Innovating VOD and Live Streaming Solutions with Roku

Following the successful delivery of a PoC for a sports broadcaster aiming to expand its digital presence through the FAST (Free Ad-Supported Television) sector, Qualabs initiated a new endeavor to delve deeper into the Roku platform. This next phase aimed to enhance and expand the capabilities of the initial PoC, leveraging the insights and experiences gained to implement more advanced features and functionalities.

Challenge

The challenge involved implementing core functions such as video on demand (VOD) and live streaming on Roku, taking full advantage of the potential of its user interfaces. In addition, integrating analytics and advertising systems was crucial to gain valuable user insights and revenue opportunities.

The lack of comprehensive documentation, developer support, preview tools, and emulators further complicated the development and testing process, requiring innovative solutions and a flexible approach.

Process

Building on our previous experience, the team's primary goal was to enhance our understanding of Roku technology, generate deeper insights, and create a highly functional app. This app needed to select from a list of VODs, log playback stats, add ads to videos, and present an appealing interface.

The team faced significant challenges throughout the development, including Roku’s unintuitive architecture, lack of online examples and documentation, and a limited interface framework that didn’t easily allow for modern UI creation.

Technical implementation

Ads: We implemented different types of ads (pre-roll, mid-roll, and post-roll), handling various resolutions and codecs. VMAP and VAST templates were used to define ad sequence and duration.
Streaming: We utilized Roku’s video component, which downloads manifests and adjusts video quality dynamically based on the user’s bandwidth.
Analytics: We developed a module to send analytics to Google Analytics, addressing issues like the 204 response and parameter management across different files.

The lack of emulators made testing tedious and manual, requiring physical Roku devices and monitors for each test. The architecture and parameter passing presented additional complexities, which were resolved by creating intermediate files and using global contexts for parameter management.

The user interface had to be designed using graphical tricks due to Roku’s framework limitations, such as the inability to use rounded corners directly in the code.

Solution

The team adopted a creative and flexible approach to turn each obstacle into an opportunity for innovation and learning.

How we did it:

Learning New Technologies: We intensely trained in Roku’s BrightScript and SceneGraph languages, enabling us to develop the app and generate valuable insights.
Agile Methodology: We implemented an agile methodology with weekly sprints, allowing us to address problems iteratively and continuously improve.
Creative Graphic Solutions: We used "optical illusions" in the UI to overcome the framework's limitations, such as overlaying transparent PNG images to simulate rounded corners.
Intermediate Structures: We developed intermediate files and global contexts to manage parameter passing and resolve multiple init issues.
Intensive Manual Testing: Although the lack of emulators complicated testing, we adapted by creating a rigorous manual process using physical Roku devices, ensuring every change was thoroughly tested.

Results

In just one month, our team successfully implemented core features such as video on demand (VOD) and live streaming in the Roku environment. Leveraging the platform's monetization and user acquisition opportunities, we integrated Google Analytics to gather usage metrics and detailed information. In addition, we devised intelligent user interface strategies to address Roku’s design constraints, unlocking valuable insights and revenue streams. This met the project's objectives and positioned the team for future success in developing applications on complex platforms.

Team

The team working on this project is named "Los Appios", a dedicated video-team composed of a Team Leader and video developers.

They are supported by an extended team of Qualabs that helps them in several areas: Delivery, Technology, Client satisfaction and People care.

Extended Team

Delivery Manager: ensures value delivery together with the team, in addition to collaborating with continuous improvement processes.

People Ops Manager: Accompanies the team in retrospectives and internal team meetings. Assists in the preparation of feedback and encourages team building and cultural alignment.

Tech Manager: In charge of designing, describing and managing the engineering of solutions in relation to specific customer problems.