Local Media on Your Roku – OS X Only – Rarely Pure & Never Simple

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Local Media on Your Roku – OS X Only

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joshuaferris

February 21, 2010

You need to download two pieces of software. To make this work.

1. Put Roku into Developer mode

Start from the Home menu and press. home, home, home, up, up, right, left, right, left, right

2. Install the latest version of Python for Mac.

http://www.python.org/download/mac/

3. Download the latest myMedia.

http://github.com/netguy204/roku_media_server/archives/master

Extract it to a nice place.

4. Mine extracted to a folder called “netguy204-roku_media_server-a602ef2”. Whatever your build is, open the folder and look for a sub folder called “server”

5. Inside server there will be a a file called “springboard.py”. Ctrl+Click on it and click Open With -> Python Launcher.

6. This screen should pop-up.

Screen shot 2010-02-21 at 11.53.25 AM.gif

(these are all fake/examples I used for this tutorial)

music_dir = /Users/[your user name]/Music/iTunes/iTunes Music

video_dir = /Users/[your user name]/Movies

server_ip = the IP of the computer that has the media you want to share

roku_ip = The Roku Ip Address

(I ignored the next four entries)

7. Click Install Client

8. Click Launch Server. Once you do the screen will change to

Screen shot 2010-02-21 at 11.57.39 AM.gif

9. You may need to check “My Channels on Roku” and add the channel if it does not automatically show up.

Special thanks to the developers and all of the people who helped me figure this out. You guys are the best. More info can be found at this thread.

http://forums.roku.com/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=25955

11 responses to “Local Media on Your Roku – OS X Only”

Duane Williams

February 21, 2010

Why do you assume that a sequence of clicks on your Roku box will have the same effect on anyone else’s Roku box?

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1. hammerpocket
  
  February 21, 2010
  
  @Duane: That sequence of clicks is the built-in method of getting to developer mode on the Roku DVP.
  
  @Josh: Good instructions. Downloading python probably isn’t technically necessary, but it does make the steps easier because “Python Launcher” will definitely exist if you install a new version. My wife’s MacBook has python but Python Launcher isn’t offered as an “open with” option.
  
  It might be better to list the developer mode steps as one long sequence (home, home, home, up, up, right, left, right, left, right) so someone won’t click home three times, then read the next step, click up twice, read the next step, etc. I don’t think it will work if there are long pauses between clicks.
  
  Also, to make this even more user-friendly, you could insert “[your user name]” into the examples instead of “macbook”.
  
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Greg

February 27, 2010

Thanks! I did need to install a newer Python (3.1.1) on my Leopard Mac. The boxes have moved around from your example pic above.

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fotophoto

March 1, 2010

I have to say that I was kind of expecting this not to work, but it did the first try. Thank you to you & your team for developing this, it makes all the handbraking I have been doing for the pass 3 years worth it (finally). No more converting for Apple TV.

OSX10.6.2, Python 2.6, RMServer build(25aaa89)

Thanks again

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dreaminginsomniac

April 15, 2010

I have the server running but cannot reach the feed via roku player.
My computer is connected via apple airport express which gets its connection from a router which provides ethernet access to the roku. any reason this setup wont work

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1. joshuaferris
  
  April 16, 2010
  
  I would guess that you have the ip address entered incorrectly. That is just my instinct.
  
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2. hammerpocket
  
  April 16, 2010
  
  That sounds exactly like my setup, so I know it can work. What happens when you put the IP address of the server (e.g. 192.186.0.100:8001) into a web browser?
  
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SG

April 23, 2010

6. This screen should pop-up.

That screen doesn’t pop up, my terminal window does.

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1. SG
  
  April 23, 2010
  
  I figured that part out. I opened Python Installer manually and unchecked the “open in terminal box.”
  
  But when I go to MyMedia on the Roku box, the screen says, “Cannot retrieve media list.” And it gives me two options, either enter the server address manually, or to try the existing address again.
  
  The only way to get out of this cycle is to open the springboard.py file with python installer again (from my mac), which switches the Roku screen back to my channel guide.
  
  Bottom line, I can’t get it to work.
  
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Jack

May 11, 2010

When installing the client I usually get a hang and then:
multipart/form-data; boundary=———-ThIs_Is_tHe_bouNdaRY_$

Once I hit Launch Server I get:
writing configuration
http://0.0.0.0:8001/

But surely the config should be http://192.168.X.X:8001/ right?

Videos show up in the channel but sometimes they play and sometimes they don’t.

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Fritz

February 10, 2012

5. Inside server there will be a a file called “springboard.py”. Ctrl+Click on it and click Open With -> Python Launcher.

Python Launcher doesn’t show up as an app.
this path /Python 3.2.2/Mac/PythonLauncher/

Yields:

doscript.h
doscript.m
English.lproj
factorySettings.plist
FileSettings.h
FileSettings.m
Info.plist.in
main.m
Makefile.in
MyAppDelegate.h
MyAppDelegate.m
MyDocument.h
MyDocument.m
PreferencesWindowController.h
PreferencesWindowController.m

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