Brightscript is the name of their application language. Sounds similar enough to Silverlight to me. I bet it’s just a mix-up.

SceneGraph, the XML, UI-layout component of Roku development is similar to XAML from Silverlight; but BrightScript, the language, is much closer to a modified VB6 than anything .NET.

I know Netflix was def. Silverlight to begin with due to supporting DRM.

They use a language called BrigthScript that’s closest to Visual Basic. It was originally intended for digital signage. A few years back they “improved” it with XML crap that you have to use to describe public methods of your objects(!) and stuff. It was better before (docs and examples for old and new style exist).

Notable quirks include the XML companion files for code interface descriptions (in the newer SDK, anyway), and single = doing double-duty as assignment and comparison.

[edit] oh but my understanding is that big players get a different SDK with the ability to e.g. use C libraries, which is how they’re able to look & work so much like they do on other platforms.

With sufficient head-scratching and ingenuity it's possible to use BS to create a UI like the "big players" have. But yes, they get to do roughly what they want as I understand it - C and/or HTML/JS.

Quite annoying when, in this space, the most common requirement is "make it like Netflix".

As someone who's used BS & Silverlight, I would say they are not alike except very superficially (XML for layout - but Android also has that).

I'd have to look quite hard to find a language I like less than BrightScript, it's horrible.