the MRH Forum

Staff Notes: Video survey results Magazine feedback
Reply
MRH Media 2,999 posts MRH MRH Media 2,999 posts
MRH

v2014-p9.jpg  Click to read this in landscape orientation ?Click to read this in portrait orientation ?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Read this issue!


 

 

 

 

 

 

Please post any comments or questions you have here.
Reply 0
charsand New member 4 posts
charsand

Trainmasters TV

I was just wondering if Trainmasters TV would ever be available on a Roku box and if so, the approximate time that this would happen....

Thanks
Reply 0
joef MRH Founder 17,472 posts
joef

Roku ...

TMTV prefers devices that play video through an internet browser like Apple TV or Chromecast using the browser extension. The Roku requires we build a complete parallel evironment, which we're not keen on doing because of the double cost. We're not going to support proprietary internet solutions because in the long term they will lose out to normal web-enabled TV - so we would be building something that has no long-term future. As of Roku 3, they're wising up and adding an experimental web browser but it's still pretty buggy. By the 4th generation Roku, we're expecting they will finally have a real web browser in the product like they should have done all along - and then watching TMTV on a Roku won't be any problem at all.

Joe Fugate​
Publisher, Model Railroad Hobbyist magazine

[siskiyouBtn]

Read my blog
Reply 0
barr_ceo Super User 3,284 posts
barr_ceo

Hmmm.... well, my Roku stick

Hmmm.... well, my Roku stick does YouTube videos. I don't know if YouTube is doing anything special on their end - I know that I didn't have to do anything to the videos that I posted, they just work.

Read my Journal / Blog...

!BARR_LO.GIFFreelanced N scale Class Digitrax & JMRI

 NRail  T-Trak Standards  T-Trak Wiki   T-Trak Wiki Pages
Reply 0
joef MRH Founder 17,472 posts
joef

YouTube is a multi-billion dollar company

YouTube is a multi-billion dollar company with tens of thousands of employees, and TMTV has one full time person and a few part-timers. Big difference - YouTube has an army with lots of funding to do huge projects. Roku will eventually catch up by allowing direct internet access. Roku was the first of its kind in its day, but now with smart TVs able to connect to the internet directly and get video from anywhere, Roku is a dinosaur. It's also a huge effort to create the custom infrastructure needed to support Roku, so any newer video outfits like us will just side-step the excess cost when direct to the internet is working just fine and will leave proprietary web video solutions in the dust.

Joe Fugate​
Publisher, Model Railroad Hobbyist magazine

[siskiyouBtn]

Read my blog
Reply 0
Dwayne de Lung New member 7 posts
Dwayne de Lung

If you've uploaded a video to

If you've uploaded a video to YouTube then that is the sum total of the know-how needed to make the content available. I have a dvd player, two game consoles and pc's that all have the ability to access YouTube without any special thingamabobs or skillz. If you can upload it (and you can!) then we can view it. You can have private and subscriber channels if you wish but for a free online mag... that would defeat the purpose of spreading it's content (including advertising!).

 

RoKu made a deliberate decision to exclude YouTube from it's boxes... which is why my RoKu box sits unused in it's original shipping container. At one time, there was an app available for it which played YouTube videos... however RoKu hired the app creator and squashed the app for God only knows what reason.

 

I personally would LOVE to see this mag available as an app for Android, Roku, Boxey, iPhone etc. Actually... I'd love to see it in PRINT (hard to fold up an iPad and stuff it into your back pocket to sneak a look at lunch break!).

 

Ok - feedback for the article: It was noted that ya'll didn't understand why someone would consider dvd's easier to store than downloadable content. I understand that completely. I really don't WANT a server (though I have one) and don't want to have electronic whatchamacallits shooting around inside a computer when I can simply pop a dvd into my player (or pc - ironic!) and play it. Not every old fart on the planet WANTS to be 'with it' and subscribe to iTunes or whatever-is-trendy-this-month. It's not that the downloadable content is bad - actualy, it's good... BUT! That demographic you noted... the OLDER FOLKS who have returned to the hobby? Most of them don't give a damn about what gizmo or gadget gives kids a woody these days! Just because it's new doesn't mean we're going to flock to it like dogs to a sack of wet cats! For example: I have print mags going back to the 1960's (and further back!) that I look at from time to time. Do you think I'm going to throw them into the fireplace and download this year's magazines in their place? Nah... not going to happen! I LIKE my old magazines and despite there being no DCC articles the information still has relevance for me! (John Allen isn't writing much these days...)

(As an aside: I also doubt that there will be a big market for used downloadable content on ebay but I"ve bought several bound years of Model Railroader from the 60's to fill in my collection!)

Having said all that: I really enjoy MRH and the clickable links that take me right to a manufacturer's site! THAT is a great innovation in the hobby and extends the enjoyment of a hobby magazine immensely.  Sorry to run on but when ya axt fer an ans'r  ya gets one!

Atlantic, Mississippi & Ohio Railroad
Reply 0
barr_ceo Super User 3,284 posts
barr_ceo

RoKu made a deliberate

Quote:

RoKu made a deliberate decision to exclude YouTube from it's boxes... which is why my RoKu box sits unused in it's original shipping container. At one time, there was an app available for it which played YouTube videos... however RoKu hired the app creator and squashed the app for God only knows what reason.

,,,probably so that they could get him to put that capability in their newer units. I have the Roku USB stick on my TV right now, and can search and watch YouTube videos from the TV, or queue them up on my computer to play on the TV. 

So much for that bit of FUD. 

 

Read my Journal / Blog...

!BARR_LO.GIFFreelanced N scale Class Digitrax & JMRI

 NRail  T-Trak Standards  T-Trak Wiki   T-Trak Wiki Pages
Reply 0
George Sinos gsinos Prolific poster 1,170 posts
George Sinos gsinos

Official YouTube Roku App

There is an official YouTube app for Roku.  I think it's been available for about a year. gs
Reply 0
Paul Cuddy New member 2 posts
Paul Cuddy

Article Edits

I wonder if its possible to put pictures/captions on the same page as text so its easier to follow along. I noticed this problem in this months issue(Nov) especially with the tech article about battery powered loco's. One other comment is that in the same article the author said to break out the 6 pin header and solder to the board or mount remotely, a picture would have been greatly appreciated for an electrics dummy like myself.All-in-all I really did enjoy the article as I am a builder and not much of a runner and keeping track clean for my On30 layout is a pain. I really enjoy your Mag for general info and specialty articles, thanks 
Reply 0
Reply