Ok, here is a conundrum - turns out it is possible to add a channel that is neither “dead” nor “alive”.
It does not show in channel listing, so i cannot start it, hence not “alive”.
But i cannot delete its corpse from my player either (since does not show in the lineup :roll:), hence it’s not “dead” either.
Somehow it lingers in a netherworld where it is beyond reach but pollutes my account and players. Creepy, i’n’t it?
Most recently that happened to me when i as good samaritan tried installing “Monster Box” from here viewtopic.php?f=34&t=86227
(initially i used the random code provided, today you can use “monsterbox” to the same effect)
And so after forcing “update”, it told me channel is installed and… nothing, does not show in the listing. In fact, it keeps telling me it is installing every time i force update check. On all my players, naturally. It’s been almost a week and no change.
Now, i have accomplished such feat once in my own pvt channel when i was missing something (say the offline icons). Which was easy to fix, since i could upload corrected bundle. But how about when this is beyond my control, like in this case - am i condemned to life with such monstrosity?! That doesn’t seem right…
This issue was brought up once before a year or so ago, if I remember correctly (though it was a slightly different problem). I’ll check with Engineering tomorrow about it.
C. Shawn Smith
PS: Can you give an example channel or two in addition to Monster Box?
“RokuShawnS” wrote:
PS: Can you give an example channel or two in addition to Monster Box?
How about screensavers? There’s no way to remove those, either. I suspect a solution to one would also provide a solution to the other.
This could be caused by the fact some channels has special needs (like USB, or specific firmware version) you can add it as a private, but they will only show to you if you have a device with USB.
The page that adds the channel could alert the user that he does not have any device registered in his account that supports that particular channel
“RokuShawnS” wrote:
PS: Can you give an example channel or two in addition to Monster Box?
How about screensavers? There’s no way to remove those, either. I suspect a solution to one would also provide a solution to the other.
That was another concern that I think was brought up a year ago. Any particular screensaver you can pin down? (I only have one installed, and that’s my own, which has a way to delete it already programmed in :mrgreen: )
The more info I have for engineering, the likelier it will be to change the behavior.
Since you can add channels through the web interface, maybe that can provide a stop-gap measure to delete channels if it’s not possible via the Roku, at the very least. I’ll see what I can find out tomorrow (er … this morning … frakking insomnia :D)
“RokuShawnS” wrote:
Any particular screensaver you can pin down? Every standalone screensaver. Once installed, there’s no way to remove them.
EDIT: Nevermind.. didn’t realize the Options (*) menu was now available on the screensavers. When did that get added?
“RokuShawnS” wrote:
(I only have one installed, and that’s my own, which has a way to delete it already programmed in :mrgreen: )
Care to explain? How are you programmatically deleting a channel/screensaver?
“RokuShawnS” wrote:
(I only have one installed, and that’s my own, which has a way to delete it already programmed in :mrgreen: )
Care to explain? How are you programmatically deleting a channel/screensaver?
Wasn’t he referring to them having a “remove” option built in? Which is now unnecessary because of the Options button being available on screen savers now?
“RokuShawnS” wrote:
(I only have one installed, and that’s my own, which has a way to delete it already programmed in :mrgreen: )
Care to explain? How are you programmatically deleting a channel/screensaver?
Wasn’t he referring to them having a “remove” option built in? Which is now unnecessary because of the Options button being available on screen savers now?
It sounds like it, but how would a built-in “remove” option work?
“RokuShawnS” wrote:
(I only have one installed, and that’s my own, which has a way to delete it already programmed in :mrgreen: )
Care to explain? How are you programmatically deleting a channel/screensaver?
Wasn’t he referring to them having a “remove” option built in? Which is now unnecessary because of the Options button being available on screen savers now?
It sounds like it, but how would a built-in “remove” option work?
Sorry. I worded that poorly. When the screensaver was created, it was before a lot of screensavers actually showed up in the channel lineup. We made sure ours was, to avoid it becoming a ghost.
I should remember not to post when I’m battling insomnia :mrgreen:
Is there a way for me to get rid of the zombie though?
Every time ever since, on “system update” / “check now” on various players of mine, it says " Adding ‘Monster Box’ "… and nothing happens. I’d gladly delete it if i could get to the channel info popup - but since icon does not show, i can’t.
Hi, not currently unless the “zombie” is published to legacy devices and you have a legacy Roku, they should show up there. Might be a 24 hour cycle after you remove the channel from legacy and it is auto-removed from your non-legacy Roku.
“RokuJoel” wrote:
Hi, not currently unless the “zombie” is published to legacy devices and you have a legacy Roku, they should show up there. Might be a 24 hour cycle after you remove the channel from legacy and it is auto-removed from your non-legacy Roku.
Great idea, saved the bacon!
I have tried to see if the zombie will show in the lineup on a legacy player but it always gives me “insufficient storage” these days, regardless of me deleting channels. But today i tracked the Monster in “My Channels” category inside the Channel Store app and was able to delete it there. Woo-hoo!
Amusing there are things for which a legacy player is irreplaceable.
Speaking of legacy, on that player there is a red banner at the bottom, which promises 20% discount on upgrades till end of September. Clicking on it however shows a black screen that says “Retrieving…” and stays like that forever. In other words, it does Jack Squat. Here is a photo of the banner, it’s not working (take my word or try it):
[upload|2ZaG62CYDkxGVRsoy9uExA==]
Can someone flag the person responsible for the ad? I am sure it was intended to facilitate upgrade-selling legacy viewers but it doesnt work.
“roquoonewbie” wrote:
Is it also the case that a channel marked as “hidden” (in the manifest file) has no way of being uninstalled?
I don’t think “hidden” was really considered for use by the unwashed masses (me, you etc) - rather it is used by invisible channels like “Play on Roku”.
Regardless of intent, it can lead to the same issue like the “undead channel” - creating “immovable object” burden on the player/account.
How can that be fixed… well, one idea comes to mind, if they change the “channel info” secret screen to a roListScreen where one can select an entry to see additional info on the side and/or delete it. Another approach is to re-add in Channel Store the category “my channels” like it was in fw3 and deal with them from there.
But they created a way for any developer to publish a hidden channel, so I don’t think it was just for channels published by Roku themselves. So if a developer can make a hidden channel and distribute it, and someone tries to install it…that person then has no way to ever uninstall it? That just doesn’t seem to make sense.
“roquoonewbie” wrote:
So if a developer can make a hidden channel and distribute it, and someone tries to install it…that person then has no way to ever uninstall it? That just doesn’t seem to make sense.
The same is true for the “zombie” channel syndrome discussed in this thread. It’s not hidden, it just does not show up and cannot be removed.
Observable reality cannot be compelled to make sense - or if i get mystical, “Roku works in mysterious ways” :mrgreen:
Isn’t the “Zombie” channel phenomenon due to a bug/error in how the manifest file is created and read? That’s different than the case where Roku has intentionally created a way for developers to intentionally make a channel hidden. ie: they are hidden for a reason. But being hidden shouldn’t mean there is no way to remove it. It just shouldn’t appear on the home screen. How can this be the intended design of an intentional feature?
