Back in March I told you about VideoBuzz, a third-party Roku channel that adds a desperately needed capability to the popular media-streaming boxes: YouTube.
Alas, not long after, Roku ordered VideoBuzz to shut down, again leaving owners with no way to stream their favorite cat videos, movie trailers, “Colbert Report” segments, and so on.
Why Roku still doesn’t offer a proper YouTube channel, I have no idea. But here’s good news: VideoBuzz is back, at least for a while. Here’s how you can get it:
1. You’ll need Google Chrome or Firefox; for whatever reason, the installer won’t work in Internet Explorer.
2. Turn on your TV and switch to the input that has the Roku box connected.
3. Write down the IP address for your Roku box, which you can find in the Settings, About menu (or Settings, Player Info if you have a first-gen box).
4. Back at your PC, head to the installer page for MyVideoBuzz. You may see an error message at first, but if you’re using a compatible browser, in a moment a pop-up box will appear with step-by-step instructions.
5. When you get to the third step, enter your box’s IP address in the provided field, then click Next.
6. Now you’ll need to enable the box’s developer mode, which is done by pressing buttons on the remote in a certain sequence. It took me two tries to get this to work; the trick seems to be pressing them fairly quickly, without long pauses in between.
7. Follow the prompts to agree to enabling developer mode, after which your Roku will reboot. Then return to your browser and finish with the installer there.
Presto! Now you should have the MyVideoBuzz channel on your Roku box. (Feel free to throw the developers a few bucks if you find this as valuable as I do.) I recommend jumping right into its Settings menu and adding your YouTube account.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have an appointment with a very surprised kitty.
Contributing Editor Rick Broida writes about business and consumer technology. Ask for help with your PC hassles at hasslefree@pcworld.com. Sign up to have the Hassle-Free PC newsletter e-mailed to you each week.