RokuGuide Quick Look: The concept: Download the PlayTo app to your Android tablet or smartphone (see warning below), connect to the same WiFi network that your Roku player is on, use your Android device as an intermediary to stream media to your Roku from that device, supported websites, or your home computer (which must also be on the same network).
You can test the app by downloading PlayTo Lite for free, or you can purchase the full version for $4.99. The free version has restrictions that are stated to include rotation of free online channels, number of videos you can stream, and advertisements. However, once I opened the PlayTo Lite app on my smartphone, it installed an icon on my notification bar that could not be closed without rebooting the phone or uninstalling the app. Pulling down the notification bar displays text asking me to support PlayTo by purchasing the full app. I've installed many apps on many phones over the last few years, and I have never had one that installed a permanent nag-notice on my notification bar. Other users on Google Play have had the same complaint, so I can't attribute it to a bug on my phone.
If you still want to try this misbehaving app, go right ahead, but I had no luck getting it to work. I tried several videos from the websites that are listed within the app, but every one resulted in an error box saying that the video could not be played in PlayTo, or that the website is supported only in the paid app. I didn't have any better luck with streaming videos from my home computer. The app found the videos, but the free version will only play from the the first five in the list, and the app doesn't support the format of any of those five.
Maybe the paid version works better, but after my horrible experience with the free version, I'm not betting five bucks to find out.
(Channel information continues below the advertisement.)
-- Information is current as of November 16, 2012
Developer's Channel Description: Stream videos from your favorites websites and home servers to your Roku from your Phone or Tablet using our free PlayTo app. Over 100+ websites supported. Also works with most of the popular UPnP or DLNA media server.
CHANNEL STORE CATEGORY: Photos & Videos
DEVELOPER: PLAYTO
FEES: None
RELATED LINKS:
PlayTo Website
PlayTo on Facebook
PlayTo (@playtotv) on Twitter
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
RokuGuide is an independent website and is not affiliated with Roku, Inc., or any of the Roku content providers. We are unable to provide technical support for your device or address problems with specific channels. Click here for more information on registering your device or obtaining billing or technical support.
Theme by Danetsoft and Danang Probo Sayekti inspired by Maksimer
Does it have an app for IPad?
I have an IPad, and I tried downloading the app, but everything is for Android. Is there an app for IPad's and IPhones?
A correction to the review I just submitted
My mistake -- one correction to my long comment on PlayTo that I just made: The Android Play store appears to have at least *FOUR* versions you can download to your Android device. They are:
1. PlayTo AppleTV Roku GTV & DLNA
2. PlayTo Universal
3. PlayTo Samsung TV
4. PlayTo Sony TV
In my case, I downloaded the *first* one on the list, because it had "Roku" in the title. I did *not* select the Universal version. So all my comments are directly related to the "PlayTo AppleTV Roku GTV & DLNA" version of PlayTo for Android.
Sorry about the error! Hope you'll post both of these comments.
No trouble here -- works as advertised!
I had no trouble using the free PlayTo player last night. I saw it in the Channel Store and decided to give it a try since I own a Roku XS and a Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 tablet running Android (I have it rooted as well). I was excited to have it, because Roku quit supporting the PlayOn service and one or two others you may have heard of that let you stream YouTube. Hopefully this one will survive, especially since I shelled out good money for it on the Android store.
I installed the free version, and it worked just fine... I could view YouTube videos, Vimeo, and more, and I could also stream anything on my wife's networked laptop AND on my local SD card or even external SD card in the tablet. My one glitch was that the PlayTo and the Roku player do not seem to play AVI files, but once I converted my videos to MOV's or WMV's they worked just fine. I liked the free player so well that I immediately sprung for the $4.99 paid version so I wouldn't see the annoying ads and so I would have more features.
A couple of things I will say about this app, for those who want to give it a try:
1. The interface is a little clunky.
2. You first have to install the app on your mobile device or laptop (tablet, in my case) then open the app and enter in the IP address of your Roku player, which can be found in the settings-->network page of the Roku menu. Mine was 192.168.0.11 or something like that... that's the IP address you are looking for.
3. Once you have it running, go to YouTube and search or play a video that's on the YouTube home screen. It starts playing immediately on your *mobile* device, not on the Roku. You have to press a button on the right side of the screen on your mobile device that looks like a "play" button in order to have the app on the tablet transmit the file to your Roku.
4. Your home videos have to be in the right format -- it won't work with AVI as I mentioned above. Mine are in WMV or MOV. So a DVD of mine I ripped to AVI wouldn't work, but any videos I took with my cell phone or tablet device worked just fine!
5. Did I mention you also have to, of course, have the PlayTo channel installed on your Roku? It does not appear to do anything, and has no options, but it seems to be necessary for the app on the tablet to find the app on the Roku box.
6. Sometimes the menu that pops up (which is somewhat transparent) is over top of the apps's options, which is annoying. It really needs a bit nicer interface to make it all complete.
So overall, that's my impression of the PlayTo app. It works, and I can view YouTube video and my own video content on my device or home network... which was one of the reasons I wanted to get a Roku in the first place! (I was a bit disappointed when I first got my Roku, to find out that YouTube was not supported... so this fills the gap nicely!)
Sorry to hear the reviewer didn't have a good experience with this app. While I didn't find a use for the free app because of its limitations, I am very happy with the $5.00 ($4.99) I paid in the Google Play store for the full version. Is it a perfect app? No, but for $5 it does quite a lot and letting me see my home vids and YouTube is worth it to me.
I would say that you'd be wise to at least *try* the free version, to see if it will let you play YouTube videos or possibly your own videos on your device before paying for the full version. Mine worked right away, but I imagine that it's possible that some devices might not work or work as well. Oh yeah, and one more thing -- there seem to be several Android versions of this app. Be sure you get the "Universal" one, *unless* you own a Samsung TV. I have no idea how it would work if I had picked the wrong version from the Google Play store, but I imagine it might not have worked. If I remember correctly, the "universal" version also supports Apple TV... but don't quote me on that.
After fighting with the
After fighting with the Twonky app A LOT, I decided to give PlayTo a try. It worked so seamlessly and flawless that after 10 minutes I purchased the universal version.
It is by far the easiest way to get Youtube on a Roku box!