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Evilgrrrl666's avatar
Evilgrrrl666
Newbie
4 years ago

The Roku Channel (on firestick) playback errors

Hi, hope I'm posting this i the right place. I didn't see any place specifically for watching the Roku Channel on amazon firestick.

Anyway, most things I try to watch on my firestick result in a playback error. Even some stuff I'd watched before now suddenly no longer works. 

Live channels work just fine. I'm talking about all the on demand stuff, including Roku originals. All I'm able to watch is a few really old shows and mostly whatever is being shown on the live channels anyway. 

I'm in the US.

Thanks! 

39 Replies

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  • Liza1801's avatar
    Liza1801
    Newbie
    3 years ago

    I have the same issue. I get a playback error. Whats odd is I tried to watch Weird All and was able to see his introduction and the “Roku presents” but then it started buffering and gives me the Playback error message. I have a firestick lite. I have uninstalled and reinstalled roku app, cleared the cache, etc. nothing works.

    • lnevo's avatar
      lnevo
      Newbie
      3 years ago

      Same issue watching Weird. Can't get it to play 😞

      • DavidV1's avatar
        DavidV1
        Reel Rookie
        3 years ago

        I can only speak about my problem, which was caused by my VPN (NordVPN).  I added an exception (split tunneling) for Roku and then I was able to watch 'Weird'.

        If you are not running a VPN on your FireStick, I'm afraid you will have to keep looking for an answer.

  • DavidV1's avatar
    DavidV1
    Reel Rookie
    3 years ago

    I had the same issue.  In my case it was being caused by the VPN running on the FireStick.

    I added an exception for 'The Roku Channel', and now it works fine...

    • Andrewforlife's avatar
      Andrewforlife
      Reel Rookie
      3 years ago

      How did you add the exception? Is this something you do on the Firestick? 

    • delenn's avatar
      delenn
      Newbie
      3 years ago

      I am having this exact same issue with the WEIRD AL movie on my Fire Stick. All the other content in the Roku Channel app plays without an issue. I've uninstalled, rebooted, and reinstalled. Has a fix been found?

      • Soaked_Pancakes's avatar
        Soaked_Pancakes
        Newbie
        3 years ago

        I've been trying to watch the Weird Al movie since it premiered, but have never been able to get past the intro where he introduces himself. Playback error reads "Unfortunately, we were unable to play this content. Please try again later." This is day six of trying

        I am not a regular Roku user, and am only using the app through my Fire stick, but am not having issues attempting to play other programs.

    • Digital99x's avatar
      Digital99x
      Newbie
      3 years ago

      I use IPVanish to utiloze the "special apps" on my Firestick.  I never thought it or any VPN would block the Roku app.  I disconnected my VPN connection, jumped back to the Roku app, and playback was no longer hindered.  Thank you for sharing that solution.  Heck, I work in IT and I missed that part of troubleshooting the issue.  I always have IPVanish running.

      Thank you!

  • RokuKariza-D's avatar
    RokuKariza-D
    Retired Moderator
    4 years ago

    Hi Evilgrrrl666

    Thanks for the post.

    Have you tried contacting Amazon Support to inquire further? I'd suggest starting there to see what options or suggestions they can provide. They might have initial troubleshooting steps that they can recommend.


    All the best,
    Kariza

    • Hiviking's avatar
      Hiviking
      Reel Rookie
      3 years ago

      I am having the same problem. Series like Yukon Men that played fine before now give a playback error every time. This must be a Roku problem as all other apps play fine on the Fire TV Stick.

      • RokuMary-F's avatar
        RokuMary-F
        Community Moderator
        3 years ago

        Hi Hiviking,

        Thanks for reaching out to the Roku community!

        We'd like to gather more information about the issue you're running into. What was the error message when attempting to stream the channel? Does this happen on all movies/shows on The Roku Channel or just specific titles? What are you seeing on screen? Can you provide a screenshot of the issue? In addition, can you please specify the exact steps you are taking to reproduce this issue so we can investigate further?

        With more information, we will be able to assist you further.


        Best regards,
        Mary

  • Parkinsontr's avatar
    Parkinsontr
    Newbie
    3 years ago

    I am having this exact issue. Please let me know if this is resolved. Looks like this problem has been going on for months now