Forum Discussion

racoon3146's avatar
racoon3146
Newbie
2 years ago

Plex on Roku Stick 4K: Pause reloads stream, second press necessary to pause

When playing a video from a local Plex server I have an issue with pausing the stream. When hitting the pause button on the remote (or the Roku Android app - same behavior) the stream reloads and ins...
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nope12's avatar
nope12
Newbie
9 months ago

Bumping this topic. Seeing the same very recently.  Seems like it has to be a Roku issue. I will say that it does seem limited to certain media--some files do it, but others don't .

  • DS99's avatar
    DS99
    Reel Rookie
    8 months ago

    Hi there, found your post when searching for my own issue. can't pause some (not all movies). not a clear difference between the movies

    I also found this thread that makes it seem this is not unique to Plex. https://community.roku.com/t5/Discussions/Roku-Wont-Pause-on-any-of-the-apps/td-p/937819

    there is also this Reddit thread. There is a reported fix at the end of the thread I haven't tried yet. https://www.reddit.com/r/PleX/comments/1bfmqvw/cant_pause_mkv_playback_on_plex_for_roku_anymore/

    • RokuTakashi's avatar
      RokuTakashi
      Community Moderator
      8 months ago

      Hi, DS99 

      Welcome!

      I understand your concern about the Plex app having issues on your Roku device, and I'd like to gather more details so our team can take a closer look.

      To help us understand the issue, can you provide the details below:

      • When did you first encounter the issue?
      • What specific behavior does the issue show?
      • Have you tried any troubleshooting steps to resolve the issue?

      With more details, our team can review and assist you in addressing the issue.

      Thanks,
      Roku Community Team

      • DS99's avatar
        DS99
        Reel Rookie
        8 months ago

        Hi, after some additional research and trial and error I believe I have isolated the issue (or at least narrowed it), as well as found a mitigation.

        Quickly some background: I have had a couple TCL Roku TVs for the last 6 years or so. I have never had these issues with those TVs even while playing from the same sources/files, however they have always only been playing back in stereo sound.

        The current issue I am experiencing is with the same sources/files but on a new Roku Ultra connected to a new Marantz AVR Cinema 50 which is connected to an new LG TV.

        I found this thread in which in the last post it points to DTS audio as the culprit. https://www.reddit.com/r/PleX/comments/1bfmqvw/cant_pause_mkv_playback_on_plex_for_roku_anymore/

        with that tip I tested and I have been able to confirm that any DTS file I play has the issue, and any file with stereo, DD, or DD+ audio does not.

        Additionally, if I set the following settings on the Roku, the issue goes away: Settings > Audio > Digital output format > Custom > DTS (Off). With this setting it forces the source to transcode the audio to AC3. 

        Now, I cant be sure if there is more nuance to the issue than I am able to understand, but I can say definitively that if the Roku is attempting to playback a source with DTS audio, that playback is unstable, will not pause (immediately rebuffers and resumes playback), and has trouble with seeking forward or backward. But, if I set the Roku to not allow DTS Audio, all the symptoms go away.