Portico

Portico THIS CHANNEL IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE IN THE ROKU CHANNEL STORE.

Quick Look: Portico TV delivers a variety of programming from producers such as Popular Science, Newsy, Rev3 and AP. Content categories are Hollywood, Tech, Food, Films, News, and Cinequest. Content is updated regularly - several of the news and information shows have daily or weekly updates.

The episodic shows that I've watched are 20 to 30 minutes in length, allowing you to sit back and be entertained. This is a nice departure from the trend on many channels to have short segments only a minute or two in length, or - even worse - to offer only brief segments clipped from full-length shows.

Here are a few of my recommendations for shows to watch. If you have your own favorites, let us know in the comments section below.

Cook Taste Eat - "Michael Min and a team of world-class chefs teach you how to cook like a pro." Portico currently offers 15 videos featuring creations that range from a taco bar and turkey burgers to roasted rack of lamb and chorizo crusted scallops. The videos include side dishes, so you can see how to make an entire meal. The Cook Taste Eat website has a much larger video library, so I'm hoping Portico adds to this collection.
Newsy in 30 - "Your source for the day's biggest breaking stories and headlines from around world." I'm already a fan of Newsy's Roku channel and their method of compiling the reports from a variety of news sources. Now I'm an even bigger fan with this full 30-minute show. Newsy has a new update every weekday, plus a weekend edition.
The Report with the AP - "Presents the best in breaking national, world and local news from a trusted source." If you're looking for a shorter daily news update, or you just don't like Newsy's style of re-reporting news from other services, this is the show to watch.
CelebTV - "Catch up on all the hottest Hollywood gossip." If you want to keep up with the latest celebrity news, CelebTV offers a 15-minute daily updates on your favorite actors and musical artists.
Popular Science - "Explore the future of technology, science, gadgets, space and green tech with PopSci." Portico carries several half-hour episodes of Popular Science, which provides in-depth reporting on current science and technology topics.

In addition to the above episodic shows, check out the films and documentaries that are available.

My only complaint about this channel is that it automatically plays a promotional video whenever you're browsing through the available shows and categories. The promo can be helpful, telling you what's new each week. But the video quickly becomes annoying when it autoplays every time you return to the menu. Hopefully a future update will give viewers the option of whether or not to play the promo.

-- Information is current as of November 10, 2012

Developer's Channel Description: Passionate about food, tech, or news? How about entertainment? Or maybe you love indie films? Portico TV gives you shows that speak to your passions. Free, special-interest channels, curated by our Emmy-award winning team. Lean back. Enjoy. And channel your passions.

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CHANNEL STORE CATEGORY: Lifestyle

DEVELOPER: spence

FEES: None