Poster Styles and Display Modes: Optimizing Image Sizes
Posters are the png, jpg, or gif images that are used to select a video or audio
content item from a list,
and that are displayed in the Springboard (a.k.a. Detail) screen prior to playing the content.
Whenever possible it is important to create posters that are the exact size required
by the Roku player in order to minimize channel load times and memory use,
and to use non-SSL URLs.
Posters that are too large will cause the channel to take a long time to start up
and the channel will behave sluggishly when the remote keys are pressed.
Posters that are too small may appear blurry and unreadable.
Posters that are accessed using SSL URLs (https://) will load slower,
and cause significant startup delays for channels with large content lists.
Using the recommended poster size may improve the performance of channels on older or slower Roku devices,
but for channels containing a relatively small number of posters
using a standard poster size of 800x450 instead of the recommended siae will usually achieve acceptable results.
The PosterStyle and ListStyle options are pre-defined poster sizes that are used in
specific Roku screens. Not all styles are available in every screen.
The DisplayMode and ListDisplayMode options determine how a poster image
is scaled and/or cropped to fit into the rectangle specified by the selected
PosterStyle or ListStyle option.
The sizes shown in the tables below are width x height in pixels.
PosterStyle Options for Springboard/Detail Screens
PosterStyle
Recommended Size
Description
multiple-portrait-generic
142x202
Tall poster style.
rounded-rect-16x9-generic
269x152
16x9 poster style.
rounded-square-generic
209x209
Square poster style.
default (audio)
188x188
Only available if ContentType is audio. Required for display of audio progress bar.
default (episode)
264x198
Only available if ContentType is episode.
default (movie, season, or series)
148x212
Only available if ContentType is movie, season, or series.
ListStyle Options for Horizontal Lists, Series, and MRSS Feeds
ListStyle
Recommended Size
Description
arced-16x9
385x218
Arced list of poster art displayed in 16x9 aspect ratio.
arced-landscape
290x218
Arced list of poster art displayed in landscape (wide) style for 4:3 aspect ratio TV shows.
arced-portrait
214x306
Arced list of poster art displayed in portrait (tall) style for DVDs or Movies.
arced-square
300x300
Arced list of poster art displayed in a square frame style.
flat-category
304x237
Flat (non-arced) list of categories. This ListStyle is often used for a channel's top level menu screen.
flat-episodic
224x168
Flat (non-arced) list of episodes for series content such as a TV show.
flat-episodic-16x9
250x141
Flat (non-arced) list of episodes displayed in 16x9 aspect ratio for series content such as a TV show.
ListStyle Options for Vertical Lists
ListStyle
Recommended Size
Description
vertical-poster
250x250
Poster art displayed on the right side of a Vertical List screen. Does not have a ListDisplayMode.
vertical-background
Variable
Typically this is a full screen image, less the height of the overhang. The image is aligned to top-right corner of the screen beneath the overhang. Transparency is supported. Does not have a ListDisplayMode.
ListStyle Options for Grids
ListStyle
Recommended Size
Description
flat-16x9
210x118
Grid of poster art displayed in 16x9 aspect ratio. HD grid has 5 posters across by 3 rows, SD grid has 4 posters across by 3 rows.
flat-landscape
210x158
Grid of poster art displayed in landscape (wide) style for 4:3 aspect ratio TV shows. HD grid has 5 posters across by 3 rows, SD grid has 4 posters across by 3 rows.
flat-movie
210x270
Grid of DVD/Movie poster art as seen in the original Netflix channel. Both HD and SD grids have 5 posters across by 2 rows.
flat-portrait
210x300
Grid of poster art displayed in portrait (tall) style for DVDs and Movies. Both HD and SD grids have 5 posters across by 2 rows.
flat-square
132x132
Grid of poster art displayed in a square frame style. HD grid has 7 posters across by 3 rows, SD grid has 6 posters across by 3 rows.
two-row-flat-landscape-custom
266x150
Grid of poster art displayed in 16x9 aspect ratio. HD grid has 4 posters across by 2 rows, SD grid has 4 posters across by 2.5 rows.
four-column-flat-landscape
210x118
Grid of poster art displayed in 16x9 aspect ratio. HD grid has 4 posters across by 3 rows, SD grid has 4 posters across by 3.5 rows.
If variable sized posters or poster size multipliers are used in a Grid Row, then the Descriptions in the table above may be different.
For more information about how to easily create a Roku channel using Instant TV Channel,
please see this
Walk-Through.
Questions and comments about this Roku developer guide can be sent to .
Instant TV Channel
Instant TV Channel is a cloud-based tool for Roku developers and content providers that shortens development time and eases maintenance after deployment.
