku channel, but there is nothing better than a customized one. Take the help of a Roku app developer to get assistance on getting something suitable for your business promotion.
Roku SDK and IDK provide the environment for creating relevant channels for the Roku platform at favorable prices.
The creation of the Roku channel or the entire development procedure must be part of today’s overall business strategy. Create a Roku channel to stream your app content to relevant audiences.
It will help the developers to test the apps before making changes live on the platform. Use Roku app developers’ help to build a functional app that solves most of your business needs!
Use the IDK to create some excellent channels & apps that serve multiple purposes for business houses.
There are different kinds of developers in the market, and you must look for profound SDK developers. Create a Roku application today using Roku app developers’ assistance to get productive channels.
The details mentioned above lay out the groundwork to understand the technology better. Use any one of the frameworks to find the most suitable app.
