Technological developments to instantaneously distribute media for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints include Mormon Channel radio, recent redesigns of LDS.org and Mormon.org, and a strong presence on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter. Another innovation is the recent launch of the Church’s own Roku channel.
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The Mormon Channel on Roku gives anyone with high-speed Internet access and a Roku box the ability to stream Latter-day Saint content — including the upcoming 2011 Pioneer Day Commemoration Concert 23 July at 7 p.m. — straight to a television. A Roku player is a 1-by-5-inch box that enables instant play of various entertainment channels to stream movies, shows, news, radio and other entertainment through televisions.
“The Mormon Channel allows access to content they wouldn’t normally get, like the new Joseph Smith film,” said Bob Jones, product manager of syndication for the Church. “Anyone who has this box will no longer need to wait for old DVDs or cassette tapes. They can enjoy the experience in their living room instead of gathering around the computer.”
General conferences and other events can be viewed live on the Mormon Channel on Roku. Mormon Messages, Church Educational System devotionals and many other materials are also available for streaming on this channel. Channel managers said they are pleased that thousands of people have downloaded the Mormon Channel on Roku in the past six weeks and that it is currently the top-rated channel in the Roku channel store.
Jones said Roku boxes were tested in 182 locations during the 181st Annual General Conference and are currently being tested in 100 meetinghouses across the world.