Forum Discussion

Krawk's avatar
Krawk
Binge Watcher
8 days ago

Roku Ultra 4850RW 2024 Model USB Flash Drive Issues

Handling of USB flash drives has a lot to be desired.

1) When plugging in a USB flash drive. The player asks me to allow access to the media. I say YES. When I go into the Roku Media player to access said media, the player says the media is no longer available and to select another source. To which I select the USB flash drive that is still plugged in.

2) Playback of h265 mkv media is spotty at best. Often times riddled with macroblocking break up in the picture.

3) Leaving the USB drive plugged in to prevent the problem in item 1, the flash drive itself becomes hot to the touch.

4) I highly suspect items 1, 2 and 3 are because the Roku device keeps polling the device

Current OS is 15.0

Media player is build 5.5 version 13

I can take the same exact flash drive and plug it into my Bravia's USB port and it is recognized right away, the macroblocking does not happen and the drive does not get hot.

I prefer the Roku media player for several reasons, so a resolution of this issue would be fantastic. Here's hoping that someone on the software team looks at this situation.

roku player

5 Replies

  • RokuHaz-M's avatar
    RokuHaz-M
    Community Moderator
    8 days ago

    Hi there! Krawk​

    It sounds like you're experiencing a few issues with Roku Media Player, and I see you've already tested the flash drive on other devices. Have you had a chance to test with a different USB flash drive with your Roku? That could help narrow down whether the problem is with the drive itself or something else on the device.

    Also, could you let us know when you first noticed this issue? Was everything working fine before, or did the problem start after a recent update?

    Let us know what you find.
    Roku Community Team

    • Krawk's avatar
      Krawk
      Binge Watcher
      7 hours ago

      Yes, I have several different brands and models of flash drives. They all seem to do the same thing.

  • atc98092's avatar
    atc98092
    Community Streaming Expert
    7 days ago

    Do you know the video bitrate of the H.265 videos that are pixelating? I will say that Roku devices can't handle super-high bitrate files. Even streaming from my DLNA server Roku has a bitrate limit of around 160 Mbps. It can handle higher peaks, but steady bitrates top out fairly low. But I've played the same files from a USB stick and had the same bitrate limitation, so it wasn't a network issue. 

    I leave a USB stick connected to my Ultra 4850 full time, and I just checked it and I would call it "a bit warm". Not hot by any definition, but certainly warmer than just sitting in a drawer. 

    • Krawk's avatar
      Krawk
      Binge Watcher
      7 hours ago

      Total effective bitrate of the media file is less than 10 Mbps.

      As far as how warm the device is, probably depends on how insulated the components are. Of of my drives, a very thin all metal PNY drive gets quite hot. A larger plastic Sandisk not as noticeable.

      Are you seeing the same behavior I am seeing on step 1?

      • atc98092's avatar
        atc98092
        Community Streaming Expert
        5 hours ago

        If you’re asking if I see the message asking for access permission, I did see it the first time I inserted the drive but I’m not aware of seeing it again.