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tychosis
Channel Surfer

HBO Max black screen after returning from pause

I have a strange issue with HBO Max that I have never had before, and that I haven't seen posted here.  Today is the first time I've noticed it, so I'm not sure how long it's been going on.

My streaming time is often interrupted and I end up having to pause a show... say when a work call comes in or there is something else I need to handle.  Afterward, when I resume the screen will go black and the Roku is unresponsive (it makes sounds when buttons are pressed but nothing happens.)  I can't really tell, but it seems to happen more often after a longer pause (several minutes or so.)

Only recovery I have found is to return to the home screen (the home button does work) and return to HBO Max and continue.

Reading some of these other fixes, I have gone through the process of 1) uninstall HBO Max, 2) remove power from Roku for a few minutes, then 3) turn on Roku and reinstall HBO Max.  Unfortunately, it didn't help.

Has anyone else seen this problem?  I know HBO Max can be problematic, I've had issues with it before... but this is a new one.

Thanks!

54 REPLIES 54
RokuKariza-D
Roku Guru

Re: HBO Max black screen after returning from pause

Hey @tychosis

Thanks for posting here in the Community!

Does the issue only occur on HBO Max or across other channels installed on your Roku device? You can try running a software update on your Roku and see if that will resolve the issue you're experiencing. Feel free to visit this link if you need help with the suggestion above. 

Please keep us posted.

All the best,
Kariza

 

Other resources that you might find helpful:

Kariza D.
Roku Forum Moderator
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tychosis
Channel Surfer

Re: HBO Max black screen after returning from pause

Hi!  Thank you for the response.  It was only HBOMax, and I did verify that my Roku was up to date yesterday...

That being said, it appears that the problem resolved itself, and the issue is not happening today.  I'm fairly certain it was on HBO's side... like after pausing it played back the rest of the buffer and then just stopped.  (Strange that it didn't freeze but just went black and became unresponsive though.)

Through researching the problem, I am aware that the HBOMax app is.... problematic, at best.  I'll chalk it up to that.

Thank you again for your timely response!

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Jimmyz1988
Newbie

Re: HBO Max black screen after returning from pause

It happens to me everyday only on hbo max. And it never goes away.

ellen-l
Streaming Star

Re: HBO Max black screen after returning from pause

Has anyone reached out to HBO?  They should be bombarded and made aware of their service snafus.

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Rubber-Soul
Reel Rookie

Re: HBO Max black screen after returning from pause

I'm also dealing with a similar issue. After a long pause, screensaver appears and if I want to resume the stream, a black screen comes out and it does not let me to do anything unless I press the home buttom and exit the HBO Max app.

RokuDanny-R
Retired Moderator

Re: HBO Max black screen after returning from pause

@Rubber-Soul

Thanks for the post.

Please be aware that the newest Roku OS 10.5 has added a new Power item in Settings > System menu for some Roku models. If you have this Power item, under Auto power savings see if deactivating After 20 minutes of no interaction fixes the problem.

Please keep us posted what you find out.


Thanks,
Danny

Danny R.
Roku Community Moderator
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chaderopla
Channel Surfer

Re: HBO Max black screen after returning from pause

This is happening to me too and only on HBO Max. It doesn't matter which TV I use either. I have a Hisense and RCA and it does it on both of them.

Des C.
Rubber-Soul
Reel Rookie

Re: HBO Max black screen after returning from pause

I have a Roku Express updated to 10.5 OS. I did not find that power Item maybe in other models?. This only occurs on HBO Max.  

chaderopla
Channel Surfer

Re: HBO Max black screen after returning from pause

Mine is deactivated and has been. It has no bearing on the HBOMax issue, Danny. Please find/work another alternative. Thank you.

Des C.