Adding and using channels on Roku

Roku is very much a channel-based service so it's important to know how to find the channels that you want to watch. In the Channel Store, accessible from the dashboard, you'll find all the

channels available on the Roku

. These are conveniently sorted by Featured, New, Most Popular and more. There are even games, screensavers and

picture viewing services

available. Just select a channel to see more information and user ratings or to add the channel. Once you've added a channel, it will appear on your dashboard. You can also remove channels whenever you want.

From the dashboard, you can access any channels that you've added. Just select a channel to start it up. Each channel can have a different layout and interface so you'll have to take some time with each one to get used to it. For example, the TWiT channel presents a list of shows and from each show you can access different episodes. Once you select an episode, you have the option to play the episode, view a show description or see other shows.

While playing media, you can use the remote to control playback. Press play/pause to play or pause the content and rewind or fast forward to go back and forth. Both have three speeds, though you may need to wait for video to buffer before playback. The XDS remote also has an instant replay button that will rewind video by ten seconds. The home button will take you straight to your dashboard, while the back arrow will take you back one screen. When playing a video that was previously stopped you also have the option of resuming from where you left off.

For premium content as with the MLB channel, you will need to

purchase a subscription

. Going to one of these channel pages from the Channel Store will usually present you with instructions for getting a subscription. With the MLB channel, you'll need to go to MLB.com/roku from your computer and sign up for a subscription and have your Roku unit sync with your account.

One caveat about the Roku device is that it the content may be location specific. That means that if you want to bring your Roku overseas or into another country you may be geolocked out, so it's not the best device for bringing your media with you.