Channels & viewing

[gino3472]

I just set up my roku streaming device this morning but i cannot watch my local channels. How do I watch my local channels?

[makaiguy]

Roku streaming devices do not contain TV tuners.  

The only way to get local channels free is to connect an over-the-air antenna to the antenna inputs on your TV and view the channels you can receive using the TV's tuner.

Alternatively, you can subscribe to a streaming service that takes the place of a cable/satellite service that delivers your local stations.  Ones I know of are:

• YouTube TV
• Directv Stream
• Hulu + Live TV
• fubo
• ... there may be others

Check with each of them to see which of your local stations they may have available.   Typically you get the main network channel only, and none of the sub-channels that may be able to get with an over-the-air antenna.

[andyross]

If you have a standalone Roku device, you can also use devices like Tablo or AirTV that can be accessed through a Roku app.

[Bismarck318]

I have found the Roku standalone devices create a fair amount of RFI interference to TV's internal tuner(s) wiping out my local channels when I have the Roku powered & watching via the tuner (TV setting).  This is especially troublesome on High VHF (Channels 7-13) which I'm blessed with Fox being on 8 (physical & virtual channel), & CBS on 10 (physical channel & 19 virtual channel).  This especially occurred when the Stick was plugged directly into the HDMI port near the antenna connection on the set. 

Power down the Roku Device when watching via the TV Sets internal tuner, alternatively you can move it away from the TV with an HDMI extension, though I will still remove the USB power when watching OTA (over the air) TV via the antenna.  

Always power down the Roku Device with the USB, & never plug in or unplug the HDMI while the TV or Roku Device  is powered on. 

[Tgordo]

I was watching the local  channels and a few others on the spectrum app and now they  show on the on screen guide but don't work, all the channels work on another TV that isn't connected to roku. Did spectrum change something so they don't work with roku?

[RokuCarly · Accepted solution]

Welcome and thank you for posting here in the Roku Community, @Tgordo!

It is highly appreciated that you've brought this to our attention and we'd be more than happy to find you the best resolution possible. 

May we first know if this only happens to the Spectrum channel alone? If so, kindly follow the steps provided below to help you troubleshoot it:

• Remove channel: navigate to your Home screen, move to the right, highlight the app, press Star*, then select Remove channel
• Perform a system reboot: navigate to your Home, select Settings > System > Power (skip if unavailable) > System restart
• Re-install the channel: navigate to your Home, scroll and select Store, look for the app, then press Add channel

Furthermore, kindly visit our support article on How to resolve a channel playback issue to help you learn more about this. In the meantime, we sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.

Let us know how it goes and we'll continue assisting you from there. Hope this helps!

Best regards,
Carly

[Bismarck318]

Then comes the dreaded "enter password". 🤣