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What's the use case for displaying PDF files on a Roku? You would really read documents on your TV? I'd be interested in developing that if there's a market

by relyks 3y ago

WalterBright 3y ago
I have an uncounted number of PDFs, easily in the many thousands. I'd like to lounge in my LazyBoy and read them. I'd like to read them while I do my exercises. I'd like read them while in bed and sick of watching TV. I'd upgrade to a 4K TV if I had a viewer for it. I'd pony(!) up $200 for an app that did that. I don't know if other people would, but I would. I find it strange that Roku comes with an app to play movie files, display jpgs, play song files, but it won't display a pdf. I've searched Roku for such an app, and googled for it, but came up empty.
- Stratoscope 3y ago
  Wouldn't you want a portrait mode monitor for your PDFs? I read them on a 24" UHD portrait mode display. It is so nice to have the PDF page fill the display so I don't have to scroll within each page. Of course this doesn't solve the problem of reading them in bed! Or would it? At least in the LazyBoy you could have a portrait mode monitor on an Ergotron arm and that would work pretty nicely? I wrote about this in more detail here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36179132 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36179132
  - WalterBright 3y ago
    I actually like 2-page display, like an open book.
- babypuncher 3y ago
  There are several options for the Apple TV [1] There's probably something similar for Android TV. Roku doesn't really have a third party app ecosystem 1: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/pdfontv/id1071669734 https://apps.apple.com/us/app/pdfontv/id1071669734 , https://apps.apple.com/us/app/easy-pdf-reader-for-all-cloud/id1181416309 https://apps.apple.com/us/app/easy-pdf-reader-for-all-cloud/... , https://apps.apple.com/us/app/pdf-viewer-for-tv/id1661646958 https://apps.apple.com/us/app/pdf-viewer-for-tv/id1661646958
  - WalterBright 3y ago
    > Roku doesn't really have a third party app ecosystem There seem to be a lot of 3rd party apps for it! I even have the SDK for it.
    - babypuncher 3y ago
      Right, but the ecosystem is nowhere near as robust as that of the other two platforms, as evidenced by the wealth of apps that solve OP's problem. Lots of people have Rokus but not very many people are developing for them.
- addandsubtract 3y ago
  Android TV probably has a PDF app, so a Chromecast (with Android TV) should do the trick.
  - WalterBright 3y ago
    I don't want to buy another box. It's already a rat's nest of cables. I once looked through all the various "media player" boxes on Amazon. They all did video, pictures, and music. None did pdf.
    - yazaddaruvala 3y ago
      Almost every phone can cast/screen mirror. Unless your Roku is really old it supports it.

What's the use case for displaying PDF files on a Roku? You would really read documents on your TV? I'd be interested in developing that if there's a market

by relyks 3y ago

What's the use case for displaying PDF files on a Roku? You would really read documents on your TV? I'd be interested in developing that if there's a market

WalterBright 3y ago

I have an uncounted number of PDFs, easily in the many thousands. I'd like to lounge in my LazyBoy and read them. I'd like to read them while I do my exercises. I'd like read them while in bed and sick of watching TV. I'd upgrade to a 4K TV if I had a viewer for it. I'd pony(!) up $200 for an app that did that. I don't know if other people would, but I would. I find it strange that Roku comes with an app to play movie files, display jpgs, play song files, but it won't display a pdf. I've searched Roku for such an app, and googled for it, but came up empty.

Stratoscope 3y ago
Wouldn't you want a portrait mode monitor for your PDFs? I read them on a 24" UHD portrait mode display. It is so nice to have the PDF page fill the display so I don't have to scroll within each page. Of course this doesn't solve the problem of reading them in bed! Or would it? At least in the LazyBoy you could have a portrait mode monitor on an Ergotron arm and that would work pretty nicely? I wrote about this in more detail here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36179132 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36179132
- WalterBright 3y ago
  I actually like 2-page display, like an open book.
babypuncher 3y ago
There are several options for the Apple TV [1] There's probably something similar for Android TV. Roku doesn't really have a third party app ecosystem 1: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/pdfontv/id1071669734 https://apps.apple.com/us/app/pdfontv/id1071669734 , https://apps.apple.com/us/app/easy-pdf-reader-for-all-cloud/id1181416309 https://apps.apple.com/us/app/easy-pdf-reader-for-all-cloud/... , https://apps.apple.com/us/app/pdf-viewer-for-tv/id1661646958 https://apps.apple.com/us/app/pdf-viewer-for-tv/id1661646958
- WalterBright 3y ago
  > Roku doesn't really have a third party app ecosystem There seem to be a lot of 3rd party apps for it! I even have the SDK for it.
  - babypuncher 3y ago
    Right, but the ecosystem is nowhere near as robust as that of the other two platforms, as evidenced by the wealth of apps that solve OP's problem. Lots of people have Rokus but not very many people are developing for them.
addandsubtract 3y ago
Android TV probably has a PDF app, so a Chromecast (with Android TV) should do the trick.
- WalterBright 3y ago
  I don't want to buy another box. It's already a rat's nest of cables. I once looked through all the various "media player" boxes on Amazon. They all did video, pictures, and music. None did pdf.
  - yazaddaruvala 3y ago
    Almost every phone can cast/screen mirror. Unless your Roku is really old it supports it.