According to Roku

The Roku SDK offers nearly endless UI and feature customization options, a suite of development tools, and a robust set of APIs for publishers. The Roku developer APIs enable you to build channels that include the following features:

Consistent cross-platform UI — You have complete control to mirror the UI of your application on other devices, creating a consistent experience for your end-users.

Enhanced engagement – Present your content to your users however you want, through a recommended content carousel, a grid of content, or an EPG view.

DRM support — Secure your content through DRM encryption.

Billing — Monetize your users through various billing models: Subscriptions, in-app transactions, or a one-time pay-to-install fee.

User authentication — Allow users to authenticate into their account to restore their preferences bookmarked content and better understand their streaming behaviors.

Third-party analytics — All Roku channels receive audience engagement reports from Roku to better understand how users engage with their content. In addition, you can integrate third-party analytics providers into your channel, such as Google Analytics or Brightcove.

A Roku channel, or Roku App, is an app that provides access to various types of content, such as movies, TV shows, games, music, etc.

Roku SDK provides tools and documentation for building channels using BrightScript, a scripting language designed for Roku devices and used exclusively to build and manage Roku Apps.

Some of the tools included in the Roku SDK are:

Roku Resource Monitor: A tool that tracks system resource usage metrics for a channel over time, such as memory, CPU, and graphics2.

BrightScript Profiler: A tool that gathers performance metrics for a channel, such as CPU operations, wall-clock time, memory usage, and memory leaks2.

Advanced Layout Editor: A tool that provides a hierarchical view of the node tree in a SceneGraph channel and lets developers or designers dynamically lay out the visual aspects of a channel2.

Remote Tool: A tool that simulates a virtual remote control for navigating a Roku device and a channel and supports automation and scripting.

Deep Linking Tester: A tool that tests the deep linking functionality of a channel, which is required for supporting Roku Search or banner ads.

Stream Tester: A tool that plays video content or ads in a test channel from a web browser.

I would say that Roku SDK is a software development kit that allows developers to create channels for the Roku streaming platform.

You can imagine it as a Lego kit with endless pieces.

The more "pieces" you add to your build, the bigger and more complex your channel app will become.

Quite often, I compare Roku SDK with the WordPress platform.

Both offer almost endless options and possibilities. If you can imagine, you can find a way to do it.

All sound nice and good, with one exception. The programming language - BrightScript.

Yes, it offers almost endless possibilities, but ... you still need to learn a programming language that is used only for this one type of app.

This is the reason why Roku developers are so expensive.

On the other hand, it is good news for those using TV Boss Fire - where we find ways to "eliminate" the need for all this - no coding, no big learning curve, just easy, simple copy-paste.

What is Roku SDK

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