Based on the incoming queries, I’d say there’s a sizable audience seeking out adult digital entertainment. And FyreTV has joined the ranks of Roku porn channels. Fyre isn’t the first adult channel on Roku, joining the likes of EroticVision TV video on demand and a free Adults Only offering of scraped web clips, but it’s the latest… and perhaps somewhat familiar. You might remember Fyre from the days when they attempted to peddle their own streaming box. Yet, like many STB initiatives, I’m not sure it worked out as well as they had hoped. Whereas creating a channel for existing hardware is a much less risky proposition with greater upside given Roku’s installed base. From FyreTV’s press release:

“We have officially raised the bar on adult offerings for Roku and IPTV services” said Josh Stevens, Director of Marketing, FyreTV. “Unlike other adult apps with limited libraries and functionality, our Roku channel offers full access to our complete library of over 15,000 movies. In fact, I’d put our channel up against just about any mainstream movie service offered by the Roku.” Roku owners will need to install the private FyreTV channel by entering the code “fyretv” from their online Roku account.

Of course, access to Roku porn serves to emphasize a significant lack of parental controls. As you can see above, the FyreTV app neighbors my Disney channel. In fact, just about anyone can add the channel even though it’s not publicly advertised in Roku’s catalog and even previewing the catalog without a FyreTV account isn’t appropriate for the little ones (seen here). Vudu probably offered the best privacy option, with a separate password protected area akin to TiVo Kidzone… that is until Vudu was acquired by Walmart and decided adult content is perhaps unsavory.

Digital media streamer WDTV Live Plus has been updated to offer Hulu Plus. Although Western Digital’s platform (review here) may not feature as many “channels” as Roku’s, they clearly offer a solid and growing lineup of online content including Netflix, YouTube, Pandora, and two video on demand services. Additionally, as I frequently mention, one of WDTV’s prime selling points (over Roku) is their support of local media playback via USB or network devices (including DLNA). In fact, if that’s a priority the Roku 2 may let you down. Roku’s Director of Product Management recently reinforced their position to a customer via email:

If the ONLY thing you purchased the Roku 2 for was local media streaming, you should return your player for a refund. We are primarily an Internet streaming device (Pandora, Netflix, Vimeo, MLB, Hulu, etc.). We don’t have the broad file type/codec support that some more dedicated local network/USB streaming boxes have.

I no longer hoard much media, digital or otherwise, locally and prefer others handle content aggregation for me. But if you desire well rounded local media playback, the WDTV Live (~$100) is worth a look.