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WalterBright

I want my entire desktop surface to be a display. 4*8 feet more or less.

I also want a 0-width bezel, so they can be tiled seamlessly. Why? I want an entire wall to be a display.

I want, I want, I want, ... :-)

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I also want my Roku box to be able to display PDF files. I'd even pay for it.

and a pony.

I want my Roku box to play AAC.

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

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.

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

I actually like 2-page display, like an open book.

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/easy-pdf-reader-for-all-cloud/... , https://apps.apple.com/us/app/pdf-viewer-for-tv/id1661646958

> 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.

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.

Android TV probably has a PDF app, so a Chromecast (with Android TV) should do the trick.

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.

Almost every phone can cast/screen mirror. Unless your Roku is really old it supports it.

Just plug in a Raspberry Pi or PC stick of your choice. That and a wireless mouse or trackball. You'll probably want to move around the file.

I know I could plug in a computer to it. The Roku would be much more convenient.

OOC: what is your use case for PDFs on Roku?

Roku records and collects multiple screenshots every second of whatever you're watching, even if the content is being streamed from another device, and they analyze the images to figure out exactly what you watch, when, how long/often, and use that to make assumptions about who you are and what you're into which can then be sold to anyone willing to pay for it (and/or leaked/hacked).

Maybe it doesn't matter much for the files you'd be viewing, but if roku could display PDF files they'd be doing the same thing there as well. Sadly, the more things roku can display for you, the more parts of your life they can siphon and use to stuff your dossier.

I didn't know that. It's pretty disappointing news. Looks like I might just get one of those media player boxes.

https://www.samsung.com/us/business/displays/direct-view-led...

It seems like the way this will be delivered is via AR similar to what was demonstrated by Apple Vision Pro at WWDC or by some evolution of UST projectors.

I already have set up a projector that fills a wall. I love it. But the problems are:

1. it only works after dark

2. fan noise

3. I have to constantly fiddle with the focus to get it crisp across the screen

4. you cannot have anything in the room in front of it

5. running wires to the ceiling mount is ugly

6. you gotta point the remote behind you, not at the screen (I know, I'm such a whiner)

2, 3, and 6 are resolved in newer projectors. 4 and 5 are also gone with ultra short throw projectors, although they do have to sit on something. And 1 can be solved with a screen or even the right sort of paint.

> even the right sort of paint

I'm using projector screen cloth. It doesn't get much better than that.

I've never seen anything that came close to an active display.

I use an ambient light rejecting screen. They only reflect light that hits them from directly below, to pair with a UST projector. It's still not comparable to an active display, but it is usable during daytime, even in rooms with large windows.

1) Black-out shades are your friend

3) the awesome newly affordable technology is lasers - because of physics, there's no longer focusing to do.

5) Running wires to a TV is ugly too, unless you run conduit. Bugs the hell out of me to have dangling cords

6) I've always wondered about this. The remote should have the IR LEDs pointed backwards, like a V shape because it just makes more sense.

I'll add a 7. The blank space on your wall when not in use.

Either you have a screen that comes from somewhere, or the wall just has an empty space, but, quite obviously, the space the projector projects on needs to be free of stuff. I can't hang any art there, so there's glaringly empty space, at which point I might as well put a TV there. And the art frame tvs, like the LG LS03B is actually really quite nice.

> Black-out shades are your friend

It's amazing how much sunlight gets past the smallest gap.

> the awesome newly affordable technology is lasers - because of physics, there's no longer focusing to do.

Huh, I didn't know laser projectors were available now.

A big A/V conference concluded this past week, and there’s a decent looking portable laser on its way to the market from Optoma called the ML1080. Curious if anyone is aware of something similar in newness, quality and price.

I’m planning to paid it with an Apple TV. https://www.projectorcentral.com/ProjectorCentral-names-2023...

Phillips has https://screeneo.com/ which seems to be in the same category to me.

> It's amazing how much sunlight gets past the smallest gap.

While true, my purchase from blinds.com included a L shaped piece of plastic to block out the gap between the wall and the blind so it's dark enough to use my projector during the day.

Sounds like you might be in the target market for the Apple Vision Pro. Floating screens anywhere with great UX. ;)

If their resolution is good enough for reading I could see using it.

There was the Microsoft Surface (no, not that Microsoft Surface, the other Microsoft Surface), circa 2007/8, though it was more like a huge "all in one", not particularly cheap/convenient, US$ 10,000 (in 2007):

https://www.windowscentral.com/microsoft-surface-pixelsense-...

Walter Bright calling for parlor walls to become a reality.

yes, dammit!

Wouldn't it be cool to have "wallpaper" that is whatever you want it to be? Like the view from Mt Everest? or the Amazon jungle?

Pretty sure I saw this in the Apple store.

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