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garthcas's avatar
garthcas
Binge Watcher
3 years ago
Solved

Why no 4k with Roku Ultra?

I recently purchased:
 
- a LG Class C2 AUA series OLED evo 4K UHD TV, with HDMI at @ 120 Hz, HDCP 2.2, and HDR (Dolby Vision, HDR10, HLG);
 
- a Roku Ultra 4802R with HD/4K/HDR;
 
- a Pioneer VSX-534 5.2-channel AV Receiver, with 4K Ultra HD, HDR10, HLG, and HDCP 2.2.
 
I connected the Roku to the AVR with the Roku-included Premium High-Speed HDMI cable with 4K 60fps, and the AVR to the TV with a high-speed HDMI cable that supports 4k @120Hz, and 8K @ 60Hz , and Audio Return Channel (ARC), with 48Gbps bandwith.
 
The Roku is hardwired to the router, and I have 475+ Mbps actual download speed (as measured by Speedtest.net).
 
With this equipment I fully expected to be able to stream and watch 4K Ultra HD content.  However, the Roku Settings/Display Type automatically sets the video output to 1080P (Dolby Vision), and not to either 4K HDR or to 4K Dolby Vision HDR. If I manually select 4K, either Dolby Vision HDR or HDR, the Roku indicates: "Your current setting can display 4K Dolby Vision HDR (or 4K HDR) at 30 frames per second (not recommended).  For help changing your setting to get 60 fps: go.roku.com/HDR." I went to this site and read everything I could find regarding equipment and connections, and it seems like I satisfy every requirement.  The one thing that might be missing is that I can find nothing in the AVR setup or documentation about setting it to 60 fps instead of 30 fps.
 
What's the problem, and how do I fix it to process 4k HDR through to the TV, instead of 1080p?
TV & Player Setup
  • atc98092's avatar
    atc98092
    3 years ago

    Well, I'm crossing my fingers for you that the Pioneer experts can tell you a setting to change to make it work correctly. I had a hunch it was the AVR, but troubelshooting from a distance is not an easy task. Glad you've confirmed the Roku is working as expected. 🙂

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  • atc98092's avatar
    atc98092
    Community Streaming Expert
    3 years ago

    garthcas two suggestions. First, on the TV in the settings you must ensure the HDMI port is set to Enhanced. I think LG labels it as Deep Color. That is required for the TV to accept 4K/60 content. Then go into your AVR and ensure the video setting is set to passthrough. You do not want the AVR to perform any sort of video processing. 

    Either or both of those might be causing the problem you're having. I have an LG 4K/Dolby Vision set and a Yamaha AVR, and they provide 4K/60 DV without a problem with my Ultra.

    • garthcas's avatar
      garthcas
      Binge Watcher
      3 years ago

      Thanks for the suggestions!  I confirmed that the LG TV is set Deep Color / 4K.  I can find nothing in the Pioneer AVR setup or in the on-screen or written documentation about any kind of "passthrough" setting.  I just submitted a technical support request form to Pioneer asking about that and about how to enable 60 fps.  We'll see what happens!

      • atc98092's avatar
        atc98092
        Community Streaming Expert
        3 years ago

        I looked up the specs for your Pioneer. As you probably know, it's at the low end of their model series, and this might be the issue here. This is what they list for the HDMI ports:

        Color space (Color Depth):
        720×480i 60 Hz,
        720×576i 50 Hz,
        720×480p 60 Hz,
        720×576p 50 Hz,
        1920×1080i 50/60 Hz,
        1280×720p 24/25/30/50/60 Hz,
        1680×720p 24/25/30/50/60 Hz,
        1920×1080p 24/25/30/50/60 Hz,
        2560×1080p 24/25/30/50/60 Hz,
        4K (3840×2160p) 24/25/30 Hz,
        4K SMPTE (4096×2160p) 24/25/30 Hz : RGB/YCbCr4:4:4 (8/10/12 bit), YCbCr4:2:2 (12 bit)
        –4K (3840×2160p) 50/60 Hz,
        4K SMPTE (4096×2160p) 50/60 Hz :
        RGB/YCbCr4:4:4 (8 bit), YCbCr4:2:2 (12 bit), YCbCr4:2:0 (8/10/12 bit)
         
        This isn't the clearest information, but notice the line I highlighted. Under some signal configurations, your AVR will only passthrough 4K at 30Hz. I can't say if that's the exact situation the Roku is putting out, but it does seem suspicious. They do list 60Hz available with some other 4K resolutions, so perhaps this isn't the issue.  Hopefully your contact at Pioneer will have a better answer. 
  • RokuNimfa-C's avatar
    RokuNimfa-C
    Retired Moderator
    3 years ago

    Greeting garthcas, 

    Thanks for reaching out to the Roku Community.

    Could you tell us if you are experiencing the issue when streaming 4K content or during all playback? Please be advised that all channels provide content in 4K. By any chance, can you provide examples of the channel you are watching and specific titles you are seeing the issue? So we can look into this further. 

    We'll be waiting for your update. 


    Regards, 
    Nimfa

    • garthcas's avatar
      garthcas
      Binge Watcher
      3 years ago

      I am not watching any channel or particular content.  I am looking at the Roku Settings > Display Type, and it shows "Automatic (1080p Dolby Vision)".  As I explained, I can manually set it to one of the 4K options, but then it shows a warning that it will be at 30 fps which is not recommended.

      There is 4K indicator light on my AVR that lights up when doing 4K upscaling or 4K pass through.  It lights up when I use a source other that the Roku (like the Cable TV box), but it does not light up when using the Roku, even when I try playing content that is specifically identified as 4K (like from Apple TV).

      Thanks.

      • RokuNimfa-C's avatar
        RokuNimfa-C
        Retired Moderator
        3 years ago

        garthcas 

        Thanks for following up. 

        Could you try streaming a 4K content and let us know what you find out? To successfully stream 4K Ultra HD content, all devices connected to your compatible Roku device must support HDMI 2.0 and HDCP 2.2. This includes your TV, an AVR, and any other devices connected in between. 

        We would recommend taking a look at our Support page for more information about the following requirements to enjoy 4K content on a compatible Roku player: How to set up your Roku streaming player for 4K Ultra HD

        Please keep us posted on how it goes. 


        Regards, 
        Nimfa

  • bobmc's avatar
    bobmc
    Reel Rookie
    3 years ago

    I don't know if this will help, but I had a similar problem with the VSX-LX104(B).  I couldn't get much help from Pioneer but was eventually able to contact the company that did the maintenance for them.  They sent me a code for the receiver which unlocked the 60HZ and it has worked ever since.  Unfortunately I tossed all my notes, so I can't tell you who to contact.  Sorry.

    Bob

    • garthcas's avatar
      garthcas
      Binge Watcher
      3 years ago

      Thank you so much!! This is a valuable lead.  Do you by any chance remember the name of the company, so I can figure out how to contact them?  Did Pioneer give you the company name/contact?

  • bobmc's avatar
    bobmc
    Reel Rookie
    3 years ago

    I don't know if this will help, but I had a similar problem with the VSX-LX104(B).  I couldn't get much help from Pioneer but was eventually able to contact the company that did the maintenance for them.  They sent me a code for the receiver which unlocked the 60HZ and it has worked ever since.  Unfortunately I tossed all my notes, so I can't tell you who to contact.  Sorry.

     

     
     
  • oldbuzzard's avatar
    oldbuzzard
    Streaming Star
    3 years ago

    I have the same problem with an LG OLED, a Gigabit Fiber ethernet connection and a Marantz 6015. My older Roku 4660 works fine with the exact same connections. There is obviously an issue with this product, or its current firmware. Will anyone at Roku address it? Their idea is for me to connect it via hotspot on my phone. Grrr.

  • MasterDisasterF's avatar
    MasterDisasterF
    Newbie
    8 months ago

    Not sure if you ever figured it out or if you even have the Roku Ultra and Pioneer AVR but I think I have the answer for you being able to get 4k 60 to show on you device. I have the Pioneer Elite Vsx-ls505 and not all the HDMI inputs support 4k 60 120 or 8k. Only the first 3 inputs support it. I had the same problem with my Roku Ultra only showing 1080p and if I manually select Dolby Vision it only show 4k 30. I changed to the first HDMI input on my receiver and it was fixed! 

    • necorchaos's avatar
      necorchaos
      Channel Surfer
      6 months ago

      In case other are looking: https://support.roku.com/article/235400407

      I have a new Samsung OLED.  It states that all HDR settings are active out of the box.

      Looking at the Roku help file, I did have to enable something on  my TV.

      Go to Settings > General > External Device Manager > 

      There was something called Input Signal Plus.  I turned it on for the HMDI port that has the Roku and it gave me a new option for 4K HDR10+

      Looks like more TV manufacturers have a setting for this.