Forum Discussion

asandora's avatar
asandora
Newbie
3 years ago
Solved

YouTube going to black screen

Roku Ultra Updated a few weeks ago (didn't note the update version at the time). All was working except for YouTube. YouTube after a few seconds would go to a black screen. If I hit the up arrow on the remote it would come back. On the YouTube settings screen it appeared to be changing resolution. I tried every suggestion and the only thing that worked was a complete reset to factory settings.

Fast forward to today, it began again. I went to the Roku settings and sure enough, it updated at 3:54 am to Software Version 12.0.0 Build 4184. There is obviously a conflict with this update and YouTube but maybe it only effects certain devices connected to certain TV's. 

I have a Roku Ultra connected to a Panasonic TV via HDMI. Internet is connected wireless. This forum is the only thing I could find to post this information. I will try resetting again and turning off auto update which is not the best thing to do but what choice do I have?

  • Hi Kerinbot,

    A warm welcome here at the Roku Community! 

    Thanks for reaching us here regarding your playback issues with the YouTube app. No worries. We're here to find you the best resolution possible.

    Could you please specify which YouTube you are referring to? Is it the YouTube TV or YouTube app alone? In addition, have you tried to remove the app, perform a system reboot, then re-install the app? If not, kindly follow the steps provided below:

    1. Remove the YouTube/TV app by highlighting it and pressing the Star (*) button
    2. Restart your Roku device/TV from Settings > System > System Restart
    3. Install the YouTube app again. Select Channel Store > Look for the YouTube/TV app > Click Add channel

    Make sure to follow the steps precisely to work. If the issue is still persistent, please don't hesitate to let us know and we'd be more than happy to further assist you with this. We'll be looking forward to your response!

    Thanks,
    Carly

  • This is acknowledged, MaxieMo.

    To learn more about 1-touch play, here's our Support article on What is CEC. There should be a part where the 1-touch play feature is being talked about, and further details and information are being provided.

    Feel free to let us know if there's anything else you'd want us to address, and we'd be more than willing to listen and take appropriate action.

    Kind regards,
    Carly

  • I see that everyone is experiencing this issue and see no solutions. I found one intellect who gave the answer to all our problems. I don’t recall exactly how, but you simply need to turn off “1-Touch Option” in the settings of Roku. Don’t ask me how because I don’t remember. I hope this helped everyone more than the Roku staff could.

  • I see that everyone is experiencing this issue and see no solutions. I found one intellect who gave the answer to all our problems. I don’t recall exactly how, but you simply need to turn off “1-Touch Option” in the settings of Roku. Don’t ask me how because I don’t remember. I hope this helped everyone more than the Roku staff could.

    • Sapidiv's avatar
      Sapidiv
      Newbie

      Omg! Thank you so much! I haven't been able to use youtube on my roku for over a year now. I have looked and looked and tried everything that was suggested to fix the problem and nothing worked until now. Once I shut off the 1-touch option in the system settings it now works! I really wish that roku would let other people know how to fix thos problem and that someone who owns a roku found the right solution to fixing this problem. Again thank you and thank you to who ever the person is who found the solution!!!

  • RokuMary-F's avatar
    RokuMary-F
    Community Moderator

    Hi asandora,

    Welcome to the Roku Community!

    Thanks for letting us know about the behavior you are seeing with the screen going black when playing content on the Youtube channel. We would be happy to look at what we can do to help you to make sure we are providing the best streaming experience.

    Can you please verify if the issue only occurs on the Youtube channel or all channels on your Roku device?

    We recommend performing the below steps and see if you can resolve the issue:

    1. Remove the channel from the Roku device
    2. Power cycle the Roku device, by disconnecting it from the power cable and reconnecting the device back to the power
    3. Re-add the channel back to the Roku device

    If the issue persists, please refer to the support article here for additional troubleshooting steps: How to resolve a channel playback issue | Official Roku Support

    Please let us know if the issue is fixed or reply back to the thread for further assistance, we will be glad to help you.


    Best regards,
    Mary

    • TheGormys's avatar
      TheGormys
      Newbie

      I am experiencing the exact same issue with YouTube. I even bought a new Roku and the problem got worse. 

      Additionally, Netflix also pauses roughly every 10 seconds. Hulu will pause a single time and play through after hitting play again. 

      I have followed the trouble shooting steps outlined in other posts. My internet connection is strong.

      What is the issue with these two different models of Roku I own? 

      • ItsAmyZing's avatar
        ItsAmyZing
        Channel Surfer

        I am having the same exact issues on YouTube, Netflix, & Hulu. Brand new Roku, excellent internet connection. Any time I do all the things they request, the issues aren't replicated on their end & nothing we do fixes it. So, I'm at a loss. Feel like I wasted money "upgrading" my Roku right now... hope it all gets fixed for us somehow & soon!

    • PabloSanchez's avatar
      PabloSanchez
      Reel Rookie

      Hello,

      I went through all the steps to solve the problem, including pressing 5times on the home and back buttons

      Model: 3820R2-streaming stick 4K

      Serial no: X02500N7Fy4J(SOJ73377FY4J)

      Software version: 2.12.5.0 build 4169-E6

      GC version 2.10.1.517

      Timestamp: 2023-10-09T00:53:27z

      Issue I'd: 4J-404-693

      Thank you, best regards 

      • RokuCarly's avatar
        RokuCarly
        Community Moderator

        Thanks for providing us with the precise information needed, PabloSanchez!

        Rest assured that the appropriate Roku team will be made aware of this. Once more information is available, we will make sure to update this thread. In the meantime, we appreciate you bearing with us as we work on this. 

        Feel free to let us know if there's anything you'd like us to address or create a new thread for different concerns.

        Thanks,
        Carly

  • Kerinbot's avatar
    Kerinbot
    Channel Surfer

    This has just started happening for me. In the last week, did they ever solve your problem? Or is it still ongoing? It looks like it's been a couple of months? If a solution was found, could you post it to this thread??

    • Mr_James's avatar
      Mr_James
      Streaming Star

      Kerinbot 

       

      The work around i found was to disable  "1 touch play" in Settings/System/Control other devices

      • MaxieMo's avatar
        MaxieMo
        Binge Watcher

        I would like to also say I have the same exact issue. Roku needs to address this in an update because the timing of this problem seems to line up with the last update. I've done EVERYTHING. In the process I even upgraded my modem and router and I'm getting awesome speeds now. Tried dumping the app and reloading, reseting my Roku 4k Ultra, clearing out YouTube cache, and changing  out HDMI cable. Nothing stops this. After several minutes the video pauses and goes to black screen. If I press enter or play on the Roku remote the video resumes. Imaging having to do this 5-6 times while trying to watch a video.

    • RokuCarly's avatar
      RokuCarly
      Community Moderator

      Hi Kerinbot,

      A warm welcome here at the Roku Community! 

      Thanks for reaching us here regarding your playback issues with the YouTube app. No worries. We're here to find you the best resolution possible.

      Could you please specify which YouTube you are referring to? Is it the YouTube TV or YouTube app alone? In addition, have you tried to remove the app, perform a system reboot, then re-install the app? If not, kindly follow the steps provided below:

      1. Remove the YouTube/TV app by highlighting it and pressing the Star (*) button
      2. Restart your Roku device/TV from Settings > System > System Restart
      3. Install the YouTube app again. Select Channel Store > Look for the YouTube/TV app > Click Add channel

      Make sure to follow the steps precisely to work. If the issue is still persistent, please don't hesitate to let us know and we'd be more than happy to further assist you with this. We'll be looking forward to your response!

      Thanks,
      Carly

      • JamesAZ81's avatar
        JamesAZ81
        Binge Watcher

        I wouldn't call this a solution. It's more of a temporary workaround. The problem will be fixed for a short time and then the problem comes back. Then you have to do this fix again. And again, and again. There needs to be a permanent fix. The only real fix that i can think of is to throw away the TV and use something other than Roku. I don't have these problems on the YouTube App on my LG TV's WebOS. Just sayin

  • This has been a known issue since the release of OS12, though the YT app updated recently and appears to have fixed it. I'd suggest you manually check for updates regularly since auto-update isn't foolproof. That said, its my opinion the issue is related to server 'handshakes' since it only occurred with my 4800R when viewing for longer periods of time. Pressing the home button returns to the desktop. Please go to the app, press the * key and select 'check for updates' on the YT app 🙂

    • MaxieMo's avatar
      MaxieMo
      Binge Watcher

      Yeah, I've done everything. Apps are always up to date. I dumped the app, restarted Roku, reinstall app... same thing happens. Happens since the last update. YTube, Netflix, and Hulu are pausing randomly, usually after I've been watching for about 5-10 minutes, and does it again at some point after. Very annoying. Someone else from Roku told me last week on this thread that Roku is looking into this with their team after I sent them error codes I pulled up on Roku after it happened a number of times. I know others are suddenly experiencing this now so I'm not alone.

      • Tellarae's avatar
        Tellarae
        Reel Rookie

        Experiencing same issue after updating my Roku. It is so frustrating. Not experiencing this issue with any other app and have spent over a hour going through all the suggested steps, some multiple times, trying to fix it. 

  • Did anyone ever find a fix for this? Youtube video will play for 5-10 seconds and then go black. Any button on the remote will make it play again but only for another 5-10 seconds. I even bought a new roku4K+ and it’s doing the same. Even tried a new Roku account and same issue occurs. Have a onn Walmart tv with Roku built in in the bedroom and it works just fine. PLEASE HELP!

    • RokuJanadeeK's avatar
      RokuJanadeeK
      Retired Moderator

      Thanks for sharing the experience you have with this issue, Dts902.

      Please try to check for recent software updates on your device; after doing so, please perform a system restart on your device by going to Settings > System > Power (skip if the option is unavailable) > System Restart. If none works, please provide us the following details:

      • Roku device or TV model, serial number, device ID, and software OS/version (these can all be found in Settings > System > About).
      • Tracker ID when this issue occurs (when you see this issue occur, press the Home button five times, followed by the Back button five times, and provide us with this ID).

      Please inform us of your findings.

      Sincerely,
      Janadee

    • Mr_James's avatar
      Mr_James
      Streaming Star

      The work around i found was to disable "1 touch play" in Settings/System/Control other devices

    • ablurredgirl's avatar
      ablurredgirl
      Newbie

      Another user posted a temporary fix, which worked for me and others on this thread. Go to Settings > System > Control other devices > then uncheck/disable 1-touch play.

  • RokuERey's avatar
    RokuERey
    Retired Moderator

    Hi tlux63,

    A warm welcome here in the Roku Community!

    We appreciate you for letting us know about this playback issue you're experiencing when accessing YouTube and Netflix channels. We'd like to help.

    Could you share with us a bit more information about this? How long have you been experiencing this? Have you tried any troubleshooting and what didn't work?

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

    Regards,

    Rey

  • I’ve been fighting this battle for over a year, and I finally found something that works.  After trying the various setting suggestions, uninstalling, power cycling, then reinstalling the YT app, and various other things, did my own workaround.  Since my bedroom TV with a Roku stick is unaffected by this particular virus, I installed a Roku stick on my living room Roku TV (TCL 6 series).  Now I have a Roku TV with an additional Roku stick installed on one input.  I watch the majority of my programming on the embedded Roku system, but switch inputs to the Roku stick when I watch YouTube.  Works great, but I now have an extra remote to juggle.

    • JamesAZ81's avatar
      JamesAZ81
      Binge Watcher

      I have the same TV with the same problem. I thought about doing this also. It's a real shame that we have to be so inconvenienced with such measures in order to work around an issue that Roku cannot/ will not fix. 

      • RokuEmmanuel-D's avatar
        RokuEmmanuel-D
        Community Moderator

        Hi Community Users!

        We are aware of the issue you're experiencing with YouTube, which is currently being looked into by the appropriate Roku team.

        To help us in the investigation, we would require everyone to provide their Roku device details so we can gather more information on this matter. Here are the requested details,

        • Roku device model, serial number, device ID, and Software Version. (these can all be found in Settings > System > About)
        • Tracker ID (when you see this issue occur, press the Home button five times, followed by the Back button five times, and provide us with this ID)
        • Channel build version (Highlight the app from the Home Screen and press the Star * Button)


        Thank you for your understanding and cooperation and understanding as we work to resolve the issue. 

        Please keep us posted and we'll let you know any updates and progress soon. 

        All the best,
        Emman