Channels & viewing

[jtgostars]

Whenever I open the YouTube TV app on my new Roku it opens to what ever live show/channel or recording I was viewing last and starts streaming it. It doesn't matter when I was last watching on YouTube TV; yesterday, 2 days ago, 3 days ago etc. even if it wasn't marked for recording. Why would I want to continue watching something, i.e. the news from 1,2,3 or more days ago?

Before I upgraded to the newest Ultra it would open to the "Home" screen without any live channel or show being streamed just the standard static home screen.

This does not occur on my other older Ultra Roku in my bedroom and YouTube TV indicates there is no setting that would cause this.

[RokuTakashi]

Hi, @jtgostars

Thanks for posting, and welcome to the Roku Community.

We understand your concern regarding YouTube TV, and we're here to help. We'll provide you with a troubleshooting step that you can perform to resolve the issue.

Please refer to the instructions below:

1. Navigate to the channel tile on the Roku home screen, press the star (*) key on your remote, and choose "Remove channel".
2. Next, restart your device from Settings > System > Power > System Restart (If you do not see a Power submenu, skip to the next step).
3. Once your player/TV starts up again, go to "Streaming Store" on the Home screen, and add the channel back once more.
4. You may also refer to this link: How to resolve a channel playback issue | Official Roku Support

If the issue persists after performing the provided troubleshooting step,it is advisable to contact the channel provider's support team directly for further assistance. They may offer a potential workaround or indicate whether an update to their application on the Roku platform is required. It is important to note that the majority of channels available on Roku are developed and maintained by the respective channel providers.

We hope this helps, and let us know if you have further concerns or inquiries. 

Thanks,
Kash

[StreamerUser]

@jtgostars 

The YT/YTTV apps (2.24.229/2.24.91) on the 4850 support the Instant Resume feature of RokuOS, which allows apps to save their current state without closing when "exited" via Home, such that when the app is re-launched the app returns to the previous state (VOD playback goes to the content details page, Live playback goes directly back to the playback point).

The YT/YTTV app versions/builds on other models do not currently support Instant Resume.

The behavior you are experiencing is correct/by design for Instant Resume - this is not a bug.

[jtgostars]

In that case I will be rolling back to my prior ultra Roku. My opinion is that this is a very annoying feature. Maybe because I am not an avid TV watcher am not interested in continuing with a show I was watching in the past, especially the news or a live sporting event. I could see this as possible functionality if I closed the app while watching recorded (DVR) content but not live streaming.

I think you are going to find I am not alone in not wanting this type of behavior as it really makes no sense as it works today

This probably is also why I am seeing the Hulu app open to a profile that was last used on a different Roku box (4660X) as opposed to the last profile used on the Ultra 4860X although in that case it would be probably more of a Roku server issue in managing different OS's on different devices by the same person

[AvsGunnar]

@jtgostars 

As indicated by @StreamerUser and included in the reference link provided for this feature,  https://developer.roku.com/docs/developer-program/media-playback/instant-resume.md, this should only affect channels/apps that have implemented this feature when you press the 'Home' button to immediately exit the channel/app.

If you use the 'Back' button instead to back out to the Main Menu of the channel/app and then 'Exit' the channel/app this prevents the Instant Resume from taking place the next time you launch the channel/app. (at least for VOD/on-demand content).

On most channels/apps, if you press the Back button repeatedly, an overlay box is presented with language similar to "Are you sure you want to Exit?".  By exiting in this manner, you should be presented the Main Menu next time time you enter the channel/app and not the Instant Resume feature.

[jtgostars]

Thanks albeit that link is very technical and appears to be meant for developers/testers. I do use the Roku Home button to exit any of the apps I am using. It's easier, more efficient and faster than having to press the back button 5 times and then pressing the OK button for exiting; 6 total clicks (YouTube TV) which is a horrible user experience as opposed to 1 (one) button to exit an app.

I can't believe the majority of Roku users are interested in "picking up where they left off" especially when viewing live streaming content; news, sports, certain network TV presentations etc. I understand if they were watching recorded content but not most live content that isn't set for recording.

And it sounds like you're stating this is controlled by the app owners (You Tube TV, Hulu, Amazon, etc.) and not Roku so any complaints I have need to be directed to them? Is that correct? Good Luck with that!!

[AvsGunnar]

@jtgostars 

"And it sounds like you're stating this is controlled by the app owners (You Tube TV, Hulu, Amazon, etc.) and not Roku..."

Yes, if you watched that little 4min video that was in the link, a Roku developer walks through a demonstration of the implementation (very easy to follow/understand), and emphasizes the hope that more developers will implement the Instant Resume feature so that channels/apps can load faster and users can get right back into the content they were watching. (At least, that was their premise).

Unfortunately, I doubt any of the developers will scrap the Instant Resume after implementing it, but perhaps may listen to feedback how to improve.  Probably not Youtube though, they are pretty tone-deaf and care little for user experience.

-----

It can definitely come in handy for older users that may have trouble navigating Roku.  All they have to do is press a button to launch the channel/app and they are right back into the show. (which hopefully then justs loads the next show if watching a series).  I actually prefer the channels/apps that provide an initial option box that allows you to resume or return to the library/menu.

The Instant Resume is also device-dependent. (not available on all devices/depends on the processor used/whether or not developer enabled feature on a model, etc).  I have some older devices in my setup (like the 4660 Ultra and 3921 Premiere+) and I actually prefer them because they are not so affected by some things that are considered 'features' of the newer Roku devices and newer Roku OS.  Kind of the reason I still keep buying older models for my personal use.

[jtgostars]

I rarely, if ever, find myself wanting to rejoin something I was streaming after leaving. In most cases when I exit I am either going to a different channel/app or turning the TV off. If there is a show or event I want to continue later at my leisure I simply start recording it. And the last thing I would want is to wake up in the morning, turn on the TV and immediately jump into last nights Colbert, late night news or a sporting event. And to now start pressing the back button 5 or 6 times when ever I do that is a waste of time and very irritating.

Given all the problems I have had with this newest Roku Ultra; rebooting 4 or 5 times at start up, losing track of the last profile used in an app on that device, the problem documented above, Spotify not loading, etc. I think I will just roll myself back to my older Ultra.